Working at an otherworldly junkyard, making a fortune by collecting trash.

At four in the morning, the sky was still shrouded in darkness. As Chen Chen put on his coat in the dark, Ji Yunli was already walking towards the kitchen in her slippers.

The moment the switch was pressed, bright light filled the small space. The dough that had been resting on the cutting board shone with a warm, white luster. Ji Yunli rubbed her hands together and skillfully sprinkled some flour into her palm. "The dough has risen perfectly today. The buns you make will definitely be soft."

Chen Chen dragged out the newly bought butcher knife from behind the door. The blade reflected the light and still carried the chill of a newly opened hardware store.

He squatted in front of the whetstone, poured a spoonful of water over it, and said, "Mix less minced meat. Today we'll mainly deliver pork. We'll sell fewer buns. This is mainly to inform yesterday's customers."

The sound of the blade scraping against the whetstone was particularly clear in the quiet. When he picked up a piece of pigskin to test the knife, the clean cut made him breathe a sigh of relief—last time he used his old, ordinary vegetable knife at home, it took him half an hour just to process a pig leg, this new knife would save him at least half the effort.

Around 6 a.m., when the electric tricycle breakfast cart was parked outside the residential area, there were already a few students heading to school.

As soon as the steamer was opened, the aroma of meat wafted out, and a customer who had bought buns yesterday crowded around: "Boss, four pork and scallion buns, please!" Chen Chen handed out the buns while pushing a card with his WeChat ID written on it in advance to the front. "Handsome, I have something to tell you. I might not be setting up here anymore after today. Add me on WeChat, and I'll let you know when I find a new location."

These words were like a pebble thrown into the crowd.

"Why aren't you displaying them? My kid loves your steamed buns!" "Yeah, boss, your steamed buns are way better than the ones sold at breakfast shops!" Chen Chen patiently explained to everyone, while his phone kept ringing with friend requests.

Just as the steamer was about to empty, the sound of an enforcement vehicle siren suddenly came from afar. His heart tightened, and before he could even pack up, two uniformed urban management officers had already walked over.

"Who gave you permission to set up stalls here?" The leading urban management officer pointed to the no-street signs on the roadside. "Occupying the road for business is prohibited here. Your vehicle will be impounded for now. Go to the urban management bureau this afternoon to submit your documents, pay the fine, and pick up your vehicle." Chen Chen quickly stepped forward to plead for mercy, and Ji Yunli also chimed in with kind words, but the urban management officer's tone remained firm.

Normally, the street vendors would run away as soon as they saw them, and the vendors wouldn't chase after them, turning a blind eye. But today, they stood there for ten minutes, and the two of them were so busy selling steamed buns that they couldn't even turn a blind eye.

As the tricycle was towed away, Chen Chen's hands clenched until they turned white.

He had only bought that truck a couple of days ago, and there were still steamed buns on it that he hadn't had time to sell.

"It's alright, it's our fault. We knew we weren't allowed to display it, but we still came." He swallowed hard, patted Ji Yunli's shoulder, and said, "You go back and rest first. I'll pay the fine and pick up the car this afternoon. I can handle delivering the pigs by myself."

"No," Ji Yunli folded her apron and put it in her bag. "Those two pigs weigh about 1000 jin each. You can't carry them by yourself. I'll help you deliver them before we go back." The two squeezed onto the early morning bus and it took them more than forty minutes to get to their rented apartment.

Chen Chen found a piece of oil paper and laid it in the bread cart that the fat man had borrowed. Then he took out two pigs from the space button and added two electronic scales. The cart was so crowded that there was no room to even step.

When Zhang Xuehua arrived at the entrance of Jinxiuyuan Community at 8:30, she was already waiting with a group of aunties.

She was wearing a plaid shirt and clutching a small notebook filled with names. From afar, she waved and called out, "Little Chen, we've been waiting for you!" The aunties immediately swarmed around, each choosing their cuts of meat: "Boss, I want the hind leg!" "I want pig's head, my husband Zhou loves braised pig's head!"...

Chen Chen carried the pig to an open space in the community—a spot that Zhang Xuehua had arranged with the property management in advance—and laid down a waterproof tarpaulin.

