Chapter 180: The group's attire isn't enough to boost their combat power.

Wang Yuesheng imagined the wonderful life the paralyzed animal would lead, and even though the frostbite on his hands and feet was very painful, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, startling the little girl who was applying frostbite medicine. She thought the guest had something wrong with him.

There are only so many parts of the body that need medicine, and no matter how meticulous the service is, it won't take long. But sleeping is different. In the blink of an eye, several hours have quietly slipped away. In addition, Yao Xiaoyu used her money power to speed up the sewing house. By the time all the employees walked out of the bathhouse, they were all dressed in brand new clothes from head to toe.

Yao Xiaoyu did not give everyone the right to choose the color of their clothes. Everyone wore a versatile light blue cotton-padded jacket, a pair of cotton socks, a pair of light blue cloth shoes with cotton-stuffed soles, a light blue hairband and a wooden hairpin according to their personal habits, a hood that modern electric scooter riders often wear, which can cover the neck and only expose the eyes, and a pair of cotton gloves.

Inside, besides clothes that are worn out twice a season and shoes that are worn out eight times a year, everything else can only be replaced when it's broken. When replacing something, you have to hand over the damaged item to Fan Jinxiu for confirmation. If it's lost, you have to pay extra to apply for a replacement.

The same goes for clothes and shoes; you have to hand over the old ones to get the new ones. Yao Xiaoyu didn't think her demands were excessive. In the 21st century, with the explosion of resources, clothes would be thrown on the ground and no one would pick them up. But things were different now. Everything she provided to her employees, from head to toe, could be exchanged for money.

She had once read a time-travel novel in which the female protagonist made her fortune by sewing various small items from scraps of cloth picked up from garbage dumps. At the time, she was young and inexperienced, and thought this method was very clever. It wasn't until she read The True Story of Ah Q that she realized that tattered clothes that were no longer usable could be used to make shoe soles—and this was during the Republic of China era. One can only imagine how scarce resources were before that.

Yao Xiaoyu didn't want to see the patchwork garment made from her own handkerchiefs, nor did she want everyone to use their imaginations, so she simply set a rule in advance not to do anything that would test human nature.

They entered the bathhouse in the morning and came out at noon. Yao Xiaoyu checked the bill and knew that everyone hadn't eaten anything except the wontons she had ordered. Instead of rushing back, she led the large group of people to sit down at the pancake shop next door and ordered eight bowls of meat noodles.

Aunt Pang compromised by finding a young girl to take care of her. Yao Xiaoyu didn't know how they negotiated, but the five silver dollars subsidy was directly given to Aunt Pang, and her other treatment was the same as that of the hired workers.

"Tell me if you don't have enough. We probably won't be able to eat until the evening. As long as we don't waste food, you can order as much as you want."

Once Yao Xiaoyu was sure all eight people had heard her clearly, she placed a silver coin in front of the shopkeeper and continued:

"Keep this money for now. If it's not enough, I'll make up the difference when I get back."

Yao Xiaoyu wasn't worried that the shopkeeper wouldn't agree. Everything in the pancake shop was priced in copper coins. The meat noodles Yao Xiaoyu ordered were already the most expensive, but they only cost four copper coins. Eight people would only need thirty-two copper coins for a round. The exchange rate for silver dollars had increased again, and it would take more than one hundred and thirty copper coins to exchange for a Yuan Shikai silver dollar. That would be enough for each person to eat at least four bowls of meat noodles.

The taste of the pancake shop might be so-so, but the portions are definitely enough. As long as there isn't another glutton like Tao Xiaoxiao among the eight people, whose appetite depends on when their jaws get tired of chewing, it won't cost much even if they just buy the meat toppings on the meat noodles to fill their stomachs.

“Auntie Pang, if you don’t like the food here, you’ll have to make your own way, or you can wait a little while and buy the ingredients to cook whatever you want when you get back to the house.”

After arranging everyone, Yao Xiaoyu smiled and said to Aunt Pang, "Aunt Pang is the only skilled worker. Even her wages are top-notch. Yao Xiaoyu sets the food standards according to those of a restaurant chef. As long as we don't use expensive ingredients like bird's nest or shark fin, and don't deliberately waste food, all purchases will be reimbursed. The price of food at the pancake shop is indeed a bit unfair."

"There's nothing I can't get used to eating."

Aunt Pang didn't mind. Having traveled all over the country for so many years, she had eaten delicacies from land and sea, and swallowed wild grass and tree bark. Although the noodles were a bit rough, she found them quite delicious to try occasionally. At worst, as Yao Xiaoyu said, she could simply fill her stomach and then go back to have a proper meal. It wouldn't take much time anyway.

To be honest, what Aunt Pang liked most about Yao Xiaoyu was her straightforwardness. Although the previous job wasn't bad, everyone's heart was like a lotus root, and a single sentence could take eighteen turns, which really gave Aunt Pang a headache.

Seeing that Yao Xiaoyu had even taken out her money, everyone stopped arguing and started eating the noodles, which had gone from being piping hot to lukewarm. Yao Xiaoyu didn't stay there to add to the psychological pressure on the workers, but instead led Tao Xiaoxiao to stroll around the stalls, hoping to find some new food.

"Write down your preferences for Aunt Fatty later."

