“Team Gu, these dumplings are really delicious.” Xiao Liu said, his eyes shining as he pointed to the dumplings in the bowl with his chopsticks.

Gu Zhenyuan picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in his mouth.

A look of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

Their whole family loved dumplings, and even the housekeeper who took care of his parents made good dumplings.

But compared to the ones in front of him, there was still a gap.

Xiao Liu said, “These are the kind of dumplings you should pay for.”

The pork dumplings from state-run restaurants were no match for these. He wondered what kind of dumplings he had been eating before.

Gu Zhenyuan didn’t say anything, just nodded in agreement.

He had been well-educated and was always taught not to speak while eating or lying down.

Many people thought he was old-fashioned and boring.

After eating all eighteen dumplings, both Gu Zhenyuan and Xiao Liu were full.

Gu Zhenyuan paid sixty cents, and Xiao Liu rubbed his stomach and said, “Comrade Li Shuping, your dumplings are really generous. I was full with just one bowl. Unlike the state-run restaurants, one bowl isn’t enough; you need two bowls.”

A customer complained about the state-run restaurants, “The state-run restaurants are getting worse. The dumpling wrappers are thick, and there’s less filling. The taste isn’t good, and they can’t even compare to these street vendors.”

Li Shuping tugged at the corner of her mouth, “If you like them, come often.”

Gu Zhenyuan asked, “Are you still selling in the evening?”

“I’ll be selling,” Li Shuping nodded.

She thought to herself: He’s asking because he plans to come again tonight.

There weren’t many people passing by at noon, but Li Shuping knew that a good product could sell well even in a quiet alley.

She had already sold eighteen bowls and earned more than five yuan.

Li Shuping happily counted the money in her hand, feeling that this street food business had potential. After selling these eighteen bowls, not only did she cover her costs, but she also made a profit.

Zhou Cuilan, watching the money in her hand, said enviously, “You make more selling dumplings.”

“Mine is more troublesome. Look at all this stuff I have to carry around, it takes a lot of effort,” Li Shuping said, putting the money into her pocket.

Zhou Cuilan nodded. It was true.

Unlike her, who just needed to wash the eggs and boil them on low heat to sell tea eggs, Li Shuping had to prepare the dough, mix the filling, and roll out the wrappers, which was much more trouble.

After one-thirty, the traffic in the alley had mostly died down, so Li Shuping didn’t return home. She sat on the stool and kept making dumplings.

With fewer customers at noon, she had sold all the dumplings.

When people started getting off work in the evening, she expected business to pick up.

While making dumplings, she chatted with Zhou Cuilan, not feeling like time was dragging.

At five o’clock, Lin Guodong went to pick up his son, Junjun, from the nursery, and met his father, Lin Yongnian, at the factory gate to go home together.

When they were almost at the alley, they saw a large crowd ahead.

“What’s going on, so lively?” Lin Yongnian stretched his neck to see.

Among the crowd, Ma Gong saw the father and son and waved at them with a smile. “Old Lin, come over here. Your ex-wife is selling dumplings here.”

What?!

Lin Yongnian and Lin Guodong were stunned.

Li Shuping, their mother, was selling dumplings at the alley entrance!

Ma Gong, seeing that they were frozen, waved again. “Come over here!”

Hearing that someone in the crowd was the ex-wife of the dumpling vendor, the people turned to look.

Divorce was still a fresh topic at the time.

Lin Yongnian and Lin Guodong’s faces turned bright red. Holding the child, they lowered their heads and quickly walked through.

This was so embarrassing. How could Li Shuping still be selling dumplings at the alley entrance?

What would the neighbors and coworkers at the factory think of them?

Li Shuping heard them calling, but she didn’t have time to care.

She was too busy making dumplings.

As expected, when it was time to get off work, more people came through, and her business improved.

It started with someone from Courtyard No. 23 who had tried her dumplings and spread the word to old neighbors. Gradually, more people came to try her dumplings.

Fortunately, she had prepared a lot of dumplings in the afternoon, or she wouldn’t have had enough.

“How are they? Do they taste good?” People who were hesitant looked at those who were already eating.

“They’re delicious. The wrappers are thin, the filling is big, and they’re really fresh. They taste much better than the ones from the state-run restaurants.”

People tired of home-cooked meals also joined the line. “It’s just a few pennies, no harm in trying something new once in a while.”

Lin Xiaoyu, holding the strap of her schoolbag, frowned and glanced back at Zhang Tiejun, who was still following her.

She had told him several times that she was going home and for him not to follow her, but he still did.

Fine.

She’d just make it clear to him today.

With that thought, Lin Xiaoyu turned around to face Zhang Tiejun.

When he saw her turn around, Zhang Tiejun was happy. “Are you going to have a drink with me now?”

Lin Xiaoyu shook her head, glanced around, then turned left into an empty alley.

Zhang Tiejun was momentarily stunned but then brightened up.

He put his hands in his pockets and followed her into the alley.

After walking deeper into the alley and making sure no one would see them, Lin Xiaoyu stopped and seriously told Zhang Tiejun, “Zhang Tiejun, I don’t like you, and I’m not going to date you. I just want to focus on my studies. Please stop bothering me.”

Zhang Tiejun’s face changed drastically.

His previously regular features began to twist.

Seeing his face change, Lin Xiaoyu swallowed nervously and turned to leave.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Leaving? Damn, why are you eating my popsicle if you don’t want to date me? Don’t you know that eating my popsicle means you’re mine?” Zhang Tiejun grabbed her arm and forcefully threw her against the wall.

Lin Xiaoyu’s back hit the wall painfully. “You… I’ll pay you back for the popsicle tomorrow, I’ll give you double.”

She moved, but Zhang Tiejun pressed her back against the wall again.

“Let go of me, or I’ll scream,” Lin Xiaoyu said, tears brimming in her eyes. She never expected that a classmate would suddenly become so terrifying.

She hadn’t known that eating a popsicle from a boy meant agreeing to date him. From now on, she would never eat anything given to her by others again.

“Scream then,” Zhang Tiejun said, unafraid. “If you scream, I’ll tear your clothes off and say you’re out here selling yourself, calling me into the alley to seduce me. When I refuse, you’ll try to accuse me of something, ruining your reputation so you can’t even study.”

“There are definitely people outside who saw us enter together,” Zhang Tiejun said with a rogue grin, his tongue pushing against his cheek.

At seventeen, Lin Xiaoyu had never encountered something like this before. She was terrified and started crying, feeling helpless.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have eaten your popsicle, I didn’t know, I really didn’t know, sob sob sob…”

“Sorry isn’t enough. My buddies all know that you, Lin Xiaoyu, are dating me. If you say you’re not, where do I put my face?” Zhang Tiejun patted his face.

“I’m sorry, really sorry, please let me go.” Lin Xiaoyu begged as she cried.

“I’ll let you go, sure,” Zhang Tiejun said, his gaze moving downward. “You undo your buttons, let me take a look, touch a little, and I’ll let you go.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s face turned white, and she quickly crossed her arms to cover her chest, shaking her head desperately.

No, this couldn’t happen. Absolutely not.

“Stop pretending. You’ve been sneaking glances at me all along. You’ve wanted me to touch you for a long time, haven’t you?”

Zhang Tiejun said, pulling Lin Xiaoyu’s arms away from her chest, his face flushed with excitement.

“No, ah, help, no…” Lin Xiaoyu cried out, but Zhang Tiejun covered her mouth.

“Shut up…”

“Bang!”

Before Zhang Tiejun could finish his words, a person who had been running from deep in the alley kicked him away.