He picked up the new butcher's knife, took a deep breath, and began to butcher the meat. His movements weren't very skilled, and he occasionally chopped off the bone, but the aunties didn't mind. Instead, they gathered around to look: "Xiao Chen, this meat is really fresh, much better than the frozen meat in the supermarket!"

Zhang Xuehua stood to the side keeping accounts, "Aunt Li, a leg of meat; Sister Wang, a pig's head, a pair of intestines, and ten catties of meat..." Ji Yunli was in charge of weighing and bagging. The "beep" of the electronic scale mixed with laughter, making it as lively as a small market.

Around 10 a.m., when the last piece of meat was finished, Chen Chen's back was soaked with sweat.

He took out his phone and saw that his WeChat wallet had more than 90,000 yuan. His fingers trembled slightly—this was more than he had earned in a whole year.

"Xiao Chen, thank you for your hard work." Zhang Xuehua handed over a bottle of mineral water. "Your meat is good, and it tastes good too. I'll help you promote it more in the future."

"Thank you, Sister Zhang," Chen Chen took the water, pulled a whole pig's hind leg from a bag beside him, and handed it over. "This is a small token of my appreciation. Thank you for introducing me to such a big business. If you need meat in the future, I'll definitely reserve the best for you." Zhang Xuehua was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and accepted it: "You silly child... I'll promote your business more in the future."

Chen Chen was panting heavily after helping Zhang Xuehua carry over 30 kilograms of meat and pig's trotters upstairs, but he felt a sweet warmth in his heart.

As they drove back, Ji Yunli glanced at her phone's balance and couldn't help but laugh, patting his arm: "The money we earned today is enough to buy a decent car!"

Chen Chen smiled, his hands gripping the steering wheel even more firmly.

Meanwhile, in the neighborhood, the aunties who had bought meat were busy cooking.

Aunt Wang put the pig's head into the pot to blanch it, and the aroma of the braised meat from the spice packet wafted far and wide; Aunt Li chopped minced meat, and the "thump thump" of the cleaver could be heard through the door; Zhang Xuehua even prepared a table full of dishes, including stir-fried pork and stir-fried pork intestines, the aroma of which made Wu Jianguo swallow his saliva.

In the evening, the neighborhood became more crowded.

Young people leaving get off work couldn't help but slow down when they smelled the aroma of meat; parents with children were so attracted that they simply strolled around the neighborhood again and again.

The property management group chat exploded with messages: "Whose cooking smells so good? My kid's refusing to eat!"

"Where did you buy this meat? I want to try it too!" An aunt posted a photo of braised pork, adding the caption, "Meat from Boss Chen, fresh and delicious." Following the clues, everyone quickly found Zhang Xuehua, and the group chat was instantly flooded with "@Zhang Xuehua".

Zhang Xuehua was having dinner with her family and didn't look at her phone.

Her son, Wu Suowei, ate the braised pork, nodding as he said, "Mom, this meat tastes much better than the meat our hotel uses. I'll take some to be tested tomorrow, and if it's okay, the hotel will order from him from now on."

After finishing his meal, Wu packed 20 kilograms of meat and sent some of it to the testing agency first—he knew the person in charge and could use the expedited channel so the results would be available the next day. He then sent the rest of the meat to the hotel kitchen.

Head Chef Li pinched the meat, his eyes lighting up: "This meat is excellent! A perfect balance of fat and lean, with a subtle grassy aroma!"

He quickly prepared braised pork and twice-cooked pork. During the tasting, the manager and chefs were full of praise: "This meat tastes so much better than usual!"

The same dish, made with different ingredients, tastes much better.

Wu Suowei felt confident and waited for the test results to come out before discussing long-term cooperation.

When the knocking came at Zhang Xuehua's door, she had just finished washing the dishes.

When I opened the door, it was Aunt Sun, whom I danced with, carrying a bag of apples: "Xuehua, the meat you bought with your sisters smells so good! It's all my fault for missing it at some farmhouse yesterday. My husband kept urging me to come and ask you where you bought it."

