My Roommate Lover - Chapter 15 - My Favorite Thing is "Robbing the Rich to Help the Poor"

With the experience from yesterday, Jia Simiao and Zhang Xixi were even more adept at handling a 250 kilograms of watermelon.

Integrity is essential in business. They first paid Li Ergou for his 250 kilograms of watermelon, then exerted great effort to move the remaining 500 kilograms into the small hostel.

The weather was certainly accommodating, with a week of relentless sunshine.

Selling a sliced watermelon earned them a net profit of 12 yuan. If someone bought a whole watermelon to take home, they made 6 yuan per 500 grams after deducting costs. With a hundred watermelons, they netted around 1,000 yuan. Over the course of a week, Jia Simiao and Zhang Xixi had already made over 7,000 yuan.

Where else could you find such a lucrative business? Especially in the evenings, business was booming, and Tang Ziyu even skipped her evening self-study to help them out.

Taking a break to eat a box of fried noodles, Zhang Xixi excitedly said, “Jia-Ge, I think we should use this money to open a shop, don’t you think?”

Jia Simiao smiled, “Almost there. Once we rent the shop, I’ll have another surprise for you.”

Over the past few days, Jia Simiao had given her so many surprises. When it came to business, she was no longer the fledgling who only knew how to sit and sell small accessories. A complete transformation would not be an exaggeration. Meanwhile, Jia Simiao was contemplating another matter; the Demolition Office had sent another notice, requiring him to visit tomorrow. It seemed unavoidable, and he was curious to see what tactics they might employ.

Tang Ziyu laughed, “Once we’re done today, let’s go look for a shop.”

At that moment, He Runxi approached, smiling, “Miss Zhang, your business has been booming lately. How’s it going? Made a lot today?”

Zhang Xixi patted her bulging wallet and grinned, “Not bad, not bad.”

He Runxi handed Jia Simiao a cigarette, chuckling, “Brother, I need to discuss something with you.”

Jia Simiao replied coolly, “Boss He, please go ahead.”

He Runxi said, “Business isn’t easy these days. We’re using commercial electricity, which costs a yuan per kilowatt-hour. You’ve set up a freezer at the entrance of our flower shop, blocking quite a bit of our business. If this continues, how can we survive?”

Jia Simiao squinted his eyes into slits and smiled, “Boss He, we haven’t just met today. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“You’ve been paying only 20 yuan a day for electricity, which is too little. 100 yuan would be more reasonable.”

“100 yuan?” Before Jia Simiao could respond, Zhang Xixi jumped in, exclaiming, “You might as well rob us. Our freezer doesn’t use 100 yuan worth of electricity a day, does it?”

He Runxi said, “It’s not just about the shop; you’ve blocked quite a bit of our business. Shouldn’t you compensate for that loss? You make so much money every day; 100 yuan is nothing to you.”

This was outright extortion, plain and simple. Zhang Xixi learned another lesson: business is ruthless. She was about to say more, but Jia Simiao had already pulled out 100 yuan and handed it to He Runxi, smiling, “Yes, we should pay, we should pay.”

He Runxi was pleased, chuckling, “Alright, keep busy.”

Zhang Xixi protested, “Jia-Ge, how can you give him 100 yuan? It’s not about the money; he’s clearly bullying us.”

Jia Simiao smiled faintly, “A greedy heart is never satisfied. Do you understand what that means? He’s not really after the 100 yuan; he wants to drive us away. Then he can use our reputation to set up his own freezer here, and even hiring someone to sell chilled watermelon would be worth it.”

Tang Ziyu asked, “Then why did you give him 100 yuan?”

Zhang Xixi pointed at Jia Simiao, giggling, “Jia-Ge, you’re so cunning. You’re trying to lull him into complacency, right? If I’m not mistaken, you’ve got your eye on his shop, haven’t you?”

He Runxi’s flower shop was in a prime location, right next to Nanjiang Medical University. Otherwise, Jia Simiao wouldn’t have chosen this spot to set up his stall. Initially, he didn’t want to “take over” He Runxi’s shop, but since He Runxi was being unreasonable, he wouldn’t hold back.

For those who treat me well, I’ll treat them even better.

For those who treat me poorly, I’ll treat them even worse.

This was Jia Simiao’s principle.

Giving He Runxi 100 yuan was a way to test his character. Zhang Xixi and Tang Ziyu fell silent, busying themselves until nine o’clock when all the watermelons were finally sold out. As they were packing up, He Runxi approached again.

The atmosphere was tense, with a hint of frustration.

