Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 29.2

Rong Heng didn’t even have time to serve herself rice; she just kept stuffing pieces of mutton into her mouth, enjoying it immensely.

Mu Jinyu wasn’t as rushed; she was carefully savoring the flavors within the mutton.

Even though all the spice flavors had melded together during the stewing process, she could still distinguish subtle differences from that tender meat.

She could tell exactly which spices she had added.

Among them, the flavor of fennel was extremely unique—mellow, clear, and without a trace of impurity.

Its presence added a hint of citrus sweetness and minty freshness to the oil-braised meat.

This was simply perfect for cutting through the greasiness when eating such a large bowl of meat.

It was the finishing touch!

Mu Jinyu was surprised that after putting her energy into cooking, she could actually perceive so many differences, as if a door to another world had opened.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that she just stirred it a few times and let it stew; in fact, every spice added to the braised mutton had its own purpose and function.

Furthermore, the amount of spices added, the timing of frying and stewing, and the techniques used were not arbitrary.

This greatly boosted Mu Jinyu’s enthusiasm, making her want to cook even more dishes to try their flavors one by one and analyze their components.

Unfortunately, she only had plenty of time to cook at noon. By the afternoon, she would have to start getting busy with her stall.

Temporarily suppressing her wild desire to cook, she began to eat seriously, experiencing the joy of food.

After finishing lunch, it was still early. The two of them digested for a bit and then got busy again.

It wasn’t until nearly four in the afternoon that they both let out a sigh of relief and lay on the bed, preparing for a nap.

They were busy every day, but it wasn’t easy to have time to rest every day.

The two of them slept on the same side. Mu Jinyu lay flat, looking at the high and distant roof.

Rong Heng lay on her side next to her, her eyes fixed on Mu Jinyu’s face.

She was tracing the outline of her profile.

Mu Jinyu’s eyes were round and large. Even lying on her side like this, Rong Heng could see the slightly flickering and shifting honey-colored pupils.

The bridge of her nose was high, but from the front, one couldn’t tell at all; it just felt small and exquisite.

Her lips were also very soft…

Rong Heng suddenly realized—she didn’t actually know if Mu Jinyu’s lips were soft.

She only thought so because Mu Jinyu’s lips looked rosy and full.

What if they weren’t soft?

Doubt arose in Rong Heng’s heart.

She wanted to try.

She had to try it herself to know.

Her body wriggled closer to Mu Jinyu, almost pressing against her.

Mu Jinyu, who had been looking at the roof with glazed eyes and was about to fall asleep, blinked and became wide awake again.

Although the two of them hadn’t slept at opposite ends for a long time, even when facing the same direction, they had never been this close.

At most, Rong Heng would hold her arm like a bolster.

But now, she felt like her whole person was being treated as a bolster…

The excessive proximity made her uncomfortable. She moved her body outward an inch, only for Rong Heng to move inward an inch.

She moved an inch; Rong Heng followed an inch.

Finally, when half her body was about to fall off the bed, Rong Heng was still pressed against her.

She didn’t dare look to the side; she could only stare at the roof, her body stiff.

She didn’t know what Rong Heng wanted to do, but she faintly felt a slight breeze beside her.

When she snapped back to her senses, Rong Heng had already raised her hand, her finger slowly reaching toward her and tapping her lip.

The rosy, full lips were pressed, as bouncy and soft as a glutinous rice ball.

Rong Heng’s eyes lit up; she had guessed right.

Her finger kept pressing, moving from the slightly upturned Cupid’s bow to the corner of the mouth, then from the corner to the lower lip.

This caused Mu Jinyu’s already rosy lips to become even more vivid, and she pressed them together shyly.

But Rong Heng hadn’t had enough. How could she let Mu Jinyu hide?

She propped herself up, her head leaning close to Mu Jinyu’s face.

Her long hair, smelling of soapberry, fell down, the strands landing by Mu Jinyu’s ear.

Like the soft, slightly curled petals of a Phoenix Flower, the strands weren’t well-behaved; they hooked around her earlobe and brushed against her auricle.

A slight itchiness came, and Mu Jinyu shrank back. Her eyes darted toward the door. Seeing the tightly closed room door, she felt a bit annoyed—why did she have to close the door when she came in?

Her whole body was frozen on the bed, not daring to move.

If she moved further out, she would fall off the bed.

But inside, Rong Heng was half-leaning over her, her face inches from Mu Jinyu’s—perhaps only a few inches away. She could even count Rong Heng’s eyelashes.

Too close.

It had exceeded the safety distance.

She stole a glance at Rong Heng and was “burned” by the pure curiosity in the other’s eyes.

