Chapter 31: Making Amends

Bai Lu was already thin, but Liu Yue’e was even frailer; otherwise, she wouldn't have developed those visible dimples above her hips—a clear sign of an excessively low body fat percentage.

In his previous life, she had passed away two years later. While the constant harassment from the Zhang family, the malicious gossip of others, and the general hardships of life certainly played a part, he suspected the primary cause was simply her weak constitution. She had raised two children alone while caring for a terminally ill husband. The wages she earned were barely enough to keep the household afloat, and even when there was something decent to eat, she would always ensure others were fed first, never willing to indulge herself.

"Auntie, you need to eat more nutritious food from now on and take good care of your health. You’re still so young—don't run yourself into the ground."

Liu Yue’e felt a complex mix of emotions she couldn't quite name; the two hundred yuan notes she held in her hand were damp with sweat.

Bai Lu was thrilled on the side, feeling that she was finally able to contribute to the family. Although Lu Fan had earned the money, she felt she had played a part in it too.

After finishing the meal, Liu Yue’e hurried away.

In the afternoon, Lu Fan rode his motorcycle, taking Bai Lu with him to an electronics mall in the Dongping District. After browsing for a while, he was secretly stunned by the current prices of mobile phones. A Motorola V998 flip phone cost 8,260 yuan. A Nokia 8850 slide phone was priced at 6,800 yuan. A Samsung a288 dual-screen flip phone was 7,600 yuan. These were the latest models released this year, and they were incredibly expensive. Even the older models, while cheaper, still cost the equivalent of two or three months' salary for an average person.

Lu Fan immediately ruled out these high-end models. He didn't have much money now and saw no reason to act wealthier than he was; once newer models hit the market, the prices of these would be slashed in half. He chose a Motorola 328 "Palm-size Treasure." It was last year's model, which had cost several thousand when it first launched, but was now priced at 2,600 yuan.

In his memory, that was the year his parents had bought him the very same phone for his first year of university. At the time, he was one of only three people in his class to own a mobile phone, and one of them was the academic counselor. By the end of the year, however, the number of students with phones had grown to about a dozen. He still remembered those moments of showing off quite clearly: he would pre-arrange with his dorm mates to call him on his IC card phone after a certain number of minutes. He would time it perfectly, walking past a girl he liked just as the phone rang. He would operate it one-handed, pull the phone from the holster on his belt, use his teeth to pull out the antenna, flip the lid open with his thumb with a snap, and press the answer button.

"Hello? Hello? Hello... ah..."

The scene was absolutely explosive! Every time he thought back on it, he would blush.

"Sir, sir, are you going to buy it or not?" The clerk behind the counter saw Lu Fan staring blankly at the phone and couldn't help but urge him.

"Oh, yes, I'll take it. Write me up a receipt, and I'll also take a 'Shenzhou Xing' card!" Lu Fan pointed to the promotional flyer on the counter.

"Certainly, one moment please."

As the clerk went to write up the bill, Lu Fan held the phone to his mouth, used his teeth to pull out the antenna, flicked his thumb, and snapped the lid open. He turned to Bai Lu and asked, "Does that look cool?"

"Very cool!" Bai Lu played along with an appropriately surprised expression.

"Excellent, you're getting good at playing the straight man!"

The phone cost 2,600 yuan and the card was 300. The clerk tried to upsell him on accessories like headsets, universal chargers, and a belt-clip holster, but he declined them all. That holster was a miserable memory; he had already spent one lifetime embarrassing himself with it, and he had no intention of doing it for a second.

After finishing the transaction, he tucked the phone into his pocket, keeping only the wired charger, a charging dock, and a spare battery, which he placed in the bag Bai Lu was carrying. While browsing the store, Bai Lu had shown a look of longing, but Lu Fan didn't buy one for her, nor did he even ask. He didn't have much money yet, and he needed to spend it where it counted. If he didn't need to stay in touch with Old Ding at all times, he wouldn't have bought a phone yet.

Passing a motorcycle repair shop, Lu Fan bought two helmets, one for each of them. Many roads were still dirt tracks, and whenever he crossed paths with cars while riding, the dust would blow into his eyes, making it impossible to see.

