Chapter 321: Ying Shuang and Ye Lingqing
"Hello, how many Mo Wu Tuans would you like?" Ye Lingqing looked up at the two girls in front of him, instinctively reciting the line he had already said over a thousand times in the past few days.
These two girls were beautiful… but somehow looked familiar?
That thought flashed briefly through Ye Lingqing's mind before vanishing. He bent over the large vat holding the Mo Wu Tuans, fishing around for a moment — a look of surprise and awkwardness appearing on his face.
"We'll take two," the red-haired girl said softly. In the dim lighting, Ye Lingqing couldn't make out her expression clearly.
"Um…" Ye Lingqing scratched his head apologetically. "Sorry, there's only one left."
Today had been even busier than the previous two days. Ye Lingqing had planned to silently count the number of servings sold as usual, but he'd gotten overwhelmed and lost track. In the end, he gave up on counting entirely.
"One is fine," Fu Ya said, tugging gently on Ying Shuang's hand. "You can have it."
Since Ying Shuang likely wouldn't see this boy again after tonight, Fu Ya wanted to give her the last Mo Wu Tuan.
"No." Ying Shuang's eyes lit up, and she seemed a little more energetic. "You go ahead and eat it, Fu Ya. I'll just keep you company."
What is she plotting now?
Fu Ya frowned slightly but still nodded. "Alright."
As long as Ying Shuang didn't cause any trouble, Fu Ya had already decided to let her have her way tonight.
"Okay, please wait a moment," Ye Lingqing said as he started preparing the last Mo Wu Tuan.
"Ahem." Ying Shuang cleared her throat and projected her voice with spirit power to reach the entire alley. "Everyone, don't wait anymore. The Mo Wu Tuans at this stall are sold out."
As a staff member at Han Shi, many people recognized Ying Shuang. After she spoke, the customers in line glanced over, and quickly and orderly dispersed.
"Thank you," said Ye Lingqing, looking up in surprise. After seeing it was Ying Shuang, a bit of gratitude appeared in his expression.
Her actions reminded him of a Tang Sect disciple named Zhou Long from the first night of the food festival.
This beautiful girl was kind too — just like that big brother.
Ying Shuang had no idea she had just been mentally handed a "nice person" card. Hearing Ye Lingqing's sincere thanks, her cheeks flushed slightly — though the dim lighting concealed it from view.
"N-no problem."
Soon, the Mo Wu Tuan was ready. Ying Shuang pulled Fu Ya to sit at the seat closest to the boy, then, with a gleam in her eye, got back up and leisurely walked toward Ye Lingqing.
Ye Lingqing was tidying up his pots and utensils, getting ready to pack up, when a voice came from the side.
"Hey."
He turned around and saw the red-haired girl — the one he had just silently dubbed a "good person" — smiling brightly under the warm, dim lighting. For a brief moment, the sight stunned Ye Lingqing, making his heart skip half a beat.
"My name is Ying Shuang. My best friend is eating the Mo Wu Tuan you made, and I'm just waiting around… so…"
"Would you mind chatting with me for a while?"
…
"Whew…" Pushing the cart into the downstairs storage room, Ye Lingqing quietly exited and gently closed the door.
It was already very late. The elderly landlady had poor health and was probably already asleep. He had to be careful not to wake her.
After securing the door, he tiptoed back to his room, quickly washed up, and lay down on his bed.
Today alone, he had sold over a thousand Mo Wu Tuans.
On the first day, he had only managed to sell 200. He had used the proceeds from those 200 to buy new ingredients, but because the profit margin was so low, he could only prepare around 250 servings for the next day — and they sold out quickly.
Originally, he hadn't planned to stock much more for the third day either. But just as the second day was ending, a customer named Darn seemed to notice his difficulties and voluntarily lent him a sum of money with no interest at all.
With that money, Ye Lingqing managed to make a full thousand Mo Wu Tuans on the third day. He sold them from afternoon all the way until evening, and they were just enough to sell out.
After repaying the loan to Mr. Darn, Ye Lingqing hurried back to his small room.
Now, he had dozens of gold coins in hand. He was no longer in the desperate state he had been before.
Even in a place like Shrek City, such an amount would equal several months' income for many families.
It was time to start thinking about what came next.
Sitting up in bed, Ye Lingqing opened the drawer of the small table beside him, pulled out some letter paper, lit a slightly dim lamp, and began to write seriously.
"To Grandpa Village Chief,
The three-day food festival has ended. Many people expressed their love for our Mo Wu Tuan, and there was even someone named—"
Ye Lingqing paused for a moment, recalling the short, chubby yet exceptionally talkative man. A smile appeared on his face.
That man had seemed so confident, surely he would follow through on what he said?
No harm in letting Grandpa Village Chief know in advance, right?
Continuing with his pen:
"—Mr. Pan Kong, the owner of the Pan Trading Company. Yes, that Pan Trading Company in Nuoding City. I only found out after arriving here that they actually have branches all over the continent!
Mr. Pan Kong loved our Mo Wu Tuan. He said he would personally come to our village to talk with you about selling Mo Wu Tuans across the continent. If that really happens, then I'd consider my dream fulfilled.
Since arriving in Shrek City, I've realized how hard it truly is to place in the top ten, no wonder you weren't too optimistic about it back then. But thanks to Mr. Pan Kong's help, our Mo Wu Tuan might still find its way to many places, and the uncles and aunties back in the village could earn some decent income from it too.
I've enclosed twenty gold coins with this letter, a portion of what I've earned recently. You've looked after me so much ever since Father and Mother passed… You're the closest family I have now. Please keep the money. Don't worry about me, I'm doing well.
I probably won't be coming back just yet. There are many food lovers here in Shrek City who enjoy the Mo Wu Tuan, so I might keep the business going. Also—"
Ye Lingqing's eyes shimmered with hope and nervous anticipation.
He wondered if the idea he had could ever become reality…
"—I have another plan in mind. Since I'm not sure if it will succeed, I won't say too much just yet. If it works out, I'll tell you about it in my next letter."
After signing the letter, Ye Lingqing carefully folded the paper and placed it into an envelope from the drawer.
He'd mail the letter first thing in the morning.
A quiet smile came to his face.
Lying back down, he closed his eyes. But unexpectedly, a red-haired silhouette floated into his mind.
That girl, Ying Shuang, was the same age as him.
But she was so impressive, she's a student of Shrek Academy, no less. Unlike him, whose martial spirit was just an ordinary rolling pin, with no innate spirit power and no way to cultivate.
He'd heard that Han Shi had a dish that could awaken innate spirit power, a dish that is priced at a thousand gold coins.
It was far too expensive… Out of reach for someone like him. Oh well, not having spirit power wasn't so bad either.
Still… she worked at Han Shi.
Wouldn't it be nice if he could work there too?
By the way… what was she doing right now?
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