Chapter 6

Ye Wanqing had not been lying. Just carrying the coal stove alone would take her one trip; she really could not manage so many things by herself.

She did not even know how Ge Yuan had managed to move all these things over.

But she soon found out.

Ge Yuan silently picked up the already lit coal stove with one hand, then easily lifted everything else with the other and strode toward the waiting hall with long steps.

Only when he reached the row of stalls did he turn back and speak his first words of the day to Ye Wanqing: “Which stall?”

Ye Wanqing had long set her eyes on the right-angle stall near the restroom and had him carry the things over there.

Ge Yuan set the things down and was about to run off again when Ye Wanqing quickly called out to him, “Wait!”

“What else is there?” His voice was cold.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Six buns and a bowl of porridge. I’m full.”

So he was afraid she would ask what he had eaten and whether he was full, and had simply answered directly? Petty tricks.

Ye Wanqing lightly snorted in her heart. “But I haven’t eaten.”

“You have eggs……”

“Those are for selling. If I eat them, how am I supposed to do business?”

Ge Yuan scratched his hair in distress. Those pitch-black eyes even carried a trace of grievance, as if he could not understand why Ye Wanqing had to make things so difficult for him.

After looking at Ye Wanqing for a few seconds, he turned and left. A few minutes later he returned with a bowl of tofu pudding and six meat buns.

In those few minutes Ye Wanqing had already tidied up the stall.

She took the breakfast Ge Yuan had bought and asked him, “Why have you been avoiding me since last night?”

“I……”

“Wait. Don’t say your reputation is bad. I don’t care about that at all. Anyway, you kissed me, so you have to take responsibility for me. I’ve already decided on this matter.”

“……” Ge Yuan was dumbfounded.

This little girl had still been drawing a clear line with him last night and insisting on paying him money. Had her brain gone dizzy again today? Otherwise, why was she bringing up marrying him again?

However, he suddenly felt happy.

Ge Yuan suppressed the upward curve of his lips and tried hard to keep a straight face. “No!”

“No?” Ye Wanqing bit her lip, her almond eyes lowering. “Then…… I’ll just have to give up. All right, you can go. Remember to come over in the evening to move the things back to your place.”

Ge Yuan’s head snapped up to look at her, even more aggrieved. His entire face was written with the deep confusion of “How could you give up so easily?” But he said nothing. He abruptly lowered his head, turned, and walked outward.

Very spine-filled.

Yet just a moment ago he had slipped away as fast as a hunting dog with its ears pricked; now his steps were heavy, his whole body shrouded in dark clouds. He could not look more dejected.

Ye Wanqing could not hold back a lip-pressed smile.

Little thing, still think I can’t handle you? Let you properly reflect for a day first.

While Ye Wanqing and Ge Yuan were talking, the other stall owners also arrived.

Besides Ye Wanqing, there were two other people setting up stalls.

A middle-aged woman named Sun Guixiang sold toys that children liked and various non-staple foods useful for visiting relatives and friends; it looked like she mainly did gift business. Another young woman named Jiang Yan sold sweet snacks and bottled soft drinks, and also sold some hair ties and hair clips for women on the side.

Their stalls were both at the wall end, next to each other.

Once Ge Yuan left, the two of them came over to greet her. When they saw that Ye Wanqing only had a basin of eggs and some things for brewing tea on the counter, the inquiry in their eyes turned into relaxation.

Sun Guixiang asked, “Little Ye, you’re only selling these few things—can this business take off? Some country people, when they’re thirsty, just drink a few mouthfuls of cold water from the sink outside the restroom. Who would come to drink tea?”

Ye Wanqing smiled gently. “I’ll try it first. I just started learning how to do business, have no experience, and don’t have much capital, so I can only take it slowly.”

“Being steady is good.” Jiang Yan nodded in agreement, then rolled her eyes and asked Ye Wanqing, “By the way, that man just now—what’s his relationship to you? Don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend?”

“Not for the time being. He saved me before, and seeing that I was in difficulty he lent a hand again.”

“I think he wants to pursue you!” Jiang Yan looked Ye Wanqing over, her eyes full of teasing. “If I were a man and saw such a pretty girl like you, I wouldn’t be able to move my feet either, haha.”

While the three of them were talking, another new stall owner came over carrying things.

Ye Wanqing looked up and was surprised to see an acquaintance.

She greeted her happily. “Sister Wang!”

Seeing that Wang Fang was struggling with the steamer baskets, she quickly went over to help.

Only after settling in did Wang Fang wipe the sweat from her forehead and look at Ye Wanqing curiously. “Whose family are you from? You know me?”

“I’m from the Ye family, Ye Wanqing.”

Wang Fang let out an “ah” and suddenly understood. “You’re Ye Xiangdang’s older daughter? Your father drives the same route as my husband. We should have met before, just never talked much.”

“Yes.” Ye Wanqing smiled and nodded.

Wang Fang was shrewd yet not lacking in kindness. In her previous life when Ye Wanqing had worked for the Ye family, she had gotten along quite well with Wang Fang and felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing her again. She had not expected her to set up a stall so quickly either. From now on she would have company.

In her previous life Wang Fang had sold steamed buns, mantou, and shaomai, and it was the same this time. Because she talked well with Ye Wanqing, she chose the stall next to hers, saying they could look after each other from now on.

Ye Wanqing smiled and kept nodding.

By seven o’clock the passenger flow was growing larger and larger, and Ye Wanqing also became busy.

