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

The coal stove was quickly lit in the yard, the red flames licking the black coal, making crackling sounds and dispelling the chill in the yard.

Luo Xinde found two large iron kettles in the kitchen, filled them with water, and placed them on the stove. Soon, white steam began to emerge from the spouts.

Luo Xiyuan held the written cardboard, weighed it down with two bricks, and stood it at the entrance of the courtyard.

On the cardboard, written in bold black letters:

"Hot water is available for 50 cents a pot. Instant noodles can be cooked for 1 dollar a pot (please bring your own noodles)."

The handwriting isn't exactly beautiful, but it's clear and legible enough.

"Sister, is this all? Will anyone come?" Luo Wen asked with some concern.

"Yes, it will." Luo Xiyuan's tone was very certain. "Just wait and see."

On a night with a power outage, news spreads much faster than expected. Luo Xiyuan's last words at the convenience store had already been planted like a seed in everyone's hearts.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes after the sign was put up, a figure walked towards them, stumbling along. It was the woman who had bought candles at the convenience store earlier, carrying an empty thermos.

"Is this...is this the Luo family's house?" the woman asked tentatively at the door.

"Yes, sister-in-law, come in quickly!" Luo Xinde greeted the first customer warmly as soon as he saw her arrive.

The woman walked into the yard and her eyes lit up when she saw the burning coal stove and the steaming kettle on it.

"Oh my, you actually have hot water at home! That's great!" She handed over the thermos. "My husband has a sensitive stomach and just wants something hot to drink, but we can't heat water at home, which has been driving me crazy."

"No problem!" Luo Xinde took the thermos, picked up a kettle of water that had already boiled on the stove, and carefully filled it for her.

"Here you go, sister-in-law, be careful it's hot."

"Okay, okay!" The woman took the heavy thermos as if she were receiving a treasure. She took out a crumpled one-yuan note from her pocket and handed it to Luo Wen.

Luo Wen imitated his sister, taking the money in a very professional manner, and then took out fifty cents from his own purse and handed it back: "Auntie, here's your fifty cents change."

"No need to look anymore. It's so cold outside, you've worked hard too." The woman waved her hand, picked up the thermos, and left satisfied.

The first sale was a great success!

Luo Xinde and Luo Wen looked at Luo Xiyuan excitedly, and Luo Xiyuan gave them a victory sign.

Once there's a first one, there's a second, and a third.

Soon, people started arriving at the gate of the courtyard one after another. Some were carrying thermos flasks, some were carrying pots, and others were carrying instant noodles and eggs.

"Old Luo, give me a pot!"

"Brother Xinde, cook me some noodles, and add an egg!"

"Luo family girl, how did you get such a brilliant mind? It's so useful!"

The small courtyard suddenly became bustling with activity.

Luo Xinde completely abandoned his so-called pride. He was busy and sweating profusely, adding coal, fetching water, and helping people bring over the cooked noodles.

His face wore a genuine smile he hadn't seen in a long time. It wasn't the weariness of being bossed around by the foreman on the construction site, but a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from creating value for himself and his family.

Luo Wen stood guard at the small table by the door, with the small notebook and money bag in front of him.

"Uncle Wang, a pot of water, 50 cents."

"Aunt Li, two packets of noodles, that'll cost you two yuan."

Here's your change: three dollars and fifty cents.

His little face was red from the cold, but his eyes were bright and sparkling. He meticulously kept track of every transaction, handling money collection and change with remarkable clarity and order—he didn't seem like a nine-year-old at all. The neighbors all marveled at his cleverness, praising the Luo family's son.

Luo Xiyuan became the general coordinator.

"Dad, the water in the kettle on the right is boiling. Fill it for Grandma Zhang who's in line first!"

"Luo Wen, check carefully when you receive money, don't accept counterfeit bills!"

"Uncle Liu, your noodles will take another two minutes to cook. Why don't you come inside and warm up for a bit?"

She stood under the eaves, calmly directing the operation; although the scene was chaotic, it was well-organized.

At this moment, she was no longer that timid fourteen-year-old junior high school student, but rather like an experienced business manager, strategizing and planning.

Business was booming even more than they had imagined. The power outage had a huge impact; the entire village, with hundreds of households, was facing the predicament of having no hot water or hot food.

Of course, there were also dissenting voices.

Zhao Ergou, the village's notorious lazybones, also arrived with a pot containing two packets of instant noodles.

"Xinde, cook me a pot too." He casually handed over the pot.

