Chapter 12: After School, See You at the Playground!

For the next two days, Li Dong didn't go to school. He accompanied Ping Chuan on deliveries twice, and everything went smoothly. 

Since business had just started, he couldn't trust Big Beard to transfer the money to his card. Each payment was between fifty to sixty thousand, which was a significant amount in this era.

Li Dong had also found a third lobster wholesaler, and today's batch was supplied by this third one.

Now he had around 150,000 in hand, with about 60,000 still owed for goods, leaving him with over 80,000 in profit.

Making 80,000 in three days would be a dream for most people, but Li Dong earned it easily by running a few trips.

This was the advantage of being reborn—it felt like he was cheating.

A few years later, with the rapid development of the internet and the increasing popularity of smartphones, earning this money would be extremely difficult. It would be a miracle to even break even.

That night, lying in bed, Li Dong was worried. A casual remark from the wholesaler in the morning had left him anxious.

The wholesaler mentioned that recently, there had been an increase in people buying lobsters in Dongping, with many rural traders shouting for price hikes. This wasn't a good sign.

It had only been three days, and 30,000 jin (15 tons) of goods wasn't a large quantity. It shouldn't cause such a situation, unless there was overlap in the areas where he had sourced from.

Li Dong wondered if he should switch wholesalers, but he feared that the new one's activity range might overlap with the previous ones, causing even more trouble.

It was a headache, but for now, it wasn't a significant issue. Li Dong hoped to get through the next two months smoothly.

His main concern was that these anomalies might attract the attention of other fish traders. If they entered the market earlier, he would lose out on a day's profit.

He decided not to dwell on it and thought he would inquire with Old Wang tomorrow morning and settle the payment for the first batch.

...

When Li Dong arrived at Dongping's big market, it was still dark.

Old Wang was already waiting at the market entrance, and his gaze towards Li Dong was noticeably different.

Li Dong felt uneasy and smiled, "Uncle Wang, why are you looking at me like that?"

Old Wang scrutinized him up and down and after a while, whispered, "Dongzi, do you have any other connections?"

"Connections?" Li Dong raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Lately, it seems there are more people buying lobsters. Bao Laosan and Xu Datou from Anshun are also buying, especially Xu Datou, who even fought with me over the supply." Old Wang murmured, his thoughts unclear.

Li Dong cursed inwardly, realizing that it was the previous day's competition with Old Wang that had drawn attention.

Despite his annoyance, Li Dong didn't dare to speak recklessly; these sharp-witted individuals could easily expose something if not handled carefully.

Even when trading with the other two wholesalers, Li Dong chose not to use Dongping's big market but dealt elsewhere to avoid them finding out.

"Uncle Wang, I think it's because the weather is getting warmer, and more people are eating lobsters. The restaurants and stalls I supply have been doing well recently. They sold out of the last batch of lobsters. You should stock up more; I'm sure you'll have plenty of buyers."

"Indeed…"

Old Wang nodded thoughtfully, considering that there were indeed more lobster buyers lately.

It wasn't that there were more buyers; it was just that Old Wang subconsciously thought Li Dong was also selling in Dongping, so the number of buyers appeared to be higher.

Without giving Old Wang more time to ponder, Li Dong pulled out two stacks of cash, counted out two thousand, and handed it to Old Wang.

Old Wang's eyes lit up, and he stopped worrying about other things. Whether or not Li Dong had connections didn't matter as long as he was making money.

Taking the money and counting it, Old Wang sighed, "I didn't expect you to actually sell out. You're buying again today. Looks like you've made quite a profit."

"Hehe, just luck. If it weren't for Uncle Wang's support, I wouldn't have made anything. Besides, I'm only making a small profit, just pocket money. You're the one making the real money," Li Dong said with a fake smile, thinking that Old Wang was too sharp and it would be better to switch wholesalers.

Since he didn't need the payment anymore, changing wholesalers was easy. He wanted to avoid Old Wang discovering any flaws.

After chatting briefly with Old Wang, Li Dong took the receipt and loaded the goods into his car, avoiding further conversation with Old Wang.

Arriving at Ping Chuan again, Boss Big Beard was even more enthusiastic.

Lately, the trend of eating lobsters had been rising, making business much better. Li Dong's goods were almost sold out every day.

Moreover, lobster prices had been trending up. Li Dong was now the biggest lobster supplier in the Nanshimen Vegetable Market, with cheaper prices. Naturally, Boss Big Beard had to treat him warmly.

