“Four pan-fried buns and two scoops of fruit drink,” Lin Dongshan said, pulling out twelve wen.

“One scoop of fruit drink will suffice,” Gu Tangjin replied, scooping out the last remaining portion for Lin Dongshan.

Truthfully, there was still a bit more than one scoop left, but since Lin Dongshan was a regular customer, such details didn’t matter.

Holding the wen returned to him, Lin Dongshan asked in puzzlement, “Why did the fruit drink sell out so quickly today?”

He’d only slept in a little longer than usual.

“We’re almost out of sugar for the fruit drink. We’ll stop selling it in two days. Everyone wants to stock up, so it sold out extra fast today,” Ji Rongxia said, handing him a plate of Pan-fried buns.

“Huh? Not selling anymore? Then I’ll have to come earlier tomorrow.” Lin Dongshan said regretfully. Still, the ingredients in this fruit drink were top-notch—he could taste it. Having enjoyed it for so long, he felt he’d gotten his money’s worth!

Hearing his words, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin treated this regular customer even better.

Many people felt that Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin were in the wrong for discontinuing the fruit drink.

These folks found it harder to swallow missing out on a bargain than actually suffering a loss, though there were exceptions like Lin Dongshan.

After taking his fruit drink and pan-fried buns, Lin Dongshan lowered his head and went to the noodle shop next door to order a bowl of plain noodles.

Guan Hongchi’s noodle-rolling skills were truly exceptional. As Lin Dongshan ate, he grew fond of them, and these past few days, he’d come every time to order a bowl of plain noodles.

“Here you go, your plain noodles.” Guan Xiaomei placed the bowl steadily before Lin Dongshan.

He picked up his chopsticks, first taking a bite of the pan-fried buns, then a mouthful of noodles.

That’s the taste!

This satisfying breakfast sustained him through each day. Without it, he’d lack the energy to work.

He slurped up the noodles, took another bite of the Pan-fried buns, and finished with a sip of fruit drink. Bliss washed over him, making his eyes squint shut.

“So good. Too bad I won’t be able to have this anymore.” Lin Dongshan couldn’t help but sigh. Still, even a rough-and-tumble guy like him could tell the sugar in this fruit drink was top-notch. No wonder they didn’t want to sell it anymore.

The middle-aged man sitting at the same table chimed in, ”You’re right. Thank goodness they still sell these pan-fried buns. I wonder how long they’ll keep them. I really miss those chive cakes.”

Chive pancakes!

Lin Dongshan found himself craving that flavor too, though he knew it was gone for good.

“Hey, old buddy, you come here for meals too? I used to see you around all the time. Tomorrow I’m planning to come early and stock up on fruit drinks.” With rain expected, dock work would likely slow down today, giving Lin Dongshan time to chat with the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man chuckled. “That won’t work. These days, each person can only buy four scoops of fruit drink. Even when Mr. Chai tried to buy more, the Xiucai turned him down.”

“Really? That’s a good thing. Everyone gets to drink some. Hmm, Bro, looking at you like that, is there something else going on here?” Lin Dongshan took another bite of noodles. Seeing the middle-aged man’s enigmatic expression, he lowered his voice curiously.

“Well, did you know they’ve started selling pan-fried buns over there, too?” The middle-aged man perked up at Lin Dongshan’s question, leaning closer to whisper back.

“I know. I heard them hawking it on my way here. The moment I caught that smell, I knew something was off.” Lin Dongshan grew even more curious. “What does that have to do with fruit drinks?”

“That guy surnamed Chai bought the Liang family’s pan-fried buns, then went to Xia-ger’s place to buy fruit drinks. Xia-ger said they’ll stop selling their fruit drinks in a couple of days. The sugar they use for making fruit drinks comes from the city! He wanted to buy more than his share, but the Xiucai said each person could only buy four scoops of fruit drink.“

”How do you know all this?“ Lin Dongshan was a bit skeptical. It sounded so detailed, he wondered if it was just made up.

