Chapter 64 : Gimmick

The things at the stall had already been packed up. Once the tables and chairs were stored away, they could head home. The sun was about to set, they couldn’t afford any more delays.

“Mom, Third Brother, let’s go home first. It’ll be dark soon. If there’s anything to talk about, we can discuss it at home.”

Xiao Yi nodded silently. After what had happened, he looked exhausted and haggard, his eyes bloodshot.

Xiao Hechuan may not have fully understood the complexities of the situation or the rights and wrongs, but he could clearly feel that his third brother and mother were shrouded in a deep sadness, so he too felt down, his lips pouting slightly.

This third sister-in-law was really too annoying, she always made everyone upset.

When they returned home, Zhou and Xiao Lanlan had already prepared dinner. They greeted the others cheerfully, but as soon as they saw the solemn expressions on everyone’s faces, their smiles froze.

“What happened? Did something go wrong at the stall?” Xiao Lanlan asked with a sinking feeling.

Without saying a word, Xiao Yi went straight to his room. Today, he didn’t even care about his beloved ox, nor did he want to eat.

Mother Xiao sighed several times and waved her hand, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

In the end, it was Jiang Sui who explained everything to Xiao Lanlan and Zhou. Zhou covered her mouth in shock, and Xiao Lanlan was completely stunned.

She had always known Liu to be reckless, but she didn’t expect her to be this thoughtless. Was she mentally unstable? Who climbs a mountain when over five months pregnant? Did she deserve the love and care Third Brother had given her?

“This Liu woman is really ungrateful. Our family never treated her badly, yet she repaid us like this.” Xiao Lanlan was furious, she felt sorry for her third brother and for her unborn nephew.

Zhou didn’t comment, but she hadn’t liked Liu either. Liu used to boss her around at home, playing the pregnancy card. Zhou resented her, but the child had been innocent.

What a shame. She didn’t even take seriously the child she had begged for and ended up destroying it.

All one could say was: she brought this on herself.

“Alright, what’s the use of talking about it now?” Mother Xiao interrupted. “We have to write a letter to your father and ask him to come back to confront the Liu family. This kind of thing can’t be hidden from him. Your third brother is heartbroken, he probably won’t be in the mood to go out with us these next couple of days. Tomorrow, Lanlan, you’ll go out with us again. No matter what’s happened, we can’t let our work fall behind. Yuemei, you stay and take care of the house. Don’t worry about making vermicelli, there’s enough for now. Just look after the home and Goudan.”

Mother Xiao was the pillar of the household. She was responsible and wouldn’t let Liu’s incident disrupt the entire family’s business. She had already planned things out on the way home.

Yuemei was Zhou’s maiden name.

“Mom, why do you say things like that?” Zhou responded. “This is my home too. If something happened here, of course I’ll help however I can. Don’t treat me like an outsider.”

Zhou was truly a good person, and Mother Xiao had no complaints about her daughter-in-law.

Zhou treated Goudan, her nephew, very well. Goudan had lost his mother at birth, and Zhou had no children of her own, so she poured all her love into him, making his clothes, sewing his socks, and more.

Later, Mother Xiao took the yellow paper and incense she had bought, went to the backyard, and burned them for the unborn child.

Xiao Yi heard the sound and followed her outside. The whole family joined in burning the paper, and Mother Xiao said a few words to mourn the child.

She asked Xiao Yi to write a letter explaining everything, so she could take it to town the next day and send it to Xiao’s father.

The next morning, as planned, Xiao Lanlan went with them to the stall. She had assumed Xiao Yi wouldn’t go, but to her surprise, he got up right on time.

Judging by his eyes, he probably hadn’t slept all night. Mother Xiao’s heart ached when she saw him and gently told him to rest.

“Child, if you’re feeling bad, go lie down. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yi gave a bitter smile: “Mom, I’m fine. Our ox listens to me. I’ll take you to town and send the letter to Dad. Lanlan, you can stay home.”

He was a grown man, he couldn’t allow himself to fall apart so easily.

Since Xiao Yi insisted, Mother Xiao didn’t push him and let him go.

When they arrived in town to set up the stall, Xiao Yi went to find a courier to send the letter. It would take several days for Father Xiao to return after receiving it and making the journey back.

Meanwhile, Jiang Sui noticed He’s noodle stall. To her surprise, Boss He had copied her marketing methods and even tried to replicate her hot and sour noodles.

He had also added a meat dish and made the noodles spicy and tangy. Because of the novelty, he attracted quite a few customers early in the morning. His meat noodles were only five coins a bowl.

Jiang Sui’s brows furrowed. She said a quick word to Mother Xiao and walked over to He Ji’s noodle stall to try the so-called hot and sour noodles.

When Boss He saw her approaching, he sneered: “Well, if it isn’t Boss Xiao’s daughter-in-law. What brings you to our humble stall?”

Boss He was truly shameless , openly copying others without a hint of embarrassment.

Mrs. He, however, reacted more naturally. She knew full well they had copied the recipe, so when she saw Jiang Sui, she looked a little guilty.

“What’s wrong? You don’t welcome customers?”

Boss He, knowing exactly why she was there, curled his lip and said, “So what if I copied it? Are you allowed to make hot and sour dishes, but I’m not?”

“Of course you can. I’ll serve you a bowl right away.”

The stall had just opened and there were already customers waiting for noodles. Jiang Sui had to wait a while before it was her turn. In the meantime, several customers had started eating, and she quietly observed their expressions.

She noticed that after just a few bites, most of them frowned, as if something was off.

Boss He finally placed a bowl of noodles in front of her with a terrible attitude. Some soup even splashed out onto the table, but Jiang Sui didn’t react. She simply took out her own handkerchief and carefully wiped a pair of chopsticks before picking them up. This action made Boss He scoff.

He thought to himself, ‘What’s with this silly girl and all the dramatics?’

But after Jiang Sui took her first bite, she felt reassured.

Boss He had only grasped the surface of making hot and sour noodles, he hadn’t learned the soul of it.

The minced meat hadn’t been stir-fried on high heat or with any spices. The broth hadn’t simmered long enough, was too watered down, and lacked aroma. The chili oil also had no real flavor. Compared to her own hot and sour rice noodles, this was nothing to worry about.

Feeling at ease, Jiang Sui ate only two bites, placed five coins on the table, and stood up to leave.

Boss He stared at the barely-touched bowl of noodles on the table and thought of the confident smile Jiang Sui gave him as she walked away. He clenched his fists in frustration.

But this was just the beginning.

Customers at his stall began to complain: “Boss, your hot and sour noodles taste weird. They’re really not good.”

Most of them stopped eating after a few bites.

Boss He, lacking both insight and humility, simply thought: ‘I’m making money off the hype anyway. They have to pay whether they like it or not.’ He didn’t care if the noodles tasted good or not.