Many children bring happiness, a shameless start

Although the sun shines brightly around two or three in the afternoon, the temperature is neither too hot nor uncomfortable.

The park is filled with people of all ages—men, women, the young, and the old.

Everyone has come out to get some exercise.

On the basketball court, a large group of teenage boys is sweating profusely, while many young girls are laughing and shouting from the sidelines.

Some people are sunbathing topless on the grass.

Suddenly, an ice cream truck with a white front and orange body appears in the park.

The truck's front features several large English letters spelling out "WARNING."

Inside the truck are three people: Lip, Kevin, and Ethel, who they went back to pick up.

"Stop, there's business!" Lip spots several regular customers from last year.

Kevin quickly hits the brakes.

The car stops smoothly, but Ethel loses her balance and throws herself into Lip's arms.

Her face turns red in an instant.

But Lip thinks it's cute and beautiful.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

"I'll have a bottle of watermelon soda, a Guo Wei ice cream roll from Bubble Hall, and a crunchy chocolate bar," says a blond young man, ordering skillfully.

"Anything else? We've got new arrivals!"

"Do you have loose cigarettes?"

"Of course! Special offer on Marlboros: $1 a stick!"

"Uh… that's too expensive!"

"How about I give you one first? Try it, and then see if you'll pay a mere dollar."

"Okay."

The young man takes the Marlboro.

Lip lights the cigarette and hands it over.

The young man expertly blocks the wind with his hands.

"Hiss~"

"Phew~"

"Wow, this Marlboro is amazing!"

The young man praises with bright eyes.

"This is just the entry-level Marlboro A-grade. If you've tried Marlboro B or C, you'll definitely be impressed," Lip adds.

"How much do B and C grades cost?"

"B-grade is $3 per stick, C-grade is $5 per stick."

"That's a bit pricey!"

"Good things don't come cheap!"

Lip gives the young man a knowing smile.

"Alright, give me a B-grade."

"Okay!"

After exchanging money and goods, the young man asks, "Why did you give me an extra A-grade?"

"Just some service for old customers," Lip replies with a smile.

The young man nods happily, takes another puff, and runs off toward his friends.

Lip watches them quietly.

Soon, the young men start smoking the special Marlboro A-grade one by one.

"Hey, Homeboy, what do you want?" Kevin smiles and greets another black-haired guy behind him.

"Lemon-lime liqueur, chocolate cookie bars, and a Molson beer."

"We only sell beer to kids of legal age! Come back when you're 16 and get a Bud Light!" Lip jokes.

Kevin glances at Lip, then smiles and says, "We don't have Molson, but we have super cool sodas. Want to try one? I think you'll like it more!"

"Alright, I'll go with the cool soda."

Kevin looks at Lip with confusion. After the horned boy leaves, he asks, "Lip, why did you sell him beer?"

"Beer? You're calling an imitation beer with 0% alcohol beer?" Lip says seriously. "Besides, this is the South District. Who cares if someone buys beer? No need to act like a saint here."

"Well, I…"

"It's okay, no harm done."

"Two frozen Snickers bars, a pack of Bill's nuts, and a pair of Dama cigarettes!"

"To 14? Where's the ID?"

"Um…"

"Date of birth?"

"June 3, 1995."

"Alright, here you go."

Lip hands over two sticks from last year's stock.

"But I suggest you try one of our special Marlboro B or C grades. They'll be much better than these cigarettes."

"Really?"

"It's just one stick. You can't lose anything by trying it, and you won't be scammed either."

"Okay, I'll take a B-grade and a cigarette."

"Done!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a balding head walks up to the sales window.

"Hi Bob."

"Hi Lip. Can I still place bets on Little League baseball like last year?"

"Of course. Which team?"

"Marlins!"

"U10 or U12?"

"U10. Fifteen dollars."

"Okay."

Bob hands over $15.

"Oh, and I'll take one of your special Marlboro Cs!"

"Alright, $5!"

"What? So expensive?"

"I guarantee it's worth it."

"Hmm…"

Lip looks at Bob, still hesitating, and says, "Why don't you try it first, and then pay if you're satisfied?"