Returning to the urban-rural fringe, Lu Fan took a detour past the garment factory. He saw several cars parked at the entrance—likely suppliers—and groups of female workers standing together, whispering about something. He didn't go in immediately; now was not the best time to approach Old Ding. If the heat isn't right, you can't cook a delicious dish.

When he got home, Liu Yue’e had already returned. A piece of skin-on pork belly, weighing about three pounds, was hanging by the kitchen door. She was squatting by the sink, scraping potatoes.

"Mom, are we having braised pork tonight?" Bai Lu asked with pleasant surprise, then added to Lu Fan, "My mom makes the best braised pork."

Liu Yue’e laughed. "The last time we had braised pork was during the New Year; I've almost forgotten how to make it."

"I remember," Bai Lu said, swallowing hard. "You have to fry the meat first to render the fat out, then add plenty of seasonings and let it stew in the pot. It needs to stew for over an hour to get soft and tender, and you add the potatoes right before it's done."

Seeing her cute expression, Lu Fan wanted to pat her head again, but with Liu Yue’e present, he had to restrain himself.

Lu Fan checked his phone—it was nearly six o'clock. "I'm afraid I won't be back in time to eat it fresh out of the pot. You two go ahead and eat; just save me some."

Bai Lu suddenly remembered and asked, "You're going to Baoshan tonight? I'm coming with you!"

Lu Fan waved his hand. "I'm not going to sell clothes today. I'm just going to refund the money to the others and come right back."

"But I want to go with you. I'm worried about you walking the night roads alone."

"What's there to worry about? It's more convenient for me to go alone. You and Auntie stay home and make the braised pork, and I'll have it when I get back." Seeing her about to protest, he added, "Be good!"

"Okay!"

Liu Yue’e, who had seen Lu Fan holding the phone, had wanted to ask about it, but upon hearing his slightly stern "Be good," she swallowed her words.

Lu Fan, having had a long career in sales, was an expert at reading people. He clearly saw Liu Yue’e's hesitation. "Auntie, was there something you wanted to say?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing. Drive carefully on your own. Just let the pork stew a bit longer; we'll wait for you to come back to eat."

"That works too!"

Lu Fan didn't waste any time. He didn't even set down the helmet he was holding; after exchanging a few more words, he turned and walked out. As he reached the door, Bai Lu chased after him and stuffed the toy gun into his pocket.

"Take this. You can use it if you run into trouble."

Lu Fan laughed. "Running into that kind of trouble once or twice in a lifetime is rare enough; how could I encounter it every day?" He didn't refuse her gesture, tucked the gun into his pocket, and set off.

A motorcycle made things much easier. The 20-kilometer trip took an hour and a half by bicycle, but less than half an hour by motorcycle. If the road conditions had been better, he felt he could have made it in ten minutes. His Honda 125 could reach 100 kilometers per hour on a good road.

When he arrived at the Baoshan night market, it was just 6:30. The sky hadn't fully darkened, and most of the stalls were already set up. As he passed a "two yuan for anything" stall, he bought eleven small stainless steel basins.

When he reached yesterday's spot, he found that the people who had paid him the day before were already waiting, having spontaneously formed a queue. They had been worried to see the spot empty so late, but seeing Lu Fan put them at ease.

"Little Boss, you're finally here."

"Yeah, we've been waiting here for over ten minutes."

"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry. I was held up on the road. Also, I need to apologize to everyone: the company's clothes were selling so well that even though we had a few hundred pieces left, the company diverted them to another market."

Just as the crowd started to murmur, Lu Fan raised his hands to silence them.

"However, don't worry. I won't let you lose out. Since you paid yesterday and I have no clothes for you today, I will give each of you a small gift worth two yuan."

"If I can't bring the clothes tomorrow, I'll give you a gift worth four yuan."

"If I can't bring them the day after, I'll give you a gift worth eight yuan."

"If I still can't bring them, I'll give you a gift worth 16, then 32 yuan."

"In any case, every day the gift will be twice as valuable as the previous day's. How does that sound?"