Chapter Twenty-One: The Legendary Figure Li Erniu

Lu Kun was enthusiastically greeting the guests when he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was Li Erniu from the neighboring village, the so-called “lazybones” who didn't farm, as the villagers used to call him in his previous life.

Though Lu Kun hadn’t interacted much with him, he was clear on a few things about Li Erniu. His back was slightly hunched, his face prematurely aged, though he was not yet forty. He carried an old, rusty scale, always wearing a cheerful smile to everyone he met; only his muddy eyes occasionally revealed a shrewd glimmer.

In Lu Kun’s previous life, Li Erniu never accomplished anything earth-shattering, but he lived comfortably all his days. When he first became prosperous, some villagers couldn’t stand his smug demeanor and secretly wished he’d fall flat on his face.

Yet Li Erniu didn’t fail; instead, his life only got better. After making money selling vegetables, he promptly bought land in town and built a three-story house. The first floor became a shop, a wholesale outlet where he hired workers and played the boss. When internet cafes became popular, he converted the second floor into one, and his family lived on the third. Though the internet café’s license was revoked due to fire hazards later, he still pocketed easy money for several years.

In 1994, when the national social security system was rolled out for rural and town residents, Li Erniu began paying into it, making him the first self-employed person in Ping’an Town to buy his own social insurance.

Li Erniu married a wife who was particularly fertile, and together they had three sons and two daughters. By the time Li Erniu was in his sixties and seventies, none of his children amounted to much, but his status in the family was akin to the patriarch of an old landlord’s household—his every wish fulfilled, sons and daughters, grandchildren all eager to serve him.

Li Erniu owned more than a dozen properties in Gui A County, several shops, renting but never selling, and his monthly rental income plus pension exceeded what his sons and grandsons earned in a couple of years!

“Hey, Erniu! You’ve come here to hustle for a meal, too?” Lu Kun called out heartily after sending off a customer.

Li Erniu was momentarily stunned before recognizing Lu Kun. “Ah, it’s Kunzi!” His broad smile grew wider, though he felt a bit surprised inside.

He’d been hesitating about venturing out to seek a new path, but after hearing the villagers talk about the former “troublemaker Lu Kun” from the neighboring village, he finally decided to give it a try.

While others focused on how Lu Kun had turned his life around, Li Erniu was paying attention to how the couple had managed to pay back several hundred yuan within months.

“That’s a lot of money—would take years of farming to earn,” Li Erniu thought. He wasn’t ambitious, but he was clever. He even suspected that Lu Kun and his wife were hiding something; it was just a hunch he couldn’t explain.

“Risk it all, live or die, go for it!” Li Erniu wasn’t one for indecision. He grabbed his inherited scale and plunged straight into the chaos of Ping’an Town’s vegetable market street.

He had no capital to speak of, always smiling to everyone, but his mind was busy calculating how to get some startup funds. Now, seeing Lu Kun, he couldn’t help but think, “Found it!”

“Of course it’s me! You’ve come out to hustle, but you never stopped by your brother’s stall?” Lu Kun laughed, polite as ever.

The matter of buying sand ginger was best kept quiet; too many people knowing would complicate things later, and he might still have use for Li Erniu.

“Ah, brother, I’ve wanted to come for a while, but you’re doing business, and I’d just show up empty-handed, wouldn’t that bring you bad luck?” Li Erniu put on a pitiful act.

Lu Kun understood immediately—Li Erniu wanted to borrow money. Still, he couldn’t be too eager; lending was fine, but he’d have to ask for a favor in return.

“Don’t worry about those silly rules, Erniu. Just seeing you here makes me happy. You don’t know how dull it gets, tending this stall all day. Drives a man mad,” Lu Kun pretended not to catch the hint, steering the conversation away.

Li Erniu was taken aback, then looked awkward.

After a while, he finally spoke in a low voice, “Kunzi, would it be convenient… would it be possible for you to lend me… lend me a little money?”

Li Erniu’s face flushed deep red, his voice nearly inaudible. He kept his head down and failed to notice Lu Kun’s eyes brighten instantly.

Li Erniu asking for a loan outright was completely different from Lu Kun offering it himself. Lending money to Li Erniu wasn’t a big deal—since he’d asked, Lu Kun couldn’t turn him down. He quickly counted out thirty yuan and handed it over.

Li Erniu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took the thirty yuan, his hands trembling, his formerly muddy eyes now bloodshot.

“Kunzi, I… I’ll repay you as soon as I can,” Li Erniu was overwhelmed; it was the first time he’d held so much money. He had hoped for five or ten yuan at most, never expecting Lu Kun to lend him thirty without batting an eye.

“It’s nothing. Take it and use it first. If it’s inconvenient, pay me back later. But I might need you to help me with something in a while,” Lu Kun said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Kunzi! I’m hustling too—if you ever need me, just say the word. I, Li Erniu, won’t even frown!” Li Erniu responded emphatically.

He was truly worn down by poverty; Lu Kun’s thirty yuan was more than money—it was the capital for his comeback.

Lu Kun knew Li Erniu’s character well. Both had been small-time hustlers, though they’d never shared a classroom or frequented brothels together, neither had ever heard the other do anything treacherous.

Both were men of honor.

“Mm.” Lu Kun nodded.

“Erniu, remember—no matter how poor, there’s always a way out. As long as you’re alive, you’ll rise again. When things go wrong, don’t let it get to you too much.”

Li Erniu didn’t fully grasp Lu Kun’s meaning, but he knew it was for his own good and nodded accordingly.

Having won over Li Erniu, Lu Kun felt much better. With Li Erniu’s help, the sand ginger collection would surely go smoother.

Lu Kun had been considering this. It was easy to buy sand ginger on the street himself. But getting it from the villages nearby was another story. If prices spiked soon after he started buying, villagers might think Lu Kun had set them up.

With Li Erniu involved, it would be much easier—he could take the blame, and Lu Kun could simply buy from him. The scolding would never land on Lu Kun.