"That sounds good."

Lip hands Bob a cigarette and lights it for him.

"Oh my god! It feels so good, all the way down!"

After Bob exhales the first puff, he nods eagerly. "This special cigarette is amazing! Do you have more?"

"How many do you want?"

"How many do you have?"

"There's just a bit more than three packs left."

"Then give me three!"

"Bob, let me warn you: even if you buy three packs, they're still $5 each. No discounts."

"Stop nagging me!"

Bob slaps three $100 bills on the counter.

"Classy and bold!"

Lip hands over three packs of cigarettes.

Bob carefully pockets them and leaves.

"Wow, Lip, you're a business genius!"

"It's not that hard. The key is to observe people's words and actions and focus on the details. I just saw Bob watching the blond guy smoke."

Kevin nods thoughtfully.

Lip turns around and sees that Ethel is also watching him.

As soon as Ethel notices Lip looking at her, she blushes and lowers her head.

Suddenly, a police siren blares loudly.

"Shit, oops! There's a patrolman, nine o'clock, 200 yards away and closing in!"

Lip pulls Ethel and sits her on his lap.

Kevin steps on the accelerator, and the car speeds away.

"Hey, are you guys coming back?" the blond guy who just bought a Marlboro calls out, hurrying over with his friends.

"Wait a moment, we'll circle the block and come back."

"Okay, we're waiting for you!"

A group of young people waves enthusiastically.

"Lip, are we that popular?"

"Kevin, what are you thinking? It's the special Marlboros that are popular!"

"That's not it!"

Lip turns around and notices that Ethel's face is redder than ever.

Then, Lip realizes that his little friend seems quite excited.

Lip has no choice but to let Ethel sit in the passenger seat while he awkwardly leans forward, holding onto the back of the chair.

He smiles awkwardly at Ethel.

Ethel shyly tilts her head, avoiding Lip's gaze.

After driving around for over ten minutes, they finally return to the park.

The scene before them is both surprising and delightful: a large group of young people is waiting. When they see Lip and Kevin's car, they cheer excitedly. Within an hour, all the special Marlboros and last year's stock of cigarettes are sold out, along with many other drinks and snacks. The three of them head home, feeling victorious.

"Why are you three so happy?" Veronica, who's making dinner, asks as she sees Kevin, Lip, and Ethel smiling.

"Dear, we made almost as much money today as if we picked it up off the street!"

"Tell me what happened!"

Kevin eagerly recounts the story of today's explosive sales.

"Wow! Lip, you really are a lucky star!" Veronica exclaims.

"Hehe, just doing my thing!"

"Let's see how much we earned today!"

Kevin, excited, puts the money storage box on the table.

"The special Marlboros sold for $980, last year's stock of large cigarettes for $370, and snacks and drinks for almost $600. We made $1,950 this afternoon."

In less than five minutes, Lip lists all the details and totals.

"A generous gift crab! That's so much!" Kevin and Veronica exclaim in disbelief.

"You don't need to get so worked up. This is just the first day. If we make $2,000 a day, think about what that'll add up to in ten days, a hundred days, or a year!"

"Lip, thank you!" Kevin says, shaking Lip's hand, his expression full of gratitude.

"No problem, buddy. But Kevin, you should really thank Ethel. Without her taking care of you, you might not be where you are now."

"Lip, you're right. But I want to thank both of you! Now, let's divide the spoils and get the money!"

"Kevin, I think you should leave the money with Veronica to save."

"Why?"

"Even though we've had a good day, the business will keep growing. But don't forget you still have over $9,000 in electricity bills to pay!"

Lip patiently advises, "I hope you can save $10,000 by Friday. I'll help you pay it off."

"Lip, let's settle the bills first. After that, let's have a big dinner. Invite your three girlfriends and your whole family!"

Kevin is straightforward with his buddies.

"I think you should pay the electricity bill first, then treat yourself!"

"Kevin, just listen to Lip!" Veronica also chimes in.

"Hehe, okay."

"Kevin, you're so spoiled!" Lip laughs.

"Fine, I'll treat you all to a nice meal after paying the bills. Deal?"