The Scum Chicken Peddler of the 2000s (8)

Before the harsh words from Wang Mu had even faded, upon hearing Wang Wenwei’s words and seeing the money, her face twisted with a complex mixture of excitement, embarrassment, and awkwardness—a strange and unsettling expression.

Accustomed to being sharp-tongued and thick-skinned, she soon let joy take over, quickly snatching up the two red bills, struggling to conceal a smile as she examined them carefully. “It can’t be for those chickens, can it?”

Wang Min approached. “Who would bother you with two hundred bucks worth of chickens, coming to trick you in the middle of the night? You were just yelling at them a moment ago.”

“Shut up!” Wang Mu scolded him. Then, recalling something, her smile faded, and she hurriedly asked, “How much did you quote? You didn’t lose out, did you? Got tricked by that Gu Chen?”

She still found it hard to believe.

Wang Wenwei responded with some dissatisfaction, “Mom, you’re underestimating Gu Chen. I just quoted the previous price. I worried it might be too high, but he said it was too low. He said we work hard just to make a living off these chickens, so he added thirty-five cents per jin for us.”

Hearing this, Wang Mu held the money with an embarrassed look, unable to retort.

If it had been anyone else, they could have easily pocketed that extra thirty-five cents difference—several hundred yuan, which some rural families might not even save in a year.

Gu Chen didn’t take a single cent; he actually helped raise the price for them.

“You, you—” Wang Min shook his head. “You believe every rumor you hear. Even if they say circles, you hear squares. That kid’s doing just fine. He’s been busy this late at night, not lazy at all.”

Wang Mu, stubborn and feisty, refused to admit defeat. She stood with her hands on her hips, ready to argue with half the women in the village all day, but this was the first time she didn’t retort when Wang Min scolded her, her spirit dampened. Quietly, she said, “They’re just lying to cheat me. I didn’t know that kid was so capable.”

Being able to connect with big bosses from outside to buy chickens meant he had skills. She’d heard he could make two or three hundred yuan per trip, while working a month in town barely earned three or four hundred. With several trips a month, he was making a high income.

“Let’s eat quickly; we have to catch chickens later. There’s work to do,” Wang Min urged them back.

Wang Wenwei went ahead. Wang Mu looked at the two hundred yuan in her hand again, thinking about Gu Chen helping them raise the price by thirty-five cents per jin, and the extra profit they could make.

Originally expecting a loss, unexpectedly, they made a small profit. Wang Mu was overjoyed, rushing to change her tune, “Gu Chen’s job is exactly this. Of course he’s running all over the place. He may look like he’s jobless, but he’s making money. How could he be useless?”

“Those two kids of his are plump and chubby. He must spend a lot on them, otherwise, how could they be so well taken care of?”

“I don’t know who’s spreading those lies, trying to ruin his reputation. People nowadays don’t have an honest word in their mouths, always doing foolish things! They’ve really trashed his name. It’s too much.”

...

At one o’clock in the early morning,

The sound of a motorcycle came from outside the Wang family’s chicken farm. The anxious family hurried out.

Gu Chen rode the motorcycle at the front, followed by a twelve-wheeler truck. As soon as he got off, he smiled and called out, “Uncle, auntie.” Then he explained, “Sorry for the delay, we’re a bit late.”

“No problem, no problem. We haven’t waited long,” Wang Mu stepped forward, smiling warmly and affectionately. “You should come visit Wang Wenwei more often; they’re best friends.”

Wang Wenwei watched his mother’s complete change of attitude, his mouth twitching.

“I know,” Gu Chen nodded. “Once this busy period is over, we’ll go out for drinks together. It’s been a long time since we last gathered. He’s busy, too.”

“He’s not busy,” Wang Mu quickly said, emphasizing, “Not busy at all. Young people should hang out more, go out for a stroll.”

“Right,” Gu Chen agreed.

Wang Mu’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she added, “Catch a few more chickens later, even if you don’t eat them, keep them for laying eggs.”

“No need, no need,” Gu Chen refused while helping. “Wenwei already gave me one today; I’ve taken it home.”

While Gu Chen chatted with the Wang family, Yao Wenbin got off the truck.

Since this was their first purchase, he wanted to supervise and assess if Gu Chen was reliable.

Gu Chen introduced Yao Wenbin to the Wang family, flattering him generously, which pleased Yao greatly.

Yao was very generous with the payment. The price was much lower than he expected. After Gu Chen called him, he took Yao to inspect several farms; the quality was guaranteed.

