Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 31.2

Rong Heng blinked again. Her long, straight eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. She tugged at the branch held in Mu Jinyu’s hand. Her long hair was blown up by the wind, brushing against Mu Jinyu.

Mu Jinyu didn’t let go; instead, she gripped it tighter. The two seemed to draw closer, one looking up and one looking down.

Mu Jinyu didn’t know what she wanted to do; she just wanted to get closer to Rong Heng. Perhaps… just a hug would be nice. Her fingers on the branch twitched slightly, out of bashfulness.

Everything was quiet. Both were waiting for something.

But before she could do anything, the little tricolor cat crouching nearby, eyes wide and whiskers forward, couldn’t take it anymore!

A flash of tricolor fur, and it pounced like the wind, jumping off Rong Heng’s knees and using her shoulder for leverage. It lunged at the branch held by Mu Jinyu!

The cat’s throat rumbled. Its mouth opened, and its sharp teeth bit down on the swaying leaves!

In the next instant, it landed gracefully and steadily on the ground, the leaves already pierced by its four fangs. The little cat sat with its paws together, head held high, and its tail swishing back and forth.

It was incredibly proud!

However, its pride didn’t last long. When it tried to spit out the leaves, it found they were stuck on its upper fangs. No matter how it pawed at them, they wouldn’t come off. It couldn’t handle this.

It could only make “woo woo” sounds from its throat. Like it had met a powerful enemy, its body rolled around on the ground, twisting and jumping like a lion dancer, but the leaves remained.

Mu Jinyu, who had been staring at Rong Heng, was snapped back to reality by the cat. She hurriedly walked over to the cat and rescued its teeth from the leaves. The cat immediately ran off to play.

After helping the cat, Mu Jinyu stood dazed for a moment, not quite knowing what to do. She scratched her forehead and returned behind Rong Heng to resume tying her hair.

Rong Heng also lowered her head again, watching the cat and saying how amazing it was.

The two returned to normalcy, neither feeling there was anything strange about what just happened—other than the fact that the gaze had lasted quite a bit longer than usual.

Mu Jinyu finally managed to tie a perfect bun. She immediately stopped and didn’t dare undo it. She smoothed the hair hanging down Rong Heng’s back and helped her put on her veil. Success.

“Let’s go, we’re heading out.”

It was still early. They had time to walk around and come back to work.

This time, Mu Jinyu took Rong Heng to a street that wasn’t crowded but was lined with shops. The things sold in these shops were exquisite and a bit pricey, so fewer people came, but those who did weren’t short on money. Mu Jinyu figured that since she had earned some silver, she could afford whatever Rong Heng wanted. They could just wander.

Seeing the wide and beautiful shops on both sides, Rong Heng wanted to visit every single one. She wanted Mu Jinyu to tell her what each one sold. Clothing shops, jewelry shops, pastry shops… they had everything.

As they walked, even before Rong Heng found anything she wanted to buy, Mu Jinyu felt that they should buy a little of everything. Rong Heng was still wearing her mother’s clothes, which didn’t fit properly. And her black hair was just hanging there with no decoration; it looked too plain.

As for pastries, those didn’t need to be bought; she could make them for Rong Heng when they got back.

After wandering around, Mu Jinyu saw a hairpin tucked in a corner of a jewelry shop and couldn’t move her feet.

The body of the hairpin was made of wood, polished smooth and oiled to a rosewood color. At the top of the pin, a yellow and red rain-flower stone was carved into a blooming chrysanthemum. Every petal was carved differently—some curled, some unfurled—it looked lifelike.

Didn’t this suit Rong Heng perfectly?

Mu Jinyu picked up the hairpin and turned it over in her hands, unable to put it down. The shop assistant, seeing her interest, immediately came over to explain. Because the materials weren’t the most expensive, even though the carving was excellent, the regular customers rarely looked at it. It had been in the shop for a long time.

Rong Heng leaned in and looked at the hairpin a few times. “You like it?”

Mu Jinyu smiled and said, “I’m buying it for you. Want to try it?”

Rong Heng had something she wanted to buy on this outing: she wanted meat. Specifically, the red meat Mu Jinyu often brought home. But after wandering for so long, she hadn’t seen it in any of the shops. Her mood was currently low.

