After leaving the bustling Lihua community, Kane Brook headed straight home.
A 120-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment—with the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right—held almost all of Kane's cherished memories.
His mother, Carmen Yale, was in the kitchen, wearing an apron and chopping on the cutting board as loudly as possible, making it obvious she was preparing a meaty dish with bones.
His father, Jonathan Brook, sat on the sofa, reading a newspaper while humming Clouds of My Hometown. His slippers dangled off his toes, swinging leisurely.
Feeling the warmth of this familiar scene, Kane couldn't help but feel a tinge of emotion.
After drifting for years in the city, he still felt like a rootless duckweed. His roots were here, making this place an irreplaceable home.
Especially seeing his parents looking unexpectedly youthful again—it was a surreal feeling.
" I'm home!"
Jonathan Brook squinted at him. "Finished your exams?"
Carmen Yale poked her head out from the kitchen. "How'd it go? Confident?"
"One foot is already through the gates of a top university."
"You little rascal, talking so boldly—are you serious?" Carmen shot him a skeptical glance.
Jonathan, however, was more supportive. "If he dares to talk big, he must have some confidence. Tonight, we'll celebrate with a drink!"
Kane waved his hand and turned him down immediately. "Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm using this summer break to start a business. I can't waste any time."
"A business?"
"Yeah, making money."
Carmen Yale thought for a moment. "Well then, after dinner, you can wash the dishes. Five bucks per plate, ten for a pot."
Kane let out a deep sigh but didn't argue. "Fine, I'll do the dishes and the pots, but how about a total of three hundred bucks?"
Jonathan Brook immediately looked up. "Wait, there's a deal like this? Count me in!"
"Oh, get out of here! Three hundred could buy me a whole new set of dishes! I wash them every day, and no one's ever paid me that much. Now hurry up, wash your hands, and eat!"
"Alas, this king's grand venture has crumbled before it even began!"
Kane sighed dramatically but obediently washed his hands and sat down for dinner with his parents.
Before bed, Carmen Yale walked out of her bedroom and slipped five crisp bills into his hand.
She knew full well that after high school, life was like an unbridled wild horse—there were gatherings, karaoke, and all sorts of expenses. Her earlier offer to pay him for washing dishes was just tough love masking a soft heart.
Holding the five hundred yuan in his hand, Kane felt a slight pang of sourness in his heart.
What kind of top entrepreneur starts with just five hundred bucks? But hey, five hundred is better than nothing.
"Carmen, from now on, you'll be the mother of a CEO!"
"I'd be happy enough if you make it to general manager," she scoffed. "Oh, by the way, I asked your uncle at noon. You'll be starting driving lessons at Quinn Driving School in a few days, right?"
"I'll think about it later. I've got more important things to do right now."
With the money in hand, Kane returned to his room, turned on his computer, and found Chris Sun's QQ contact. He messaged him, telling him to meet at Central Street first thing in the morning.
Chris asked what they were doing, but Kane didn't give a direct answer. He only said, "I have five hundred yuan now." That alone was enough to make Chris howl and call him big bro.
After confirming their plans for the next day, Kane casually opened Baidu, intending to check the news. He wanted to refresh his memory on urban redevelopment projects, policy shifts, stock market trends, and market fluctuations—anything that could lead to a big payday.
But before the webpage even finished loading, his eyes locked onto a familiar name in his QQ friend list.
Sophie Chase's chat window was pinned at the top?
Kane hovered his mouse over it and unpinned it immediately. Then, he locked his profile, changed his cringey, outdated avatar, and—while he was at it—checked his personal status message.
One glance, and he cringed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
"I love you. What's it to you?"
So embarrassing! Kane smacked his forehead and deleted it in a hurry, replacing it with lyrics from Yesterday Once More.
Just as he finished updating it, Sophie Chase—whose profile had been grayed out a moment ago—suddenly came online.
And her avatar was flashing.
She had sent him a message.
He casually clicked it open for a glance, then shut it off, utterly bored.
The other person messaged, asking why he suddenly closed his space and even ordered him to open it back up, saying they wanted to "stomp on his profile."
Stomp on his profile? That phrase was ancient—how many years had it been since he'd heard that? What's next, running errands in the hall?
The next morning, the sky was clear, the sun warm, and the breeze gentle.
Kane Brook rode his bike out, heading to Pingyang East Road's pedestrian street.
This street was considered the busiest commercial pedestrian street in Jade Isle. Before the old market renovation, it had been a prime spot where vendors fiercely competed for space. But the intense rivalry sparked relentless price wars, ironically making goods here relatively cheap.
Hansel Grant, obsessed with the five hundred bucks in Kane's pocket, pedaled like mad. By the time he reached the meeting point, he was drenched in sweat.
"Kane, what are you planning to do with that five hundred? I've never been to a bar—how about we check one out?"
"Cut the crap. See that guy selling lunchboxes? Go ask how much they are."
Hansel Grant followed Kane's finger, his face instantly turning pale. "We're having lunchboxes for lunch?"
Kane squinted, not answering directly. "Just go ask. Relax, I won't let you suffer."
"Oh."
Dragging his feet, Hansel Grant walked over and asked about the prices. In 2008, things weren't too expensive: two yuan for a lunchbox with shredded potatoes, three for one with bits of meat, five for chicken drumstick with potatoes, and six for chicken drumstick with a fried egg.
Kane glanced at the time, thought for a moment, then tossed two hundred yuan to the vendor. "No need to ask, just keep making them."
He then found two cardboard boxes, packed some of the prepared lunchboxes, and headed with Hansel Grant to an internet café strip.
Pushing open the door of one café, Kane pulled out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes he'd bought along the way and handed it to the admin. Then he started selling the lunchboxes.
The all-night gamers were starving but too lazy to go out for food. Seeing meals delivered right to them, their cravings kicked in instantly.
Lunchboxes weren't anything special, but they sure beat instant noodles.
So, they sold the two-yuan boxes for four, the five-yuan ones for seven, and the six-yuan ones for nine. In the end, only two boxes of chicken drumstick with fried egg were left—everything else was sold out.