He knew Zhang Peng was watching this area closely, so the faster they took the chickens, the better. He immediately called to dispatch the truck. When Gu Chen proposed catching chickens at midnight and requested a deposit, Yao gave the money without hesitation and let Gu Chen handle it.

Catching chickens, weighing, loading, settling accounts.

Everything was done swiftly and efficiently.

The money-loving Wang Mu didn’t even count the cash herself this time. She took two large bags to the back mountain, enthusiastically hanging them on either side of Gu Chen’s motorcycle before he left for the next farm.

Each bag contained two coconut-coated chickens, their heads peeking out, clucking nervously as Gu Chen’s motorcycle bounced along the mountain path.

Gu Chen led the big truck to the next chicken farm.

The farm owner had been waiting anxiously at the gate, eyes fixed intently.

Although the deposit was paid, nothing was finalized yet, so uncertainty remained. Seeing Gu Chen, he finally relaxed. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Of course I’m coming. Boss Yao already paid the deposit. We’ve been busy all the way here. It’s slower at night, please understand,” Gu Chen explained.

“I understand, I understand.” The farm owner saw the truck was already loaded with many chickens and asked, “What price did they offer per jin?”

He suspected Gu Chen might not tell the truth but wanted to ask anyway.

When quoting prices, Gu Chen even helped him raise the price by fifteen cents and paid the deposit first, which increased the owner’s goodwill toward him.

“How can you say for sure? Prices vary with quality,” Gu Chen said, then added, “When you buy chicks, prices differ from hatchery to hatchery because of varying quarantine measures and survival rates.”

“Yes, yes,” the farm owner agreed enthusiastically. Upon hearing Gu Chen mention hatcheries, he immediately asked, “Can you get chicks for me?”

After this batch of chickens was sold, the farm would be cleaned and disinfected before buying chicks to raise anew. Farms of this scale usually purchase chicks in bulk from other counties or cities.

But they don’t go fetch them themselves; they rely on middlemen. Some farms need restocking, others only a hundred or so chicks. The middleman keeps track to consolidate orders for the hatchery, which then ships uniformly.

Prices are negotiated by the middleman.

Since Gu Chen could arrange for buyers for the mature chickens, having him procure the chicks as well would be a kind of “bundled sale.” Moreover, he helped raise prices without asking for kickbacks, making cooperation secure and beneficial.

If prices were close, the farm owner would definitely prefer to buy chicks from Gu Chen.

Gu Chen waited for the question, then leaned over and lowered his voice, “Before, few people asked me. They registered with friends who brought batches to me, so prices couldn’t be lowered, or I just let them deliver directly since the amounts were small. But this time, they all want me to buy. The quantity is quite large. I’ll be going to Ma Hongshan in a couple of days. Their prices are still too high, so I’ll see if I can negotiate them down.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guarantee the lowest prices will match theirs exactly, not a cent higher.”

Ma Hongshan hosts several large hatcheries, all with very good reputations among farm owners.

Gu Chen mentioned this to stabilize the business.

Catching mature chickens and selling chicks are both highly profitable and easy jobs, done in a day or less, just by driving around.

Someone as idle and money-hungry as him wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Sure enough, the farm owner immediately said, “I definitely want that.”

“We’ll talk later. For now, let’s get back to catching chickens. We still have several farms to visit.” Gu Chen patted him on the shoulder and went to help.

While catching chickens, the farm owner was already calculating how many chicks to order from Gu Chen this time, hoping to make a little extra and buy an extra hundred or two.

Elsewhere,

Lin Juan had worked hard to soothe her daughter to sleep but tossed and turned, unable to rest.

In the silent night, no familiar motorcycle sounds came.

Little Yanyan was very sleepy but kept holding on, waiting for Gu Chen, waiting for her little cake.

Lin Juan comforted her daughter, feeling a pang of sadness.

She knew Gu Chen wanted to earn money and would think of them after. He was working so hard this time and yet being treated like this must have hurt him.

Lin Juan took out her phone several times, tempted to call Gu Chen. Not wanting to disturb the child, she sent him a text but received no reply.

She waited and waited until three o’clock but couldn’t bear it any longer. She had to get up early tomorrow to prepare breakfast and send the kids to school.

Lin Juan finally fell into a restless, uneasy sleep.

Before five, she woke abruptly. The house was quiet; Gu Chen hadn’t returned.

She immediately checked her phone. At 4:05, Gu Chen had replied with a message: “Still busy.”

Li Dahai had even advised her not to let Gu Chen go. What was he so busy with?

