Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

The sorrow between her brows and the corners of her eyes had vanished. Her eyes darted around, becoming more lively.

Children are actually more sensitive than anyone else. The uncertainty of life on the way to visit relatives weighed on their hearts like a mountain.

Although she probably couldn't articulate many of the reasons, the hardships she had endured were already etched on her face.

"Yes, Second Brother is the best."

Xiaoyue carefully picked up a crumb of food from the corner of her mouth, put it in her mouth to melt it, and swallowed it. Turning her head and looking up at Zhuang Hongxiu, she quickly added, "Sister Hongxiu is the best too."

"Then it's because the eldest brother is in the wrong."

Li Cheng strode in from outside, laughed upon hearing this, gently pinched the little girl's cheek, and asked with a smile.

"Hmph, my older brother got up so early and didn't even bother with me."

"It's not that I don't care about you, your older brother has gone to earn money..."

Li Cheng was covered in sweat and grease, clearly unwilling to take a car and relying entirely on his own two legs to walk through the streets and alleys.

"Second brother, the seaweed you mentioned last night, I chose the regular dried kind, which costs about 25 coins per pound."

Offal soup isn't expensive, 30 coins a pound. As for wood ash, I asked around, and you can just find some dry grass and branches outside the city, burn a whole pile, and nobody will care.

"It's alright. One pound of mutton offal can make 15 to 20 bowls of soup, which isn't stingy. If it sells for 6 coins a bowl, the net profit per pound is over 60 coins."

Selling a bowl for 8 coins, the net profit is around 100 coins, which is enough.

Will they be able to sell?

Zhuang Hongxiu pursed her lips, looking somewhat worried.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with doing a small business.

However, selling something that everyone can sell doesn't seem to offer any advantage.

However, seeing Li Xin's confident appearance...

She didn't say much.

Whatever the young master says goes.

Let's do it.

"Don't worry, it can be sold."

Li Xin thought about the shop at the entrance of his big courtyard and realized that, back in those days, MSG hadn't really been invented yet.

At least, the soup he drank at the mutton soup shop that day tasted strange and not fresh at all.

If you were to use kelp and wood ash to boil and filter the mixture using traditional methods, the resulting MSG would be a game-changer when used in soups.

After all, some famous chefs these days treat those high-end seasonings as closely guarded secrets.

They're selling high-end dishes and playing a sophisticated game.

Who would use such delicious seasoning to make ordinary food?

If you really try to make a broth and set up a small stall, you might not even be able to recoup your costs.

By using MSG to enhance flavor and freshness, instead of targeting the high-end market, they serve the general public with delicious and affordable food, and there will definitely be a market for it.

Once we establish our reputation, the streets around Qianmen will be bustling with people, and the products will be snapped up like crazy.

Selling hundreds of bowls of soup a day is like child's play...

There was still an income of two or three taels of silver.

He calculated that at that time, an ordinary craftsman could earn one tael of silver a month.

If you can earn the monthly salary of three craftsmen in a day by opening your own small shop, what more could you ask for?

To make a living first, so as not to run out of money, and not to make a fortune.

"Then let's start it."

Li Cheng now had an unreasonable level of trust in his second brother, and was enthusiastically rolling up his sleeves, preparing to hire someone to renovate the shop. "How about I... I'll just do this. As for the Cheng family martial arts school, let... let Hongxiu cooperate..."

The thought of performing in front of so many people, and lying to them, made Li Cheng's hair stand on end, and his tongue began to tie itself in knots.

He's not afraid of fighting.

Playing the talk is really not a good fit for my profession.

"I'm fine with anything, young master." Hongxiu covered her mouth and chuckled when she saw Li Xin looking at her.

She was, of course, aware of Li Xin's entire plan, and found it amusing at the moment.

But won't he get beaten up after lying to Master Cheng like that?

……

Chapter Eighteen: I Want to Be the Martial Arts Champion

"Close the door and don't leave anyone at home for now."

Li Xin had just finished a hearty breakfast and was about to leave when he saw someone peek in at the door before quickly leaving.

This is the third time this has happened.

Even though those people were just passing by and glanced at the door, Li Xin still felt that something was off.

"Should we chase after them and investigate their backgrounds?"

A flash of hatred crossed Hongxiu's eyes.

That night, she was ambushed and captured by the Qing gang, and despair filled her heart.

Even now, thinking about it, I still feel immense hatred.

Although those people are dead, the shadows deep in their hearts have not yet dissipated for a while.

"The Qing Group has many informants. If this was someone they sent, we've probably already been exposed..."