Zhang Xuehua then checked her phone; the group chat was practically overflowing with messages. She quickly replied, "The young man selling meat is named Chen Chen. I'm giving everyone his WeChat ID. You need to pre-order. He can sell a whole head, excluding ribs and tail. Please let us know what you need, and I'll ask him later."

Shortly after, Chen Chen received a message from Zhang Xuehua, who not only ordered five pigs and a lot of offal, but also said she would share his WeChat with the residents of the community.

Chen Chen quickly agreed and created another "supply group," appointing Ji Yunli and Zhang Xuehua as administrators.

Looking at the ever-increasing number of new friends in the group, he was both happy and worried—delivering five pigs tomorrow would be too much for him and Ji Yunli to handle alone, and transportation would also be a problem.

After Ji Yunli came home from get off work, she listened to his explanation of the situation, fiddled with her phone for a while, and said, "Let's call a Lalamove delivery service and find two temporary workers online to help move and divide the meat. Five hundred yuan each, a total of one thousand yuan, that should be enough."

Chen Chen slapped his thigh and immediately placed an order to find a driver and contact Lalamove. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally put at ease.

Late at night, Chen Chen lay in bed, looking at the supplier group on his phone, and couldn't help but smile.

Although he encountered trouble today with the city management impounding his vehicle, if he could just sell pork directly, why would he bother selling steamed buns?

……

At four in the morning, the sky was still shrouded in darkness, with only a few rays of dim yellow light filtering through the streetlights at the corner, casting Chen Chen's shadow long and thin.

He squatted in the shadows at the base of the community wall, pinching the edge of the tarpaulin with his fingertips and gathering it around the pigs—five pigs lay on the ground, their heavy bodies pressing down on the edge of the tarpaulin.

This is the pig he released from the spatial button, and he must keep the secret of this "pig appearing out of thin air" well hidden.

He breathed on his palms, and the cold wind blew into his collar, making him shiver. But he was still thinking about Ji Yunli's early shift. He had deliberately not woken her up so that she wouldn't be too tired.

The edge of the tarpaulin was lifted by the night wind, and Chen Chen quickly pressed it down. When his fingertips touched the warmth of the pigskin, he thought of the endless expanse of pigs in the space.

The money I made from selling meat last time is still lying in my bank account, but if I want to keep this business going, I can't keep sneaking around hiding and moving pigs every time.

As he frowned in thought, the sound of a truck engine came from afar, and two headlights pierced the darkness. It was the Lalamove truck that had been arranged to arrive.

"Boss Chen, sorry to keep you waiting!" The driver rolled down the car window.

The car behind also stopped, and two men in dark blue overalls sat in the back seat, carrying gleaming boning knives—it was Master Zhou and Master Li, whom we had arranged to cut the meat the night before.

The three men crowded around to take a look at the pig under the tarpaulin. Master Zhou was the first to laugh: "Good heavens, this pig is really good! Your source is top-notch!"

There was no time for conversation. Chen Chen and the driver moved wooden planks to make a ramp, while Master Zhou and Master Li, one holding the pig's ears and the other supporting its hind legs, worked hard to move it onto the truck.

The five pigs weighed nearly 3,000 jin (1,500 kg) in total. The men were sweating profusely as they worked. By the time the last pig was crammed into the truck, the sky was already beginning to lighten. Elderly people who were out for their morning exercise started to stroll along the sidewalk, occasionally glancing over. Chen Chen quickly pulled the truck curtain shut and sent a message to the community's residents' group: "The meat has been loaded. It is expected to arrive at Jinxiu Community Square at 8:10 a.m."

At 8:10, Lalamove stopped on time at the central square of Jinxiu Community.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Chen Chen heard the commotion of the crowd—at least twice as many people as last time had gathered around the edge of the square. There were aunties carrying shopping baskets, office workers in suits, and several mothers holding children. They all rushed toward the truck as soon as they saw it.

"The little boss is here!" someone shouted from the crowd, and instantly seven or eight hands reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

As Chen Chen was frantically trying to maintain order, a clear voice suddenly rang out: "Everyone, don't panic! Take two steps back, the car hasn't come to a complete stop yet, it would be bad if we bumped into something!"

