Chapter 42: Earning the first pot of gold

Lin Feng had just arrived at the nursing home to visit the elders before they headed together to the nursing home’s night-market stalls.

The nursing home was also participating in the night market. They had set up several stalls in a small corner at the far end of an aisle where there was little foot traffic.

The arrangement was intentional. The nursing home wanted to keep the crowds from overwhelming the elderly residents.

Of course, the elders themselves would have preferred as many customers as possible. They had all been hardworking people who had supported their families before retirement. Now that they were going to earn money again, they naturally wanted to do a good job.

But the nursing home was more concerned about exhausting them and had firmly chosen the quieter corner.

Fortunately, the elders did not dwell on it for long. They were much more excited about their upcoming performance.

"How is it, Lin Feng? Does it look good?"

Grandma Yang spread out her arms and asked eagerly.

The elders were all dressed in traditional hanfu of very high quality. Apparently, the costumes had been donated to the nursing home years ago by wealthy descendants and sponsors who knew that the residents enjoyed putting on performances during festivals, including the Bohai Spring Festival.

Lin Feng looked around at everyone and smiled.

"Everyone looks very dignified and beautiful. You all look like fairies from ancient times."

It was an exaggerated compliment, but it immediately put smiles on the elders’ faces.

Lin Feng then helped them adjust their costumes, fixing small inconsistencies in how the garments were worn and making their overall appearance look more authentic and formal.

Then, following Grandpa Wang’s instructions, he changed into a set of hanfu as well.

Lin Feng was not going to perform with the elders, much to their disappointment. But it could not be helped. There was no time to change the performance schedule, as any last-minute changes would throw the rehearsed order into disarray.

To comfort the elders and ensure they would not become too tired, Lin Feng had promised that he and Housekeeper Yang would help them man their stalls.

The hanfu was considered his stall uniform, allowing him to blend in with the elders.

Grandpa Wang said, "Put the items you prepared on the counter. Whether you can sell them successfully is up to you."

Lin Feng nodded seriously.

He carefully arranged the baked chocolate cookies he had individually packed in white food-paper wrappers on the stall’s counter. Each cookie was as large as a small plate, thick and crumbly, with large chocolate bits oozing from it.

The contrast between the light brown crust and dark chocolate looked very appealing.

This was Lin Feng’s first attempt at earning money.

During his conversation with Grandpa Wang yesterday, Lin Feng had gradually gained a firsthand understanding of the experiences of homosexuals in the country.

Grandpa Wang had lived through an era when homosexuality was still considered shameful and unacceptable. Society back then had been far more conservative, leaving people like them with almost no way to live openly.

At least in Madam Lin’s previous life, cut-sleeves could remain lifelong confidants in public despite the tacit understanding among those who knew. As long as they maintained their scholarly image and refrained from public displays of affection, no one cared about what went on behind closed doors.

It was shameful when acknowledged, but the friendship between gentlemen was like water. No one would poke through the paper window, because doing so would be considered rude and untrustworthy.

But during Grandpa Wang’s youth, once their sexual orientation became known, some families would even send their children to psychiatric hospitals in the hope that their "mental illness" could be "corrected."

Grandpa Wang had known a few people who had been forced into such hospitals.

When they eventually came out, they were no longer the same.

They had become subdued and obedient, as though their spirits had been drained away. They followed the lives their parents had arranged for them, married the partners chosen for them, and spent the rest of their lives suffering from depression.

Grandpa Wang himself had once been considered the black sheep of his family, but he had never been an easy person to bring down.

Before his parents and relatives discovered his sexual orientation, Grandpa Wang had focused on one thing above all else.

Making money!

He had understood a simple truth after observing the situation of others in the same situation. Most of those who were forcibly sent to psychiatric hospitals either depended on their families for support or were still minors who could not defy their guardians’ wishes.

"Xiao Feng, you will be eighteen by the end of June. At that time, you can make decisions for yourself. Relying on others is never a lifelong solution. You must be able to support yourself. And in this world, money is your greatest backing."

Only by earning enough money to support himself was Grandpa Wang able to leave his family. With the money he earned, he lived independently and built a future for himself without depending on anyone’s approval or protection.

"Money might not be able to give you all the happiness in the world, but it can solve a lot of problems. Xiao Feng, you lack a sense of security right now because you cannot support yourself. If you are lost, then focus on gaining the ability to earn money first."

Remembering these words, Lin Feng’s amber eyes became even more determined. His shoulders loosened, and he straightened his back.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and looked at the visitors, watching the people walking in and out of the stalls around them.

Unexpectedly, just as he raised his head, his eyes met another person’s.

After a brief pause, Lin Feng smiled with what he considered a professional smile. It was the same smile he used when interacting with the other madams at tea parties and banquets.

The girl was suddenly startled and immediately tugged at her companions, a group of other girls. After some shy pushing and shoving, they went over to the stall and timidly asked how much the cookies cost.

Lin Feng’s smile remained gentle, but he felt a little anxious inside as he said, "Ten yuan."

He didn’t know whether this price was considered cheap or expensive, but Housekeeper Yang had told him earlier that he could sell them for fifteen yuan. When the others heard that price, they had said it was a little expensive.

So Lin Feng decided to settle on ten yuan, which would still earn him an average of three yuan per cookie.

To his surprise, the girls immediately bought one cookie each.

In an instant, Lin Feng had sold four cookies, earning twelve yuan after deducting the costs.

’I, I actually earned this much so soon?’

Lin Feng remembered what Housekeeper Yang had said yesterday. The ingredients they used at home were high-end and expensive, but starting tomorrow, they would switch to specially ordered, high-quality ingredients purchased in bulk, lowering the cost to four yuan per cookie.

Each cookie would cost four yuan to make, leaving six yuan as pure profit.

Lin Feng was suddenly filled with energy, completely forgetting his worries about Hou Yizhen.

’Earning money feels great! No wonder Grandpa Wang said I should first learn to earn money!’

Feeling happy, Lin Feng’s eyes shimmered even more brightly, and his smile became even more genuine as he smiled sweetly at the girls.

"Thank you for your patronage."

An arrow was invisibly shot in the air, going straight for the girls’ wildly pumping hearts.

Completely starstruck by the glowing boy’s smile, the girls stood rooted to the spot as they stared at him with wide eyes and flushed faces, their hands pressed against their chests as they squealed in delight.

"Kyaaa!"

Lin Feng who was a little startled: "?"

However, before he could think further about the girls’ strange reaction, the group was immediately pushed aside as one stream of customers after another came flowing in.

"I also want to buy one!"

"Can you please pack me two, please?"

"Can I take a photo with you?"

Lin Feng was hesitant. "A photo?"

"We can’t?" The girl’s eyes drooped.

Lin Feng was alarmed. Was he about to lose a customer?

Immediately, he changed his mind. "If it’s just one photo, I think it should be okay."

"Thank you! It won’t take much of your time!"

Housekeeper Yang could not help but hold his forehead, already feeling a headache coming on.

Earlier, Housekeeper Yang, Edmund, and the other five personal bodyguards assigned to Young Master Lin Feng had been busy intimidating the crowd and preventing them from approaching too closely.

Compared to previous years, it was clear that the Bohai Spring Festival had attracted far more visitors this time, and the reason was apparent.

However, the young master, this pure and innocent boy, did not even notice anything strange.

Even now, he was still beaming brightly at every customer, showing them the same sweet and gentle smile after each purchase, posing for photos clumsily, and unknowingly making the situation even worse.