Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 9

Seeing Mu Jinyu’s disappointment written all over her face, the fishmonger immediately said, “Oh, don’t worry, don’t worry! I’ll go ask the other stalls to see if they have any left.”

Although Mu Jinyu hadn’t exactly grown up before her eyes, the girl’s mothers had done business with her for several years. Now that such a tragedy had struck the family, she couldn’t bear to let the girl fret over such trivial matters.

After speaking, the fishmonger signaled for Mu Jinyu to wait there while she stepped out from her shop and began inquiring at the other fish stalls.

Seeing this, Mu Jinyu stood in place, waiting with bated breath.

The fishmonger left quickly and returned just as fast, carrying three fish in her hand, each weighing about a catty.

Mu Jinyu’s amber eyes immediately lit up, and she hurried forward to meet her.

“These three are the only ones left in the entire meat market. I got them to lower the price by one wen for you; twenty-four wen per fish will be enough,” the fishmonger asked. “Do you need me to slaughter and clean them for you?”

At this hour, their fish were already difficult to sell. If they waited any longer, they would have to sell them at a discount anyway, so the other owners wouldn’t lose money selling at this price.

“Yes, please clean them,” Mu Jinyu nodded, fishing seventy-two wen out of the pouch at her waist and handing it over. “Thank you, Sister, for looking out for me. I’m taking these home to make a snack; once it’s done, I’ll bring a portion for you.”

“Oh, we’re so familiar with each other, helping out is only right.” The fishmonger took the money and went to the chopping block with the fish. While she nimbly processed the fish for Mu Jinyu, she chatted with her. “Are you going to make fried small fish? That makes sense; your mothers’ fried small fish was exceptionally delicious. With that skill, you won’t have to worry about food or clothing.”

“Except, your mothers didn’t use this kind of fish.”

Worried that Mu Jinyu might have bought the wrong type, the fishmonger specifically reminded her, “The kind your mothers used is even better than this. You have to order the quantity a day in advance so the fishermen can go out and catch them the next day.”

That specific kind of fish was rare and extremely difficult to catch; furthermore, they wouldn’t survive long after being brought ashore, losing their freshness quickly.

Therefore, anyone who wanted to buy them had to make an appointment with a familiar fisherman in advance. Once the fishermen caught roughly the agreed amount, they wouldn’t cast their nets again for the day.

“Thank you for the reminder, Sister,” Mu Jinyu said, intentionally keeping a bit of a mystery. “What I’m making isn’t fried small fish, but another kind of food. When I bring it to you tonight, Sister, you’ll know once you taste it.”

“Good, good, good! You really are capable!”

Fifteen minutes later, Mu Jinyu walked toward home carrying the processed fish.

The three fish originally totaled three catties, but after cleaning, only about one and a half catties of fish meat remained.

It was much less than the amount Mu Jinyu had anticipated, but having some was better than none.

Today, she could use these three fish to test the waters at the night market. If she encountered any problems, she could adjust in time without losing too much.

If the “Knocked Fish Noodles” (Qiao Yu Mian) truly sold well, she planned to pre-order more fish from the fishmonger.

That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to buy fish.

Returning home, she had finally finished handling everything and could sit down to rest for a while.

The moment she stepped through the door, Rong Heng, who had been sitting by the entrance waiting for her, stood up. Her gaze fell upon Mu Jinyu, though her eyes held no obvious emotion.

In fact, because of Mu Jinyu’s return, she took several steps back to pull away, widening the distance between them.

This prevented Mu Jinyu from realizing that Rong Heng had been waiting at the door for her all along.

She placed the fish meat on the stove. This season was past the peak of summer, and the temperature was slowly dropping; the fish for the noodles wouldn’t spoil even if left out for the afternoon.

“Come here. You definitely haven’t changed your medicine today, have you?” Mu Jinyu said to Rong Heng.

Despite running around and being busy all day, she had noticed that Rong Heng hadn’t changed her bandages at all.

Now that she had a free moment, she was determined to supervise the dressing change.

Rong Heng, who was already keeping her distance, heard these words and immediately recalled the heart-piercing pain from the previous day when the other woman had grabbed her and smeared things on her body.

