The three-wheeled vehicle took the two of them to People's Park. The driver enthusiastically helped Chu Hao move the foam box containing ice pops to yesterday's stall.
Most stalls were empty at this hour, but Chu Hao didn't take the opportunity to snatch someone else's spot. Even though there wasn't a clearly assigned ownership for any stall, the general rule of 'first come, first served' was still followed.
The park was already quite crowded in the early morning, mostly with middle-aged and elderly people exercising.
In terms of customer demographics, women came first, children second, men third, and the elderly – especially those who had saved their entire lives in this era – were unlikely to spend unless there was a clear benefit. It'd be good enough if they didn't try to take yours for free.
Chu Hao wasn't in a hurry to set up. He and Old Man Zhāng sat under the shade of a tree, each with an ice pop, slurpingly cooling down and recovering their energy.
The weather in Yānjīng in late August felt like it hadn't entered autumn at all; it was even hotter than Yuedong, where Chu Hao had stayed in his previous life.
This heat was different from the muggy heat of Yuedong. It was a scorching, burning sensation directly on the skin. If a person stayed under the sun for too long, it would feel like they were perfectly roasted, inside and out.
In this kind of weather, if you wanted people to gather, just slurping ice pops wouldn't cut it; you absolutely needed shade overhead.
Chu Hao had prepared for this. Since there weren't any giant sun umbrellas available in the country yet, Chu Hao had acquired some adjustable frames to serve as shade.
After a short rest, Chu Hao and Old Man Zhāng started setting up the frames. They were simple: four iron poles at the corners supporting a thin layer of blue gauze on top to block the sun.
The four iron poles were spaced more than ten meters apart, perfectly enclosing the stall area and casting a huge shadow.
Setting up the rest of the stall was much easier. In about ten minutes, Chu Hao and Old Man Zhāng had recreated yesterday's arrangement.
Compared to yesterday, the two chess tables remained unchanged. The only change was the stall to the left, where people threw balls into enamel cups. It had expanded from a few square meters to tens of square meters.
Anyone with trypophobia would probably feel their scalp tingle at the sight of the densely packed enamel cups.
The money inside each small enamel cup was no longer mostly cents or dimes, but was now one, five, ten, and even quite a few twenty and fifty yuan bills.
In the last row of enamel cups, bills of '100' yuan were neatly stacked.
Seeing this, Old Man Zhāng was stunned!
'Why did the stakes get higher again? Are they playing that big now?!'
In a bucket next to the stall were countless billiard balls.
After they finished working, Chu Hao had just stood up when an old man with a cane came hobbling over.
Chu Hao recognized him as the limping old man who had refused to leave the chess table the previous night.
The old man still had neatly combed salt-and-pepper hair, wore old-fashioned glasses with tinted lenses, and was dressed in a creased Zhongshan suit. He exuded a unique, indescribable aura.
"Old sir, you've come so early. Would you like to try something different today and try the ball-throwing game? Look at my cups here, I've got large denominations..." Chu Hao teased deliberately.
"Hey, hey, no, no. My old arms and legs are already inconvenient to move. If I get tricked by you again, how will I face anyone? You can save these traps for others. This old man will continue to study my endgame challenges. Oh, and give this old man a free ice pop. I haven't had one in years. I forgot to ask for one yesterday, what a waste, shame on me..."
Chu Hao chuckled and took two ice pops from the foam box:
"Old sir, I'll make up for yesterday's. Please, take your time and enjoy. If you want more, there are plenty.
"Heh, alright, you're a good kid!" The old man was pleased, took an ice pop, and said with a smile, "It's just that my stomach isn't good, and I can't handle two. Give the other one to that old fellow Zhang Jianshe. Damn it, wherever I go, I run into that old guy. He's getting on in years, but he's as restless as a young man, always darting around..."
The old man looked kind, but his words were surprisingly sharp. Old Man Zhāng was displeased by this remark. He snatched the ice pop from Chu Hao's hand and retorted, "Old Man Zhu, don't get cocky. My legs are nimble. Back in the day, you old scoundrel showed off your car and needed a sedan chair when you went out. What's wrong with me pulling a rickshaw? In the end, you're still the one who needs a cane. Bah..."
Old Zhu shook his head dismissively, completely ignoring Old Man Zhāng's bluster, and continued to study the chess endgame.
Seeing their bickering, Chu Hao figured they were old acquaintances. It was like a reversal of fortune, a modern-day 'don't bully the poor' situation.
Chu Hao considered asking Old Man Zhāng about Old Zhu's past, as the old man's demeanor didn't suggest an ordinary background.
