5 005
◎The Fifth Day of the King of Scrolls◎
Shen Jiahao took the cloth bag and slowly untied the old cloth on the outside, revealing two layers of emerald green leaves inside.
When a corner of the innermost layer of leaves was lifted—
An extremely domineering, rich, and incongruous aroma of milk mixed with the scent of crispy grains, like an exploding firework, instantly swept through the small space of the dormitory!
"Huh! What's that smell? It smells so good?!"
"Milk...milky aroma? And a caramelized aroma?"
"Where did this come from?!"
"Who would be so willing to do that!"
The educated youth who had just been mocking instantly widened their eyes and began to sniffle.
The boys in the dormitory were the first to spot their target, their eyes fixed on the leaf bag in Shen Jiahao's hand.
People instinctively gathered around.
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Jiahao's eyes.
This aroma is extraordinary! It's definitely not your average rice cracker!
His slender fingers carefully parted the gauze, revealing several golden, glistening, thin, and tempting pieces of crispy rice crust.
He picked up a small piece and, under the intense gazes of everyone, gently broke off a small chunk.
Under the watchful eyes of someone who was so tense he almost stopped breathing, he put that small piece of rice crust into his mouth.
"Sizzle..."
A crisp, clear sound rang out, sounding particularly pleasant in the suddenly quiet environment.
Shen Jiahao chewed slowly.
His expression didn't change much, then a subtle ripple of amazement spread across his face. His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.
The other educated youth around them watched longingly, their mouths practically watering.
Shen Jiahao swallowed the food in his mouth without immediately commenting.
Instead, he looked around at the people.
Not enough to go around.
I'm so confused.
Zhou Qingyu walked in and was also given a mouthful.
That night, Zhou Qingyu dreamed.
He looked up, his gaze returning to Jiang Wanzhou, whose fingers were twisted together in nervousness, his eyes even more profound than before.
"Comrade Jiang," he began, his voice still clear and crisp, yet seemingly carrying a hint of warmth, "Your cooking skills are excellent. This crispy rice crust has a very unique flavor."
He paused, and under Jiang Wanzhou's hopeful yet apprehensive gaze, he posed the crucial question: "How many more eggs would you like to exchange?"
—
Jiang Wanzhou returned to her residence with light steps. As soon as she entered, she saw Shen Xinglian leaning against the bed, engrossed in reading a book by the afternoon light.
She walked a few steps to Shen Xinglian's bedside, plopped down, picked up the water glass on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Attracted by her commotion, Shen Xinglian put down her book and teased with a smile, "Look at you rushing around like that, what trouble have you encountered?"
Jiang Wanzhou put her cup on the table, her eyes sparkling, and began to vividly recount what had happened at the educated youth settlement: "You wouldn't believe it, today Xia Meilin jumped out again to sarcastic remarks about me, saying I was taking advantage of her. Humph, I shut her up right there and then, her face turning red and white, it was so satisfying to watch!"
Shen Xinglian listened, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes full of amusement: "You always let yourself suffer before, isn't it better to have a temper?"
Jiang Wanzhou nodded.
In fact, when she started her bed and breakfast, she began to resemble Shen Xinglian in many ways.
"And then what happened?"
She snapped out of her daze upon hearing Shen Xinglian's question.
Jiang Wanzhou pouted: "Later, Zhou Qingyu stepped in to smooth things over and asked me to accept the eggs as an exchange. But I figured it was really difficult to accept gifts from Daiwen, and I didn't want to owe him a favor. He even got polite and said to come to him if I ever had any trouble. Tell me, how am I ever going to repay this favor?!"
Shen Xinglian nodded thoughtfully: "Indeed, you're still the same, feeling uncomfortable owing others. But he's from Beijing, so he definitely doesn't lack anything. If we get close, he might think we have ulterior motives. Let's wait until we're in a position to deal with it. As for the steamed buns, what are you planning to do?"
Jiang Wanzhou's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer to Shen Xinglian, lowering her voice to say, "I was thinking, I'll go to the black market tomorrow morning. Maybe there'll be a market for those steamed buns for breakfast there. If we can sell them, we can earn some money to improve our lives."
Shen Xinglian frowned slightly, somewhat worried: "The black market is not allowed. If we get caught, it will be troublesome."
Jiang Wanzhou patted Shen Xinglian on the shoulder and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, just be careful. When did our hard-working CEO Shen become so timid? I'll just go and see what's going on. If it really doesn't work, we'll think of something else. I'll just take a few steamed buns to test the waters. Even if I get caught, it won't be a big problem."
Shen Xinglian couldn't persuade Jiang Wanzhou otherwise, so she had no choice but to nod helplessly: "Alright then, but we must be careful and make sure nothing goes wrong."
"I'll also send a message to my older brother, asking him to come back and help us split up the family property."
Jiang Wanzhou looked at Shen Xinglian.
Shen Xinglian nodded, then looked at the door and suddenly said loudly, "Little sister-in-law, to be honest, I rarely see this man, not even when I'm about to die from childbirth. My fate with your brother is over. Please help me send a letter tomorrow to ask him to come back."