Though she knew the other person might be doing it for her own good, it hurt so much.

She didn’t want it to hurt that much.

As Mu Jinyu said “come here quickly,” Rong Heng’s figure retreated further and further until she was pressed against the wall.

A question mark popped up in Mu Jinyu’s head. She said, “Don’t you already know I won’t hurt you? Why are you still running?”

“The wounds on your body are too serious. If you don’t apply medicine, you might lose your life.”

Even though Rong Heng could currently run, jump, eat, and drink, her wounds were already showing subtle signs of worsening. If not controlled early, there might come a day when Rong Heng would fall into a coma due to infection.

And eventually lose her life.

Mu Jinyu did not want to see a vibrant life slip away due to her own indulgence.

Thus, after locking eyes with Rong Heng, the scene of cat-and-mouse from yesterday began once again.

She suddenly lunged toward Rong Heng, trying to catch her.

But Rong Heng was even more agile.

With a bend of her waist and a duck of her head, she slipped under Mu Jinyu’s arm and began running circles around the courtyard.

Mu Jinyu did not give up. She rolled up her sleeves, her eyes locked onto Rong Heng’s back, determined to catch her!

The two ran lap after lap around the small courtyard.

Several times, Mu Jinyu almost caught the corner of Rong Heng’s clothes, yet the girl managed to escape every time.

That speed was so fast she didn’t even seem like an injured person.

Finally, as Rong Heng ran toward the stove, a flash of inspiration hit Mu Jinyu. She braced her hands on the stove and, like a vaulting horse, flipped directly in front of Rong Heng.

She blocked Rong Heng’s path.

How could Rong Heng have imagined someone would take a shortcut?! She thought they would just keep running in circles!

After catching the girl, Mu Jinyu’s bright eyes held a hint of shock. She looked at one side of the stove and then the other. She hadn’t expected herself to be so lively that she could leap over the entire stove.

She was simply impressed with herself—excessively so.

It was just that she was a bit out of breath, her body weak and panting.

With one hand on her hip, she pulled Rong Heng over to sit at the stone table.

“Don’t… don’t run anymore. You can’t… can’t hide anyway.” Mu Jinyu panted, a successful smile on her face as she looked at the frustrated Rong Heng.

Rong Heng knitted her brows and wrinkled her nose, giving the person in front of her several glares.

Because of the chase just now, a small amount of pheromone scent began to permeate the air.

At first, Mu Jinyu didn’t pay it any mind; she even found the wound medicine, preparing to change Rong Heng’s dressing.

But at some unknown point, she felt herself becoming dazed.

Before her eyes, there seemed to appear a parasol tree (Wutong) with tender green leaves. The tree was entwined with a faint, gold-and-red fragrance that resembled silken threads.

What was that?

The Rong Heng before her slightly moved her captured wrist; her fingers, like peeled scallion roots, curled, and her fingertips turned a faint pink.

Mu Jinyu’s pupils trembled. A straight, upward-growing chrysanthemum leaned against the parasol tree.

It was the “Phoenix Shaking Its Feathers” (Fenghuang Zhenyu).

Its petals were long and thin, stretching outward from the center, with the ends curling inward, presenting a bud-like posture.

Its form was elegant, growing willfully, radiating a burgeoning vitality.

Its color was a dazzling, magnificent gold-red, like a burning flame.

One of the ten famous chrysanthemums—noble, elegant, and pure.

She felt as though her soul were floating outside her body. Everything was shifting into various forms, expanding and shrinking.

It left her trapped within the prison of a kaleidoscope, unable to find her bearings.

Mu Jinyu didn’t know how she finished applying the medicine to Rong Heng.

She only remembered that she had practically floated back into her room.

When her memory returned, it was already the hour of You—between five and seven in the evening.

Goodness!

Mu Jinyu clutched her head and suddenly sat up, find it hard to believe she had slept for so long.

But why did she suddenly fall asleep?

Ah… it was the pheromones! It was Rong Heng’s pheromones!

It had made her feel as if she were drunk, her cheeks burning red and her mind a muddled mess.