Chapter 43: A newfound confidence radiating from within

Within an hour, Lin Feng sold all the cookies he had painstakingly made earlier that day, much to his delight.

He had baked 100 cookies, which had taken him hours to finish. They all sold out, giving him a net profit of 300 yuan!

Lin Feng had initially thought it would take him two days to sell them all. Unexpectedly, it had taken only an hour.

His eyes shining, Lin Feng thought to himself, ’To think I can actually earn this much money so easily? Why was I even worried before?’

He was completely getting carried away.

Then Lin Feng began to worry again when he realized that the demand was too high compared to the supply. He would need to bake more every day just to meet the customers’ demand.

At this point, the body’s memories about finance seemed to kick in.

Lin Feng began calculating the costs of hiring someone to help him. Of course, he would have to pay them a wage, or it would be completely unfair.

’Oh, right. What if I factor in the electricity costs? I hadn’t even considered that.’

While distracted by his calculations, the crowd in front of the stall continued to grow.

Right now, Lin Feng was only selling the small flower bouquets that Grandpa Wang had grown in a corner of the greenhouse.

The nearby elders could not help but wonder why this unpopular corner had suddenly become so crowded. But when they saw the crowd surrounding Lin Feng’s stall, they immediately slapped their foreheads in realization.

"What else can it be? Of course it’s Xiao Feng!"

Then, looking at the items at their own stalls that were still not selling well, they all exchanged looks, sharing the same idea.

"Hey, little big brother over there! Yes, you!"

After discussing it, they beckoned a nearby bodyguard who had been glaring at the crowd to come over, then whispered a few things to him.

Soon, the bodyguard came to Lin Feng and told him the elders’ request.

Lin Feng had just been worrying about the empty stall, now devoid of cookies and flowers, and the still-unabating crowd.

Now, hearing the bodyguard’s words, his eyes lit up, and he nodded.

"Of course, I’ll help. That’s why I’m here."

He turned around, bid farewell to the customers, and headed toward the small door behind the stall.

"Where is he going?"

The crowd of girls began to stir.

A few boyfriends who had been dragged along already had blank expressions on their faces, questioning their own existence and wondering why they had even come here with their girlfriends.

The bodyguard did not answer, but remained inside the stall and faced the crowd.

Pointing at a group of people who had been filming, he spoke in a serious voice. "I’m sorry. To ensure our young master’s privacy, please delete the videos and pictures you just took."

The girls protested. "Our idol already gave his permission, so it’s not a violation of privacy!"

The solemn-faced bodyguard said, "He’s still a minor."

"He still gave his permission!"

The solemn-faced bodyguard: "...He gave permission for one photo when you bought something. Now delete the videos and the rest of the pictures."

"Then...if we buy more, can we keep the pictures?"

The solemn-faced bodyguard: "Our young master is not a celebrity. Why bother?"

"He’s now our idol!"

"Beauty is justice!"

"He has such mixed-race features, but the hanfu looks so perfect on him," a girl sighed.

Then the girls exchanged looks. "Let’s add each other on WeChat. We must create a fanbase page for our idol!"

The solemn-faced bodyguard: ’...Are these girls really all right in the head?’

The bodyguard, who had faced the most common idol-worship scene, was completely dumbfounded.

Unaware of all this that he had left behind, Lin Feng met up with the other elders.

The elders’ items were different from Lin Feng’s large chocolate-chip cookies.

These were traditional handicrafts, handmade trinkets worth only two or three yuan or, at most, five yuan, such as woven coasters, small bamboo ornaments, embroidered sachets, fabric pouches, and handmade painted bookmarks.

To attract customers, the elders had all changed into hanfu even before the performance began.

Feeling more confident after his successful sale, Lin Feng placed a hand on his chest and solemnly reassured the elders.

"Don’t worry, Grandpas and Grandmas. I will make sure to sell everything within the next few days. I think I’m getting much better at it."

He did not even realize that his words carried a hint of pride.

