Chapter 104 Unexpected Farce: "No Poaching!"
The wind was quite strong at the entrance of the alley, and He Ming's clothes billowed in the wind. But he was completely unaware, still standing with his hands in his pockets facing the wind.
"Old He, what's going on between you and Zhu Liushuang?" Gu Xufeng looked at him with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
He Ming turned his head to look in Zhu Liushuang's direction. The woman's busy figure flickered in his eyes, slowly shrinking into a small dot.
"What do you think?" he asked the other person, his tone unchanged.
"Wanting to help someone set up a stall... are you pursuing her?" Gu Xufeng felt he couldn't quite believe it himself, but the facts were undeniable. Seeing He Ming's delayed response, a bold idea flashed through Gu Xufeng's mind, followed by an awkward and strange expression.
He wasn't one to keep secrets, so he cut to the chase: "You've been hesitating for so long... You're not trying to steal someone else's girlfriend, are you? I remember Zhu Liushuang has a boyfriend, the best man at Brother Liu's wedding last time... The two of them were so lovey-dovey back then!"
It was just a momentary lapse in concentration that caused the person in front of him to have all sorts of wild thoughts. He Ming gave Gu Xufeng a speechless look and explained, "I didn't steal her away. She has always been my girlfriend."
The answer exploded in Gu Xufeng's ears like a bombshell. His expression was priceless, his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg, and he could barely speak.
"Wh...when...did this happen? She's always...your...girlfriend?"
"Hmm, girlfriend." He Ming's gaze once again drifted towards Zhu Liushuang's direction. After a wave of customers passed by, she had some free time and was cleaning the countertop with a rag.
Clearly, Gu Xufeng was not satisfied with his answer and continued to press, "You still haven't said when! We've worked together for so long, and I didn't even notice..."
He Ming hesitated for a moment, then gave a vague answer: "Before my grandfather's accident."
"Doesn't that mean you've been together for several months already?" Gu Xufeng frowned, expressing his dissatisfaction: "You got out of being single without saying a word, you're really good at keeping secrets! The thing is... you two hid it so well, when you meet, she still calls you Teacher He so timidly. What kind of fun is that?"
"I keep public and private matters separate... I'm afraid it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings." His answer was far-fetched, but it was enough to get by.
Gu Xufeng recalled the events of the past few months, finding some clues in scattered fragments of memory. During the time He Ming's grandfather was in the ICU, he didn't visit the hospital often, but he occasionally bumped into Zhu Liushuang. On the night He Ming's grandfather passed away, he even received a call from Zhu Liushuang…
Gu Xufeng twitched his lips and said, "What's there to misunderstand? Our institute doesn't forbid office romances, and besides, you two aren't even from the same company." However, there was no point in dwelling on this. Given He Ming's "keep-to-the-mouth" attitude, it was impossible for him to dig up any more inside information.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been together long, and our relationship isn't very stable yet, when I suddenly went through the passing of my grandfather... so..." He Ming carefully organized his words, trying to make his tone as tactful as possible, "I'll bring her along another day and treat you to a meal."
He spoke sincerely, and Gu Xufeng, as an adult with independent thinking ability, naturally did not show any resentment. He simply raised his hand and punched He Ming's shoulder, laughing and saying, "Well, even you, this thousand-year-old iron tree, have blossomed. It would be hard to comfort my wounded heart if I didn't give you a good beating."
“Okay, you pick the spot,” He Ming said generously. As he spoke, his eyes were constantly on the white stall cart not far away. Seeing that the line had grown longer again, he decisively interrupted Gu Xufeng, “I have to go help out.”
Gu Xufeng was quick-witted and followed He Ming toward Zhu Liushuang's stall. When they reached the cart, he picked up the pre-packaged takeout bag from the counter and said goodbye to the two of them: "I'm leaving now! You two have worked hard! If you need anything, feel free to ask Lao He; he's got plenty of strength."
The last half of the sentence was addressed to Zhu Liushuang. She took a moment to look up and gave Gu Xufeng a shy smile as a response.
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As it approached eight o'clock, only a quarter of the desserts in the freezer remained. This was something Zhu Liushuang hadn't expected at all.
Despite the sudden and sharp drop in temperature, her stall was doing very well.
"Xiao Zhu, you're selling really fast today! Save me a green grape flavored one," the uncle selling beef burgers called out, glancing at the freezer when he had a moment to spare.
"Alright!" Zhu Liushuang said happily, "I didn't prepare enough stock today, and since I haven't set up my stall in a long time, all my regular customers have come to support me..."
