Chapter 95: A New Flavor

Inside the car sat none other than Quan Zhiwen and Xu Jin, the married couple who had been staying in Beizhen for over a month.

Quan Zhiwen had never heard Xu Jin mention any past conflicts between her and Jing Xi, so he had no idea what she was muttering about at the moment.

His mind was entirely focused on one thing—whether he could visit the Xia family today and see Old Man Xia again.

“Let’s go to Fucha Village.”

“Wait!”

Xu Jin opened the car door. “Give me two minutes—I’m going to buy some buns.”

“Buns?”

Only then did Quan Zhiwen follow Xu Jin’s gaze. Since when did Miss Xu eat street food from a roadside shop?

Now that was something new.

Just as he was about to get out of the car and follow her, Xu Jin had already briskly crossed the street.

So, he simply stayed put.

Xu Jin had purposely worn flat shoes today, so she walked quite fast.

Jing Xi was busy working and didn’t even notice Xu Jin approaching.

“Hey, girl, give me two buns.”

Hearing the voice, Jing Xi looked up—only to see Xu Jin smiling at her.

She considered a few possibilities but wasn’t sure if Xu Jin had recognized her, especially with half her face covered by a mask.

“What kind of filling do you want?”

Xu Jin glanced at the selection. “What do you have?”

“Chive and egg, cabbage. The meat-filled ones are sold out.”

“Chives make your breath stink. Give me two cabbage ones.”

As she spoke, she handed Jing Xi a one-yuan bill.

“No need for change.”

Jing Xi simply acknowledged with an “Oh” and turned around. By then, Tian Jun had already taken out the buns.

However, Xu Jin didn’t take them. Instead, she just stared straight at Jing Xi.

Jing Xi noticed the way she was looking at her and figured that Xu Jin had probably recognized her. “Is there anything else you need?”

Xu Jin chuckled, her gaze carrying a hint of mockery. “I thought you were someone impressive. Turns out, you’re just a stinking bun seller.”

Jing Xi smiled back, taking off her mask to reveal a row of pearly white teeth. “Miss Xu, do you look down on hardworking people who earn money with their own hands? Or do you just look down on delicious, plump, and fluffy buns?”

Xu Jin rolled her eyes. “Or maybe… I look down on both?”

So, a noodle eater looks down on a bun eater.

How amusing.

Jing Xi placed the buns on the counter. Since Xu Jin wouldn’t take them, they could just sit there.

“Oh well, no one here cares. If you have nothing better to do, Miss Xu, please step aside for the other customers who actually want to buy buns. Let us hardworking folks fill our stomachs so we can keep making a living.”

Xu Jin glanced at the few people waiting behind her, scowling as she moved aside. Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, she sneered, “You filthy bun seller, I don’t care how you managed to get involved with Long Yuezhi. But here’s a piece of advice—stay away from him. Otherwise, every time I see you, I’ll make sure you regret it. You won’t even know how you died.”

With that, she swayed her hips and walked away.

Jing Xi shook her head and only then noticed the small car parked across the street.

Inside sat Xu Jin’s husband.

She was curious—why would a married woman still be so hung up on Long Yuezhi, that sickly man?

Could it be… just because he was good-looking?

As she collected money from customers, Jing Xi couldn’t help but picture Long Yuezhi’s face in her mind.

Her final conclusion? He really was quite handsome.

Maybe there really was some kind of melodramatic story between them—something like an arranged marriage for family benefits.

Childhood sweethearts, forcefully separated by their families, leading to love turning into hatred. Swearing never to see each other again, yet still hopelessly in love.

She shuddered at the thought.

Way too dramatic.

She must not get involved in all this mess—she would rather live as an ordinary working person, selling buns for a living!

By 5:15 PM, all the buns had been sold out.

The only ones left were the two that Xu Jin had bought, still sitting on the windowsill. The steaming trays were completely empty.

Tian Jun looked at the two remaining buns and sighed. “Xiao Jing, take them home to eat. You can keep the one yuan as well.”

Jing Xi shook her head. “No need, it’s fine. But I’ll take the buns—just not the money. Sister-in-law, that girl has plenty of money. She won’t miss this little bit.”

Tian Jun had been curious all afternoon. Hearing Jing Xi mention it, she immediately leaned in. “Xiao Jing, you know that girl? She definitely doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Her accent doesn’t sound local either—it’s got a bit of a Northwestern tone to it.”

Jing Xi nodded. “I wouldn’t say I know her well. We’ve only met once, and we didn’t get along. I don’t know much about her, just that she comes from a wealthy family.”