She said bitterly.

This is the threat posed by local bullies.

As long as people live in the area, they can't stay indoors all day long.

Even staying at home is not an option.

They have many subordinates, so you can get information about several of them by asking around, and you can quickly pinpoint your target.

"We can't just abandon the house and run away, can we? Where can we run to?"

Thinking of the chaos outside, Li Cheng looked somewhat bewildered.

Looking at the exquisite little courtyard, he was really reluctant to give up the life he had just settled down in.

That only happens in dreams.

"Ignore them. Generally speaking, they won't rush into action until they've figured out our strengths and weaknesses."

Now is the time to act quickly and find a powerful backer... at least to deter them from making any open moves.

If the Qing family's martial arts school is a local power, then the Cheng family's martial arts school is undoubtedly a local tyrant.

He has both prestige and martial arts skills.

If I were to join the Cheng family martial arts school and become their personal disciple, the Qing family would likely pretend that nothing had happened.

That's just how reality is.

"Let's go, does Hongxiu know what to do?"

"know."

"Big brother, when you take your little sister with you, don't stray too far."

"understood."

The group locked the gate, and Li Xin led the way, slowly heading east until they arrived at the Fire God Temple.

Sure enough, the martial arts disciples started practicing early.

However, the person leading the exercises and instructing the boxing was a different young man.

"It's Teng Haodong, one of the Six Heroes, young master. It's truly heaven's help for us."

Zhuang Hongxiu smiled as soon as she saw it.

"So, was that guy from yesterday no good?"

"The person who taught the boxing yesterday was Senior Brother Cheng Dalong. He is calm and gentle."

Even if we do something, he won't get angry or take it seriously; he'll just think it's childish nonsense.

Sixth Senior Brother Teng Haodong is different. He is young and impetuous, hot-blooded and combative, and he hates it most when someone looks down on his sect...

"I see. Let's begin."

Li Xin suppressed his smile, lowered his head, and hurried past the boxing ring.

Zhuang Hongxiu took a deep breath, knowing that her time to test herself had come.

Whether the young master's plan will succeed depends on whether this performance is sincere and heartfelt.

"Young master, young master, don't go."

Her piercing scream was like the mournful cry of a cuckoo, heartbreaking to those who heard it and bringing tears to their eyes.

Li Xin shuddered; that voice…

Wasn't this overacted?

If someone digs up my embarrassing past later, will I even be able to live?

"Don't stop me! A man's ambition should be to reach for the clouds and conquer fifty states beyond the passes. Hongxiu, no one can persuade me to turn back today."

Tell my parents, "Your unfilial son should be considered as if I were dead."

"But, but..."

Zhuang Hongxiu was speechless, almost unable to utter a word. She also felt ashamed and couldn't finish her sentence.

fortunately.

This wasn't a solo performance by her, and she wasn't alone.

The thirty or forty people who were practicing punches and kicks all stopped.

Not only young people of all ages, but even the sixth senior brother Teng Haodong, who taught the boxing, stopped his own fighting and curiously gathered around.

There are too few entertainment options in this era. Being able to see something new and exciting is something that can keep you entertained for a whole day while chatting over drinks.

You can practice boxing slowly, but you can't miss watching movies.

"Young man, look at her, she's crying so hard she's about to faint. How can you be so heartless?"

"Yes, yes, it's hard to find a priceless treasure, but a true lover is hard to come by... wait, this seems to be talking about men..."

The gist is that true feelings are the only things in this world that should never be betrayed. You wouldn't look down on someone just because of their status, would you?

"Young man, listen to my advice. If you still want to join the army and serve your country when you're older, then it's up to you."

But at this age, even if you're thinking about serving your country, they won't hire you.

Several teenagers looked at Hongxiu with pity and quickly stopped Li Xin, offering their advice in a cacophony of words.

Teng Haodong laughed along: "Can you even lift a spear? Or wield a knife? You're probably not even fully grown yet. I don't know which heartless person tricked you into joining the army at such a young age. Don't you think about how heartbroken your parents will be?"

Wow, this guy's got a really sharp tongue.

No wonder Zhuang Hongxiu described him as "young and impetuous".

This is someone who's deliberately trying to offend people from the very first word.

If he didn't have a good master, Li Xin suspected that his sixth senior brother would be beaten to death as soon as he went out.

"Wrong, wrong, why would I want to be a soldier? I want to be the top martial arts champion."

Li Xin said arrogantly.

It looks both funny and pathetic.

"Oh……"