Chapter 45: A Bright Tomorrow Beckons

At the entrance of the market.

Wang Qiang, his mother, and Uncle Zhai all saw what was happening inside. Although they couldn’t make out the words, the scene was somewhat chaotic—even the market manager had been alerted. Manager Yang rarely visited the market, so it was clear the situation was serious.

“Qiangzi, is this really the right thing to do?” his mother asked, a little uneasy.

Wang Qiang withdrew his gaze and said, “Why not? Are they allowed to stab me in the back but I can’t speak the truth? If we competed fairly and I lost business, I’d have no complaints. But they’re spreading rumors behind my back, and I’m not comfortable with that. Are you comfortable with it?”

His mother thought it over and stayed silent.

Uncle Zhai chimed in, “I wouldn’t be comfortable either. Xiao Wang did nothing wrong.”

Business, they say, thrives on harmony. Wang Qiang had always held this belief, preferring to avoid trouble. But he wasn’t a saint; he couldn’t just swallow injustice without protest, nor could he stomach such treatment.

His mother had always lived with integrity. She sighed, acknowledging her son was right.

Suddenly, she saw the crowd inside disperse. Wang Qiang sat on his small stool, glancing around, his heart quietly hoping someone would come buy their fish. From the moment he set up his stall, he believed that good service would bring customers, and business wouldn’t suffer.

As he was thinking, Sister Hu—her face round like a goose egg—and the plump woman walked out from inside, stopping at his stall. The plump woman was apologizing, “Sister Hu, I’m sorry. I almost made you get shortchanged.”

“It’s not your fault,” Sister Hu waved her hand and turned to Wang Qiang, “Young man, how much are the carp per pound?”

“One and a half yuan, Sister. How many would you like?” Wang Qiang greeted her with a broad smile, using a respectful term. Earlier that morning, she’d planned to buy fish from him, but the plump woman had dragged her away, leading to a string of events. Now she had returned, and Wang Qiang had every reason to believe that even if he stopped selling here, Sister Hu would never buy from the other two stalls inside—the issue of short-changing was too infuriating.

Sure enough, Sister Hu said, “Two, the bigger ones. Old Chen is no good. You’re honest. I’ll never buy fish from Old Chen in my life.”

“Here, take a look—a pound and one ounce. I’ll count it as just a pound for you.” Wang Qiang showed her the scale.

Sister Hu waved her hand, “No need. I trust you.”

“Alright, let me clean them for you.” Wang Qiang squatted down to gut the fish.

Another deal was closed.

Wang Qiang smiled with satisfaction. He didn’t care how bad business would get for the other two stalls; as long as he sold all his fish, that was enough.

What surprised him was that after this incident, his stall was even busier than yesterday, a Sunday.

“Here, right? Give me a silver carp.”

“I just heard they short-change inside, but you don’t. Let me weigh that big black fish.”

“Give me three or four small carp—I want to make soup.”

His mother handled the money and change while Wang Qiang sweated at the ground, cleaning fish for one customer while another’s order piled up.

After gutting fish for two customers, business only got busier. Wang Qiang had hoped for a short break, but when he looked up, he found himself surrounded by customers, all wanting to buy fish—the scene was bustling.

“Good service, and they clean the fish too.”

“Two carp, no need to clean them, hurry up—I need them at home.”

“Give me four carp. One and a half yuan per pound, right?”

Customers swarmed in, blocking the aisle completely.

From around six twenty to about seven thirty, Wang Qiang’s stall was crowded with people coming and going—lively and busy, rarely quiet except for a brief moment or two. Many customers commented as they bought fish, noting that the two stalls inside short-changed them, while Wang Qiang gave generous servings.

Around six forty, the stall was completely surrounded, shoulder to shoulder, so much so that even Uncle Zhai next door was a little jealous.

Even at seven thirty, Wang Qiang’s stall remained bustling. He hadn’t stood up once, always bent over with the knife, cleaning fish—his arms were sore, but his heart was joyful. Good business meant good earnings, bringing him closer to his goal.

A middle-aged woman recognized a friend. “Uncle Wu, buying groceries?”

