CHAPTER 57

Shen Lin drove a horse-drawn carriage to Qingyun County. Su Wan showed Shen Lin the way, and Shen Lin arrived at the stall rented by Su Wan.

It’s still morning. The steamed bun shop on the left has already opened for business, while the dim sum shop on the right is still closed.

That’s true. Most people buy buns in the morning, but not many buy dim sum, so dim sum shops don’t have to open so early.

Shen Lin got out of the cart first and used a rag and a broom to clean the stall inside and out. Although it was winter, a layer of sweat had already appeared on Shen Lin’s forehead due to the work.

Su Wan felt that Shen Lin never felt cold. He was always working and moving around, so he didn’t feel cold.

Su Wan and Shen Yaya were both waiting in the carriage. There was a quilt in the carriage, so Su Wan and Shen Yaya felt barely warm.

Shen Lin tidied up the shop neatly, then moved all the pots and pans for Su Wan to move in and placed them neatly, and also put the vegetables in order.

Shen Lin deliberately asked Su Wan and Shen Yaya to stay in the carriage, saying that these jobs were dirty and tiring and not suitable for women, so he could do it.

Su Wan sincerely believed that whether a man has a sense of responsibility or not has little to do with whether he is rich or not.

The middle-aged woman selling buns next door was busy in the bun shop. Her husband would scold her from time to time for working too slowly. The thick-armed and fat-waisted woman was busy grunting, but she still smiled apologetically and asked her husband not to be angry.

The man selling buns was standing in front of the bun cage selling buns, while his wife was busy making buns behind him.

After Shen Lin finished cleaning up, there were no more customers at the bun shop. The man selling buns said to the woman inside, “No one is buying buns anymore. Go to the east end and get some water for today.”

The woman obediently hung two buckets on the pole. Seeing this, Shen Lin hurriedly said, “Sister-in-law, where is the well on this street? I’ll go get some water too.”

Shen Lin had thought of this job before he set out. Su Wan was going to sell spicy hot pot, and water would be needed whether for cooking or washing dishes. Qingshi Village was so far away from Qingyun County that it was not realistic to fetch water from Qingshi Village. However, in Qingyun County, there were wells on every street. Those who were lucky were closer to the wells, so it was easier for them to fetch water. Those who were unlucky and lived far away from the wells had to work hard to fetch water.

The woman looked up at Shen Lin, then looked at the carriage that Shen Lin was pulling over. She had just seen a woman sitting in the carriage. The young man had just stopped the girl from working, but she didn’t expect the girl to be so shameless. She actually sat in the carriage without moving and didn’t even get off.

The woman said to Shen Lin, “Carrying water is not a man’s job. Let your wife do it.”

Shen Lin thought that he had just come to this place, so he should get along well with the people around him and not make things too awkward. Shen Lin still said kindly, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do it.”

The woman raised her head and said in a sarcastic tone towards the carriage, “Men are asked to do all the work that woman should do. This woman who doesn’t do any work is just a waste.”

Shen Yaya couldn’t listen any longer and pulled aside the curtain. “My sister Su Wan is very capable; you know nothing; don’t talk nonsense.”

Before the woman could speak, the man working in the bun shop also spoke up, “How can she be great if she doesn’t do any work? This woman should work more. Only a woman who works more is a good woman.”

Su Wan pulled Shen Yaya back and gave Shen Lin a look that told him not to make trouble.

While picking up the bucket, Shen Lin said, “These tasks are so heavy, it’s better for men to do them.” After that, Shen Lin didn’t ask the woman where the well was. This street was full of shops, and he could ask any merchant, and they wouldn’t be as difficult to talk to as the couple selling buns.

Shen Lin went to a nearby mutton offal soup stall to ask, and the stall owner quickly pointed the place to Shen Lin. Turn left at the end of the street; it was not far at all and very convenient.

The woman selling buns followed Shen Lin, still muttering, “Fetching water is not a man’s job. I look down on women who make men do the work. They don’t fulfill their duties as women at all.”

“Just like the snack shop next to you, the woman there is useless. She lets her husband do all the heavy work, and she dresses up fancy and sells snacks there. I don’t know who she is trying to seduce.”

Shen Lin had no intention of communicating with the woman; he just fetched some water and walked away.

During this period, Su Wan got off the carriage and began to prepare the seasonings for selling Malatang. When Shen Lin came back, she could make the soup base.

Malatang is fresh, fragrant, and spicy. Eating a bowl of it will warm your body. It is most suitable for eating in winter. It is sold at noon and in the afternoon, but it is not necessary in the morning. It is better to drink some porridge in the morning, which will make your stomach feel more comfortable.

Su Wan was preparing the seasoning when she heard a familiar voice, “Boss, give me two buns.”

It was Wang Luosheng’s voice. Wang Luosheng walked from Qingshi Village to Qingyun County. This snack street was the only way for Wang Luosheng to go to the academy. After Wang Luosheng could not have breakfast at home, he would buy breakfast on this street every day. Most of the time, he would buy two buns.

