Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Luo Shufan held the huge foam box while Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu trailed behind him like two little followers but didn't offer any help. The cloth bag for collecting money, which of course currently didn't have a dime in it, hung around Luo Shufan's neck. The large thermos box straddled horizontally across his chest divided internally by a cardboard partition; the smaller compartment held pig trotters and chicken feet along with plastic bags, while the larger compartment neatly contained seashell pen holders and ornaments. Inside the pen holders were seashell bracelets, necklaces, and a few keychains, with a newspaper on top separating the topmost layer of wind chimes from tangling. Each wind chime was carefully tied with its own prominently colored thread to prevent getting mixed with others, and there was also a sign hidden in the lid of the thermos box.

The train station, a hive of coming and going passengers, made the three partially grown children stand out, drawing attention from at least five people who inquired if they needed help or if they were lost. Hence, Luo Qianqian decisively took off the lid of the thermos box, revealing cartoons of red-colored pig trotter mascots and beige seashell characters, flanking the sides of 'Fragrance Comes' and 'Luo Shenyao'. The plump, cartoonish figures, clearly resembling the original materials and Mother He's premium pig trotters, instantly attracted a crowd of onlookers.

"Young man, what's this? Pig trotters?"

"Young lady, what are you selling?"

"Mommy, it smells so good, I want to eat that one."

"It really is rough when children from poor families have to begin working early. So young and already quitting school to do business, how heartbreaking for their parents."

"Young lady, were you kidnapped and forced to sell things?"

Luo Shufan's face turned red, even his ears revealed a shade of embarrassment as he stammered, unable to speak, while He Wenyu tightly gripped Luo Qianqian's hand, peering out from behind Luo Shufan at the pointing and talking crowd, some concerned, others merely onlookers, and still others looking to buy pig trotters. Luo Qianqian stood beside Luo Shufan holding He Wenyu's slightly trembling hand with her right hand, and clenched her left into a fist: You're so tall and you can't tell it's something to eat, huh? The pig trotters are still steaming hot, okay; We're selling seashells and pig trotters, alright, you're taller than my brother, you know; If it smells good, just buy it, we three have to share a single chicken foot, and don't dare to have more, if you want it, buy it, nobody is stopping you; Yes, we're poor and we started working early, but which eye of yours saw us drop out of school? It's summer vacation now, okay, and here are two of us not even of school age yet! How can you say we don't go to school; If we were kidnapped, shouldn't we be missing hands and feet, forced to beg in crowded areas, or trained to have agile talents for a 'Golden Finger' career? Kidnapped and still so free? Without any scars? Nonsense.

Luo Qianqian took a deep breath, "Dear grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters, we three siblings don't want to be a burden to our family, so we came out here to do a bit of business and earn some pocket money for popsicles, sweets, and books. These are all handcrafted by us and our mother. The pig trotters and chicken feet are freshly cooked and still warm, for what would a journey be without something tasty to enliven it? And it's Mother's exclusive secret recipe, which I won't share with just anyone." As she saw the smiles appear on the faces around her, Luo Qianqian paused and continued, "Over here, are souvenirs with a Coastal City twist, made by my siblings and me, crafted from materials such as seashells and conch shells. Coming to Coastal City and not taking back some unique gifts would mean your visit was in vain, right? Plus, there's a variety to choose from here: wind chimes, pen holders, ornaments, and the seashell bracelets and necklaces loved by many ladies, plenty of styles for your selection. If you're tempted, why not act now? There's limited space and limited stock, so it's first-come, first-served."

"Qianqian, you're amazing," Luo Shufan and He Wenyu said in unison, both looking at Luo Qianqian with admiration as she stopped to catch her breath.

"How much are these for sale?" Despite the clamoring questions, Luo Qianqian quickly homed in on the key issue: the price.

"You've seen the prices at the train station too, a bottle of juice costs two yuan. We've done our market research, and the pricing should be reasonable: five yuan for a portion of pig trotters, five yuan for four chicken feet, eight yuan for wind chimes, five yuan for pen holders, six yuan for ornaments, three yuan for one bracelet, five for two, three and a half for one necklace, six for two, and one yuan for a keychain, one fifty for two. 'Luo Shenyao' and 'Fragrance Comes' products are bound to be premium grade."

