Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

The world outside the door was as if it had been splashed with ink, so black that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The cold wind swirled snowflakes, scraping against my face like knives, stinging painfully.

Luo Xiyuan held her younger brother Luo Wen's hand tightly as the two trudged along the snow-covered path. There were no streetlights in the village, only the faint lights shining from the windows of a few distant houses, flickering in the wind and snow.

"Sister, the road is so slippery." Luo Wen's voice trembled slightly, whether from the cold or fear, it was hard to tell.

"Hold on tight and watch your step," Luo Xiyuan shouted. The wind was too strong, and she couldn't be heard unless she spoke loudly.

She was actually scared herself. At fourteen years old, every step was incredibly difficult in such harsh weather. The snow beneath her feet was compacted, leaving a thin layer of ice underneath, making it easy to slip and fall.

But a fire was burning inside her.

This flame represents hope for the future and a desire to change one's destiny.

In her previous life, she spent countless cold nights fantasizing about what life would have been like if her father hadn't met with that accident. Now, she's back, and she's determined not only to prevent the tragedy but also to turn those fantasies into reality.

The road to Uncle Chen's convenience store is not far, usually taking only seven or eight minutes to walk there, but today, it took them almost twenty minutes.

A dim light bulb hung at the entrance of the small shop, stubbornly shining through the wind and snow. The door was ajar, and the sound of mahjong being played could be heard from inside.

Luo Xiyuan stamped the snow off her feet and pushed open the door to go inside.

A wave of heat, a mixture of the smells of smoke, alcohol, and an indescribable dampness, hit me. Inside, four or five people were playing mahjong around a table, with Uncle Chen, the owner of the convenience store, sitting among them.

"Hey, aren't these the two kids from the Luo family?" A man with a cigarette in his mouth turned around and glanced at them. "What are you doing out here in this heavy snow?"

Uncle Chen looked up, saw it was them, and smiled: "Xiyuan, Xiaowen, here to buy something?"

"Uncle Chen," Luo Xiyuan called out politely as she led her younger brother over, "we've come to buy some things."

"What do you want? Take it yourself, just tell me when you're done." Uncle Chen said, picking up a tile and slamming it heavily on the table. "Eight of Wan! I won! Pay up!"

The room was immediately filled with frustrated complaints and the clattering of mahjong tiles.

Luo Xiyuan didn't disturb them, and pulled Luo Wen to the shelf.

The shop wasn't big, but the shelves were packed full of items. She spotted her target immediately: candles and batteries.

The candles, wrapped in red paper and bundled in groups of ten, were placed on the most conspicuous counter. Next to them was a cardboard box containing batteries of various sizes: size D, size AA, and size AAA.

"Brother, bring all the candles," Luo Xiyuan whispered.

Luo Wen was taken aback: "Take...take everything?"

There were about a dozen bundles of candles on the shelf, totaling more than a hundred.

"Yes, take them all." Luo Xiyuan's tone was firm.

Without further hesitation, Luo Wen stood on tiptoe and carried the candles down in bundles.

Luo Xiyuan was rummaging through the battery box. She remembered that most of the old-fashioned flashlights used in the village were powered by size D batteries.

She picked out all the size D batteries, about forty or fifty of them. Then she took some size 5 and size 7 batteries, just in case.

"Sister, do you want to buy anything else?" Luo Wen asked softly, holding a bunch of candles.

Luo Xiyuan's gaze swept across the shelves. Instant noodles, sausages, peanuts, sunflower seeds... these things would sell well after the power outage, but their capital was limited, so they had to use it wisely.

"Ten more packs of instant noodles and ten sausages." After thinking for a moment, she decided to take some. In case the power outage lasted a long time, these would be some emergency food.

Just as they were putting everything on the counter, a man who had lost money at the mahjong table stood up cursing, "I'm not playing anymore, I'm having bad luck. Chen the Cripple, get me a pack of cigarettes."

He walked over and immediately saw the mountain of candles and batteries piled up on the counter.

"Hey, why did you two buy so many candles? Are you having a funeral at home?" the man joked casually.

Luo Xiyuan's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm on the surface: "Uncle, the weather forecast says there will be a power outage. We're out of candles, so please prepare some extra."

"A power outage?" The man scoffed. "They say there's a power outage every year, but when has it ever actually happened? You little girl, always worrying unnecessarily."

As he spoke, he took a cigarette, glanced at the items again, and looked thoughtful.

Uncle Chen finished calculating the bill and came over: "Oh, you bought so much? Let me calculate it for you."

He picked up the abacus and started typing away: "Candles are one yuan a bundle, twelve bundles in total, twelve yuan. Batteries are one yuan fifty each, here are... forty batteries per pack, sixty yuan. Eight batteries of pack five, eight yuan. Instant noodles..."

He calculated everything one by one, and Luo Xiyuan's heart was in her throat. She was terrified that there wouldn't be enough money.

"...The total is one hundred and three yuan and fifty cents," Uncle Chen announced.

Luo Xiyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was less than half of the total budget.

She took out the crumpled wad of money from her pocket, carefully counted out 103.5 yuan, and handed it over.

Just then, the door of the convenience store was pushed open again, and a woman wrapped in snow rushed in.

"Brother Chen! Quick! Get me five bundles of candles! And ten size D batteries!" The woman was panting, clearly having run over.

