Chapter 36: Argument

Mr. Liu, the deputy director of the local chemical fibre factory, is well-off and enjoys eating. In the past, he frequented the state-owned breakfast shop for dumplings until Jiang Liyun’s pan-fried dumplings caught his attention. For a month, he’s been a regular customer, though he finds Jiang’s dumplings better than others.

Yesterday, he bought dumplings from Yang’s stall, but they didn’t meet his expectations. Today, at Jiang’s stall, he orders, “I want one yuan worth of pan-fried dumplings.” Jiang, aware of his preference for crispy dumplings, instructs the cook, Feng Yikai, to pay attention.

Mr. Liu, pleased with Jiang’s attention to detail, sits at the neatly set folding table, anticipating his order. He prefers eating at the stall and often takes some home for his family.

Jiang has known Mr. Liu since his last lifetime, when he used to frequent her breakfast shop after retiring. They chat about his accomplished son, who recently got into a university in Shanghai.

As the first batch of dumplings is ready, Feng Yikai places them in front of Jiang, starting on the second batch. Jiang, waiting for the dumplings to steam a bit longer in the iron pan, engages in conversation with Mr. Liu.

After discussing Mr. Liu’s son’s achievements, Jiang unveils the steaming dumplings and serves a dozen to Mr. Liu, providing a small dish of vinegar. Savouring the dumplings, Mr. Liu appreciates the thin skin and generous filling, finding them superior.

Meanwhile, other customers arrive, some from yesterday’s purchase, praising Jiang’s dumpling soup for its warmth in the cold weather.

Jiang Liyun remarked, “Mainly for convenience. It’s easier to make a dish that can feed the whole family at once. I’m lazy when it comes to cooking, so I prefer making soups with everything in them. Sometimes, I even roll the dumpling filling into meatballs and add them.”

Her words tempted everyone to buy dumpling fillings, but since Jiang didn’t sell them separately, the person ended up buying some raw dumplings instead.

After finishing his plate of dumplings, Mr. Liu not only bought two yuan worth of pan-fried dumplings but also two yuan worth of raw dumplings.

“Mr. Liu, why buy so much?” Jiang Liyun asked, surprised.

“I also want some dumpling soup. I particularly enjoy eating rice soaked in soup,” Mr. Liu explained.

“If you’re willing, you can buy some ribs to make soup. Then, add dumplings, spinach, mushrooms, and tofu skin. It’ll be delicious,” Jiang suggested.

“Alright, I’ll do that. Today, I’ll have my wife make it.” Mr. Liu happily left with his dumplings.

Jiang Liyun felt especially pleased to have sold so many dumplings in such a short time.

With another stall nearby, she worried about having prepared too many dumplings, but now she was confident she could sell them all.

While the atmosphere at Jiang’s stall was joyful, the Yang family at the adjacent stall seemed less content.

Despite their decent business, some customers preferred thicker dumpling skins for a fuller meal. Moreover, many customers who hadn’t tried their pan-fried dumplings before opted to buy from the Yang family after seeing their stall.

Most importantly, the Yang family knew more people in the area. Although Mr. Liu didn’t have a close relationship with them and could buy from Jiang without hesitation, others might not overlook the Yang family’s offerings.

Yang Haitao worked tirelessly as customers increased, but his speed couldn’t keep up with demand.

However, despite the booming business, Yang’s parents remained displeased, wearing sour expressions behind Yang Xiaomei, who was responsible for selling the dumplings. This attitude irritated some customers.

Jiang Liyun noticed everything, feeling a sense of superiority over the Yang family’s apparent shortcomings.

From the beginning, she sensed the Yang family’s impatience when they set up their stall next to hers. In business, impatience was the last thing one needed.

Furthermore, offering a welcoming smile to customers was the most basic requirement. She couldn’t believe the Yang family couldn’t even manage that!

But then again, wasn’t Yang’s mother previously employed at the supply and marketing cooperative? That explained a lot.

In fact, the state-owned breakfast shop in town has consistently displayed a poor attitude towards regular customers. Due to special circumstances in the past, customers had to be mindful of the staff’s mood, and they got used to not being treated well.