"Give me two portions of pig trotters and the five-yuan chicken feet, and make it quick, my train is about to arrive," the middle-aged man with a black suitcase extended his hand, taking out his wallet and handing over a fifty-yuan bill.

Luo Shufan's eyes widened in disbelief, could his sister perform magic to have predicted this and exchanged money beforehand???

"Right away, sir, my brother will bag it up. Since you're our first customer, we'll give you a keychain as a gift. That'll be fifty, and here's your thirty-five back. Anything else you'd like?" said Luo Qianqian calmly as she reached into her pocket stitched into her pants, taking out a neat stack of change, and reached to her brother for the money bag hanging from his neck.

Luo Shufan reluctantly squatted down, although his arms were already numb, he still didn't put down the thermos box because his sister had said that when making food, cleanliness was most important.

"I have a fourteen-year-old daughter, what do you think I should bring back for her?" the middle-aged man asked with interest as he watched each action and word from Luo Qianqian and her companions.

At that moment, Luo Shufan was still crouching on the ground, while He Wenyu had followed the instructions from earlier, covering his hand with a clean plastic bag before touching the food. He carefully packed two pig's trotters and four chicken feet into a plastic bag. After removing the plastic bag from his hand, he tied the first bag. He then took out another plastic bag to put the tied bag inside and added the keychain Qianqian had mentioned to the new bag.

Luo Qianqian put the change and cash into the cash pouch, holding the freshly received fifty yuan and said with a smiling face, "If she's a romantic Little Princess, she would naturally prefer the wind chime. If she has good or decent grades, a pencil holder is a fine choice. If she likes music, a decorative ornament would be nice to cultivate her sentiment, and if she's a girl who loves beauty, bracelets and necklaces are all good options, don't you think?"

"Then give me a pencil holder and two bracelets. I can't pick these things out; you decide what's best." The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction with He Wenyu's handling.

"Okay, that's twenty-five yuan in change for you. Thank you for your patronage. I hope you have a pleasant journey and that the wind be at your back. I also hope the gifts you bought will be well-liked." Luo Qianqian's eyes formed into crescent shapes, like a lazy Little Fox, but her hands were anything but lazy, swiftly giving out the twenty-five yuan change. He Wenyu, very cooperatively, picked up two bracelets made with different colored shells and a pencil holder shaped like a basket, carefully packed them into a plastic bag, and cautiously handed them to the middle-aged man, "These are fragile items, please be careful with them, uncle."

"Thank you, young lady, you're a good student. I look forward to seeing you compete someday. Farewell until we meet again by fate." Waving his hand, the middle-aged man walked away with his bag.

Meanwhile, Luo Qianqian and her friends were already surrounded by a crowd.

"Give me a portion of pig's trotters and a wind chime for my granddaughter. She must be a Little Princess."

"I'll take five yuan worth of chicken feet, another wind chime, and two necklaces."

"Give me a pencil holder, a portion of pig's trotters, two chicken feet, and two keychains."

"One of everything for me, too. My granddaughter hasn't seen the sea yet."

"You old fart, hmm, I'll take one of everything for my granddaughter as well."

Voices like these buzzed around them. Luo Qianqian handled the cash and gave change; once He Wenyu packed an order, Qianqian would pass the change along with the order to the customer, then take the next person's money.

The three of them worked together smoothly and busily...

"Qianqian, we only have one ornament left. The pig's trotters, chicken feet, wind chimes, bracelets, necklaces, keychains, and pencil holders are all sold out." Seeing the throng of people, Luo Shufan anxiously raised his voice to remind his sister, for fear she might get confused in the chaos of collecting money and end up selling herself by mistake.

"Uh, uh, uh, that was quick." Luo Qianqian turned to look and saw that the cooler box indeed only contained the cardboard used for division, newspaper for layer separation, plastic bags for packaging, and just one lonely little rabbit left: "I'm sorry, we're all sold out. I apologize to those who didn't get a chance to buy. It's our fault for not making enough. We're really sorry, but we're sold out now. It's best if everyone disperses."

"Qianqian, don't we still have one..." Luo Shufan's remaining words were stifled by his sister's 'Three Steps to Pinch a Person' technique on his hand.