Around half past eight in the morning, Xiangcao City was filled with the peace and warmth left behind after the morning rush.

Traffic near Liao Family Village was also at its best around this time. In my memories, Grandma often pedaled her tricycle out then. With fewer cars on the roads, she could haul her desserts to the busier streets nearby and sell them.

Long ago, Grandma usually sold out everything she made for the day before the evening rush arrived at half past six. She could then head home.

These days, there were probably more mobile stalls selling similar things. Or maybe people simply weren’t as fond of these snacks anymore. Either way, she still couldn’t sell everything by the afternoon.

Gradually, Grandma pushed her return time back to after nine at night.

Strictly speaking, mobile vendors like Grandma were all operating without permits. But they were one of the special features of Xiangcao City’s Dadong District.

Dadong was one of Xiangcao’s poorer districts. It had countless urban villages, and many people sold desserts, breakfast food, potted plants, and other things like that.

Everyone was only trying to make a living. So even though the city had regulations, the local urban management officers usually turned a blind eye.

Only when their superiors demanded a serious crackdown would they make a big show of chasing away the vendors. For example, whenever Xiangcao City was being evaluated as a “civilized city.”

Normally, around six in the evening, the officers would drive a small vehicle to the narrower but busier streets to maintain order. Their job was to prevent too many vendors from causing traffic jams and waves of complaints.

“Grandma, sit tight.”

After loading several large metal buckets of desserts, along with disposable bowls, spoons, and other supplies, I helped Grandma settle into the back seat.

Only then did I return to the front and press down on the pedals.

The tricycle started moving slowly and left the rented apartment.

Earlier, on the bus ride here, I’d looked up some relevant information online.

There were three schools near Liao Family Village. Xiangcao No. 14 High School and Xiangcao No. 15 High School were both regular senior high schools.

The closest one was Xiangcao Normal College, a junior college much like the Xiangcao Vocational and Technical College I currently attended.

If Grandma were working alone, she could simply choose somewhere crowded and prosperous.

But things were a little different now that I was with her.

I was wearing a cosplay outfit. That meant our target customers should be teenagers. They would be the main buyers today.

Eight in the morning was exactly when students left home for school.

Of course, that only applied to Saturdays.

The Xiangcao Education Bureau had forbidden all schools from holding weekend makeup classes. But secretly making students sign things like “I volunteer to attend school on weekends” before holding classes was already a standard trick in schools across the country.

Schools were afraid that the noise from morning reading would lead nearby residents to report them. So there was usually no morning reading session on Saturdays.

Classes began at around half past eight. Students could sleep a little longer than they did from Monday to Friday.

They could sleep until eight.

In other words, right now was the perfect time for the high school students nearby to leave home and head to class.

Grandma currently only sold three kinds of desserts: liangfen, mung beans with kelp, and tofu pudding.

None of them could really count as a proper breakfast. But from what I remembered, not many students disliked these sweet snacks.

Some lazy people didn’t even eat breakfast. They would probably buy a serving just to fill their stomachs.

Besides, I didn’t believe they would come over because they were thinking, *I feel like eating this.*

If half past eight to half past nine was the morning rush for students from No. 14 and No. 15 High Schools, then half past nine to eleven would be the time when students from Xiangcao Normal College began waking up.

Taking everything into account, my route for the day should be—

Before those two high schools began classes, I needed to find an area between them. Ideally, it had to be somewhere every student walking to school would pass through.

After half past nine, I would move near the gates of Xiangcao Normal College. I could set up there until around two in the afternoon.

Finally, I would move to Grandma’s usual location: a pedestrian street near Liao Family Village.

As far as I remembered, there were two Internet cafés on that street. The teenagers who went online there were also part of our target audience.

However…

That was the plan, but there was still one problem.

Before any of that, I had to overcome my “shyness.”

After taking Grandma with me and leaving the rented apartment, I pedaled the tricycle with my legs clad in white velvet thigh-high stockings and cute little leather shoes.

As I looked at the street ahead, I saw that plenty of pedestrians were still around despite the morning rush having passed.

My legs were trembling beneath that gorgeous maid dress.

*Waaaaah! So many people are looking at me!*

*What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?*

*I’ve already come this far, and I’ve made up my mind to earn some money. But this is so embarrassing, aaah!*

Never mind the inexperienced little girl Xiaoxue herself.

Even I, a grown man, had never gone out to sell things in a cosplay outfit.

The most I’d ever done was find a job handing out flyers in a Kumamon mascot suit right after graduating.

But that thing didn’t require showing my face!

*I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. Why is everyone looking at me? Can’t you all just mind your own business? Stop staring at me…*

Just as I’d expected, almost everyone who could see me was watching.

People eating in the rice-noodle shop. Customers choosing fruit in the fruit store. Delivery workers unloading packages by the roadside.

Their expressions ranged from surprise to admiration to confusion.

“Xiaoxue, um… Grandma can drive if you want?”

