Early morning.
As the first light of dawn crept into the sky, Huo Yuhao was awakened by his well-honed biological clock. He instinctively glanced out the window to see a sky so clear and pure, it was without a trace of clouds, with stars still faintly visible. After last night's heavy rain, everything outside seemed refreshed and new.
Stretching lazily, Huo Yuhao got up and stepped out of his room. The door and windows to Huo Yun'er's bedroom, across the hallway, were wide open. From downstairs, the faint sound of a spatula clanging against a pan could be heard.
Hearing the noise from upstairs, Huo Yun'er poked her head out of the kitchen, smiling gently, "You're awake. Come have breakfast."
Seeing the steaming bowls of porridge on the table, Huo Yuhao spoke with a bit of helplessness, "Mom, I can handle making breakfast."
Carrying two plates of side dishes from the kitchen, Huo Yun'er replied in a mock-annoyed tone, "Your mom isn't so old that she needs her son to take care of her. It's bad enough that you won't let me get a job. Do you want me to die of boredom? Go wash your hands."
Recognizing that arguing would be futile, Huo Yuhao wisely kept quiet. He had spent a great deal of effort last night convincing her to relax and stay home. If he pushed his luck now, all that hard work would go to waste.
While finishing his breakfast, Huo Yuhao thought to himself, Once I'm done selling grilled fish today, I'll swing by the flower shop.
He began pondering what kind of plants would be best to decorate their new home. After eating, he informed his mother and left the house.
Instead of heading straight to the blacksmith's shop, Huo Yuhao first made his way to the market. Since he was going to sell grilled fish, he had to stock up on ingredients.
Over the past month on the road to Tian Dou City, he hadn't slacked off in his cultivation. Though his soul power growth wasn't ideal due to the Pride Sin increasing his soul power capacity, it was still progressing much faster than in his previous life when it took him five years to reach rank ten.
Now that he had money, Huo Yuhao didn't skimp on food, and the training he'd done over the last month had significantly improved his physical strength. His meridians, too, were in much better condition than they had been in his past life.
At this rate, he would reach rank ten within a few years and be able to go to Star Dou Forest to find Brother Tianmeng.
At the market, after some intense haggling with a fish vendor, Huo Yuhao managed to buy fifty green fish at a price of two copper coins each, weighing two to three catties each. After having the fish cleaned by the vendor, he left with his goods, leaving the vendor staring after him in shock.
"Who is this kid?" another vendor nearby muttered in disbelief, their face full of amazement. None of them had ever seen such a sharp young customer.
Once he had all the ingredients he needed and had navigated through the bewildered stares of the market vendors, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but silently thank Zhu Lu again. Without the storage bracelet she'd given him, it would've been nearly impossible to carry all the fish to a stall. Fifty grilled fish was the limit he had set for himself—he only needed about two hours a day to sell them, leaving the rest of his time for cultivation and making soul tools.
As for the pricing, in his previous life, he had sold the grilled fish for five copper coins each. This time, Huo Yuhao decided to set the price at ten copper coins.
Tian Dou City, being the capital, had higher prices, which had increased his costs significantly. Selling them for five copper coins wouldn't have made him much profit. Plus, his cooking skills had improved dramatically compared to when he sold grilled fish in his previous life, making the fish even tastier, so a price hike was justified.
Most importantly, in Tian Dou City, there were strict regulations against setting up random stalls, which could impact the city's image. Vendors were required to set up in designated food streets and pay a fee for their stall, with costs varying by location.
If he didn't follow the rules, he'd have to constantly play cat-and-mouse with the enforcement teams, who loved to proclaim, "Evil will always be brought to justice!"
"Hey, kid, you setting up a stall?" A middle-aged man with shoulder patches, surprised by Huo Yuhao's appearance, asked curiously. Several others nearby also looked at him with interest.
"Yes, I'll be selling grilled fish," Huo Yuhao replied calmly and slipped a gold soul coin into the man's hand. "Any chance you've got a good spot available?"
"Oh, absolutely!" The man's face immediately broke into a warm smile as he patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "Good kid, don't worry. I'll find you a prime spot. I'm Huang Yu. Just call me Uncle Huang."
"Thank you, Uncle Huang. I'm Huo Yuhao, you can call me Xiao Huo," Huo Yuhao replied gratefully.
"Alright, follow me. I'll take you there myself," Huang Yu said, turning to lead the way. The gold soul coin had clearly made him eager to help out.
As they walked, Huo Yuhao noticed that the other vendors seemed to have a certain respect for Uncle Huang, and by extension, their gazes towards him had changed too.
As they searched for a suitable spot, Huang Yu spoke earnestly, "Xiao Huo, since you've paid me, I'll take good care of you. There aren't too many rules here. Just don't cause trouble, pay your fees on time, and you'll be fine. If any vendors try to bully you, just drop my name."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Huang Yu guiding him personally already indicated he was looking out for him. As they neared the bustling food street, filled with the aroma of delicious food, Huang Yu finally pointed to an open spot.
"Try this spot out today. If you like it, go ahead and pay the fee. If not, let me know and I'll help you find another spot."
"This place looks perfect. Thank you, Uncle Huang," Huo Yuhao replied with a satisfied smile.
"Alright then, I'll leave you to it," Huang Yu said before heading off.
Once Huang Yu left, Huo Yuhao calmly began setting up his grill and tables from the storage space. As the charcoal caught fire, Xiao Huo's Grilled Fish officially opened, five years ahead of schedule.
Since the fish had already been cleaned by the vendor, Huo Yuhao only needed to brush his special marinade, mixed with fragrant spices, into the fish's belly and apply a layer of oil to the skin before placing it on the grill.
Watching Huo Yuhao expertly handle the green fish, the surrounding vendors, who had momentarily forgotten to call out to customers, were finally brought back to reality when the rich aroma of grilling fish hit their noses. Their eyes lit up with intrigue as their mouths watered.
As Huo Yuhao was busy grilling, savoring the sense of greed that poured into his spiritual space from the Sin of Gluttony, one of the vendors couldn't hold back any longer. After gulping down his saliva, he called out, "Hey, kid, how much for one of those grilled fish?"
"Ten copper soul coins per fish, uncle. Want to try one?" Huo Yuhao responded cheerfully.
"What? Ten coins!?" The man's eyes widened as he instinctively glanced at the unremarkable-looking green fish. "Is that fish skin made of gold, or is the meat made of gold?"
(End of Chapter)