Chapter 5

The woman’s figure was graceful. She was clearly slim, yet her body had curves in all the right places. Beneath her delicate collarbones was a soft, full swell of feminine charm.

Lower down was a slender waist—by the look of it, he could probably wrap one hand around it. Her long legs were straight and slender, her proportions close to perfect.

Wen Lin suddenly felt a wave of heat. His throat tightened, and the tips of his ears, hidden in the darkness, turned red.

“What are you staring at? Turn around!”

Mu Wanwan, realizing what had just happened, was overwhelmed with embarrassment and anger. She snapped at him.

Only then did Wen Lin realize how rude he had been. He quickly turned his back and gave a few awkward coughs.

“Well, are you hurt anywhere?”

Mu Wanwan gritted her teeth as she stood up. How unlucky could she be? Not only had she taken a fall, she had also been completely seen by this infuriating man!

Argh!

She ignored Wen Lin altogether, limping as she carried the wooden bucket into the bathroom.

Fortunately, not all the water in the bucket had spilled. She had only bruised her knee; otherwise, her plans to sell marinated goods the next day would have been ruined.

Mu Wanwan hurriedly rinsed her hair and body, then put on clean clothes before coming out of the bathroom.

Wen Lin was still sitting on the sofa in the living room and hadn’t left. The moment he saw her, the calm he had just managed to regain evaporated, and his face felt hot again.

Feigning composure, he said, “This is medicinal oil. It works pretty well. If you got hurt from the fall, rub some on—it’ll heal faster.”

Mu Wanwan glanced at the bottle of oil on the table. She didn’t reject his kindness and carried it with her into the guest room.

Wen Lin watched her slender figure retreating. He couldn’t help tugging at his collar. Why did he suddenly feel so warm?

It must be because of the power outage.

He rushed into the bathroom and stood under a stream of cold water.

——

The next morning, when Mu Wanwan woke up, Wen Lin was already gone. She didn’t concern herself with where he had gone. After a simple breakfast, she took her marinated goods and headed out.

Beijing was relatively bustling, with several state-owned restaurants and only a handful of private ones.

Although policies had loosened, some things were still not openly acknowledged. At this time, those bold enough to run a private restaurant were almost always backed by strong connections.

At first, Mu Wanwan had thought about trying her luck at a state-owned restaurant. But the service attitudes there were poor.

The moment they learned she wasn’t there to eat but to sell, their faces turned cold, and she was promptly thrown out.

Slightly helpless, she headed instead to a privately run restaurant nearby.

The place was fairly large and located in a busy area. Above the door hung three bright red characters: “Ke Lai Ju.”

Inside the hall, the receptionist was a clean-cut young man. Seeing her, he smiled and asked, “What would you like to eat? Everything on the menu can be prepared here.”

The service was polite, and Mu Wanwan noticed the place was tidy. The menu was extensive too—but oddly, there wasn’t a single customer inside.

“I’m not here to eat. Is your boss around? I’d like to discuss a business deal with him.”

The young man froze, automatically giving her a once-over.

“You’re here for business? You’re not joking, are you?”

It wasn’t that he looked down on her. It was just that she seemed very young. Though undeniably pretty, her clothes were plain and ordinary. She hardly looked like a business owner.

Mu Wanwan nodded. “I’m not joking. Please, could you call your boss?”

She was from the south. Her soft, lilting accent carried the charm unique to southern women. Combined with her looks, it made the young man blush. Willingly, he went to fetch the owner.

After a short wait, the young man returned with a very young man in tow.

“You’re the one who wants to talk business?”

The young man looked puzzled. His attire was refined. At a time when most people struggled for basic clothing, he was dressed in a neat suit.

His hair was parted to one side, showing his forehead. His features weren’t delicate, but they were well-defined. The gold-rimmed glasses on his face lent him a scholarly air.

At a glance, Mu Wanwan could tell this man came from a powerful family. But she showed no fear.

In her past life, she might have shrunk back. But now, having lived a second time, she knew earning her own money was nothing to be ashamed of.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve prepared some marinated goods and wondered if you might be interested in buying them. They’re made with my own secret recipe. I guarantee once you try them, you’ll want more.”

As she spoke, she pulled a sizable jar from the basket on her back. The moment she lifted the lid, a rich, savory aroma filled the air.

After sitting overnight, the flavors had fully soaked in, and the food looked especially appetizing.

The young man froze, then unconsciously swallowed.

The receptionist reacted the same way.

Pleased with their response, Mu Wanwan suggested, “Why don’t you try a taste?”

The young man nodded.

A few pieces were served out. As soon as the two men bit in, their eyes widened.

At the time, some people did make marinated dishes at home, but usually it was just meat salted or soaked in soy sauce. The result was edible but nothing special.

Mu Wanwan’s marinade, however, used her own carefully crafted spice blend. The flavor was sweet and spicy, mouthwatering and addictive.

For this, she owed her skills to all the effort she had poured into cooking for Wen Lin in her previous life. Without that, she wouldn’t have mastered such culinary talent.

“These marinated dishes are excellent! Allow me to introduce myself—I’m Ju Boran. I’ll take all of what you’ve brought. How do you plan to sell them?”

Ju Boran had only taken one bite but already knew this was a worthwhile venture. If these dishes were sold in his restaurant, they would surely be popular.

“Boss Ju, my name is Mu Wanwan. I sell my marinated goods for 1.2 yuan a jin. If your restaurant wants to buy, I can deliver twenty jin every day.”

Mu Wanwan had already calculated the price. Pork was currently about 0.8 yuan per jin, and offal was even cheaper. Factoring in spices, she could still make a profit of about 0.5 yuan per jin.

At twenty jin a day, that meant a profit of ten yuan.

What did that mean? At the time, a factory worker’s monthly wage was only forty to fifty yuan. In just a few days, she could earn the same.

Ju Boran thought it over and found the price reasonable. Without bargaining, he bought all the marinated goods she had brought.

Since she was only testing the waters that day, she hadn’t made much—only about five jin. Ju Boran paid her six yuan.

Mu Wanwan happily accepted it. This was her very first pot of gold.

After agreeing on a delivery time for the next day, Mu Wanwan left. She headed in the direction of the department store.