But then, he was overwhelmed by the surging crowd. There were those hooked on yesterday's ball-throwing game, the old men arguing heatedly over the chess endgame, and even more people coming to get free ice pops.
Soon, the small bills in Chu Hao's hands began to skyrocket. The group who played ball yesterday, seeing the newly upgraded denominations in the enamel cups today, had eyes red with ambition.
It quickly turned into a gambler's carnival, with bills flowing into Chu Hao's hands like water.
Since Chu Hao had added many more enamel cups today, the cups were placed closer together. People began to be able to throw the billiard balls into the cups. Chu Hao followed the rules and handed over the bills to the customers.
The customers didn't leave after winning; instead, they became even more enthusiastic, which invisibly attracted many onlookers who hadn't participated yet.
Chu Hao was so busy collecting money that the more than one thousand yuan he had spent in the morning was quickly recouped. He didn't even bother counting how many billiard balls customers took from the bucket.
The business was booming, far exceeding Chu Hao's expectations. Old Man Zhāng, who was responsible for picking up the balls, had swallowed more saliva than he could count.
As time went on, more and more people came to the park. Many, upon entering, saw Chu Hao's stall, covered by a huge shade, with a sign clearly displaying:
"Play ring toss and ball throwing, free ice pops! Solve the chess endgame, win 20 yuan!"
Suddenly, Chu Hao's stall became the center of the park's foot traffic.
Adults played the ball-throwing game for cash, children played ring toss for toys, and the elderly gathered around the chess tables, arguing fiercely even without making a move.
Other vendors who arrived later looked on with envy, their eyes practically popping out.
"Damn, this is faster than robbing a bank!"
Chu Hao didn't have time to count how much money he had made. All he could say was that both pockets of his pants, his back pocket, and even the inside of his underwear were stuffed with money, and he still had a large wad in his hand!
In the afternoon, Old Man Zhāng told Chu Hao that other stalls had started copying him by setting up ball-throwing games for cash.
Chu Hao glanced over and indeed, from a distance, almost all the stalls had followed suit, setting up ball-throwing games and offering free ice pops.
"Little Chu, these people have no integrity. Should we move to another location?" Old Man Zhāng was genuinely worried. Just as the opportunity to make money appeared, it was quickly copied, not by one person, but by almost everyone setting up stalls in the park.
Chu Hao was unfazed and smiled, "Grandpa, how much money do you see in their cups?"
"Mostly a few mao or a few yuan, nothing as exaggerated as ours!" Old Man Zhāng mused.
"Then it's fine. We'll continue with ours."
"Huh? Are you sure we won't be affected? Maybe we should move early." Old Man Zhāng was truly looking out for Chu Hao. If this method could make money, why not try it elsewhere?
Chu Hao couldn't fully explain the concept of traffic concentration to the simple old man. Besides, other locations truly couldn't compare to the park's flow of people.
"Grandpa, as long as their denominations don't exceed ours, the crowds won't leave. It's simple logic, people are driven by profit. They'll go where the money is..."
Chu Hao omitted one point: games involving gambling often have a crowd-gathering effect. The more crowded a gambling table is, the more likely it is to attract new participants.
Old Man Zhāng, not believing it, went to the other stalls and observed them for a while. He found that the vast majority of visitors entering the park didn't even glance at the other stalls; they headed straight for Chu Hao's.
This left the owners of the other stalls looking as if they had lost their parents, staring at Chu Hao's stall with expressions of existential doubt.
"This is truly bizarre..." Old Man Zhāng was baffled. The other stalls were set up similarly to Chu Hao's, just with smaller denominations and free ice pops, yet no one was going to them.
As evening approached, Xú Yòuwēi and the young man Qín Wèidōng arrived again.
Today, Xú Yòuwēi was wearing a white knee-length dress and delicate leather shoes, her smooth black hair tied into a ponytail.
She seemed to particularly favor dresses, with her lightly exposed legs exuding a porcelain-white sheen. Her delicate, apple-shaped face, tinged with a healthy blush, bore a sweet smile, and her bright eyes were lively and mischievous.
She looked like a young maiden stepping out of a painting, radiating youthful vitality.
As soon as she appeared, many young men in the crowd couldn't help but steal glances at her, much like how ordinary guys would look at a goddess in later years.
Chu Hao found Xú Yòuwēi pleasing to the eye at first glance.Beautiful women, especially when she smiled, reminded him of the Qiu-surname goddess from Hong Kong, making Chu Hao wonder if they were sisters.
However, the moment she spoke, this beautiful fantasy was shattered:
"Hey, ball seller, I'll give you 200 yuan if you tell me how to solve this endgame?"
Chu Hao: "...Miss, is there something I shouldn't say..."