Chapter 18: Another Day of Slapping Faces

After a busy morning, Xu Nuo took a break and resumed setting up her stall for lunch, having only paused for less than an hour. She patted her legs, sighed in resignation, and stood up to dive into the next round of business.

The lunch offerings were different from breakfast; there was no need for the boiler or bowls and chopsticks, which eased the workload for both Wang Shi and Xu Nuo. Although they had been selling these dishes for several days, the flow of customers was not as strong as during the first two days, yet there was still a long line.

Among today’s customers were many new faces, including familiar ones who had bought breakfast in the morning along with new patrons arriving, clearly starting to pull in more people!

“Girl, your cooking is fantastic!” One auntie praised, giving Xu Nuo a thumbs up.

Xu Nuo smiled at the kind-faced auntie, “Auntie, please do come back for more in the future! I’ll have new dishes coming soon!”

Hearing that there would be more new dishes in the future delighted the auntie, her wrinkles deepening with a smile. “Girl, how about you go to our neighboring county for a few days? There are far more people there than here, I’m sure you’d earn even more!” To assure Xu Nuo, she even called over fellow townsfolk behind her to share.

Having witnessed modern HR practices of recruiting, it was a first for Xu Nuo to see customers come personally to scout talent, which felt quite novel.

“Hey! I say, why does this auntie look so unfamiliar? So, you’re from the neighboring county!” someone exclaimed.

“Tsk tsk tsk, but you’ve miscalculated! Our stall’s owner is the student of this academy; there’s no way she would go with you to the other side!”

The auntie began to understand the surrounding chatter, reading the disappointment in her eyes, but quickly shook it off as if nothing had happened, and even asked for three more portions on top of the previous three.

“Auntie, are you sure you want so much food? It might go to waste if you can’t finish it,” Xu Nuo said, expressing her gratitude for the support towards her little stall but also reminding them not to waste.

With a flourish of her arm, the auntie replied, “No problem, girl! I’m getting all this for others who will pay me a small fee for running errands. Just pack it up; I’ve got more than enough money.”

Hearing “running errands,” Xu Nuo’s eyes lit up. Wow, the concept of delivery has existed since ancient times! She was quite interested in asking how much she could earn per delivery, curious about possible side hustles in the future.

While this was just a minor episode, Xu Nuo was more surprised to see the two attendants of Wang Zijie from this morning in line. They seemed to be trying to hide from her, keeping their heads down and not interacting with anyone. They looked quite out of place in the crowd.

“Mother, look quickly!” Xu Nuo nudged Wang Shi, who was packing the orders. Wang Shi glanced up and recognized the two attendants. She had missed the earlier drama and was intrigued to witness a follow-up at lunch!

As the attendants approached, Xu Nuo deliberately cleared her throat and said, “I wonder what Young Master Wang would like for lunch today?”

“Just a portion of each… wait…” The attendant noticed he had almost slipped up and looked up in shock. “How did you recognize us?!”

Xu Nuo held back her laughter, “Oh, that’s easy for me.” She then passed the packed food to the attendants, who walked back with their heads unusually lowered, likely to face a stern talking-to once they returned.

The attendant recalled how his master’s sharp tongue could rival Xu Nuo’s; knowing he’d hear nothing good once he got home, he figured he should quietly slip away.

Upon arriving in the dining room, Wang Zijie prepared for his attendants to sneak food into the rice boxes to hide the fact they had frequented Xu Nuo’s stall. Unfortunately, other people in the dining hall started making a fuss as soon as they saw him: “Wang brother, you’ve got to taste this food today. It’s better than anything in the big restaurants! I’m so envious you got an extra portion from Xu Nuo!”

Wang Zijie’s chubby face flushed red with embarrassment as he glared fiercely at his attendants, feeling like he was losing face. The attendants dared not speak, knowing that what they brought back was a hot potato.

Just then, Shangguan walked into the dining room and realized the scene unfolding before him. “Wang brother, you need to taste it. If you like it, be sure to come back for more next time!” He pulled away Zhang Yan, who was ready to enjoy the spectacle.

Zhang Yan was always one for a good show, about to throw in some teasing remarks when he realized he was being dragged away. “Hey! Shangguan Ziqian, you’re getting more outrageous! You’re pushing it now!”

Shangguan shot a sideways glance at Zhang Yan, retorting, “You should be afraid of overindulging!”

After the teasing died down and everyone left, the attendant cautiously stepped closer, offering the food container. “Master, do you still want this?”

“Of course I want it! I paid for it, why wouldn’t I want it?” Wang Zijie exclaimed, snatching the food container from the attendant’s hands and starting to eat at the table.

While the wontons Wang Zijie had in the morning felt warm, this lunch had a delightful tang that opened his appetite, making him want to have two more bowls of rice. It was strange; he usually had no desire for food and had never indulged like today. Xu Nuo must have genuine skills, no wonder he was being criticized by a crowd!

Wang Zijie ate with increasing delight, grinning, “Starting tomorrow, you two need to queue up for both breakfast and lunch. Remember to buy double portions each time!”

The speed at which his mood changed baffled the attendants, who wished to inquire why but held back, not wanting to disrupt their master’s good spirit, figuring it best to avoid guessing his intentions.

In the academy that day, Shangguan had become engrossed in discussions with his mentors about an article, which delayed his return home. When he finally arrived, it was dark outside, and he found Xu Nuo and Wang Shi still busy preparing ingredients for tomorrow’s meals in the yard.

Upon hearing the door open, Xu Nuo looked up abruptly and, seeing Shangguan, her previously expressionless face broke into a radiant smile, and she dashed towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and squealing.

“Ahhhh! Do you know how much we made today?!”

Before Shangguan could respond, Xu Nuo chimed in, “A total of three taels of silver!”

Shangguan wasn’t focused on the numbers; his gaze was fixed on Xu Nuo, who was hugging him. His eyes were filled with tenderness, if only his wife could greet him like this every day!

Xu Nuo was ecstatic, babbling away about her dreams of earning a hundred taels a month, while Shangguan understood that all he needed to do at that moment was listen quietly!