Hearing Mu Jinyu ask her to try it, she just said, “You try it.”

Mu Jinyu was confused for a second, then realized what she meant. She reached out and tucked the hairpin into Rong Heng’s hair, using the bun to secure it. Once it was in, Rong Heng’s dark hair was accented by a bright yellow-red; it really wasn’t so dull anymore. She looked much more lively.

Feeling it was perfect, Mu Jinyu bought it immediately. She didn’t have the assistant wrap it but left it tucked in Rong Heng’s hair.

As they left the shop, Rong Heng tugged on Mu Jinyu’s hand again. “Go buy meat.”

“You want to eat meat?”

Rong Heng nodded.

Mu Jinyu thought for a moment and told her, “I can take you to look, but even if we buy meat today, I won’t have time to cook it. Better to buy it tomorrow, and I’ll make it for lunch.”

She usually only had time for complicated dishes at noon. In the evenings, time was tight as they had to set up the stall.

Hearing that they couldn’t buy meat, Rong Heng felt stifled and turned her head away, refusing to look at her. She accused, “Liar.”

Mu Jinyu said she’d take her out to buy things, but in the end, she only bought things for herself and not for Rong Heng. She lied.

Mu Jinyu let out a confused “Eh?” She couldn’t accept being called a liar. She immediately said, “How about we go buy a little bit of meat and I’ll make stir-fried pork strips tonight? As for the rest, we’ll do it tomorrow.”

Hearing that Mu Jinyu would buy her meat, Rong Heng’s expression immediately changed from cloudy to sunny. She turned her head back, chin held high, and let out a “Hmph.”

Mu Jinyu saw this and chuckled, thinking she was quite easy to appease. Then she started talking about whether they should buy clothes.

As they were talking, a figure walked past them from a distance, then doubled back and looked at Mu Jinyu. Sensing the gaze, Mu Jinyu moved her eyes from Rong Heng to the side.

Once their eyes met, the thoughtful look on the doctor’s face turned into one of sudden realization. She had wondered why this person looked so familiar; it was the person who was “keeping an outer mistress.”

The doctor gave a friendly greeting, her eyes falling on Rong Heng. She let out four distinct tones of “Ah?”

“Ah? Ah… Ah! AH!!!”

“So this is… this is…!”

Seeing the doctor, Mu Jinyu also suddenly remembered what she had told her. Those words shouldn’t be spoken on the street! She immediately waved her hands at the doctor, saying, “No, no!”

The doctor’s words were cut off. She looked at Mu Jinyu and then at Rong Heng with confusion, but in the end, she didn’t say the word out loud. However, her eyes kept flitting between the two with a “wanting to say something but stopping” look. Finally, she gestured for Mu Jinyu to come over.

She pulled Mu Jinyu aside, her back to Rong Heng, and patted her shoulder, whispering to her, “I see your complexion isn’t great. I expect these past few days haven’t been… easy.”

“You can come to the clinic to find me anytime. Don’t hide your illness from the doctor, and don’t doubt yourself.”

“There’s no hurdle you can’t get over. Two doses of medicine and you’ll be fine.”

“You and your… outer mistress… should also exercise restraint. Don’t ruin your health.”

The doctor finished with a look of pained concern.

Mu Jinyu: “…”

The things she had said were just a story she made up! There was nothing between her and Rong Heng!!!

Facing the doctor’s earnest advice, Mu Jinyu awkwardly raised her hand to stop her. She spoke rapidly, “Alright, say no more! I have things to do, I have to go!”

With that, she had never been so panicked in her life. She grabbed Rong Heng’s wrist and fled the scene as if her life depended on it! She didn’t even dare to think about what she and Rong Heng looked like in the doctor’s eyes!

The Rong Heng she was pulling along looked at her, then looked back at the doctor, unable to understand why Mu Jinyu had become so panicked in just a few words. She wanted to ask something, but Mu Jinyu had already whisked her away to the meat market. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the various meats hanging on the stalls, and she completely forgot what she was going to ask.

Arriving at the meat market, Rong Heng felt she was in the right place. It was like a fish in water. She looked at this stall and that, wanting to buy every piece of meat she saw. She was practically drooling!

