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Sun Ergou had just had an unpleasant encounter with Sun Zhuzi’s cousin.
The intense glare from Sun Zhuzi’s cousin moments ago made it clear that he harbored ill feelings towards Sun Ergou.
However, now he was nonchalantly serving him buns and scooping tofu pudding…
It was evident that this was all to save face for Sun Zhuzi.
If Sun Ergou refused to eat now, it would seem spineless, but giving in would mean betraying his principles and letting down a good friend.
After much contemplation, Sun Ergou finally sat down, picking up a pan-fried bun with his chopsticks and eating slowly. When Zhang Dabao brought over the tofu pudding, he also partook.
Despite the bustling crowd, Zhang Dabao occasionally glanced in their direction.
Seizing a moment, he took out two coins from his pocket. “Zhuzi, could you do me a favor?”
“What’s the favor?”
“Over by the theater, there’s a vendor selling soy sauce and vinegar. Could you buy me a bowl of soy sauce? I urgently need it.” Zhang Dabao handed the bowl to Sun Zhuzi.
“Sure, I’ll go right away.” Sun Zhuzi took the money and the bowl, instructing Sun Ergou, “You eat first, I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright, take your time,” Sun Ergou replied.
As Sun Zhuzi walked away, finishing up with the current customers, he approached Sun Ergou with a smug expression, coldly laughing before promptly overturning the plate of pan-fried buns and the bowl of tofu pudding in front of Sun Ergou.
The plate shattered on the ground, and the remaining four untouched pan-fried buns rolled everywhere. The tofu pudding spilled all over Sun Ergou, from his chest to his pants, creating a messy sight.
It was evident that this person had malicious intentions all along!
Sun Ergou clenched his fists, his gaze piercing like a knife as he glared fiercely at Zhang Dabao.
“What, got a problem?” Zhang Dabao initially shot Sun Ergou a stern look, chuckling, then feigned surprise, “Oh, this child, I kindly brought you pan-fried buns and tofu pudding, and you’re unhappy with them? Did you have to go and ruin them like this?”
“Even if you’re unhappy with me, you shouldn’t mistreat food like this. I treated you kindly despite our earlier disagreement, trying to make amends. Are you still holding a grudge against me?” Zhang Dabao’s tone shifted, expressing faux concern. “I work hard all day and barely earn a few coins. With your actions, I’ve lost several coins—heartbreaking, really…”
Witnessing this scene, the diners at the stall began casting disapproving glances towards Sun Ergou.
While Zhang Dabao was at fault initially, he had still served Sun Ergou more food. Yet, Sun Ergou’s reaction of overturning the table was quite uncalled for.
One cannot hold onto someone’s mistake forever, especially when it involves wastage of food, something even the heavens frown upon.
“Isn’t this kid from Sun Village? Seems familiar.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard he’s always up to no good, doing shady things all the time.”
“No wonder. You can tell by his attitude. Can’t expect anything good from him.”
“Tsk tsk…”
Zhang Dabao, reveling in his triumph, used his bulky frame to block Sun Ergou in the corner. He leaned in menacingly and whispered, “Look at you. Your family probably doesn’t even feed you properly. Sun Zhuzi pities you, that’s why he brought you here to mooch off me, right?”
“If it weren’t for me feeding you now, you’d probably go hungry. Fine, I can’t stand by and watch others suffer. Get on the ground and pick up those fallen buns with your mouth. Then I’ll give you another plate of buns, a bowl of tofu pudding to fill you up. How about that?”
“If you refuse, I’ll drag you to the village head of Sun Village, accusing you of stealing my buns and causing a scene at my stall. Let’s see how you handle that!”
As Sun Ergou’s anger flared, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes burning with fury. He wanted to strike out at Zhang Dabao, but the thought of Sun Zhuzi’s cousin stopped him.
Despite his frustration, his eyes blazed with anger.
Seeing this, Zhang Dabao felt a sense of power, taunting Sun Ergou further, “You coward. You think I can’t deal with you? You’re just a good-for-nothing mutt…”
Observing this spectacle, both Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun frowned in unison.
While Sun Ergou’s behavior was already off-putting due to his past actions, Zhang Dabao’s deceitful and vile behavior only added to the repulsion.
“This stall owner is truly despicable,” Song Jingyun remarked, looking at the uneaten pan-fried buns and tofu pudding in front of him. “I can’t eat this…”
The sight of Zhang Dabao’s smug face and behavior was nauseating.
“What’s wrong with these pan-fried buns? Why is there such a long pig hair in it? Disgusting!” a woman with a child called out, holding up her pan-fried bun for everyone to see. “This is inedible!”
“And why is there a fly floating in this tofu pudding? How can we eat this?” another middle-aged man exclaimed, jumping up. “Thank goodness we noticed in time, or that fly might have ended up in someone’s mouth. Hey, hey, stall owner, come over and see what you’re going to do about this?”
With complaints about pig hair in the buns and flies in the tofu pudding, the diners lost their appetite and began to voice their discontent.
Caught off guard by the situation, Zhang Dabao hurried over to address the complaints. Ignoring Sun Ergou for the moment, he apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s the heat, these things happen…”
“It’s not just a matter of chance; no one else finds these things in their food. It’s because your place is dirty. If anyone gets sick from this, mark my words, you won’t get away with it.”
“Exactly, if someone falls ill, how will you compensate?”
“Look at those small black spots on the bun’s crust. It’s clear that dirt got into the dough during the preparation. Your apron is filthy too, so the food must be unclean.”
“Let’s go, we’re not eating this anymore…”
The diners, who were previously enjoying their meals, now felt nauseated, pushing away their bowls and dropping their chopsticks, ready to leave.
“Hey, hey, you can’t leave,” Zhang Dabao hurriedly tried to stop them. “You haven’t paid yet!”
“Pay? After making us sick like this, you still want money?” someone shouted.