”Hey, hey, hey! Don’t doubt it—Chai Fulang himself said it! He claimed the Xiucai and Xia-ger treated him like that just because they saw him buying Liang family pan-fried buns. He called them stingy, you know. And he raved about how incredibly delicious the Liang family buns were—oh my, he made them sound like heavenly meat!” The middle-aged man waved his hands emphatically.

Lin Dongshan slurped his noodles as he listened, then asked, “Has anyone actually tasted those Pan-fried buns? What do they taste like?”

Though he didn’t think they smelled good, he had no idea what the actual flavor was.

“No idea,” the middle-aged man shook his head.

Most of the folks who came for breakfast noodles were well-off. Even if they were near the noodle shop, they’d buy their pan-fried buns from the stall next door.

Lin Dongshan found himself genuinely curious about the taste of those pan-fried buns. But it was just a fleeting curiosity; soon, he was fully immersed in his own delicious breakfast.

After eating his fill, Lin Dongshan braved the drizzle and headed out of the city.

Before he even reached the entrance of Wuqu Alley, he heard the lively clamor of an argument.

“Your Pan-fried buns are full of cabbage stalks that scrape my teeth! There’s barely enough meat to fill a tooth gap, and you dare sell them for one wen each! One wen can buy half a coarse wheat bun!”

“Our pan-fried buns are made with oil, flour, and meat! Charging you a single wen is our honest business practice. Who returns something they’ve already eaten for a refund? I gave you clean food. You’ve been walking around with it—who knows what filth you’ve picked up? I can’t take it back!”

“My son only took one bite! The rest is untouched! You’re the one who’s dirty! Now! Give me my money back!”

Lin Dongshan secretly slowed his pace, craning his neck to peer into the crowd. It was already late anyway; finding work at the docks a little later wouldn’t hurt.

In the crowd stood a tall, thin woman holding a large leaf-shaped plate, cradling nine perfectly intact pan-fried buns.

The tall, thin woman regretted her purchase. Seeing how cheap the pan-fried buns were, she’d bought ten at once. But when she got home, her son took one bite and refused to eat any more. They were packed with cabbage stalks, barely any meat filling, and tasted worse than plain vegetable buns!

Her parents always said she only knew how to get a bargain. Well, now she’d bought something the child wouldn’t eat.

Her son, raised by her parents, had never been close to her. Now, after spending money to try and win him over, she’d been completely snubbed!

Furious, she brought the remaining pan-fried buns over.

Even if she couldn’t get a refund, she’d ruin the Liang family’s pan-fried buns reputation—otherwise, she’d never forgive herself!

“You won’t give me a refund, huh? Everyone, look! Look at what’s inside!” The tall, thin woman picked up a pan-fried bun, tore it open, revealing the shredded cabbage stalks and tiny bits of meat inside. Pointing to the filling, she declared, “Everyone, look! Forget the filling—even the dough isn’t cooked through. It’s still raw inside! I bought these because the Liang family’s Steamed Bun Shop has been around for so many years, and I figured their craftsmanship couldn’t be that bad. Who knew they’d mess up even a simple pan-fried bun like this!”

“Shut your mouth!” Liang Dafeng, seeing her tarnish their shop’s reputation, immediately flew into a rage. He advanced toward the tall, thin woman with a menacing glare.

“You dare hit me?!” The tall, thin woman planted her hands on her hips and plopped down on the spot. “Hit me! Hit me! I dare you!”

Seeing her sit down like that, Liang Dafeng actually hesitated to approach. Liang Laoniang, flustered, began wailing while slapping her thigh: “Oh my goodness, you heartless creature! Our Liang family has always run our business honestly—how did we end up with someone as wicked as you? You’re killing me!”

The shouting continued, but upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a single tear in Liang Laoniang’s eyes.

Before long, the tall, thin woman’s husband arrived and dragged her away.

Lin Dongshan watched the scene with great interest.

At the Gu Family Restaurant.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin were washing the bamboo cups and cooking pans used that day.