While shopping, Yao Xiaoyu said to Tao Xiaoxiao that Tao Xiaoxiao usually ate with her, but because Yao Xiaoyu had a habit of ordering a whole table of food at once, Tao Xiaoxiao usually played the role of cleaning up the table.

Moreover, because she was afraid of being hungry in the past, Tao Xiaoxiao never wasted food. She would eat all the dishes that weren't packed up. Over such a long time, Yao Xiaoyu was only sure that Tao Xiaoxiao preferred to eat pure meat, but she really didn't know about Tao Xiaoxiao's other dietary restrictions.

This minor dietary restriction refers to subtle eating habits. For example, Yao Xiaoyu can eat a little garlic in garlic dishes, and she can accept scallions, ginger, and garlic as seasonings in dishes, but unless she has no other choice, she will never swallow them voluntarily.

Yao Xiaoyu didn't know if Tao Xiaoxiao had similar preferences. Shanghai's catering industry was quite prosperous. Apart from occasionally craving some local specialties and trying them repeatedly, Yao Xiaoyu and Tao Xiaoxiao usually solved their stomach rumbling problems at different restaurants.

When she first tried a new restaurant, Yao Xiaoyu didn't even mention her dietary restrictions. After all, when you go out to eat, you're going to eat at a famous restaurant, and it would be a waste of money if the food wasn't authentic. As for not liking the food, she wasn't worried. There was a table full of dishes, and there was bound to be something she could accept.

But now that the family chef will be responsible for their daily meals for the long term, Yao Xiaoyu feels that she can be a little more particular.

"good."

Tao Xiaoxiao answered seriously, then grabbed the hand of the man who was heading for Yao Xiaoyu's jade earring, and swiftly flung him 180 degrees in the air, landing him headfirst on the ground. The man let out a scream, but Yao Xiaoyu only found it noisy.

Don't let the robber's pitiful appearance fool you. If Yao Xiaoyu had pierced her ears and wasn't wearing clip-on earrings, and Tao Xiaoxiao hadn't reacted in time, she would have been in trouble—they could have violently ripped off the earrings and torn her entire earlobe!

"Peng Sanhei, give me back my silver bracelet!"

Just as Yao Xiaoyu was pondering how to teach the robber a lesson, a roar came from ahead. A woman with boundless energy, as if she had devoured eight old Chinese medicine doctors, rushed over and kicked the robber in the shin. Yao Xiaoyu swore she heard a clear sound of something breaking!

"ah--"

"Smack!"

"Shut up! If you don't give my stuff back, you're dead!"

The man screamed in pain, but the woman slapped him across the face. The crisp slap made the onlookers instinctively take two steps back. The woman was still not satisfied, so she kicked the man's uninjured leg again to prevent the bastard from running away when she wasn't looking.

Although the silver bracelet wasn't worth much, it was a dowry that her mother had secretly given her. Three days ago, she noticed that the bracelet had gotten black and planned to go to the jewelry store to have it cleaned, but this bastard snatched it away!

Run again now!

"Tell me, where is my bracelet?"

The woman glared fiercely at the man, as if to say that if he didn't find her, she would beat her to death, without any concern for getting into trouble—where did Sanhei's nickname come from? Black-hearted, black-livered, black-bellied, he cheated his parents and relatives, the embodiment of a complete scumbag. Even if he were really beaten to death, it would be doing a service to the people!

"Sanhei, please return my thumb ring! My family is waiting for this money to buy grain!"

Just as the man was about to speak, another ancient wail came from the side. An old woman with snow-white hair staggered over, and the people around her consciously made way for her, afraid that she would fall down in front of them if she was bumped.

The old woman cooperated by walking in a straight line, but when she reached the man, her cane accidentally fell in the wrong direction. The solid wood base, combined with the old woman's weight, slammed into the man's third leg. The man, who had already been hit repeatedly, didn't even have time to scream before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

"This, this is... I didn't move..."

The old woman seemed terrified by the scene, her whole body and even her cane began to tremble. The men present listened to the sounds of meat being pounded and eggs being crushed, while watching the man go through a cycle of being awakened by pain and then fainting from pain. Even though the man didn't cry out again, some mysterious force still made them feel the intense pain in their phantom limbs, and they silently squeezed their legs together to give the two women and the man more space.

"Peng Sanhei!"

Another voice rang out, and Yao Xiaoyu, who had unknowingly gone from being a lucky victim to a mere bystander, looked over and, unsurprisingly, saw a new woman. Even though the man on the ground was in so much pain that he was dazed, everyone could still see the despair in his eyes.

The debt collection didn't last long, mainly because the man's intact limbs were limited. More than venting their anger, the crowd wanted to collect all of the man's property to make up for their losses before he died. Yao Xiaoyu watched the man's body being carried away and forgivingly decided not to pursue the matter any further.

After all, they really are going to meet the King of Hell soon.

After the Peng Sanhei incident, Yao Xiaoyu and her companion did not continue shopping. Instead, they returned to the pancake shop and took the well-fed employees home to work. Their fighting ability was not very strong. Yao Xiaoyu bet a silver coin and was even able to get some copper coins back in the end.

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A note from the author:

[1] Pancake Shop: Positioned similarly to a modern breakfast or snack shop, selling steamed buns, mantou, fried dough sticks, and soy milk. It also sells staple foods such as wontons, noodles, and glutinous rice balls, but does not sell stir-fried dishes. (Described in Chapter 36)

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A new story will begin in the next chapter!

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