Jia Simiao casually walked over, handed He Runxi a cigarette, and smiled, “Boss He, have a smoke.”

He Runxi sighed, “Ah, Jia brother, I’m really sorry, but my wife thinks you’re too noisy here and won’t let me supply you with electricity anymore…”

Jia Simiao said, “You can tell your wife we’ll pay more. Xixi, give me 500 yuan.”

Five hundred? Zhang Xixi was displeased but handed over the money. Jia Simiao did something odd; he smoothed the bills until they were perfectly flat before handing them to He Runxi, pleading, “Boss He, my girlfriend and I are struggling to set up here. Please use this money to buy something for your wife. We’ll pay you 500 yuan a day from now on. How does that sound?”

“Five hundred a day?”

This surprised Zhang Xixi and Tang Ziyu, while He Runxi was delighted. Five hundred a day amounted to fifteen thousand a month-a substantial income. These fledglings were too easy to bully. He Runxi suppressed his excitement and said generously, “Brother, don’t worry. I’ll talk to my wife, and if she doesn’t agree, I’ll divorce her.”

“That’s really appreciated.”

Jia Simiao handed He Runxi a note, saying something seemingly unrelated, “Boss He, if you have any problems you can’t solve, give me a call. I’ll be there.”

He Runxi laughed, “Alright, I truly consider you a brother.”

Brothers are like limbs, and this is how you sever them? Jia Simiao chuckled, signaling Zhang Xixi and Tang Ziyu to pack up. They moved the freezer, chairs, and parasol into the hostel.

Sitting heavily on the bed, Zhang Xixi pouted, grumbling, “Jia-Ge, how could you give him 500 yuan? We gave him 600 today. How much did we even earn? It’s infuriating.”

Jia Simiao smiled, “Why rush? Have you heard that song? ‘Eat what’s mine, give it back; take what’s mine, return it.’ What’s ours won’t escape.”

Zhang Xixi said, “I’m just feeling unbalanced…”

Tang Ziyu laughed, “Xixi, if you’re feeling unbalanced, do you think Jia-Ge is balanced? Do you think someone like Jia-Ge would willingly suffer a loss?”

Zhang Xixi nodded repeatedly, “He only knows how to take advantage; he wouldn’t suffer a loss.”

“That’s settled then. I think Jia-Ge already has a plan.”

“Really? Jia-Ge, tell us, don’t keep us in suspense.”

Jia Simiao stretched lazily, smiling, “Alright, don’t ask anymore. You’ll find out tomorrow. Xixi, let Ergou know we won’t be getting any more watermelons tomorrow; we’re taking over the shop.”

Zhang Xixi was puzzled, asking, “Shop? What shop?”

Tang Ziyu laughed, nudging Zhang Xixi, excitedly saying, “Which shop could it be? Of course, it’s Fatty He’s flower shop.”

“What?”

Owning a shop had always been Zhang Xixi’s dream. But would Fatty He willingly give up his shop? It seemed unlikely. However, since Tang Ziyu said so and Jia Simiao didn’t deny it, she felt delighted, exclaiming, “Alright, tomorrow we’ll take over the shop.”

Jia Simiao told Zhang Xixi to stay home and sleep in; it had been exhausting. As for him, he planned to visit the Demolition Office to see what was going on. The ancestral house of Jia Family was a cultural relic; it couldn’t just be demolished.

The three left the hostel, opting not to take a taxi. The weather was nice for a stroll down the street.

Vroom! A motorcycle stopped beside them. Shen Jun’ao, in her police uniform, removed her helmet, letting her long black hair cascade down, making Jia Simiao’s heart skip a beat. This woman was truly stunning. If she wore stockings and high heels with her uniform, how tempting would that be? It would be far more stimulating than any adult film.

Jia Simiao would undoubtedly treasure a DVD copy, hiding it under his pillow to enjoy every night before sleeping.

Shen Jun’ao smiled, “What’s up? Judging by your looks, you’ve had quite a haul today.”

Zhang Xixi boasted, “Just wait, tomorrow we’ll have an even bigger haul.”

Shen Jun’ao asked, “What’s going on?”

“Let’s go home; I’m so tired I can’t keep my eyes open.”

Jia Simiao yawned. He couldn’t let Shen Jun’ao know about this. She was a police officer, fiercely against injustice, and he didn’t want to cause her trouble. Some things are better done discreetly. It wasn’t that he didn’t give Fatty He a chance; Fatty He was just too greedy.

Robbing the rich to help the poor was Jia Simiao’s favorite thing to do.