Because she had not had time to prepare, she had not made the sour plum drink for the time being. Currently she only sold clear tea, ginger-salt tea, and tea eggs. Clear tea was priced at two fen per cup, ginger-salt tea at five fen, and tea eggs at one jiao each.

Nowadays eggs sold for five fen each on the market, yet tea eggs at one jiao each sold surprisingly well. Quite a few people who had not eaten breakfast bought one tea egg to try. The moment the fragrant, spicy, numbing tea egg entered their mouths, the taste made them immediately ask for a second and a third.

There were only thirty tea eggs in total, and they sold out in two hours.

Ye Wanqing put the aluminum basin under the counter and focused on selling tea. Water was boiling on the coal stove. Some enamel cups only held tea leaves, while others held tea leaves, ginger, beans, and sesame. When someone wanted tea she simply steeped a cup—very convenient.

The weather was still a bit cold at this time. Drinking a cup of hot tea to warm the stomach felt very comfortable, so Ye Wanqing’s tea also sold quite well.

The entire morning passed like that.

At mealtime, Wang Fang and the others all had people bring them lunch, and someone would take over for a while while they ate. Ye Wanqing did not.

She did not go to eat at noon either. A few of the buns Ge Yuan had bought in the morning were left. She did not want to waste them, so she placed the buns on top of the kettle to warm them and made do with some tea.

Wang Fang offered her some dishes but she did not eat them. Looking at her, Wang Fang felt a bit heartbroken. “Why doesn’t your family send you food? It’s so close. Letting you eat something hot would be better than eating buns.”

“My family wants me to marry into Niujiao Town. I don’t want to get married, and I haven’t even told them yet that I’m doing business.”

Wang Fang was surprised. “You’re really bold.”

Ye Wanqing smiled brightly. “If I’m not bold it won’t work. I can’t take over the job and don’t want to get married, so I have to find a way to settle myself and make a living. Only then can I be independent and strong.”

After understanding the inside story, Wang Fang found it inconvenient to speak ill of others behind their backs. She patted Ye Wanqing’s shoulder as comfort.

As dusk deepened, the waiting hall also grew emptier and emptier.

Wang Fang and the others had all packed up and left. Only Ye Wanqing remained, counting money while waiting for someone.

Only then did Ge Yuan walk in from outside.

He silently picked up the already extinguished coal stove with one hand and took the other things with the other, about to leave.

Ye Wanqing called out to him. “Do you still have eggs at home?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll buy some more from you. Business was good today. The tea eggs sold out in less than two hours.” Ye Wanqing’s mood was quite good as she spoke. “My income today was not bad. I’ll calculate the costs and pay you later.”

“Not selling!” Ge Yuan carried the things and walked outward.

Only then did Ye Wanqing notice that Ge Yuan’s mood was off—even more awkward than in the morning.

She thought for a moment and suddenly understood what this person was angry about.

“Not selling, only giving for free, is that it?” She could not help laughing out loud.

Ge Yuan’s face turned red and he walked even faster.

Ye Wanqing quickened her steps to catch up with him, her voice clear and crisp. “Hey, Comrade Ge Yuan, do you know you’ll suffer losses acting like this? Or is it that you’ll only give for free to me, and not to others?”

“Why would you give for free to me? Is it because deep down you secretly like me?”

“Really addicted to kissing?”

“Want more? I’ll let you kiss.”

Ge Yuan stopped walking, tried hard to put on a dark face and glare at her with the fiercest expression possible. “……Don’t talk nonsense!”

Ye Wanqing’s almond eyes held a smile. “Oh, then tell me something that isn’t nonsense.”

Ge Yuan: “……”

He retreated in defeat.

The little girl behind him spoke boldly and hotly. Her soft, light laughter was clear and sweet. He strode forward, speechlessly looking up at the sky, the temperature that refused to come down on his face burning from the roots of his ears all the way to his neck.

He felt very helpless and really wanted to sigh, yet his heart was beating so fast he felt as if he might fly.

Ye Wanqing followed Ge Yuan to his small courtyard. Seeing that it was already late, she planned to cook dinner first.

But the moment she walked into the kitchen she could not hold back a laugh.

Ge Yuan had looked like he was holding a grudge against her for the whole day, yet it had not delayed him at all from moving food home. The ingredients piled in the kitchen were far richer than yesterday—not just a little.

There was fish and meat, chicken and duck, spring bamboo shoots and quite a few seasonal vegetables, as well as a piece of tender white soft tofu that they had not eaten yesterday. It was simply more variety than the food station.

This foodie!

This big awkward person!

She knew Ge Yuan was capable, but she truly had not expected that his life at this time was already quite decent…… She had thought his hooligan period was a bit down-and-out, and had planned that once she earned money she would take more care of him.

It seemed she had completely overthought it.

The person himself was not even willing.

In the evening Ye Wanqing was in a hurry to go home, so she simply made a minced pork and soft tofu with small green onions, a plate of wild mountain chili stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a steamed fish head with chopped chili. The methods were simple, but the flavors were excellent.

The little girl ate two big bowls of rice again. Perhaps because eating someone’s food softens the mouth, the “hmph hmph” sounds when she jumped down from the stool were a little quieter.

The brother and sister were exactly the same—both foodies.

Ye Wanqing laughed secretly in her heart.

However, this good mood of hers only lasted until she returned home.

Ge Yuan, the same as last night, escorted her to the entrance of the bus station. She walked home alone. Originally she thought she would be shut out again, yet after knocking twice the door actually opened.