After picking for a while, Rong Heng’s eyes sparkled as she pointed to the largest piece of meat in the entire market and said to Mu Jinyu, “Buy!”

That biggest piece was beautiful and bright. Delicious!

Mu Jinyu followed her gaze. It was an entire half-carcass of mutton! It looked to be at least twenty or thirty catties! This was nowhere near the “little bit of meat” they had agreed on!

The stall owner, hearing their conversation, looked up and asked, “Would this customer like to buy it?”

Mu Jinyu immediately pushed down Rong Heng’s pointing hand and said to the owner, “No, no, sorry for the trouble.”

She quickly pulled Rong Heng away and whispered, “Didn’t we agree to only buy a little bit?”

Hearing this, Rong Heng cleverly put on a confused expression, indicating she didn’t remember agreeing to anything. She just stated firmly, “Want to eat!”

She tilted her head up, trying to open her eyes wide, a look of hope in them as she blinked at Mu Jinyu. This was clearly acting spoiled! Mu Jinyu was certain of it.

She told herself she couldn’t be manipulated. But when she spoke, she said, “Fine, I’ll buy it for you tomorrow.” She didn’t feel anything was wrong with that…

Hearing Mu Jinyu agree, a bright smile, just like Mu Jinyu’s own, spread across Rong Heng’s face. She happily lifted Mu Jinyu’s hand and placed it on her own head, turning in circles under her palm.

This action drew shocked looks and laughter from the passersby. Hearing the noise, Mu Jinyu finally realized what she had promised! She rubbed Rong Heng’s head a few times in annoyance.

Since she had promised, she couldn’t back out. She could only lead Rong Heng to another stall to buy some meat for tonight. She’d buy the mutton tomorrow.

After finally finishing their shopping and returning home, Mu Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that if they stayed out any longer, she’d end up buying the entire meat market for Rong Heng.

Once home, they had some water and began the busy work of making “Knocked Fish Noodles” and “Fish Cakes.”

When it was time to set up the stall in the evening, Rong Heng walked cheerfully beside Mu Jinyu, carrying things. When someone greeted Mu Jinyu, she would also happily raise her hand as if they were greeting her too.

Once they got to the stall and became busy, she would follow Mu Jinyu’s lead and say a few words to the customers. If someone said thank you, she would respond with great joy. She would politely ask customers how much they wanted in fish cakes, completely unlike her cold demeanor from yesterday.

Seeing this, Mu Jinyu felt pleasantly surprised. She thought Rong Heng was simply becoming more accustomed to the work. They remained busy until all the food was sold out, only then having time to breathe. Some customers who arrived late and didn’t get to eat would grumble and tell Mu Jinyu to prepare more. But this much was already their limit; they couldn’t make any more. Mu Jinyu only gave vague responses and didn’t promise anything.

The two of them sat at a small table to rest. There were still customers at other tables eating noodles, so they had to wait a bit before going home. One customer, seeing Mu Jinyu sit down, used her chopsticks to lift the noodles and blow on them to cool them down. She chatted, “Boss Mu, is this person you specially hired? Or is she a relative come to help?”

She was asking about Rong Heng.

Mu Jinyu looked at Rong Heng. She certainly couldn’t reveal her true identity. But she couldn’t keep being vague either, or she’d eventually slip up with all the different questions. Better to have a set identity for her.

She nodded. “Yes, she’s a distant relative. She wanted to come out and see the world, so she came to me.”

The customer was just making small talk and didn’t really care about Rong Heng’s specific identity. Hearing Mu Jinyu’s answer, she nodded and said, “I see. It’s good to see the world and help you out at the same time.”

With that, she stuffed the lukewarm noodles into her mouth and slurped them up.

Little did she know, Rong Heng, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn’t figure out what she actually was to Mu Jinyu. She said curiously, “I am your outer mistress.”

The customer: “Pfft—!!!”

Noodles flew from her mouth! They swirled and whipped through the air several times before landing on the ground with a splat, just like the customer’s feelings upon hearing those words.

Total chaos!

Besides her, several other customers eating noodles also burst out coughing, pounding their chests as they choked, unable to catch their breath.

What did they just hear?

THEY!!! JUST HEARD!!! WHAT!?!

Was this something they were allowed to hear???