Su Wan didn’t turn around and pretended not to hear.

However, while Wang Luosheng was waiting for the man selling buns to bring him the buns, he saw Su Wan in the small shop next door.

Wang Luosheng leaned his head to the side and asked, “Su Wan?”

Su Wan turned around and nodded to Wang Luosheng as a greeting.

Wang Luosheng didn’t mean to stop there. He took the buns from the man selling them and said, “You have a hard life and have to show up in public to do business. How could Shen Lin let you live like this?”

Su Wan sneered in her heart. The difference between her current life and her life in the Wang family was like heaven and earth. Wang Luosheng actually laughed at her for not having a good life now.

Su Wan smiled and said, “I am living a good life now, and I am happy every day.”

Wang Luosheng shook his head. “Happiness can’t be eaten, and happiness won’t make you look more glorious. I see that your stall doesn’t look like you can sell anything.”

“Even if you don’t mind being in the spotlight, it’s not easy to do business here. I pass by this street every morning, and I know how many shops have closed down. There aren’t many shops like this one that can stay open.”

When the man selling buns heard Wang Luosheng praising his buns, he also said proudly, “That’s right. If you want to gain a foothold on this street, you have to have real skills. Just relying on good looks is not enough. Take the dim sum shop next door. Even though the couple there look like decent people, they can’t sell much in a day. The money they earn is just enough to make ends meet. My wife and I have bought a brick house in Qingyun County by selling buns. The life we lead is better than most people can compare to.”

Su Wan treated it as a joke, “Yes, yes, you guys are living a really good life.”

Wang Luosheng said, “That’s right. There are only a few people who make as much money as the guy selling steamed buns. What kind of food are you selling? Malatang. What is this? No one has ever heard of it, let alone eaten it. I say you should go home early and stay at home. Don’t embarrass yourself here.”

The man selling buns next to him frowned. Wang Luosheng just looked down on doing business. Although Wang Luosheng was talking about Su Wan, the bun seller was also a small businessman. He couldn’t help but put himself in the situation, so the bun seller’s face turned bad.

At this time, Shen Lin and the woman selling buns came back carrying water. Wang Luosheng saw Shen Lin and said, “Shen Lin, don’t tell me that you want to do business on this street. You are a grown man, but you don’t learn to help the world. Instead, you sell this Malatang with Su Wan. You are too cowardly.”

The man selling buns frowned even more. The scope of influence of Wang Luosheng’s words was a bit too wide. Wouldn’t this implicate himself as well?

Su Wan’s shop was separated from the bun shop next door, so Su Wan couldn’t see the man’s expression. However, after hearing what Wang Luosheng said, Su Wan roughly guessed that the man next door would be unhappy.

Wang Luosheng is a person with low emotional intelligence. Not only Wang Luosheng has low emotional intelligence, but the entire Wang family has low emotional intelligence.

In the book, Wang Luosheng often speaks rudely and offends his classmates and colleagues. It was Su Wan who taught Wang Luosheng how to speak and how to please his master and superiors, so his classmates and colleagues dared not speak out against Wang Luosheng. Now it seems that Wang Luosheng already has this problem of offending people.

Shen Lin did not respond to Wang Luosheng’s words but just carried some water into the compartment.

Wang Luosheng added, “Alas, fate is playing tricks on us. You were studying so well in school, but now you have fallen to the point of selling food on the street. I really feel sorry for you.”

The man selling buns had a longer face.

The woman selling buns was not happy to hear this either. She immediately looked at the buns in Wang Luosheng’s hand and asked, “Are these buns from ours?”

Wang Luosheng nodded. “I buy buns from your house every day.”

The woman put down the bucket, snatched the two buns from Wang Luosheng’s hand, and said, “Get lost, get lost. I won’t sell you my buns. My man may be a bun seller, but he is a thousand times better than you. I think you are just a bookworm. Why are you pretending to be polite in front of me? You look down on us bun sellers, but I look down on you too. Get lost, get lost quickly, go buy from whoever you want.”

When Wang Luosheng heard the other party say that he was a bad scholar, he hurriedly said, “I am a scholar.”

The woman selling buns didn’t care about that and started to curse again, “What a crap scholar; a scholar is useless, and a scholar is the poorest.”

The woman selling buns cursed and threw five copper coins on the ground, then put the two buns that she had snatched from Wang Luosheng back into the steamer.

Wang Luosheng was stunned. He was talking about Shen Lin, not the man selling buns. However, Shen Lin and Su Wan were busy in the kitchen as if nothing had happened, without even raising their heads.

Wang Luosheng didn’t dare to challenge the couple selling buns. He just pursed his lips and said to Shen Lin, “Don’t prepare too much; otherwise, you won’t be able to sell them and lose money without even getting back your investment.”

Shen Lin didn’t even raise his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Wang Luosheng thought of the shops that had closed down on this street in recent days and shook his head. Su Wan and Shen Lin were always doing these embarrassing things. When the time comes, he must take his classmates to see what kind of lowly business the once outstanding Shen Lin is doing now.