Tian Jun nodded. “Just look at her clothes—not something ordinary people wear. And how many people dress in plain-colored outfits like that? You can tell at a glance that they’re expensive. Only those who never have to work wear clothes like that. Plus, she left in a car.”

Jing Xi didn’t want to keep talking about Xu Jin. “Yeah. Alright, Sister-in-law, I’ll take the buns home to eat!”

“Okay. Do you want some pickles? We still have some left.”

“Sure.”

Judging people by their clothes was indeed a common practice.

That’s why many people, even when they could barely scrape together twenty yuan, would still spend money to dress well.

Even if they lived on instant noodles every day, they would buy brand-name items.

For example, men would buy shoes, and women would buy bags.

Appearance and clothing always shaped first impressions. Take Xu Jin, for example—well-dressed, good-looking, and exuding an air of wealth. It was clear she came from money!

By the time Jing Xi and Tian Jun finished cleaning up, it was almost 6 PM. She was about to change and leave when she suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Liu Yan’s exam day.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll be coming in a bit later tomorrow afternoon. I’ll also bring the chicken buns with me.”

Tian Jun nodded. “Alright. You have something to take care of, right?”

“Yeah, something at home. I should be able to come after lunch.”

“No problem.”

Before leaving, Jing Xi greeted Zhao Shunli, then headed out to catch the bus.

She managed to get on the last bus. As soon as she got off at the village entrance, she saw a car speeding away.

The person inside the car looked extremely displeased.

Another failed attempt.

Jing Xi didn’t care. She carried her buns home, ready to experiment with Orleans-style chicken buns.

The Orleans-style chicken buns she had eaten before were mostly made with chicken thigh meat.

Her space fridge was stocked with plenty of chicken thighs, along with Orleans seasoning. She had previously considered making Orleans-style roasted chicken, but now she could directly use it for buns.

She locked the door, entered her space, and got to work.

An hour later, a whole batch of plump, steaming chicken buns was ready.

The rich aroma filled the air.

Jing Xi took a bite, and a huge smile spread across her face!

This was exactly the flavor she wanted!

She took some extra seasoning and buns out of her space and set aside ten for herself.

She divided the remaining fifteen into two portions.

One portion—six buns—was for Aunt Wang’s family.

The other portion—ten buns—was for Liu Jianchang’s family.

She went to Aunt Wang’s house first. When Fat Ya saw that Jing Xi had brought meat buns, she nearly started drooling.

“Fat Ya, eat slower!”

“Thank you, Sister Jing!”

Jing Xi checked the time. “Auntie, I have to go. I need to drop off some buns at the Liu family’s house.”

“Go ahead, go ahead! Come visit when you have time!”

“Will do!”

Jing Xi returned home, grabbed the remaining buns, and arrived at Liu Jianchang’s house around 8 PM.

Since it was summer, it was still light outside.

When she walked in, she saw the family of four having dinner while discussing Liu Yan’s exam tomorrow.

Seeing Jing Xi enter, they immediately pulled out a stool, inviting her to eat with them.

Jing Xi set down the basket, lifted the cloth, and said, “I brought you some buns! I’ve been experimenting with a new filling—give it a try!”

Liu Chun’s eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed a large bowl, took out the buns, and eagerly took a bite.

The moment he tasted it, his eyes sparkled.

“Oh my! What kind of flavor is this? I’ve never had anything like it before! Is this chicken? So good! Such a unique taste!”

Jing Xi nodded.

Liu Yan also took a bite, followed by Zhang Rui and Liu Jianchang.

The entire family looked amazed.

“This would be even better with some garlic on the side—imagine how fragrant it’d be!”

As he spoke, Liu Chun went to fetch some garlic.

Jing Xi turned to Liu Yan, who looked surprisingly relaxed. “Sis, how are you feeling? Nervous?”

Liu Yan nodded. “Nervous! But I know that the more nervous I get, the worse it’ll be. I took the whole day off today, trying not to stress myself too much.”

Jing Xi encouraged her, “Stay relaxed! By the way, how are you getting to the exam tomorrow? Why didn’t you stay in town tonight?”

Zhang Rui explained, “Well, it’s because Liang Chen offered to drive Yan’er to the exam. He said he’s free these days, so he can take her. We don’t even know how to thank him!”

Ah, Liang Chen again!

Jing Xi glanced at Liu Chun, who had just stuffed his mouth with food. Feeling her gaze, he let out a sheepish laugh.

Jing Xi immediately understood—Liu Chun must have been the one who told Liang Chen!