It's Zhang Xuehua.

She was wearing a maroon coat and holding a small megaphone. Behind her were four or five women wearing the same coat, forming two human walls on either side, pushing the surging crowd back half a meter.

"Follow the rules, line up first! Those who reported their cut and weight in the group yesterday, please move forward. Those who didn't, you can leave now, don't push!"

Zhang Xuehua's words were much more effective than Chen Chen's explanation. The originally chaotic crowd quickly formed two lines, and the end of the lines continued to grow.

Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly lifted the curtain with Master Zhou and Master Li. When the five whole pigs were revealed, Master Zhou squatted down, touched the pigs' backs, and examined the cuts on the ribs. Suddenly, he gave a thumbs up: "Little Chen, you're a truly skilled butcher! Look at the cuts on these ribs, they're as flat as if they were measured with a ruler, not a single bone fragment. I've been in this business for over twenty years, and I've never seen such deft craftsmanship!"

Master Li also came over to take a look, nodding in agreement: "And the quality of this pork looks different. Look at the color, it's a reddish pink, not the deathly white of frozen meat. It's very fresh!"

The two women's praise excited the people in the line even more. Aunt Wang, who was at the front, stood on tiptoe and called out, "Boss Chen, I want the thinner ones, I need dumplings for my grandson!"

"I want five pounds of pork belly. The twice-cooked pork I bought last time, my husband said it's much more fragrant than the pork at the market! Also, half a pig's head and two legs."

The noise surged in like a tide. Chen Chen was just about to take out his phone to record the orders when Zhang Xuehua walked over, holding a notebook. "Don't worry about the accounting. I'll call out the numbers. You just focus on collecting the money. Zhou and Li, you two cut the food according to what I tell you, don't cut it wrong!"

She opened her notebook and cleared her throat: "Number 1, Liu Guilan, two forelegs, one pig liver, five jin of meat; Number 2, Zhang Jianjun,..."

Master Zhou and Master Li quickly got to work with their knives. The boning knife made a crisp, clean sound as it sliced ​​through the flesh, and each piece of meat was cut into a perfectly square shape, weighed with absolute precision.

Chen Chen stood by the electronic scale, the "ding-dong" sound of his phone scanning QR codes rising and falling. Occasionally, someone would ask, "Do you have any other good stuff to sell?" He would smile and say, "Maybe in the future," but in his heart he was calculating—last time he sold two pigs, this time five, and the number of people in the group was still increasing. If this continued, relying solely on the community square would definitely not be a long-term solution.

Some office workers, in a hurry, ran up to Zhang Xuehua and said, "Sister Zhang, we need to clock in this morning. Can we give you the money first and pick up the meat after get off work?" Zhang Xuehua took out a small wallet from her pocket, accepted the money, and wrote down the names and amounts in her notebook: "Don't worry, I'll put it in the small room at the property management office. Just come and pick it up after get off work."

It wasn't until 11:30, when the last piece of meat was carried away, that Chen Chen realized his arms were sore.

He leaned against the truck bed, opened his mobile banking app, and glanced at his balance—after deducting the wages and fuel costs paid to his driver, he had made a net profit of over 200,000 yuan this time. Adding the money from last time, he had almost 300,000 yuan in total, enough for a down payment on a house.

Before he could even feel happy for long, Zhang Xuehua patted him on the shoulder: "Don't just look at your phone, there's still a ton of stuff to move!"

There were still a few orders from office workers in the corner of the square who hadn't had time to pick up their meat.

Master Zhou and Master Li didn't leave either. The three of them followed Zhang Xuehua to the property office. The property manager had heard about the situation from Zhang Xuehua yesterday and specially prepared a small room with a window, which also contained two old tables.

"Luckily, the temperature has dropped these past two days, with the lowest temperature reaching five degrees Celsius, otherwise this meat would have spoiled in a day." Zhang Xuehua placed the pieces of meat on the table one by one and then labeled the bags with names. "You can't do this in the summer, or the room will be swarming with flies."

As Chen Chen helped arrange the meat, he also had some doubts in his mind—Zhang Xuehua was telling the truth. It was late autumn now, but in two months it would be winter, and when spring came and the weather warmed up, the meat simply wouldn't keep.