Was he unwilling to give up and looking for people? But it was already past midnight.

Worried, Lin Juan was distracted while preparing breakfast and nearly burned herself.

By the time she finished packing breakfast into pots and containers, dawn had broken.

The two children woke by themselves, holding hands as they came out to brush their teeth and wash their faces.

Lin Juan smiled and went over to help them. “Hurry up and wash, then we’ll have breakfast.”

“Hmph!” Little Yanyan rinsed her mouth, pouting. “Daddy lied. There’s no cake.”

She had waited very late last night but got no cake.

Waking up without any cake or seeing her father.

“Daddy’s busy. He hasn’t come back all night,” Lin Juan soothed her. “Mommy made you boiled eggs. We’ll eat those.”

“You liar! I don’t want boiled eggs from him.” Little Yanyan stomped her little legs and ran toward the kitchen.

“Slow down,” Lin Juan followed behind them.

Just as the three sat down, the sound of a motorcycle came.

Little Yanyan heard it first and quickly turned her head.

“Eat your breakfast quickly, or you’ll be late for school,” Lin Juan said uncertainly. In the morning, many motorcycles passed by, and her daughter was fixated on cake. Even if Gu Chen returned, he probably hadn’t bought any. Gu Chen only bought cake when he had money, but kids don’t care—they want it when he’s home. If none was brought, a fuss was likely.

Still, Little Yanyan stared at the door. After a moment, her eyes lit up and she stood up. “It’s Daddy!”

“Daddy didn’t buy any cake,” Lin Juan told her first, afraid her daughter would be disappointed.

Little Yanyan tugged her little hand and puckered her lips, whispering to Xiao Zijia, “Brother, Daddy’s a liar. Don’t play with him.”

Gu Chen stopped his motorcycle. Lin Juan rose to go over just as his voice came first: “Where are you? Want some cake?”

He said this while carrying a transparent bag into the kitchen. “No fried noodles today. We’ll have cake and milk for breakfast.”

Gu Chen had bought a pound of old-fashioned honeycomb cake and a carton of Wangzai milk.

Little Yanyan’s eyes widened, her small hands covering her mouth in laughter. “Mommy, Daddy bought cake and milk!”

Gu Chen handed the Wangzai milk with a straw to Little Yanyan. “Drink up. It’s time for school.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” Little Yanyan held it happily.

Even Xiao Zijia couldn’t resist Wangzai milk’s allure. When Gu Chen handed him the other bottle with a straw, he hesitated a bit but took it without refusal.

Wangzai milk wasn’t cheap; Lin Juan only bought it for them during the New Year.

Sweet, milky, and delicious.

Gu Chen gave each child a cake. To Little Yanyan, he said, “You eat two,” then looked at Xiao Zijia, “You eat three, or you’ll be hungry later.”

The honeycomb cake wasn’t big, freshly baked, still warm—crisp on the outside, soft inside, sweet but not cloying.

Little Yanyan took a sip of milk, then a bite of cake. Sitting on the bench, she swayed side to side, eyes squinting with delight, her voice sweet as milk: “Such delicious cake! Mommy, I want to eat this cake forever.”

Her little face was a picture of happiness and secret delight, reluctant to waste even a crumb. When crumbs fell onto the table, she tried to pick them up to eat, but Gu Chen stopped her.

“Want a bottle?” Gu Chen offered the other Wangzai milk to Lin Juan.

“No,” she shook her head.

Gu Chen, having already pierced the straw, pressed it toward her again. “Drink it. It’s too sweet; I don’t like it.”

Lin Juan hesitated, “I have to hurry to sell breakfast. There’s not enough time.”

She said this hoping to save it for the kids, but since Gu Chen had already inserted the straw—

“I’ll take you there. We’ll have time,” Gu Chen said, pulling another cake from the bag and handing it to her. Then he got up, took a big bowl, and poured all the fried noodles that Lin Juan and the children had planned to eat into it, burying his head to eat heartily.

Seeing this, Lin Juan couldn’t help but ask, “Have you eaten anything?”

He’d been busy outdoors all day yesterday, just returned for dinner, then went out again. Had he gone the whole day without eating? How could he stand it?

“No time. I was busy all night and just left this morning,” Gu Chen said, finishing the big bowl quickly. Then he picked up five small pancakes from the pot. Passing Lin Juan, he reached into his pocket and took out a stack of bills, handing them to her.

Lin Juan’s face changed sharply as she jumped up. “Where did you get so much money?!”

Her sharp voice startled the children, and they stopped drinking milk and eating cake.