Cao Wen noticed that Xu Duoyan had been gone for quite a while and hadn’t returned, so he went looking for her.
Just then, someone came tumbling out, rolling like a ball.
He fixed his eyes and, to his surprise, it was Zheng Kui.
“Ah Wen! Ah Wen! Is that you?”
Before Cao Wen could speak, Zheng Kui clung to him, his face filled with wild joy as if he’d found a long-lost relative who could save him.
“It really is you! Quick, this is serious!”
“You’re still alive, huh.”
Cao Wen pushed him off with disgust.
“If you’re sick, go get treated. Why stick to me and act all weird?”
Zheng Kui was panting, about to say something when Xu Duoyan appeared with a cold expression, stepping out from the outhouse.
Zheng Kui’s heart skipped a beat.
He quickly grabbed Cao Wen’s sleeve and hid behind him.
“Ah Yan.”
Seeing Cao Wen take a step forward as if to greet her politely, Zheng Kui held onto his sleeve tightly.
“Cao Wen, don’t go over there.”
He watched warily as Xu Duoyan stood silently not far away, and said, “For the sake of brotherhood, I’ll help you out.”
“That bastard’s really a man! Pretending to be mute, pretending to be a woman! He fooled everyone. He’s been hiding in your house just to scheme and harm you. You better watch out!”
Zheng Kui kept his head low behind Cao Wen, shooting words at Xu Duoyan.
Cao Wen stopped in his tracks when he heard this.
He looked down at Zheng Kui, his face flushing red as if provoked.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” he asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
Seeing Cao Wen skeptical, Zheng Kui jumped up and down.
“You’re still too young, you won’t believe me?”
He then pointed at Xu Duoyan.
“You say something, Xu Duoyan! If you’ve got the guts, speak!”
Xu Duoyan raised an eyebrow at Zheng Kui’s antics and found it somewhat amusing.
He didn’t reply at first but suddenly softened his cold expression and cautiously walked forward.
While Zheng Kui dodged and weaved nervously, Xu Duoyan made hand gestures to Cao Wen: ‘Ah Wen, what’s he saying? I can’t understand a word.’
Seeing Xu Duoyan’s familiar silent and even somewhat gentle demeanor again, Zheng Kui nearly jumped for joy.
If just a moment ago he’d only said a few words, he might have thought it was a hallucination. But who gets mocked by others for being silent and weak?
“You’re still pretending, huh? Still pretending!”
Xu Duoyan timidly tugged at Cao Wen’s clothes.
“Did I do something wrong again? Cousin is so mad.”
“I’ll tear you apart…”
Though Zheng Kui didn’t know sign language, he could read the expressions well enough.
Seeing Xu Duoyan still being so close to Cao Wen made him so angry his face flared red.
He tried to rush forward to tear off Xu Duoyan’s disguise, but Cao Wen grabbed him by the collar.
“Who do you want to tear apart?”
“Cao Wen, I’m telling you, if you don’t believe me, this lunatic will fool you until you’re left with nothing but your underwear! The saying goes, lust is a knife over the head!”
Originally, Cao Wen had planned to cooperate with Xu Duoyan to keep up the act, but seeing Zheng Kui’s serious scolding, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“So you know the saying about lust being a knife over the head, huh? I live with him—man or woman, do you think I don’t know?”
That lighthearted remark struck like thunder.
Zheng Kui suddenly released his grip on Cao Wen’s sleeve, his eyes wide like dead fish for three days.
He stared at Cao Wen in disbelief.
His gaze was just like when Cao Wen once threw punches at him for Xu Duoyan—no, even more intense.
“You always acted so meek before me, but I never expected you to harbor such filthy thoughts!”
Zheng Kui took several steps back.
“Looks like you two really are made for each other!”
“Thanks for the blessing, cousin.”
Cao Wen raised an eyebrow.
“If not for you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. But you should thank Xu Duoyan—otherwise, I might have put my dirty thoughts somewhere else.”
Zheng Kui pointed at Cao Wen, feeling a chill all over, his courage deflating instantly.
He bit his lip hard, holding back the curse that was about to escape.
“Don’t come near me! Stay away!”
With that, Zheng Kui got up from the ground and ran off, glancing back to see if Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan were chasing.
Seeing they didn’t move, he shouted loudly, “Beasts! You’re all beasts!”
After he ran off, Xu Duoyan chuckled softly.
He nudged Cao Wen with his elbow.
“Who told you to break character so quickly? If you’d scared him a couple more times, he’d think we were easy to deal with.”
“I just didn’t want to bother with him. If you still can’t stand him, tonight I’ll bring a sack and beat him up.”
“You really have a devious mind.”
By the time the two returned to their stall, they were soaked with sweat and went to the tea house to order two bowls of Cool Tea to cool off.
Being out in business for the first time without much experience, they knew they’d need to bring some herbal drinks to beat the heat tomorrow.
They barely made it until the sun began to set.
Though the ground still radiated warmth, the sun no longer beat down.
At this time, the Market slowly grew crowded.
As the sky filled with red clouds, the shops and taverns along the street visibly got busier.
Evening noodle and bun sales weren’t as many as in the morning, but the pancakes, porridge, and Pickled Vegetables sold steadily.