"Sister-in-law, are you two getting a divorce?" Jiang Wanzhou's voice instantly broke into tears.
Shen Xinglian looked away from her.
After the slight movement sound disappeared, Jiang Wanzhou quietly opened the door a crack, but there was nothing outside.
She patted her chest: "Is it a real divorce or just a charade?"
"I promise I'll go wherever you go this time!"
Shen Xinglian looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes: "Let's see the person first before we talk about it."
The next morning, before dawn, Jiang Wanzhou got out of bed quietly.
It takes more than an hour to walk to town, and we ate breakfast early.
She got up even earlier. Although she made fewer steamed buns, she could still make a profit by selling the regular ones. Even if she couldn't sell the milk-flavored rice crust buns, she could still sell the regular steamed buns.
She carefully took out the steamed buns she had made from the cupboard, wrapped them in a clean cloth, made a large bundle, and then took out a basket.
She carried the 50 cents she had extorted from Jiang's mother the night before on her back and quietly left the house.
After observing a few interesting people in town and figuring out the general direction of the black market, Jiang Wanzhou proceeded cautiously.
Along the way, she looked around anxiously, afraid of running into acquaintances or patrolling officers.
Soon, she arrived at the entrance to the black market.
There are already some people setting up stalls here, selling vegetables, eggs, and handicrafts.
Jiang Wanzhou took a deep breath, mustered her courage, found a corner, put the basket on the ground, lifted the cloth, and revealed the plump white steamed buns inside.
She looked around nervously, silently praying that someone would come and buy her steamed buns.
After a while, a simply dressed middle-aged woman came over, squatted down, picked up a steamed bun, squeezed it, smelled it, and asked, "Young lady, how much is this steamed bun?"
Jiang Wanzhou was overjoyed and quickly said, "Auntie, these steamed buns are only one cent each. They are all specially fermented by my family and made with good flour. They are very fragrant and one is enough to fill you up."
The woman frowned: "One cent is a bit expensive. Other places only charge seven cents for a steamed bun."
Jiang Wanzhou quickly explained, "Auntie, my steamed buns are bigger than others, and I use better flour. They're soft and fragrant when steamed. You'll know once you try them."
As she spoke, she broke off a small piece of steamed bun and handed it to the older woman.
The woman took the steamed bun, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and her eyes lit up: "Hmm, it's really good, much better than other places. Okay, give me five."
Jiang Wanzhou happily put the five steamed buns into the bag the old lady had brought, and took the fifty cents the old lady handed him, her heart filled with joy.
This is her first business deal!
Once we had the first customer, things went much more smoothly afterward.
Before long, Jiang Wanzhou had sold more than half of her steamed buns.
Just as she was overjoyed, thinking that she could finally accomplish her goal, she heard a commotion of footsteps and shouts: "Run!"
The crowd suddenly erupted into chaos, with everyone frantically packing their belongings and scattering in all directions.
Jiang Wanzhou panicked. She quickly stuffed the remaining steamed buns into the basket, stood up, but didn't know where to run.
Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby alley.
Jiang Wanzhou turned her head in alarm and found that the person who had pulled her was actually a dirty little boy.
The little boy ran and said, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I'll take you to a safe place."
Jiang Wanzhou had no choice but to follow the little boy as he ran through the winding alleyways. She didn't know how long they ran before the little boy finally stopped and led her into a dilapidated courtyard.
He released Jiang Wanzhou's hand, panting heavily, and said, "Alright, it's safe here now. They shouldn't be able to find us."
Jiang Wanzhou looked at the little boy warily and asked, "Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
The little boy smiled, revealing two cute little tiger teeth: "My name is Lin Yu, and I live around here. I smelled your steamed buns at the black market just now."
"No, it should have a slightly milky smell."
Jiang Wanzhou breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you, Lin Yu."
She reached out and took out the last milk-flavored rice crust: "There's only one left, and it's not very hot. You're particular about eating it."
Lin Yu waved his hand: "I didn't mean to. You should go to the black market less often in the future; it's too dangerous for a beginner. I wanted to help you."
Jiang Wanzhou sighed helplessly: "Aren't you in danger?"
Lin Yu thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea. Sometimes the workers in the nearby factories need some steamed buns for breakfast. If you'd like, I can help you sell the steamed buns to them in the morning. That way it's safe and you can make money at the same time."
Jiang Wanzhou's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! Lin Yu, thank you so much."
Lin Yu smiled and said, "Don't mention it. I'll let you know when I have news. But next time you steam buns, you can steam more. The workers need a lot, and if you don't make enough, it won't be enough to sell."
Jiang Wanzhou nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll remember. Don't worry about it, I'll definitely treat you to the best of everything."
The two chatted for a while longer. Jiang Wanzhou noticed it was getting late, so she said goodbye to Lin Yu, picked up her basket, and headed back.
Both types of steamed buns are sold out.
Once Lin Yu was out of sight, she immediately turned around and chased after him in that direction.
[Author's Note]
Please add this to your favorites! [Dog head with rose in hand][Dog head with rose in hand]
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