Volume One, Chapter 12: Humiliated at the Stall

She carefully calculated the costs. The ingredients for a pot of iced glutinous rice balls totaled less than five yuan. If she sold each ball for ten cents, fifty would bring in five yuan, and a hundred would earn ten yuan. She had made over three hundred, which meant she could make more than thirty yuan in profit.

She neatly arranged the iced glutinous rice balls on the cutting board, letting them cool for half an hour. Only after they were completely cooled did she carefully pack them into boxes.

The weather was hot, and cool desserts were often more popular.

After spending the whole morning setting up a stall outside the county hospital, she had earned only about ten yuan, but Su Wanyue was not discouraged.

She recalled her former self, spending money like water—bags costing at least tens of thousands—and back then, she never knew how to cherish money. Now, though she had lost the wealth from her past life, she had gained a nineteen-year-old youthful body and the beauty she had always dreamed of. Thinking this way, it wasn’t such a loss.

After adjusting her mood, Su Wanyue carefully packed the snacks, grabbed a clean cloth, and headed out.

She knew the primary school in the county town just outside the village would be a good sales spot.

Most of the children there had some pocket money, and they were often more interested in novel things, making them easier to attract.

Five minutes before dismissal, Su Wanyue arrived at the school gate of the county town primary school.

By then, many parents waiting for their children and some small vendors had already gathered at the gate.

She quickly found a suitable spot, laid out the cloth on the ground, and neatly arranged the iced glutinous rice balls on top.

There were quite a few vendors at the school gate: some selling pancakes and buns, others selling cold noodles, and some with toys. When they saw Su Wanyue selling iced glutinous rice balls, no one caused trouble. After all, everyone sold different things, so there was no competition.

This gave Su Wanyue a sense of relief; she silently congratulated herself on choosing the right product to sell.

In fact, she had previously been so focused on how to earn money from the students that she overlooked an important issue: selling the same products as others could block their income and cause unnecessary trouble.

At exactly noon, the school bell rang, and a wave of young students poured out like a tide.

Their faces were lit with innocent smiles, laughter echoing through the air.

Seeing the children come out, Su Wanyue immediately perked up and called out loudly, “Iced glutinous rice balls for sale! Fresh and delicious—everyone come and try!”

Her voice was clear, bright, and infectious, drawing the attention of many children.

Regardless of how the rice balls actually tasted, their novel appearance and bright colors were already eye-catching.

Besides, the snacks at the school gate were something the children ate every day and had grown tired of. Suddenly seeing a new delicacy naturally stirred their curiosity.

“Big sister, what are you selling?” a little girl asked, her big eyes sparkling with curiosity.

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“It’s iced glutinous rice balls—sweet, soft, and chewy, very tasty,” Su Wanyue replied with a smile.

Children’s minds were simple; when they saw something good, they liked it and couldn’t resist her sales pitch.

“How much is one of these iced rice balls?” the little girl asked.

Her small hand tightly held her pocket money, seemingly ready to buy.

Su Wanyue smiled and said, “Little sister, these iced rice balls are ten cents each. Buy three and get one free. Would you like to buy three?”

But for children, cheap prices alone weren’t enough to attract them—they cared more about taste.

The little girl thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll try one first. Hmm… I want the strawberry flavor.”

Other children didn’t rush to buy but gathered around, waiting to hear the girl’s opinion after tasting it.

The little girl took a gentle bite of the iced rice ball and immediately broke into a radiant smile. Excitedly, she said, “It’s so delicious! I’ve never had such a tasty treat before!”

Then she promptly pulled out thirty cents and bought the watermelon, apple, and peach flavors.

Seeing the girl's delight, the other children eagerly took out money to buy Su Wanyue’s iced glutinous rice balls as well.

Before long, Su Wanyue had sold more than fifty balls, and at this pace, selling out for the day was no problem.

Seeing the business flourish, Su Wanyue felt a secret joy and thought to herself, "Indeed, women’s and children’s money is the easiest to earn."

Just as she finished serving the first group of children and bent down to count her earnings, a disdainful female voice rang from overhead.

“I thought I must be mistaken. So it’s Wanyue after all.”

Su Wanyue looked up, feeling a touch of unfamiliarity. She realized it was the village’s goddess, Jin Sitian.

In truth, Su Wanyue saw Jin Sitian as a white lotus with a hidden agenda—appearing gentle and kind but actually scheming.

Standing beside Jin Sitian was Su Wanyue’s ex-husband, Lu Zetao.

Su Wanyue had no deep feelings for Lu Zetao; it was just that the original owner of her body had been infatuated with him.

However, before they had even finalized their divorce, Lu Zetao had been cozying up to his first love, Jin Sitian, which deeply wounded Su Wanyue’s pride and filled her with anger and resentment.

Su Wanyue was a woman who cared greatly about her dignity and would never let Jin Sitian’s provocation slide.

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“Oh, it’s Jin Sitian—and my not-yet-divorced husband,” Su Wanyue said deliberately, emphasizing the words “my husband,” and cast a contemptuous glare at Lu Zetao.

Jin Sitian’s expression stiffened slightly at Su Wanyue’s remark.

But she quickly recovered, feigning surprise. “Wanyue, you’re… selling snacks?”

Her eyes hinted at mockery and disdain, as if laughing at Su Wanyue’s fallen state.

Utterly ridiculous!

Su Wanyue cursed silently. Was she blind?

Wasn’t it obvious?

If she wasn’t selling snacks at the school gate, was she supposed to be in class?

Ignoring Jin Sitian’s taunts, Su Wanyue stuffed the money into her pocket and calmly said, “Yes, so what?”

She earned money with her own hands and had a clear conscience.

“Running a small business is really embarrassing,” Jin Sitian continued, her tone thick with superiority.

In her view, nowadays only those living off state support were truly successful; other jobs were beneath notice.

Lu Zetao, who cared about face, looked a bit ashamed upon hearing Jin Sitian’s words.

Moreover, the stall was in a place frequented by familiar villagers, and Lu Zetao was a well-known doctor.

But Su Wanyue disagreed. She thought these people were utterly ignorant.

In her view, money was the ultimate truth. As long as she could earn money and provide a good life for her family, there was no such thing as high or low status.

“You shamelessly seduce my ex-husband openly and don’t feel embarrassed, but just because I’m selling snacks you think it’s shameful?” Su Wanyue retorted fiercely.

If no one provoked her, she would not provoke anyone. But if someone did, she would make sure to infuriate them.