Uncle Wu smiled, “Yes, my son’s back. I’m getting some fish and meat.”

The woman whispered mysteriously, “Let me tell you, don’t buy fish from the two stalls inside—they short-change. There was a commotion this morning. Old Li even got beaten for short-changing.”

Uncle Wu exclaimed, “Really? What happened?”

The woman animatedly recounted the rumors she’d heard, embellishing the story with her imagination, though she hadn’t actually witnessed it.

After listening, Uncle Wu said, “That young man’s honest. I’ll buy from him.” He turned to Wang Qiang’s mother, “Sister, how much is the fish per pound?”

His mother replied happily, “One and a half yuan. How many do you want?”

…

Inside.

Old Chen and his wife both looked upset.

Their stall was deserted. His wife made a suggestion, “Old Chen, let’s start cleaning fish for customers too?”

Old Chen grumbled, “Copy, copy, copy—what’s the point?”

“If we don’t adapt, we’re doomed. Look at Old Li—he’s already started cleaning fish for customers,” she urged.

Old Chen sighed, “I just want to know how the kid at the entrance thought of cleaning fish.”

“Who cares where he learned it—we just need to follow suit,” his wife insisted.

Old Chen snorted but said nothing, inwardly agreeing to learn.

His wife sighed resentfully, “That young man’s clever. If I were twenty years younger, I might have chased after him myself.” She spoke purely out of feeling, and though she resented Wang Qiang for exposing “industry rules,” she had to admit his business acumen surpassed theirs.

“With that old face, do you think you’d match him?” Old Chen scoffed, then mused, “He’s so young, yet so ruthless. Even though I dislike him, I have to admit he’s better at business than us.”

“What did you say?” his wife’s eyes flashed with anger.

Old Chen was puzzled, “I said the kid’s got skills.”

“The sentence before that,” she demanded, staring.

“With that old face…” Old Chen realized halfway through.

His wife sneered, stepped forward, and pulled his ear, “Daring to call me old? You’ve got nerve!”

“Hey, hey, wife, don’t twist—so many people watching, it’s embarrassing. Let’s talk at home,” Old Chen pleaded, secretly vowing to learn how to clean fish and win back business.

He knew their reputation was tarnished and regaining customers would be tough, but he couldn’t just sit and wait for failure.

…

Around seven forty.

All the fish had sold out.

Customers who missed out were disgruntled.

“Hey, why didn’t you prepare more fish?”

“Yeah, we don’t trust the stalls inside, only you.”

“Never mind, I’ll go to Si Yi Town later. Anyway, I won’t buy from Old Li or Old Chen.”

Seeing this, Wang Qiang quickly apologized to four or five customers, “Sorry, sorry, we’ve sold out today. Tomorrow I’ll try to prepare more.” He hardly believed it himself—the fish were all caught from the river, not purchased wholesale. How many he had depended entirely on luck.

He didn’t plan to sell fish forever. Once he settled accounts with Lu Dahai, he’d sell for a while longer, save up some cash, and then move on to something else.

With no fish left, the customers had no choice but to leave.

His mother leaned in and whispered, “We earned more today than yesterday.”

Yesterday they made over one hundred thirty yuan. Wang Qiang didn’t ask exactly how much, as he’d already calculated—there were two big black fish, so they must’ve made over one hundred fifty. He smiled broadly, “We’ll soon pay off the debt.”

His mother replied contentedly, “Yes, just a bit more effort, and we’ll have your tuition before school starts.”

Wang Qiang didn’t respond, just smiled. He didn’t plan to continue his studies.

“By the way, what time is it?” his mother suddenly asked.

Wang Qiang glanced at his watch and exclaimed, “Almost seven forty. I need to head to the factory.”

His mother urged, “Go, go—I’ll tidy up here.”

“Alright.” Wang Qiang quickly straightened his clothes and walked toward the Jin Gong Machinery Factory.

The sunlight was already hot.

Wang Qiang’s heart burned with anticipation. In two days, Lu Dahai would settle accounts with him, and then, free of debt, he’d feel light as air, as if he’d cast off shackles. He felt a sudden ease.

A bright tomorrow beckoned. Keep pushing forward.