She pressed her hand against Rong Heng, wanting to push her away.

But Rong Heng’s head was moving downward.

Breath brushed against her cheek. The ink-black eyes reflected the warm sun outside like pure glass beads, and a gentle pale color stained her cold-white face.

There was no particular expression or ripple in the other’s eyes, as if what she was doing was just something she was long accustomed to.

As if it were a perfectly normal matter.

Mu Jinyu’s eyes widened slightly, her pupils trembling. She didn’t know what to do.

Rong Heng indeed didn’t think much of it; she just wanted to feel the softness of those lips, so she did it.

Just as the somewhat cool, pale lips were about to touch Mu Jinyu’s.

Her eyes blinked, and she felt the scene before her spin.

She shook her head, feeling a bit dizzy.

The next second!

She fainted right on top of Mu Jinyu.

Her lips brushed past Mu Jinyu’s chin and rested against her neck, seemingly touching yet not.

Mu Jinyu, who had pushed Rong Heng’s body outward slightly with her hand, let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she hadn’t actually let the other person kiss her.

She lay on the bed somewhat drained, waiting for a while for Rong Heng to leave or glare at her.

But after waiting a long time with no response, she carefully looked at the Rong Heng lying on her and realized she had fallen fast asleep.

“So sleepy?” she whispered, picking Rong Heng up and placing her on the innermost side of the bed. She also managed to lie back properly from her position of almost falling off.

She turned over, her back to Rong Heng, her body still stiff.

Kissing the cheek was just a sign of a good relationship, but she really couldn’t allow Rong Heng to kiss her on the lips.

That would be too strange.

Should she go sleep in the other room?

Forget it; Rong Heng would be unhappy.

Thinking this, Mu Jinyu moved another inch outward, wrapped herself in the quilt, and hid most of her face.

Gradually, she fell asleep.

The noon sunlight was just right, making one’s cheeks feel slightly warm.

A breeze carrying the scent of earth and grass blew in through the window, scattering the heat from the sun.

Everything was perfectly comfortable.

Rong Heng, lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes. What met her sight was the familiar earth-colored roof again.

She knew she was still in the home of the person beside her.

She looked to the side, her pitch-black eyes showing no ripples.

She clearly remembered the events of the past few days.

She still wanted to kill Mu Jinyu.

But… her cool fingers rested on Mu Jinyu’s neck, yet she couldn’t bring herself to squeeze.

She thought of her first guard.

She hadn’t lived a good life at home when she was young and had no food. Her father told her that if she wanted food, she had to rely on her own ability.

She was too young then and had no ability.

So her guard would often go to the back kitchen and secretly make things for her to eat.

Later, this was discovered by her father. The guard became a skeleton, and she sat by the guard’s bones, constantly apologizing.

It was useless, perhaps just a despicable attempt to keep her own heart from suffering.

But her father told her that she shouldn’t apologize to the guard; she should apologize to him.

He said if it weren’t for her lack of ability, the guard wouldn’t have had to steal. If the guard hadn’t stolen, he wouldn’t have had to get blood on his hands and be the villain.

Everything was caused because of her.

She should apologize most to him, who was forced to be covered in blood.

“S-sorry.”

The tiny child held the guard’s body and looked at her father with his blood-stained hands.

“Heh…”

Rong Heng withdrew her hand from Mu Jinyu’s neck and covered her own face. A curve formed at the corner of her lips, but there was no mirth in it.

Her already pale complexion became as white as paper.

She had always felt that her father had no choice but to kill that guard for her sake.

The guard was also killed because of her.

But Mu Jinyu said:

“Why should the victim apologize to the person who hurt them?”

“You meant well for me, but if you hurt me in the process, then it isn’t truly ‘good for me’.”

Yes, she should have known long ago. She should have understood.

From beginning to end, it was clearly her father who pushed her into that situation.

She never wanted to harm that guard, nor did she want her father to be covered in blood.

Everything was merely forced upon her by her father.

Father wasn’t doing it for her own good; he just wanted to use her to achieve some purpose.

Yes, to achieve a purpose.

Rong Heng suddenly understood who was responsible for everything she was suffering now.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and a single tear escaped from her eye.

She didn’t touch Mu Jinyu; she just sat on the bed, quietly watching, watching.

Mu Jinyu slept extremely well. Her whole body felt warm, as if lying in cotton.

She woke up leisurely and accidentally made eye contact with Rong Heng, who had been staring at her.

Rong Heng’s state seemed not quite right. Her face was grim, her eyes were red, and her black hair was like heavy black mud covering her.

It was suffocating.

