Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 37.2

Yuyu: “No matter. They aren’t meant for common folk anyway. There will be guests willing to spend the silver.”

Mu Jinyu’s stall was, after all, a roadside stall. No matter how delicious the food was, many “big figures” wouldn’t lower themselves to eat at a stall. But as long as the noodles reached Yu Mansion, even if they were no different from the stall’s noodles, those big figures would feel they were different.

Thus, Mu Jinyu agreed with Yuyu to prepare an extra ten catties of noodles every day, which Yuyu would send someone to collect. Yuyu would also provide the payment in advance every day.

Once they finished their discussion and were ready to start breakfast, the other three at the table—who had been holding back—finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to move.

Mu Jinyu smiled and ruffled Rong Heng’s hair, whispering that she didn’t have to wait and could have started eating earlier. Rong Heng didn’t reply, only giving a huff and tilting her head toward the dishes on the table. She meant for Mu Jinyu to serve her.

Mu Jinyu happily placed a piece of every dish on the table into Rong Heng’s bowl. Rong Heng ate without ceremony. Her eating speed was fast, but she didn’t gorge herself; every movement was disciplined. Her veil was half-lifted, and only her pointed chin could be seen moving.

However, because Yuyu was there, everyone remained very quiet during breakfast; the table was extremely silent. Only Yuyu would occasionally ask Mu Jinyu how a dish was, if she could taste the ingredients, or if there were any areas for improvement.

Mu Jinyu’s tongue was as sharp as hers; she could not only taste what was in every dish but also tell the heat used during cooking and how to improve it to take the dish to the next level. To an outsider, they seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.

While Mu Jinyu was speaking, Rong Heng finished all the food in her bowl. She shook Mu Jinyu’s hand, which was holding hers, signaling for more food. Unfortunately, Mu Jinyu was busy talking and didn’t respond immediately.

Rong Heng’s eyes lifted—not wide and round as usual, but slightly narrowed, like two sharp swords. She looked back and forth between Mu Jinyu and Yuyu, her nose wrinkling as she let out a small huff. She deliberately yanked her hand away, which finally caught Mu Jinyu’s attention.

“What’s wrong?” the other whispered.

The veil swayed like a water wave, and Rong Heng turned her head away, ignoring her. Mu Jinyu’s heart skipped a beat, knowing Rong Heng was angry again. She leaned toward Rong Heng and reached out to hold her hand again, squeezing it in her palm.

Noticing Rong Heng’s bowl was empty, she asked, “What would you like to eat? I’ll get it for you. Hibiscus cake? Or Longjing shrimp?”

Hearing Mu Jinyu finally care about her, Rong Heng turned back.

Sensing their close relationship, Yuyu asked, “Boss Mu, this person is your…?”

Mu Jinyu said without thinking, “She is a distant relative named Mu Heng.”

Coincidentally, Rong Heng also spoke at the same time: “I want to eat hibiscus cake, Jinyu Wife.”

Yuyu: ???

Mu Jinyu’s heart jolted. Seeing the look of shock on Yuyu’s pale face, she hurriedly explained, “She’s just talking nonsense, we really are distant relatives.”

Yuyu looked at the two of them, then leaned back slightly to look under the table at their hands, which had been held together from the start. She suppressed her shock and didn’t say another word.

The meal ended on a hospitable note. Mu Jinyu held Rong Heng’s hand, carrying the one-plus tael of silver given by Yuyu, and walked out of Yu Mansion. Shi Songmu, along with her childhood friend, carried bags of leftover food packed from the restaurant.

Mu Jinyu told Shi Songmu that she needed to go to a carpenter’s shop to have some signs made. Shi Songmu immediately said it was no problem and led her and Rong Heng toward her family’s shop.

In an alley not far from Yu Mansion, several beggars in ragged clothes were sitting on the ground. As the four passed by, Shi Songmu explained that Yu Mansion often distributed leftover food to these beggars, which is why they gathered here after mealtimes. Mu Jinyu looked at them, felt pity, and dropped one wen into each of their bowls.

Arriving at the carpenter’s shop, Mu Jinyu explained the size of the wooden signs and what words to engrave. She had hoped to get them tonight, but the carpenter told her that engraving was a bit troublesome, so it would take two or three days. Mu Jinyu didn’t force the issue and agreed to wait.

Leaving the carpenter’s shop, she took Rong Heng to the meat market, picked up the fish from the fishmonger, and began to head back. They had woken up early today; even after breakfast, it was only around 10:00 AM. Mu Jinyu figured they would have to start working once they got back, and they would surely be hungry by noon. She decided to buy the ingredients for lunch now to save time later.

“Is there anything you want to eat for lunch?” she asked, turning to Rong Heng.

Rong Heng’s eyes were drawn to the wide variety of meat in the market—chicken, duck, fish, mutton, pork, beef, rabbit. Even though she had just eaten, the sight made her feel unsatisfied. She pointed at a small wild rabbit in a bamboo cage: “I want to eat.”

Mu Jinyu followed her finger and saw two wild rabbits that were very small, barely larger than her palm. “They’re too small, no meat. Let’s go buy a bigger rabbit.”

There was already processed rabbit meat at the stalls. Mu Jinyu thought buying meat was better than buying a live rabbit; if she took a live one back, she’d have to kill it herself, which was a hassle.