Grandma had grown used to such attention from collecting recyclables. She seemed to notice something wrong with me and quietly suggested it from the back of the tricycle.

“You can come sit back here.”

“Ah… no, it’s fine.”

I quickly came to my senses, turned around, and gave Grandma what I hoped was a sweet smile.

“I can do it.”

*You can do it, Xiaoxue.*

*You’re pretty. Your skin is fair, your legs are long, and your chest is huge.*

*You’re kind, cute, and invincible. You’re the best in the world.*

*Cosplaying Rem won’t ruin the character. Everyone thinks you’re beautiful. Nobody means you any harm.*

*You should be proud. You should be confident.*

*Besides, nobody hired you today. Nobody rented your services.*

*If you don’t find some way to earn money, you won’t have any income today.*

*Then you won’t be able to repay the loan next month, and Mom will find out.*

*Even if she doesn’t scold you, she’ll definitely cut back on her own meals to help repay it.*

*Mom has already had such a hard time all these years. I can’t make her worry again.*

While giving myself all kinds of encouragement, I faced the eyes around me and took a deep breath on the tricycle.

Then I stood up and pushed down hard on the pedals.

The tricycle started moving again.

“Grandma, let’s go somewhere else today.”

I silently thought about where students from the two high schools might cross paths. Forcing myself to ignore the surrounding stares, I turned the handlebars toward a small road on the right.

According to my memories, turning left after leaving this road would lead to a three-way intersection with relatively light traffic.

There was a McDonald’s near the intersection. It had plenty of space, and almost every student who walked to school would pass by there.

Actually, the answer was easy to find by putting myself in their place.

Even a major chain like McDonald’s had chosen to open there. That meant the foot traffic couldn’t possibly be low.

As the tricycle entered the small road on the right, I heard quite a few camera shutters behind me.

*Click. Click.*

Ugh…

This was probably the treatment a coser had to endure at an anime convention.

Thinking helplessly, I sped up my pedaling.

Speaking of my current situation, it reminded me of a meme.

It showed a little girl cosplaying Reimu driving an excavator, or someone in an Ultraman suit riding a bicycle.

The caption read: *The simplest things are the truest.*

“Creak, creak.”

The swaying little tricycle passed through the alley and emerged from the urban village.

Outside was a much wider street, accompanied by an even larger crowd.

“What is that? Is she Rem?”

After briefly freezing in surprise, the people outside quickly began discussing me with their companions.

“That girl is so cute! That’s practically a divine cosplay. Did she use filters and a beauty app?”

“Are you stupid? This is the real world. What filters and beauty apps? You watch too many short videos.”

“Oh, right… I forgot. This little sister really does have amazing features. Should we go ask if we can take a photo with her?”

Compared to the people in the urban village, the crowd outside was much more “honest.”

They were practically speaking without thinking right in front of me.

Just as I’d expected, the nearby students were leaving home for school at this time.

Most of the pedestrians on the street were middle and high school students carrying small backpacks.

As the heroine of a popular anime, Rem was naturally extremely popular among them.

They recognized me at a glance. After hesitating for a moment, they all took out their phones.

“Wait. What if she doesn’t want her picture taken?”

“Where is she going? Is she selling mung bean soup? Rem is selling mung bean soup?”

“Guys, wait here. I’m going over to buy a bowl of mung bean soup.”

“You bastard… You think I’m stupid? You said you hated sweet food just the other day. Don’t tell me you think you can get the contact information of a beauty like that?”

“I’ll say my camera’s broken when I buy the mung bean soup. Then I’ll add her on WeChat and transfer the money to her. Are you stupid?”

And so, I had only just emerged from the urban village.

I hadn’t even started figuring out how to reach the “McDonald’s holy site” on my planned route.

Yet plenty of students had already gathered around me.

“Are you selling breakfast? What do you have?”

“Big sis, you’re so pretty! Can I add you on WeChat?”

“Big sis, are you out here experiencing life?”

“Rem, where’s your sister Ram?”

“Miss Rem, my friend asked me to buy three servings of tofu pudding. I’ll transfer the money on WeChat. My camera’s broken.”

Looking at the enthusiastic students around me, I was still painfully embarrassed.

But when I thought of that “massive” loan and the worried look Mom had worn in the hospital, I had no choice.

I forced a smile, parked the tricycle temporarily, and jumped off.

“Grandma, I’ll do it.”

Grandma instinctively reached out to scoop some tofu pudding from the back.

I hurried over and lowered my voice.

“Please rest, Grandma. I have to handle this part.”

Then I took the disposable bags and bowls.

Following the example of the blue-haired girl from the anime, I gave the students around me a smile.

After that, I opened my personal WeChat page.

Aside from Mom, Grandma, and my counselor, I didn’t have a single other friend.

“Everyone, please line up. The prices are right here. If your camera’s broken, you can add me on WeChat and transfer the money. Cash is fine too!”