Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 22

After finishing the preparation of the Fish Noodles, Mu Jinyu did not rest for long before it was time to prepare for her stall at the night market street.

Before heading out, she specifically made dinner for Rong Heng—the kind without sweet potatoes. She also brewed a dose of medicine for her. She stayed by Rong Heng’s side, watching her finish her meal and drink the medicine before she finally departed.

Fearing that Rong Heng might overeat again while she was away, Mu Jinyu placed all the food in the house into her back basket and carried it away with her. She had actually given instructions, telling Rong Heng not to be anxious and that once she recovered, she would be allowed to eat her fill for all three meals a day.

However, she wasn’t sure if Rong Heng truly understood.

Arriving at the night market street, she set everything up. As was her routine, she let the little colorful civet cat stay inside an overturned back basket. Afraid the kitten might be uncomfortable, she had brought an extra outer garment today to fold into a nest, making it easier for the cat to sleep.

The little civet was remarkably well-behaved. Having spent the day jumping around with her, it was now exhausted and settled into the basket without a fuss. Mu Jinyu watched as the little creature kneaded its paws for a while before finally curling up and burying its head in sleep. Her mood couldn’t help but brighten at the sight. Once the little one’s injuries were healed, she could let it run and jump freely.

Time slipped by second by second. The night market street grew crowded, and Mu Jinyu gradually became busy. Today, she didn’t encounter any of the bad luck from the previous day; everything went smoothly, allowing her to sell over seven catties of Fish Noodles.

Ever since she started offering small bowls, many customers who had already eaten a full dinner were willing to give her noodles a try. The small bowls were actually selling better than the large ones.

The girl who frequently patronized her stall was said to be a famous food critic in Louxu County. She had even heavily recommended the Fish Noodles to others, drawing many people who came specifically because of her reputation.

Over the next three days, Mu Jinyu added one or two catties of noodles each day. By the time the amount reached ten catties, she was selling out perfectly every night without any leftovers. She was managing the workload well; though it was tiring, it wasn’t enough to break her. Her body, which had initially been limp and weak from the labor, gradually adapted and began to grow stronger.

Everything was getting on the right track. Mu Jinyu was in high spirits every day, full of drive, thinking only of earning more silver so she could finally afford a bite of meat herself.

On the third night, she occasionally overheard the customers sitting behind her stall mention words like “search,” “assassins,” and “many people arrested” in their conversations. Mu Jinyu’s hands did not pause as she scooped noodles, but worry began to rise in her heart.

It seemed those people had already arrived in Louxu County. She hoped everything would be alright.

Returning home at midnight after closing the stall, Mu Jinyu saw Rong Heng sitting by the courtyard gate, just like every other day. Over the past few days, she had come to realize that the reason she found Rong Heng by the gate every time was that Rong Heng was waiting for her return.

Even though the first thing the other woman did upon seeing her return wasn’t to greet her, but rather to distance herself, Mu Jinyu’s guard against Rong Heng gradually lowered. It seemed Rong Heng wasn’t as terrifying as she had imagined.

Entering the courtyard, she first brought out a bowl of Fish Noodles she had specifically saved for Rong Heng and handed it to her. Rong Heng had a large appetite and needed to eat four meals a day to keep from going hungry!

After watching Rong Heng finish a large bowl of noodles, Mu Jinyu led her into the house and said, “Things are unsettled these few days. At night when I am not home, if you hear anyone approaching, hide under the bed.”

She scraped away the loose soil spread under the bed and lifted the wooden boards, revealing a pit in the earth below. “Come, crawl in and see if you can fit.”

“Dirty,” Rong Heng turned her head to the side, refusing to cooperate.

Mu Jinyu threatened her, “If you don’t listen and get caught, you won’t get anything to eat every day. Your stomach will be very, very hungry. How scary would that be?”

“…”

Immediately, a scene flashed through Rong Heng’s mind: she was starving, unable to find anything to eat, and eventually clutching her stomach as she collapsed to the ground. Her expression turned to one of anger; she clenched her fists and glared at the empty air a few times before obediently squatting down and crawling into the pit under the bed.

Truth be told, once Rong Heng lay down, there was still room to spare. It looked exactly like a pit dug specifically for hiding a person.

Mu Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief, let Rong Heng out, and reburied the pit. “Once you are in that pit, do not speak or make a sound. When it is safe, I will naturally let you out. Those people are bad; you need to hide from them. If they catch you, you won’t be able to eat as much as you do now.”

The current Rong Heng understood what she was saying, even if she rarely spoke. Mu Jinyu was grateful if even one or two words popped out of her mouth in a day. She kept emphasizing how terrifying those people were, hoping that when the search actually came, Rong Heng would cooperate properly.

Groups of government officials hurried through Louxu County, conducting house-to-house searches and throwing the entire county into chaos. Medical clinics were the primary targets of these searches.

They didn’t just turn every tile and brick upside down; they also poked holes through bags of rice and flour, shook the eggs until the yolks broke, and split medicinal herbs in half. No matter how much the clinic owners pleaded, it was to no avail.

The staff of the clinics were rounded up and repeatedly questioned whether they had seen a Kunze woman with numerous blade wounds and signs of poisoning. When they couldn’t find any leads, they began asking if anyone had encountered anything “strange.”

The doctor who had prescribed medicine for Mu Jinyu had her face flash through her mind. She did think Mu Jinyu was a bit strange. But then again, for a Qianyuan who kept a “specially-inclined” mistress, being a bit strange was probably expected, right?

Besides, describing such matters in front of so many people was awkward for her to voice. What if these officials thought she was “soiling their ears” and cut off her head? After weighing her options, the doctor kept her head low and knelt on the ground in silence.

The officials harassed them for an entire day, and seeing that they could find nothing and hear nothing, they finally released them and continued their house-to-house search.

On the morning of the fourth day, before dawn, while both Mu Jinyu and Rong Heng were fast asleep, the usually quiet night market street suddenly became noisy.

Screams and shouts mingled together; the sounds of cats meowing and dogs barking rose along with the noise of things being smashed.

Mu Jinyu woke with a start. Without even putting on a coat, she ran into the courtyard and tilted her head to listen.

“Come out! Come out! Official business for the yamen!”

“Everyone stand straight! Are there others in the house? Anyone hiding? Have you seen any suspicious people?”

Just as one of the officials finished his loud interrogation, a series of crashing sounds followed as things were smashed. Hearing this, Mu Jinyu felt her heart tremble and her scalp go numb with fear.

She rushed back into the room and pulled Rong Heng up, whispering urgently, “Quick! Hide! Don’t make a sound, or you’ll be taken away!”

Before she could even let Rong Heng put on her clothes, she stuffed her into the pit under the bed, carefully covered the wooden boards, smoothed over the dust, and patted it down twice. She tried her best to make sure the officials wouldn’t see anything unusual there.

Almost the very second Mu Jinyu finished these tasks!

A violent knocking erupted at the door, the force of it making the entire courtyard tremble!