After some casual chatting with Big Beard, Li Dong said, "Boss Chen, I've been quite busy lately, so I won't come for deliveries next time. I have a way to track the weight, so as long as the difference isn't too much, it's fine. I'll give you a card number, and you can directly transfer the payment to my account next time."

Big Beard had no objections and even said with a smile, "No problem. If you're not at ease, I can transfer the money in advance. We can adjust the difference later. It's no trouble."

Li Dong knew better than to take this seriously. These small business owners were always reluctant to pay in advance. It was just talk.

...

Returning to Dongping, it was already 2:30 in the afternoon. 

Li Dong was genuinely tired. He had to go pick up goods in the morning, follow the truck to Ping Chuan for deliveries, and then return with the truck. He was feeling quite worn out.

Fortunately, if nothing major happened, he wouldn't need to go to Ping Chuan again. With six or seven fewer hours of bumping around, he should feel a lot more relaxed.

With some free time, Li Dong decided to visit the school. He had been too exhausted lately and hadn't attended evening self-study classes.

He had previously promised Old Chen to attend evening classes and wondered if Old Chen had been upset.

Arriving at the school, it was still in session. Li Dong didn't rush in but found a small restaurant nearby, ordered a few dishes, and started eating.

After finishing his meal and checking the time, it was just about time for classes to end.

Entering the classroom with a full stomach, Li Dong was surprised to see Feng Jinsong sitting at his desk and talking to Yuan Xue.

Li Dong was speechless. Wasn't Feng Jinsong pursuing Qin Yuhan? Why was he now chatting with Yuan Xue?

Before he could speak, Wang Jie hurriedly said, "Dongzi, you're here! Old Chen said you were on leave. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a slight cold."

Li Dong shook his head, feeling warm inside. Wang Jie actually cared about him, which he hadn't felt in his previous life.

Glancing at Feng Jinsong, Li Dong said unpleasantly, "Move aside. Why are you sitting at my desk?"

Feng Jinsong wasn't annoyed. He said淡淡道:"I'm here to see you. I've been here several times and finally caught you. You're quite the student, so carefree with the exams coming up."

"None of your business! If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost!"

Feng Jinsong smiled, stood up, and patted Li Dong on the shoulder. "Let's go outside to talk. Some things aren't suitable to discuss here."

Li Dong shrugged off Feng Jinsong's hand and casually said, "I don't have time now. See you at the playground after school."

Feng Jinsong was straightforward, agreeing easily, and after greeting Yuan Xue, he walked out with an air of nonchalance.

The female classmates in the class watched him with glowing eyes, as if they wished they could swallow him whole.

Li Dong looked at them with disdain, including Yuan Xue, who was also scorned. Feng Jinsong had given up on chasing her, but others were still chatting with him. How shameless could they be?

Yuan Xue, not being able to read Li Dong's mind, was puzzled by his expression and said, "What are you looking at? He said he was looking for you, so I asked him what's up. What's your problem?"

"Nothing. It's just that you don't have to act so concerned!" Li Dong rolled his eyes, pondering whether Feng Jinsong might bring someone to ambush him after school.

Feng Jinsong's family was wealthy, and he was well-connected at school. It wouldn't be difficult for him to bring a few people.

Although Li Dong had plenty of fighting experience and was good at sneaking up on people, facing multiple opponents was a different story. Seven or eight people would be too much for him.

He scanned the classroom, looking for something useful. If there were too many people, he would run first.

If there were three to five people, he would take down one or two and handle the

 rest with his skills.

Throughout the class, Li Dong thought about how to handle the situation, not considering that Feng Jinsong might not even be looking for a fight.

Li Dong always prepared for the worst, believing it was better to be cautious than to suffer and then seek revenge.

When the school bell rang, Li Dong finally found a suitable weapon in the corner of the classroom—a broken bench leg. It was thick and should be able to knock out a couple of people.

It wasn't a controlled weapon, so he didn't have to worry about the police. If he could find a brick on the way, that would be even better.

Yuan Xue had been secretly watching Li Dong. Seeing him stuff the bench leg into his clothes, she felt both amused and speechless.

As Li Dong tilted his body, ready to head out, she couldn't help but shout, "You can't fight now. The college entrance exams are coming up. It would be a problem if you hurt your arm."

"Got it. Do you think I'm that kind of person? I'm just chatting with Feng Jinsong, a good buddy. You're overthinking it, little girl!"

Li Dong snorted and walked out of the classroom towards the playground.

Yuan Xue, still worried, cursed herself for being nosy and secretly followed Li Dong to the playground.