Cao Wen stirred ingredients at the stall while Xu Duoyan and Lu Lingbi shouted out to attract customers.
Business picked up quickly.
“Pack one to go.”
“How much for one serving?”
“Could you throw in some extra Pickled Vegetables…?”
Tonight, their small stall became the busiest on the street.
But before long, Xu Duoyan said, “We’ve only got two servings of rice left.”
“Business is still good, there are six or seven people waiting.”
Cao Wen peeked at the queue behind them and told Xu Duoyan, “Go buy a Barrel of Rice from a nearby eatery or tavern.”
Xu Duoyan washed his hands.
“Alright.”
“Ah Yan, choose good rice. Don’t pick rice with too many husks, and don’t get it steamed too soft or too hard.”
Xu Duoyan nodded.
“Don’t worry, I know what to look for.”
About fifteen minutes later, Xu Duoyan returned carrying a Barrel of Rice.
Cao Wen glanced at the rice and found it just right for Fried Rice—white, neither too soft nor too hard.
He didn’t ask about the price but quickly scooped some rice into the wok to fry.
The three worked until the newly bought Barrel of Rice was sold out, then they finally had to close shop.
Packing up the leftover ingredients, they found not only was the rice gone but the Lapmeat had been used up too.
They had also bought four or five eggs at the last minute.
Everything prepared for the day was almost all used up.
On the way home: “This weather makes Pickled Vegetables very popular. I’ll make some tomorrow. If we’re pressed for time, we can also do some cold Moss Cucumbers and prepare Sour Radish and Sour String Beans. Let them pickle for three to five days for that nice tangy flavor. If they sell, great; if not, we can always use them in Fried Rice.”
Lu Lingbi, after observing today’s business, didn’t feel tired despite the busy day.
Instead, she was already planning what to improve for future stalls.
“We still have some dried Wood Ear Fungus from before. We can use it in the Pickled Vegetables when the Sour Radish is ready.”
“Good, we’ll wait until then.”
Lu Lingbi and Cao Wen discussed what small dishes to add next, while Xu Duoyan remained silent.
“Ah Yan, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just calculating how much we earned today.”
Upon hearing that, Cao Wen and Lu Lingbi stopped talking and exchanged glances.
They had sold thirty servings of Fried Rice and earned about six hundred wen.
“After subtracting costs, we made around two hundred forty wen. Buying rice from eateries cost quite a bit. Now that we’ve tried running a stall once, we have a better sense of how much ingredients we need. Tomorrow, if we prepare more rice ourselves, costs should be lower.”
Hearing they’d made over two hundred wen put Cao Wen at ease.
Though it wasn’t as much as selling wild goods—where a single haul might earn a few hundred wen—it was more stable and didn’t rely on luck.
Moreover, that income came over several days, while this was what they made in just one day.
Lu Lingbi was even more pleased.
“This is just the first day, and the earnings are this good. Once more people know about the stall, business will definitely get better.”
“So, we’ll go again tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan answered in unison.
Lu Lingbi smiled, then added, “But we’re out of meat and eggs now. We’ll have to prepare more early in the morning. How will we manage that?”
Cao Wen said, “There’s little business in the morning and at noon. Instead of being at the Market all day, we might as well just do the evening shift. By then, the sun will have set, and we won’t have to compete for a stall.”
“That’s a good idea. That way we’ll have enough time to prepare ingredients.”
The three discussed plans for tomorrow’s business.
By the time they got home, the moon hung high over the willow branches.
After closing the stall, Cao Wen bought a pot of porridge from another vendor.
They ate dinner together and then went back.
At home, there was no need to cook; they just boiled some hot water for a bath.
“Aunt, the water’s hot. You can go wash first.”
Cao Wen tossed two pieces of firewood into the stove and let it burn.
In less than the time it takes for half a log to burn, the water was hot.
Lu Lingbi agreed and went to the backyard under the eaves to check on the chickens.
It was dark, and the two chickens had already gone into the Chicken Coop to rest, which eased the worries she’d had while at the Market.
Usually, someone was around to call the chickens in, but with everyone gone from the household, she was afraid the chickens would be left outside making noise and get caught.
Seeing Lu Lingbi carry water toward the washroom, Cao Wen was already sweating as if he were about to steam.
He turned and left the stove, impatiently peeling off his half-wet shirt.
He had been frying rice all day—not exactly hard labor—but guarding the stove was unbearably hot.
His clothes kept getting soaked and drying repeatedly, making the fabric stick uncomfortably to his skin.
Since Lu Lingbi was around, he felt awkward undressing, but he couldn’t bear it any longer.
Standing in the yard under the bright moonlight, he felt an urge to go wash in the river.
“What are you standing there for? Aren’t you afraid of mosquitoes?”
A voice suddenly came from behind.
Cao Wen shivered and instinctively hugged himself.
Xu Duoyan saw him jump and snapped, “Do you think I’m going to eat you or what?”
Cao Wen scratched his head.
“No, I thought it was mother.”
Xu Duoyan shook his head and walked over.
“Here, put some Mint Oil in the water. It’ll make the bath cooler and keep the mosquitoes away.”
Cao Wen reached out but didn’t take the oil. Instead, he grabbed Xu Duoyan’s wrist and pulled him outside, running off together