As he was thinking, Master Zhou handed him a cigarette: "Xiao Chen, if you have a steady supply of this meat, come back to us next time, and we can talk about the wages."

Chen Chen quickly accepted the cigarette, then went to the convenience store next door and bought two packs of cigarettes and four bottles of mineral water, giving them to Master Zhou and Master Li: "I'll definitely look for you guys. I'll add you on WeChat now and let you know a day in advance next time." The two men smiled and accepted the cigarettes, then helped carry the last bag of pork inside before taking a taxi and leaving.

When Chen Chen got home, Ji Yunli hadn't gotten off work yet.

He had just finished showering and washed his clothes, then hung them on the hanger when his phone vibrated. The name "Zhang Xuehua" appeared on the screen; it was a video call.

"Sister Zhang, what's up?" He answered the phone and saw Zhang Xuehua sitting on the sofa, holding a thermos cup in her hand.

"Xiao Chen, you still have some meat, right?" Zhang Xuehua's voice came through the receiver, tinged with amusement.

Chen Chen nodded: "Yes, I can get it anytime if everyone wants it."

"That's good." Zhang Xuehua took a sip of tea, her tone slightly more serious. "As you know, I spoke with the property management these past two days, and they finally allowed us to distribute meat in the square. But some residents have already complained today, saying it's too noisy in the morning and disturbs their children's sleep—distributing meat in the community all the time is definitely not a long-term solution."

Chen Chen's heart skipped a beat. He had been so focused on making money these past two days that he hadn't even thought about the complaint.

He quickly replied, "Yes, yes, thank you so much for Sister Zhang's help these past two days. I'll figure something out right away, and I definitely won't do it in the neighborhood next time."

"Don't worry, I just wanted to give you some directions." Zhang Xuehua put down her thermos and leaned forward. "I have a shop about 100 square meters outside the west gate of Jinxiu Residential Area, about 200 meters away. It also has a 30-square-meter warehouse in the back. Are you interested in renting it?"

Chen Chen's eyes lit up for a moment, but then quickly dimmed again—Ji Yunli worked there and had mentioned to him once that the rent there was 50,000 yuan a month for even the smallest shop, not including a warehouse.

He shook his head with a wry smile: "Sister Zhang, I know the rent over there. I definitely can't afford to pay for it all year round, and my business is just starting out. I don't know if it will be stable..."

"That's my shop. The previous tenant just moved out last month, so it's vacant." Zhang Xuehua interrupted him, her tone very honest. "If you want to rent it, you don't have to pay for a year, you can pay monthly. I'll give you a price of 55000 a month, and you can use the warehouse for free—don't think it's expensive. Shops with warehouses in Ximen don't have such low prices. This is already a friendly price."

Chen Chen was stunned for a moment. 55000 a month was much cheaper than he had expected, but it was still a considerable expense for him at the moment. He had more than 300,000 yuan in hand, which could only cover six months' rent at most. If fewer people bought meat later, he wouldn't be able to afford the rent.

Moreover, he only had 5,000 pigs in total, sold seven, used less than one, and still had more than 4,000 left. He couldn't keep having pork to sell forever.

He gripped his phone tightly and said softly, "Thank you, Sister Zhang. Your price is really very kind to me, but I still need to think about it and discuss it with my wife."

"Okay, take your time thinking about it, no rush." ​​Zhang Xuehua didn't press him, and said with a smile, "I just think you're a reliable person, and the meat is trustworthy. It's convenient for me to rent to you—if I want to eat meat in the future, I can just go to your shop to get it, saving me from squeezing in with everyone else."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Chen sat on the sofa, staring blankly at his phone screen.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the coffee table. He reached out and touched the "watch" on his right hand—the space button was still warm, as if reminding him that as long as he dared to move forward, this business would not stop here.

But the pressure of rent, the stability of the business, and the secrets of "Origin Realm"... countless thoughts swirled in his mind. He took a deep breath, picked up his phone, opened the chat box with Ji Yunli, thought for a moment, and then put the phone down again—he should wait until she got off work and talk to her in person.