But Rong Heng looked at her with those watery eyes and shook their joined hands, seemingly acting spoiled. Mu Jinyu couldn’t resist that; in a daze, she bought the two little rabbits and handed the bamboo cage to Rong Heng. Rong Heng leaned toward her happily, almost pressing herself into Mu Jinyu’s arms.

The two little rabbits couldn’t be eaten yet, so Mu Jinyu bought an extra chicken and a handful of Angelica and Astragalus, planning to make chicken soup for Rong Heng. Leaving the market, she noticed an old woman with a basket of fresh fennel, still covered in dew. The unique scent of fennel attracted Mu Jinyu, so she bought the whole bunch to stir-fry with eggs. The seeds of this fennel, once dried, were the cumin she had used for the braised mutton last time.

Back at home, the two sat down to catch their breath and had a cup of tea. They put the two little rabbits in a corner of the yard and fed them a couple of vegetable leaves. The colorful calico cat guarding the house was curious about the new animals, sitting in front of the cage and occasionally batting at the rabbits with its paws, as if thinking they were like itself.

After resting enough, they began the work of making the fish noodles and fish cakes. The noodles promised to the owner of Yu Mansion weren’t due until tomorrow, so there was no rush today.

They worked until noon before stopping. Mu Jinyu went to the stove to cook, and Rong Heng sat on a small stool to watch her.

The chicken soup was easy to make. She took the whole chicken, didn’t even cut it, blanched it in hot water, and then put it in the pot with the Angelica, Astragalus, and red dates to simmer with the lid on.

Before simmering the soup, Mu Jinyu had boiled a pot of water and poured it into a basin nearby. Now, she placed all the fennel in the hot water for about ten seconds before fishing it out and rinsing it with cold water. This not only cleaned the fennel but also kept it tender. After rinsing, she squeezed out the excess water.

Mu Jinyu placed the fennel on the cutting board and chopped it quickly with a knife, soon turning it into small pieces. The chopped fennel filled a large bowl. Then, she took a new bowl, cracked two eggs into it, added two drops of vinegar and two or three spoonfuls of starch water.

A small amount of vinegar would give the eggs a fresh scent and slight acidity without being overpowering. The starch water would make the egg mixture thicker and smoother. After whisking the eggs with chopsticks, she poured them into the fennel, adding a bit of salt and pepper. She stirred everything until the fennel was coated in the golden egg mixture.

Now, she just had to wait for the chicken soup to finish before stir-frying the fennel eggs.

Mu Jinyu took a break and moved the rabbit cage next to Rong Heng, sitting down with her to watch them. These little rabbits needed to be raised for a while before they could be eaten, so they couldn’t be kept in a cage forever. However, their yard didn’t have a fence, so they couldn’t let them run free. Once let out, they would just hop all over the place.

She asked Rong Heng, “Do you want to let them out?”

Rong Heng nodded; she really wanted to pet them. Mu Jinyu opened the cage, held one grayish rabbit by its ears with one hand while supporting its bottom with the other, and pulled it out. She didn’t dare use too much force for fear of hurting it, nor too little for fear it would bite.

She held the rabbit like that for Rong Heng to pet. The rabbit was small, still covered in soft baby fur, and felt very comfortable to touch. After letting Rong Heng pet it for a while, Mu Jinyu noticed the rabbit wasn’t struggling, so she placed it on Rong Heng’s lap, telling her to be careful. Then, she picked up the other rabbit and put it on her own lap, petting it as well.

The two of them sat by the stove, holding the rabbits in the same way and petting them at the same rhythm, waiting for the chicken soup to cook.

About an hour later, the steam in the pot was pushing against the lid, making it rattle. It was ready.

Mu Jinyu put the rabbit on the ground, stood up, and ladled all the chicken soup out into a bowl. After washing the pot, she added oil. As the oil heated, she tilted the pot to coat most of the bottom. When the oil was hot and started to smoke, she poured the fennel egg mixture into the pot.

The moment the mixture touched the hot oil, it sizzled and began to puff up, becoming soft and fluffy. Because the pot was well-oiled, the eggs didn’t stick or burn. Mu Jinyu continued to move the pot so every part of the “egg pancake” was cooked. Once it set, she gave the pot a toss!

The entire pancake flipped in mid-air, and the uncooked side landed perfectly in the pot. Another sizzle! The pancake cooked quickly, soon becoming a large disk.

“Alright, alright, time to eat,” Mu Jinyu said, cutting the pancake in half and stacking the pieces on a plate. She handed it to Rong Heng.

The two of them sat at the stone table, one with a bowl of chicken soup and the other with the plate of pancakes, and began to eat. The chicken soup was extremely fresh, and with the slight bitterness of the herbs, it felt like a very nourishing tonic. The fresh scent of the fennel helped neutralize the bitter taste of the soup, and the whole meal left them feeling warm and satisfied.

After lunch and a short rest, it was time for a nap. As they lay on the bed, the boundary between them was no longer as distinct as before. Rong Heng curled into Mu Jinyu’s embrace, and Mu Jinyu’s arm naturally wrapped around Rong Heng’s waist. They fell asleep huddled together.

Rong Heng didn’t sleep long. About fifteen minutes later, she suddenly opened her eyes and immediately felt the hand wrapped around her waist. That hand was scalding hot, feeling like a brand on her skin.

Rong Heng shuddered and, without a second thought, reached out her hand to throttle Mu Jinyu’s neck!