It won’t be long before the state-owned breakfast shop goes out of business! Jiang Liyun recalls that after its closure, the chef in charge of breakfast opened his own shop. However, with his bad temper, the business didn’t thrive.

In her previous life, before setting up a stall, Jiang had once tried the dumplings at that chef’s shop. She preferred adding vinegar to her dumplings, but that day, even after adding several spoonfuls, she couldn’t taste any sourness. When she mentioned it, the chef stared at her, emphasising that their vinegar was indeed sour and of high quality, unlike some people who bought vinegar in bulk.

A tall and stout man stood in front of her, talking for a long time. After that incident, Jiang Liyun never visited that shop for dumplings again.

The stores in town selling oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar have always sold vinegar in bulk, and it’s indeed much tastier than their so-called packaged vinegar.

In this era, those running stalls can make money by capitalising on the poor treatment of customers by state-owned shops. Surprisingly, the Yang family, selling things at a stall, seemed to be following the state-owned shop’s script.

Their business won’t last long.

By half past seven that day, Jiang Liyun’s pan-fried dumplings were sold out. She looked at Feng Yikai and said, “Take a break here; I’ll go check the newspaper.”

“Sure,” Feng Yikai replied. After removing his apron and tidying up a bit, he also left the stall to go to the restroom.

Now, only Jiang’s parents remained at the stall, slowly packing up various things.

The Yang family had prepared a larger amount of dough and filling, and with Yang Haitao’s slower pace in making dumplings, they were still selling.

Seeing Jiang’s family sell out, Yang’s mother became even more furious. She said to Wu Xiaochun, “Your daughter smiles at everyone. Is she here to sell pan-fried dumplings or to sell her smiles? At such a young age, she already knows how to flirt!”

Wu Xiaochun’s face turned red with anger. “You…” She didn’t know what to say after that.

Yang Haitao couldn’t bear it and said, “Mum, stop it.”

His mother retorted, “Why should I stop? Are you also protecting her? Are you interested in her? I won’t allow you to marry a country girl who looks dirty and probably has a bad character.”

She had more to say, but she couldn’t continue. Suddenly, a stylish young lady with styled hair rushed up and slapped her directly. “Your mouth is even fouler than an outdoor toilet. Country people are better than you!”

Yang’s mother was left dumbfounded. Her harsh words were well known, and while people might argue with her, no one had ever dared to lay a hand on her. In terms of verbal disputes, those people couldn’t match her!

However, Yang’s mother quickly recognised the person who slapped her. “Jiang Liping, so it’s you, you little wretch! How dare you hit me!”

She moved to grab Jiang Liping’s hair, but Jiang Liping wasn’t one to be trifled with!

There was a knife on Jiang’s stall, which Jiang Liyun used to cut the dough. She would first cut the large dough into smaller portions before rolling out the dumpling wrappers.

Jiang Liping grabbed this knife and pointed it at Yang’s mother. “If you have the guts, come and hit me!”

Seeing the knife, Yang’s mother hesitated.

Jiang Liping said, “You old wretch, thinking everyone is as despicable as you. Constantly talking bad about others. When you die, you’ll surely end up in tongue-pulling hell!”

Jiang Liping and Yang’s mother had their share of grievances.

In a small town like theirs, Yang Haitao was roughly the same age as Jiang Liping. At that time, both were in different classes in junior high school, so they knew each other.

Jiang Liping initially dated someone who lived not far from the Yang family, and that person was also friends with Yang Haitao. When Yang’s mother learned about Jiang Liping’s involvement with that person, she spread rumours, saying nasty things about her. She accused the country girl of trying to seduce her former boyfriend and even insinuated that she was trying to get close to Yang Haitao.

Jiang Liping and Yang Haitao weren’t close at all during that time, and Yang Haitao had no interest in her. But Yang’s mother kept spreading baseless rumors. Some people didn’t believe her, but others did.

Jiang Liping had harboured a deep resentment towards Yang’s mother for a long time.

In the past, Jiang Liping might have hated her behind her back, but today, she came here already filled with anger. When she heard Yang’s mother spouting nonsense, she couldn’t take it and rushed up to confront her.

After the fight, she felt quite satisfied!