Uncle Chen pointed to the items on the counter, looking helpless: "They're all gone. Those two kids bought them all."

"What?!" the woman shrieked, looking at Luo Xiyuan and Luo Wen with reproach in her eyes. "Why did you two buy so much? Leave some for others!"

Before Luo Xiyuan could speak, the man who had bought the cigarettes earlier chimed in, "Exactly! The Luo family is too domineering. They bought up all the candles. What are we going to use?"

As soon as he said that, the other people playing mahjong in the room looked over, their eyes filled with hostility.

An invisible pressure instantly enveloped them.

Luo Xiyuan knew in her heart that she absolutely couldn't back down at this moment. If she did, these people would immediately make her return the items.

She straightened her small frame, looked at the woman, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Auntie, the weather forecast predicted a blizzard and potential power outages. We prepared in advance. You're only now remembering to buy things; we can't just give them to you because you weren't prepared, can we?"

Her words made sense, and the woman was speechless.

Before the man who bought the cigarettes could say anything more, Luo Xiyuan immediately spoke up, saying to Uncle Chen, "Uncle Chen, we've given you the money, can we take the things now?"

Chen Bo glanced at the tense atmosphere, sighed, and nodded: "Take it."

Luo Xiyuan immediately pulled Luo Wen along, and the two of them hurriedly stuffed the items into a large plastic bag.

"Sister, I'm scared," Luo Wen whispered, his hands trembling.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Luo Xiyuan comforted him while packing the things.

Just as they finished packing their things and were about to leave, the dim light bulb in the room suddenly flickered twice with a "zzzz" sound.

Everyone in the room instinctively looked up.

Then, the light bulb went out completely.

The room was instantly plunged into complete darkness.

"The power's out! The power's really out!"

"Damn! This weather!"

"Where's my flashlight? Has anyone seen my flashlight?"

In the darkness, a series of panicked shouts and clattering sounds rang out.

Luo Xiyuan's heart began to pound wildly at that moment.

coming!

The most crucial moment she had anticipated had arrived!

She didn't panic. Instead, she took a small device from her pocket and pressed it. A bright beam of light instantly pierced the darkness—it was her father's old-fashioned flashlight, which was almost out of power. She had specifically taken it from her father earlier.

Although the light was faint, it shone like the sun in the absolute darkness. All eyes were instantly drawn to her.

"Girl, your flashlight..." Uncle Chen's voice trembled slightly.

Luo Xiyuan shone her flashlight on the ground, then on the woman who had just been criticizing her.

"Auntie," her voice sounded unusually clear and calm in the silent darkness, "Do you still want candles?"

The woman froze. Her expression was obscured in the darkness, but her breathing seemed to have stopped.

"How...how much does it cost?" the woman stammered.

Luo Xiyuan took a deep breath and announced the price she had already decided on.

"Candles, one yuan each."

The original price was one cent per stick. She increased it tenfold.

"What? One yuan a cigarette? You might as well rob me!" The man buying the cigarettes immediately exploded.

"Uncle, this isn't me robbing you, it's you who needs it." Luo Xiyuan moved the flashlight beam to his face. "If you go out now, it will take at least four hours to walk to town and back, and you might not even be able to buy it. These candles, which cost one yuan each, are for those who need them. If you don't need them, you don't have to buy them."

Her words were resounding and powerful.

The man, bathed in light, blushed and paled in turns, yet he couldn't utter a single word.

Yes, at this time of year, even if you have money, there's nowhere to buy it. A dollar a stick may be expensive, but what does it matter compared to spending the whole night in the dark?

"I'll buy them! I'll buy ten!" The woman was the first to react, and she fumbled in her pocket to pull out her money.

"I'll buy ten too!"

"Give me twenty!"

The people at the mahjong table also started to speak.

Looking at the scene, Uncle Chen opened his mouth, then let out a long sigh. He knew these two kids were about to make a small fortune.

"Brother, collect the money," Luo Xiyuan whispered to her younger brother.

"Oh...oh!" Luo Wen suddenly realized what was happening and quickly took out a small notebook and pen from his pocket. With the help of the flashlight, he began to keep accounts and collect money.

Pay in one hand and deliver in one hand.

The group of people who were hostile to them just moments ago were now politely queuing up to buy candles from a fourteen-year-old girl, even though the price had increased tenfold.

Soon, the twelve bundles of candles they brought were sold out. The candles alone made 120 yuan.

"Then...what about the batteries?" someone asked quietly, looking at what was left in their bag.

"A size 1 battery, five yuan a piece," Luo Xiyuan quoted the price.

She bought it for 1.5 yuan and sold it for 5 yuan, more than tripling her profit.

Another collective gasp rippled through the crowd, but this time, no one complained about the price. On nights without electricity, a flashlight is a source of security.

"Give me four sections!"

"I want two sessions!"

Most of the batteries were sold quickly.

In less than half an hour, they exchanged the items they bought for over 100 yuan for over 300 yuan in cash.

Luo Xiyuan told Luo Wen to put the money away, and then said to the people still gathered around, "Uncles and aunts, we need it at home too, so we won't sell the rest. If you still need it, you can come to our house. We have hot water, 50 cents a pot, and we can also cook noodles for you, one dollar a pot."

She's laying the groundwork for her next step.

After saying that, she didn't linger. She took Luo Wen's hand and walked out of the convenience store amidst the complicated gazes of the crowd.