Mu Jinyu was stunned for a moment, not knowing how Rong Heng had become like this in just the time it took to nap.

No time for drowsiness; she quickly sat up from the bed, cupped Rong Heng’s cheeks, and wiped under her eyes with her finger.

“Did you cry?”

Rong Heng wasn’t crying, and the tear that had fallen had long since dried. Mu Jinyu’s wiping only added a red mark under her eye.

The dark eyes stared calmly at the person who dared to put hands on her face, thinking this person was still too bold.

Snapping an arm wouldn’t be too much?

“Is it because I didn’t let you kiss me?”

Mu Jinyu couldn’t think of any reason for Rong Heng to cry except this one.

Rong Heng: …

“Heh.” She sneered, thinking this person was truly conceited.

Mu Jinyu didn’t understand Rong Heng’s reaction. Could she be so angry that she’d lost her mind?

Could she really be that angry just because she wouldn’t let her kiss?

What should she do?

Mu Jinyu looked down, her hands twisting together, struggling with whether she should really let Rong Heng kiss her.

But, but—

She “butted” for a long time without coming to a conclusion.

When Rong Heng wanted to kiss her, her eyes were pure; she probably just thought it was interesting and was curious.

She didn’t have other emotions.

So if Rong Heng was truly that sad, should she also let Rong Heng kiss her without having other thoughts?

After going back and forth, Mu Jinyu gritted her teeth and whispered, “Then you, you… k-k-kiss me.”

She was even stuttering.

Rong Heng: …

Rong Heng thought the person in front of her was sick. What was she babbling about?

She didn’t want to kiss her at all.

She swept a glance at the person and didn’t bother to say more.

She picked up the little colorful raccoon cat by the scruff of its neck, tucked it into her arms, and got off the bed.

The little raccoon cat, which had been sleeping soundly, woke up and kept sniffing the scent on her.

Coming into the courtyard, Rong Heng sat by the stone table on her own, picked up the teapot, and poured herself a cup of water.

Her dry lips sipped slowly, moisturizing her throat.

It was already late—time for the evening meal. She was waiting for Mu Jinyu to cook.

After dinner, she would go with Mu Jinyu to set up the stall.

Night Market Street was busy and incredibly noisy; no one would notice her, and no one would think she would appear there.

And crowded places were perfect for gathering information.

Rong Heng drank her tea leisurely, while Mu Jinyu rubbed her forehead in confusion as she walked out of the room.

She tidied her sleep-messed clothes, truly not understanding what was wrong with Rong Heng.

She even asked, “Are you truly… alright?”

She received no answer from Rong Heng.

Baffled, she went to the stove and started making food.

There was some braised mutton left over from lunch. Mu Jinyu only planned to boil some vegetables into it and make do.

Once the evening meal was ready and served, she and Rong Heng ate quietly.

Only, she didn’t find the food as delicious as before.

She felt the Rong Heng in front of her was very strange.

In the past, the other girl’s eyes would have lit up long ago, and she would have eaten rapidly while saying how delicious it was.

The emotional value she provided was high; she very, very much liked the food Mu Jinyu made.

But now, the other person held her chopsticks, picking up the meat with slow, reserved movements, chewing each bite dozens of times before swallowing.

There wasn’t a trace of her usual love for the food.

Could it be that the braised mutton wasn’t good anymore for the second meal?

Mu Jinyu picked up a piece of mutton and tasted it carefully.

Although it was indeed a bit bland because many vegetables had been boiled in, and it wasn’t as good as at noon—

It hadn’t reached the point of being bad, right?

And she had already added seasonings. Did Rong Heng really dislike it that much?

Mu Jinyu also felt a bit bad.

For a cook, it’s a huge blow when the person eating doesn’t like their food.

“I’ll make you more delicious food tomorrow. If you really don’t like this dish, don’t force yourself.”

“In a bit, eat some ‘Knock-fish’ noodles and fish cakes to fill your stomach.”

Mu Jinyu, who had been cheerful all day, spoke dejectedly to Rong Heng.

In her heart, she was still hoping Rong Heng would be excited to hear she was making good food tomorrow.

Normally, Rong Heng would be excited.

But Rong Heng’s chopsticks paused slightly. She glanced lightly at the person in front of her.

Only one word came out.

“Acceptable.”

Mu Jinyu (MentalBreakdown.jpg): What do you mean by “Acceptable”! What does “Acceptable” mean! Does it mean this braised mutton is acceptable! Or the Knock-fish noodles and fish cakes later are acceptable! Say it! Say it clearly! You have the nerve to speak, but not the nerve to speak clearly?!

Rong Heng sips tea: Fool.