Luo Xinde took the pot and was about to add water when Luo Wen whispered a reminder from the side, "Dad, he hasn't paid yet."

Luo Xinde then remembered and said to Zhao Ergou, "Ergou, give me one yuan for processing fee first."

Zhao Ergou's eyes widened: "What? We're all from the same village, and you want money for a bowl of noodles? Old Luo, are you obsessed with money now?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on it.

Luo Xinde's face flushed red instantly. He was tongue-tied and didn't know how to refute.

Just then, Luo Xiyuan came out of the house.

She walked up to Zhao Ergou, looked up at the man who was a head taller than her, and calmly said, "Uncle Zhao, the coal we use to boil water didn't fall from the sky, and my dad isn't standing here freezing for fun. If you want some hot noodles, we're offering to make it convenient for you, and charging you one yuan for your trouble is perfectly reasonable. If you think it's too expensive, you can go home and cook it yourself."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and bright, and everyone present could hear it clearly.

Zhao Ergou, humiliated by being lectured in public by a young girl, snapped angrily, "Hey! You little brat, how dare you speak to your elders like that? Believe me or not..."

Before he could finish speaking, an older woman in the queue next to him interrupted, "Zhao Ergou, what are you being so arrogant about? Is the kid wrong? If you don't want to pay, then don't eat here. Don't waste everyone's time!"

"Exactly! People work hard to boil water, what's wrong with getting paid a little extra? If you're so capable, go boil water yourself!"

"Hurry up and pay, or get out of the way!"

The crowd was outraged. Faced with tangible benefits, the villagers all sided with the Luo family.

Zhao Ergou hadn't expected to incur such public wrath. His face turned pale and then red. He sheepishly pulled a dollar from his pocket, slammed it on Luo Wen's table, grabbed his own pot, and squatted down to wait.

Luo Xiyuan easily resolved a minor incident.

After this incident, no one dared to try and take advantage of the situation or make sarcastic remarks. The Luo family's business also became more legitimate.

Luo Xinde watched his daughter's retreating figure, his eyes filled with admiration and pride. He realized that his daughter was not only intelligent but also bold, reasonable, and neither arrogant nor humble—completely unlike a child.

Time ticked by, and darkness fell, but the liveliness in the Luo family courtyard remained undiminished. The firelight from the coal stove illuminated faces that were either anxious or satisfied, and also reflected the busy figures of the Luo family members.

They were busy until after 11 p.m., when fewer and fewer people came to get boiled noodles.

The Luo family of three finally had a chance to catch their breath.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm exhausted." Luo Xinde plopped down on the doorstep, rubbing his aching back. He had added more coal in one day than he had in the previous week.

Luo Wen also lay on the table, counting money until his eyes were blurry.

Luo Xiyuan poured a cup of hot water for her father and younger brother.

"Dad, you've worked hard."

"What's so hard about it? Making money is never easy." Luo Xinde grinned, though tired, he was in high spirits. "Quick, let Xiao Wen calculate how much we made tonight."

"I've already calculated it!" Luo Wen proudly held up his little notebook. "Sister, Dad, guess how many there are?"

"One hundred?" Luo Xinde guessed.

Luo Wen shook his head.

"One hundred and fifty?"

Luo Wen shook his head again, a mysterious smile on his face.

"How much is it, you brat!" Luo Xinde exclaimed impatiently.

Luo Wen cleared his throat and announced in a very solemn tone, "From 8 PM until now, we've sold 132 kettles of hot water, earning 66 yuan. We've also cooked 57 pots of instant noodles, earning 57 yuan. Our total income is 123 yuan!"

One hundred and twenty-three yuan!

Adding the 265 yuan they earned from selling candles earlier, their total income for tonight reached 388 yuan!

Luo Xinde was completely stunned.

He stared at the pile of loose banknotes on the table, feeling like he was dreaming. In one day—no, one night—he had earned nearly four hundred yuan. This was something he would never have dared to dream of before.

He looked up at his two children beside him. His daughter was calm and composed, while his son was clever and quick-witted.

He suddenly realized how ridiculous and insignificant his previous notions of face and dignity were. Being able to provide a good life for his family and see the smiles on his children's faces—that was the greatest dignity a man could have.

He picked up a cup of hot water, drank it all in one gulp, and the scalding water flowed into his stomach and into his heart, soothing all his fatigue and bitterness.

"Great! Great!" He slapped his thigh hard, tears welling in his eyes. "Let's keep going tomorrow!"