Chapter 14: My Cold Noodles Are Cleaner Than Some People’s

In the evening, Gu Yunyang and Gu Yuncan returned home and saw the watermelon. They couldn’t believe their eyes, especially Gu Yunyang. He rubbed his eyes several times in disbelief, confirming it was real, and excitedly looked at Jiang Yiyi, “Sister-in-law, is… is this really for us to eat?”

He didn’t even realize that in just two days, Jiang Yiyi had transformed from “that woman” to “sister-in-law.”

Jiang Yiyi smiled in response.

Gu Yunyang cheered, ran to the kitchen, took a knife, cut the watermelon into small pieces, called Tiantian and Yuetyue to eat, and took a slightly larger piece to give to Gu’s mother.

“Mom has already eaten.”

Gu Yunyang forcefully stuffed it into her hand, “Sister-in-law left too much, my sister and I can’t finish it.”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t finish it, but that they were reluctant to eat it. Since the head of the family died, let alone watermelon, even other fruits hadn’t been seen at home once.

…

The next day, Jiang Yiyi delivered ten servings of cold noodles to the state-run restaurant at exactly ten o’clock. The restaurant manager, considering his brother-in-law’s face, and because the cold noodles were indeed not bad, symbolically ordered ten servings. If they sold, they sold; if not, they would be distributed to the employees; anyway, it wasn’t much money.

“Manager Huang, you can divide the mixed cold noodles into small dishes and offer them for free to the guests at each table. Besides cucumbers, you can add other things, such as crushed peanuts. The price, naturally, should be higher.”

Manager Huang understood her implication. Although the cold noodles weren’t expensive, adding different things changed the price. It could sell for fifty cents, one yuan, or two yuan, thus increasing the profit margin.

“I’ll go to the textile factory to sell them at noon. If you need anything, you can have someone find me there.”

Manager Huang gestured for the waiter to take Jiang Yiyi to check out. After she left, he leaned back in his chair, thought for a while, and took the cold noodles to the kitchen.

Jiang Yiyi left the state-run restaurant with two yuan, got on her tricycle, and hawked along the street, “Cold noodles! Delicious cold noodles! Refreshing and smooth! Can be a main course or a side dish!”

“Seller of cold noodles, come here!”

Jiang Yiyi turned into an alley. A woman called her. Her wavy hair was casually draped behind her, she wore a loose dress, but a pair of red cloth shoes, which didn’t match her upper body attire, and she leaned against the door frame, lazily yawning, as if she had just woken up.

The woman had never eaten cold noodles before. When Jiang Yiyi approached, she asked, “What are cold noodles? Are they delicious?”

Jiang Yiyi took out a serving of cold noodles, cut it, put it in an enamel mug, added cucumbers, gluten, and seasoning, and finally asked, “Can you eat chili?”

“Add more.”

Jiang Yiyi added two small spoons, mixed it well, handed her the chopsticks, and the woman raised her eyebrows, looking at her a few more times. Ordinary vendors wouldn’t let people eat so casually, especially since the cold noodles didn’t look cheap.

But she didn’t ask. Jiang Yiyi let her eat, so she ate. After taking a bite, it was indeed refreshing and delicious, as Jiang Yiyi had said. She ate a few more bites; she hadn’t had such a good appetite in a long time.

“Give me two more servings.”

“You need to go back and get a bowl or a lunch box; my enamel mug requires a deposit.”

The woman went back and got a basin. Jiang Yiyi prepared two servings and poured them into her basin, “That’s ninety cents.”

The woman took out a dollar, “No need for change. Come back at this time tomorrow.”

Before Jiang Yiyi could respond, a motorcycle turned into the alley and stopped in front of the woman, “What are you eating?”

The voice was familiar. Jiang Yiyi looked sideways and it was indeed Qin Gang.

“Cold noodles, very delicious.”

The woman answered while eating, as if she were starving.

Qin Gang frowned, “Unclean things, try to eat less, don’t affect the baby in your belly.”

Jiang Yiyi didn’t intend to pay attention to him, but when she heard this, she stopped turning her tricycle, “My cold noodles are cleaner than some people’s.”

“Jiang Yiyi?”

Qin Gang was surprised.

The Gu family had asked him to return two thousand yuan. Even if a family did nothing, it would be enough to spend for two or three years. Jiang Yiyi was actually selling food. Where was that money?

“Do you know each other?”

The woman was also surprised, her eyes darting between Jiang Yiyi and Qin Gang. She knew that Qin Gang had just divorced. Was this woman his ex-wife?

Thinking of this, the woman stopped eating her cold noodles, flicked her wavy hair, adjusted her dress, and straightened her body. Now, she was Qin Gang’s legitimate girlfriend, unlike before when she was sneaking around.

“I don’t know scum.”

That day, she returned two thousand yuan, but the advance payment was insufficient. Qin Gang pleaded with the other party, and they agreed to give him a few more days. He had been borrowing money everywhere these days, and the deadline was approaching, but he hadn’t collected enough money yet. He was feeling anxious when he heard Jiang Yiyi’s name, and his anger immediately flared up, “Jiang Yiyi, Gu Yunzhi and I have divorced. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I’ll make sure you can’t leave this alley.”

“I’m so scared.”

While saying she was scared, Jiang Yiyi showed no fear at all. She wasn’t someone easily intimidated. If Qin Gang dared to lay a hand on her, she would send him to jail.

It wasn’t Qin Gang’s ex-wife. The woman’s desire to show off disappeared. Just as she was about to continue eating, she suddenly thought of something and shouted at Qin Gang, “Who is she?”

Qin Gang had no time to pay attention to her. His mind was full of how to make trouble for Jiang Yiyi. He, Qin Gang, had never been humiliated like this before.

“I’m her ex-wife’s sister-in-law.”

Seeing people coming out to watch the excitement, Jiang Yiyi raised her voice and said to the woman, “You know my older sister and he just divorced, right?”

The woman nodded subconsciously.

Jiang Yiyi glanced at her belly. The woman in front of her wasn’t a good person either. Knowing that Qin Gang had a family, she still pursued him. Naturally, she had nothing to be polite about.

“When my father-in-law was alive, the family was very wealthy. Qin Gang had an idea and found a way to deceive my older sister and borrowed two thousand yuan from my father-in-law…”

“Jiang Yiyi…”

Qin Gang gritted his teeth and tried to interrupt her.

Jiang Yiyi spoke even louder, “After my father-in-law died, their family started to abuse my older sister and her two children, who were not yet eighteen months old.”

“My older sister already knew he had a mistress, but for the sake of her two children, she endured it. Who knew that the Qin family favored sons over daughters, and when she was not home, they threw the two children, who were not yet eighteen months old, into the mud. Qin Gang saw it but didn’t even say a word of concern, and even allowed his sister to push my older sister and her two children to the ground, causing them to fall and get covered in mud.”

Qin Gang’s expression was ferocious, “Shut up!”

Jiang Yiyi pretended not to hear, “Qin Gang kept you outside just to see if the child is a boy or a girl after it’s born. You love to eat chili so much, maybe it’s a girl, and you might not even be able to enter the Qin family’s door then.”

“Qin Gang, is what she said true?”