Guan Xiaomei scampered in through the open back door.

Guan Xiaomei was only ten, small and nimble like a clever little monkey. She wore no raincoat or umbrella, just a large straw hat.

“Brother Gu, Brother Ji.”

“What brings you here? Careful, the floor’s slippery,” Gu Tangjin cautioned, seeing how fast she’d run.

“My brother sent me to tell you something!” Guan Xiaomei chattered away the moment she reached the eaves, recounting the incident at the Liang family Steamed Bun Shop.

Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan had both overheard part of the conversation after coming downstairs.

Though they hadn’t heard the whole story, they could roughly piece together what had happened.

Ji Rongxia gave Guan Xiaomei two pan-fried buns to take and eat herself.

Guan Xiaomei gave a cheerful reply and scampered off.

Her lively demeanor made Ji Rongxia smile.

Neither Gu Tangjin nor Ji Rongxia had anticipated that before they’d even taken action, the Liang family had already stirred up trouble on their own.

“Making food really comes down to skill. Once your dishes start selling well, Xia-ger, plenty will want to learn from you. If they seek your recipes, just don’t worry too much—as long as they don’t resort to dirty tricks,” Gu Chuncai remarked.

Ji Rongxia nodded. “I see. Father, you’ve dealt with this kind of thing before?”

“I remember when I was five or six, someone threw worms into our mutton soup. Others would secretly dump manure in our courtyard when no one was looking,” Gu Tangjin explained with a smile.

“What?!” Ji Rongxia’s eyes widened in shock.

If that’s the case, then the Liang family incident doesn’t even count as anything.

Pouring manure is just infuriating! Even if it’s cleaned up, customers would still feel uneasy. And once they feel uneasy, would they even come back to the restaurant?

Yao Tianlan chuckled. “I was furious back then. Business was dead for days, and we had no clue who was responsible. It drove me and your father to station someone in the courtyard day and night, even sleeping there, until we finally caught the culprit. Seeing that tactic worked, they started sneaking in to splash it again.”

“Who? Who did it?” Ji Rongxia asked curiously.

“You wouldn’t know them. They moved away long ago. They also ran a restaurant,” Gu Tangjin said.

Yao Tianlan added, “You never know when something like this might happen again. When it does, don’t be scared.”

Ji Rongxia placed his hands on his hips and declared boldly, “What’s there to be scared of? Just don’t make it so disgusting.”

He wasn’t afraid of honest business, but this was just too revolting.

“Alright, enough of that. Talking about it is making us lose our appetite.” Yao Tianlan smiled, gesturing for them to sit down and eat.

By the time they finished their meal, the rain had eased. The air hung heavy with moisture, and the sun’s rays brought a stifling warmth.

For days afterward, rain fell only at night and in the early morning.

Half sunny, half rainy, everything remained damp.

After the commotion at the Liang family, they still sold Pan-fried buns, but managed only about thirty a day at most. With little profit to be made, they stopped selling them altogether after just a few days.

After selling fruit drinks for three more days, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin truly stopped. With one less task, they gained extra time each morning to tend to the sprouting cucumber and taro seedlings. Though they earned several dozen wen less daily, the breakfast stall had already attracted many regulars. Selling only pan-fried buns and crumbly pancakes, they could still earn about one hundred and fifty wen daily.

During this period, Ji Rongxia had to slice pork every evening.

Finally, on the eighth day, he completed this major task.

That night, Ji Rongxia held a bright red chili and exclaimed, “This one is truly beautiful.”

“So small and bright red, it kinda looks like a cornelian cherry.” Gu Tangjin held a chili in his hand for comparison. The ripe red cornelian cherries were more like plump, round berries, while this chili had a sharp point.

Ji Rongxia bent down to sniff the chili in his hand, detecting no particular scent.

“Wonder if it tastes good,” Ji Rongxia murmured before cautiously taking a tiny bite.

Ji Rongxia: “…”

Ji Rongxia: “!!!”