Chapter 17: The First Day of the Breakfast Stall

As the first wave of customers finished eating, more people began arriving for work and school, and the tables and chairs set up at the academy entrance were filled with people.

Later, those waiting in line saw there were no available seats and didn’t mind; they simply sat down on the curb beside the road and began eating.

“Xu Nuo, it’s so good to have you here! I’m never going to go hungry in the mornings again!” Someone among the students exclaimed, and many nodded in agreement.

Holding a spoon, Xu Nuo said, “Everyone, rest assured! If my husband studies here for a day, I’ll have this little stall open for a day. I also ask everyone to come and support my business!”

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, a disdainful voice interrupted, “Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants have lived by their roles. I didn’t expect the Shangguan family to so willingly fall into this degrading business! It’s fine here, but what if you go out later? Isn’t that just embarrassing for our academy?”

Without needing to guess, Xu Nuo knew it was that annoying son of the county magistrate again. She suspected he had some kind of fixation on Shangguan, which was why he always had something against her. Aside from his sharp tongue, she couldn’t think of any redeeming qualities he had.

This time, the people in line couldn’t hold back. “Who are you, buddy? If you want to buy something to eat, just wait in line. If you’re not buying, don’t cause trouble! We need to hurry and get to work!”

“What kind of nonsense is this? I see he’s just jealous!”

“This guy must be brain dead from studying! If you’re not stealing or committing crimes, how’s that degrading? Disrupting everyone is the real disgrace!”

“Hah! Embarrassed? Who would feel embarrassed? We feel proud! The last time I went home, I told them we sell marinated dishes and cold platter here, and the folks from the neighboring county were all envious! They kept asking me where it is so they could come and buy some!”

If Xu Nuo didn’t need to focus on selling, she would have loved to drop everything, clap her hands, and cheer! Today she witnessed how people in ancient times argued—no foul language, just logical and cutting remarks that left the other party speechless.

“You… you ignorant fools, you are truly foolish!” Wang Zijie was furious, his chest hurting from anger. He placed a hand over his heart and pointed at Xu Nuo’s stall, starting to insult, “Just wait, I’ll go back and tell my father to shut down your stall!”

Upon hearing the term “shut down,” the crowd—who had been actively discussing—fell silent, exchanging glances. In these times, everyone feared the government; the idea of commoners battling officials was an age-old phenomenon.

At this moment, Shangguan had a particularly grim expression, emanating a cold aura as he fixed a sharp gaze on Wang Zijie. “Brother Wang, are you planning to abuse your power?”

The stall fell silent, and Wang Zijie was intimidated by Shangguan’s imposing presence. The fierce gaze felt as if it could strip him bare; he was certain even his father, the county magistrate, lacked such formidable authority.

“Since the establishment of our dynasty, there hasn’t been any law stating that academy students’ families cannot run a business. I’d like to know which law the esteemed son of the county magistrate intends to use to shut down my stall!” Xu Nuo was genuinely angry this time. She could tolerate a lot, but she absolutely could not permit someone to cut off her means of livelihood.

Customers in line nodded in agreement, and a few students quietly discussed, remarking how Shangguan and his wife’s aura was increasingly alike.

Wang Zijie didn’t expect that his good intentions would be met with such disdain by Shangguan. It felt like a waste of his sincerity. He believed Shangguan was the only one who could match him in intellect at the academy, but since this woman appeared, Shangguan seemed like a completely different person—turning from an ice glacier into a warm-hearted man. It was maddening; what kind of degrading situation was this? How could he expect to achieve success later?

“Humph! You truly don’t know what’s good for you!” With that, he angrily flicked his sleeves and prepared to leave.

“Stop! Who said you could leave?” Xu Nuo shouted at the furious Wang Zijie.

Xu Nuo intentionally filled a bowl of wontons and handed it to Wang Zijie. He thought that Xu Nuo, the loudmouth, was about to berate him again, but to his surprise, she was giving him food.

Wang Zijie was momentarily at a loss, pointing at Xu Nuo and stammering, “You… what are you trying to do?”

Xu Nuo shot him a glance and shoved the bowl into his arms. “Don’t worry; it’s not poisonous. It won’t kill you!”

“What… what… who wants to eat your crappy food, I…” Before he could finish his sentence, Shangguan had already placed chopsticks in Wang Zijie’s hands.

“Eat!”

Shangguan Ziqian’s single word held tremendous authority, compelling Wang Zijie to stuff his mouth. The wonton skin was thin, and the juicy filling burst in his mouth. After sipping the soup, the delightful taste of shrimp filled his senses. Before he knew it, he had finished the entire bowl of wontons and soup.

“Burp! Burp!” Wang Zijie hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, but the more he covered it, the stronger the hiccups became.

The surrounding crowd erupted in laughter, “Hahahahahaha!” Someone even held their stomach and pointed at Wang Zijie.

“Big Young Master Wang looks like you’ve eaten too much! Hahahaha!”

It was unclear who among the bold crowd started poking fun at Wang Zijie!

No matter how thick-skinned Wang Zijie was, he was now so embarrassed that his face turned crimson. “Shut up, hic!”

Even Shangguan and Xu Nuo couldn’t help but laugh. The current Wang Zijie bore no resemblance to the previous arrogant and overbearing image; he now resembled a shy young lady, making it hard for anyone not to want to poke fun at him.

Xu Nuo strained to hold back her grin, “I wonder, Big Young Master Wang, whether this bowl of wontons suits your taste?”

Wang Zijie, realizing his current state, found it hard to say anything ingratiating; he stammered, “It’s… it’s okay!”

With that, he dejectedly took his few attendants and scurried into the academy.

Xu Nuo’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she turned to Shangguan and said, “Looks like we’re going to have another customer in the future!”

Shangguan finally saw that his wife had an open mind. It affirmed what the teachers had said: if she had been a man, she would undoubtedly shine in the court, perhaps even outperform him.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the queue in front of the breakfast stall began to dwindle. After all the bamboo rice, wontons, and soy milk were sold out, Xu Nuo began to tidy up, while Wang Shi returned home to prepare cold dishes and braised meat for lunch. She was now quite skilled and capable of managing everything on her own.

After half an hour of cleanup, Xu Nuo looked at the box filled with hefty silver coins, feeling increasingly assured. No matter where Shangguan ended up, she believed that if she had this skill, they would live well no matter where they went!