Chapter 8: The Delinquents Look for Trouble

Having made up her mind, Shen Yu took a black taxi from her space—one that was about fifty percent new and didn't look too conspicuous—and sped toward Luohu Railway Station.

Previously, fearing she might travel to an apocalypse or another era, Shen Yu had stored various types of vehicles in her farm warehouse. There were bicycles, electric scooters, motorcycles, and more...

It was nearly thirty kilometers from Nanshan Bay Village to Luohu Railway Station.

The roads back then were not as well-maintained as in the future; many were dirt paths, some were potholed, and even the most famous Shennan Avenue in Pengcheng had not yet been completed.

If she had ridden a bicycle, it would have taken at least over an hour, which was a waste of time. Since she had the means, she naturally chose the most efficient way to travel. She had also fitted the car with era-appropriate simulated license plates.

In her past life, she had truly put in a great deal of effort to prepare for the possibility of time travel. To be safe, she had prepared every kind of hardware and software she could think of. Looking back now, Shen Yu was very grateful for her own intelligence and foresight; it prevented her from being at a complete loss after her rebirth.

The roads were difficult to navigate, but there were no traffic lights along the way, and there were very few vehicles. Shen Yu drove quite fast, and after half an hour, she arrived at a necessary junction on the way to Luohu Railway Station and the bus station.

She pulled the taxi to the side of the road, positioning the spacious rear compartment to face the street so it could serve as a temporary stall. Then, using the back seat as cover, Shen Yu took out five beverage buckets from her farm warehouse, pre-filled with orange juice, soy milk, soda, cola, and milk tea.

The buckets were made of a transparent material. The white soy milk, pale yellow soda, bright orange juice, brown cola, and beige milk tea were arranged in a row, making them very eye-catching. Beside them, she placed a box of edible ice to offer to customers who wanted ice.

In this sweltering weather, whether they were just exiting the railway station or the bus station, anyone who saw these iced sodas and colas would crave a cup to quench their thirst and beat the heat.

Behind the row of drinks, Shen Yu placed another layer of shelving, displaying large transparent food containers filled with meat buns, chive pockets, steamed buns, and toasted bread.

Currently on the market, Beibingyang soda sold for 15 cents a bottle, and cola sold for 45 cents a bottle. Shen Yu quickly set her prices

Soy milk and soda: 20 cents a cup. Orange juice, milk tea, and cola: 50 cents a cup. Steamed buns: 10 cents each. Meat buns, chive pockets, and toasted bread: 20 cents each.

All these drinks and foods were made from raw materials produced on her farm; both the flavor and quality were top-tier. The prices Shen Yu set were absolute bargains.

She had just finished setting up and hadn't even had time to put up her sun umbrella when a customer approached and asked, "Comrade, hello! How much is a cup of cola?"

Looking at the middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit, Shen Yu replied with a smile, "Hello! Soy milk and soda are 20 cents a cup; orange juice, milk tea, and cola are 50 cents a cup. Which would you like?"

The middle-aged man smiled back, "Give me a cup of cola." He then turned to the two young men following behind him, "Xiao Zhao, Xiao Cui, what do you two want to drink?"

Xiao Zhao quickly replied, "Leader, just soda for me is fine."

Xiao Cui followed suit, "Leader, I'll have soda too. I'll pay." Both of them hurriedly pulled money from their pockets, fearing their leader might insist on paying for them.

Shen Yu smiled and asked the middle-aged man, "Comrade, would you like ice in your cola?"

The man nodded, "With ice."

Shen Yu poured a cup of cola, quickly added ice, put on the lid, inserted a straw, and handed it to him. The man took the cola and handed 50 cents to Shen Yu. Once she had taken the money, he took a sip, and an immediate wave of refreshment washed over him, instantly driving away the heat.

Shen Yu then poured soda for the two young men, adding ice according to their requests and collecting their money. After a sip of the iced soda, the two young men also felt refreshed. After a few more sips, they were surprised to find that this cola and soda seemed much tastier than the ones available on the market.

The middle-aged man noticed this as well. With a soft exclamation of surprise, he asked Shen Yu, "Comrade, which beverage factory produced this cola?"

Shen Yu replied with a smile, "The drinks and food I sell are all produced by my own family; the taste and quality are excellent. Today is my first day setting up a stall here, and you are my very first customer. Let me give you a large meat bun for free so you can try the taste."

As she spoke, Shen Yu used tongs to pick up a large meat bun, placed it in a paper bag, and handed it to the man.

The man laughed heartily, "Good, good, good! I didn't expect to be so lucky today to get a free meat bun from the owner. Let me try it. Comrade, if this meat bun doesn't taste good, I'll have to criticize you!"

Shen Yu said confidently, "Please, feel free to try it."

The man took a bite of the meat bun. The slight sweetness of the dough, combined with the savory aroma of the meat filling and a burst of juice, made the flavor absolutely divine!

Before he could even speak, he had finished the entire bun in a few bites. He said directly to Shen Yu, "Comrade, your meat buns are delicious. Give me ten more."

Shen Yu responded with a smile, "You got it!"

She quickly took out large paper bags, packed ten meat buns for him, and collected his money.

The man smiled at her and said, "Comrade, I hope we meet again by fate!"

Shen Yu smiled back, "Alright, until we meet again! Take care, Comrade!"

The man waved to her and quickly walked away with his two subordinates.

With the middle-aged man's group opening the way, more and more people came to buy drinks and food. Shen Yu was so busy she couldn't catch her breath.

Her booming business soon attracted the attention of nearby shopkeepers and local thugs. In this era, gang members were usually present near railway and bus stations.

By midday, when the crowd of customers thinned out, the thugs who had been watching for a while finally surrounded her. They were all holding iron rods, looking extremely arrogant and walking with a swaggering, bullying gait.

They walked up to Shen Yu's stall, and the leader of the thugs tapped the side of her vehicle with an iron rod, asking in a cocky tone, "Hey, pretty girl, have you paid the protection fee for setting up a stall here?"

Shen Yu feigned ignorance, asking with an innocent expression, "I'm setting up a stall at this junction; what fee am I supposed to pay?"