The elders indulgently nodded at Lin Feng with doting smiles.

"Yes, yes, our Xiao Feng is great. Now come here and let us arrange things first."

Later, Lin Feng found himself facing the crowd of familiar customers again, this time with all kinds of trinkets and accessories hanging all over his body.

The boy wore traditional earrings, with a different design on each ear. Even his bracelets were all different styles, with four on each arm. Several pouches, tassel knots, and sachets also hung from his waist, one of each design.

In other words, nearly every product design sold at the stalls had found its way onto Lin Feng’s body, to the point that he felt his face flushing in embarrassment.

However, seeing the look of admiration in the customers’ eyes, Lin Feng thought that perhaps the new society’s appreciation for traditional culture had simply exceeded his understanding. Otherwise, they would not be so accepting of his current ridiculous appearance.

’If they are not embarrassed, why should I?’

Unknowingly, Lin Feng was gradually becoming bolder and more outgoing in his attitude and actions.

Sales experience could truly make people bolder.

The crowd, consisting mostly of girls, was inwardly screaming:

’How cute! Look at his red cheeks and wet eyes, clearly feeling shy, but still smiling gently.’

’No matter what you put on him, everything suddenly becomes prettier!’

As the sun sank on the horizon and the street lamps and glowing decorative lights lit up one after another, the items stored in the stalls gradually lessened.

Until the elders finally became alarmed and realized that if this went on, they would have nothing to sell in the remaining days of the festival!

This could not go on.

They immediately closed the stalls, grabbed Lin Feng, and ran away.

"Ah, he’s leaving!"

"Lin Feng, my idol, I haven’t gotten my picture yet!"

"I haven’t bought anything yet!"

At this point, Lin Feng seemed to realize that something was odd. He looked back at the crowd behind him, confusion etched on his face.

"Uncle Yang, why does it feel like they all know me?"

"Of course they know you, young master," Housekeeper Yang responded calmly, without showing any change in his expression. "You are today’s top seller. You are very capable today, young master. You sold out all your products and even helped the elders sell a lot of items. Naturally, everyone will know your name."

The more Lin Feng listened, the straighter his back became.

In the end, feeling a little carried away again, he agreed a little embarrassedly. "I also think I did well today. I never realized I have a talent for earning money. Tomorrow, I’ll bake 200 more. Maybe the day after that, I’ll change things up a little so the customers won’t get tired of them."

The boy unconsciously rambled on, his eyes bright and hopeful as he imagined a future where he could earn more money for himself.

Housekeeper Yang was already feeling exhausted from constantly keeping his guard up to ensure that no one with bad intentions approached the young master.

However, he noticed that the young master’s personality seemed to have changed greatly in just a few hours.

Housekeeper Yang had noticed some signs yesterday, but today the change had become even more obvious.

Young Master Lin Feng had become braver, bolder, and more confident.

It seemed that earning money with his own hands was indeed helping him come out of his previous gloom.

’This is why...’ Housekeeper Yang’s eyes softened.

This was why, despite all the trouble, Housekeeper Yang did not regret bringing the young master to the nursing home.

Right now, Young Master Lin Feng seemed to be shining all over, not just because of his naturally beautiful appearance, but because of a newfound confidence radiating from within.

It was a beautiful sight, as if seeing a butterfly emerge from its pupa.

"That person really is Lin Feng?" someone watching from a distance muttered.

"He seems very different from before. Are you sure you still want to do this, Tang Rui?"

A young man with a cold and handsome appearance answered, "I’m already here. Naturally, I am certain."

His eyes were a little red. "Although I know that he is a victim, it doesn’t change the fact that his actions greatly harmed my fourth uncle. There are many ways he could have dealt with those two adulterous animals, but he had to choose the way that was most harmful to my fourth uncle."

"I know he lost his mother, but what about my fourth uncle? He’s now depressed and taking medication!"

Seeing the young man overtaken by emotion, his friend could only sigh.