"It's because yours is so delicious. My wife loves your tiramisu. It's clean, hygienic, and tastes great... and it's more affordable than the cake shops." The middle-aged man praised Zhu Liushuang while also complaining about others, "While you were away, there were several tiramisu shops on the street, but they all looked so-so and the taste was just so-so... I bought two pieces for my wife, and she tried them and then gave them all to me."
Being praised naturally puts Zhu Liushuang in a good mood. She hummed a little tune and said, "I got a baker's certificate and a health certificate to make desserts. I also pay close attention to hygiene. I bought a special freezer for storing desserts at home... Uncle, Aunt, if you like to eat them, you can ask her to add me to your WeChat group..." She then lit up her phone screen and brought up the QR code for the WeChat group.
"Okay, okay... I'll let her join the group."
Just as the uncle selling beef burgers scanned the QR code, several more customers arrived at Zhu Liushuang's stall. Breathing white air onto her transparent mask, she smiled and asked the customers what they wanted to eat.
"You said, is this the place?" Suddenly, a sharp female voice pierced the silence.
An elderly woman in a dark purple down jacket pulled a little girl through the crowd.
"What are you doing? Don't you have any manners?" The young girl who had been pushed aside glared at the other person and stepped back to the side, angrily telling Zhu Liushuang, "Boss, I don't want it anymore."
Zhu Liushuang stopped what she was doing and apologized to the girl, "I'm sorry, come again next time." After saying that, she looked down at the grandmother and granddaughter in front of her. Although she was unhappy inside, she did not show it immediately.
"Auntie, what would you like to buy?"
With a stern face, the old lady snatched her granddaughter's hand and held it up in front of Zhu Liushuang, saying aggressively, "What are you buying! My granddaughter ate your poisoned cake four days ago, and she's been vomiting and having diarrhea ever since. She's still on an IV drip today!"
Her temples throbbed from the sharp sound. Zhu Liushuang examined the little girl's thin hand closely; there was indeed an IV drip inserted. Her gaze shifted to the small face covered by a mask, where the bluish, sunken eye sockets were clearly visible. Although she felt sorry for the little girl's ordeal, she knew that none of this was her fault.
"Aunt……"
The old lady interrupted forcefully, saying, "The doctor said it's a salmonella infection! I checked, and the raw eggs you used to make the tiramisu... are definitely unsanitary. You've done something terribly wrong! You need to pay me back right now—medical expenses, nutritional expenses, and compensation for emotional distress!"
The old lady banged on the glass lid of the freezer. Zhu Liushuang pressed down on her bangs, which were ruffled by the night wind, and felt a headache coming on. She blurted out, "Auntie, the eggs I use are sterile. Every time I make tiramisu, I heat them in hot water and whip them for five or six minutes. The mascarpone is also fresh... I've never had a food safety incident since I started this stall."
Perhaps it was because things happened so suddenly, or perhaps it was because there were too many onlookers pointing and whispering about her, but Zhu Liushuang found herself in a vicious cycle of trying to prove herself. She didn't want others to misunderstand her hygiene, so she was eager to explain to everyone.
"That's just making excuses! Of course you'll shirk responsibility when something goes wrong..." the old woman cursed, looking like she was determined not to let it go.
"Auntie, when did your granddaughter buy the desserts here?" A serious male voice rang out promptly.
Zhu Liushuang didn't need to turn around to know it was He Ming. He had just been on the phone and didn't know when he returned or how much he had overheard.
Four days ago.
Upon hearing the old lady's reply, she subconsciously turned her head and exchanged a glance with He Ming. She had been so caught up in the other woman's heated words that she had focused solely on rebuttal and forgotten the crucial issue of time. He Ming's reminder immediately brought her to her senses.
“Auntie, I haven’t been here to set up my stall for several months, so you couldn’t have bought my tiramisu four days ago. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the uncle who sets up his stall next door,” Zhu Liushuang said, word by word.
The crowd of onlookers formed an impenetrable wall, all turning their attention to the uncle selling beef hamburgers.
"Yes, yes... Auntie, Xiao Zhu hasn't been here for a long time. You must have made a mistake and are wrongly accusing someone!"
"You...you're all in cahoots!" The old woman's eyes widened in anger, and she suddenly sat down on the ground, sobbing, "My poor little granddaughter, she's been on an IV drip for four days and can't even go to school..."
He Ming coldly watched the farce unfold before him and asked Zhu Liushuang in a low voice, "Should we call the police?"
Zhu Liushuang shook her head and said, "Senior, I have a way to solve this."
He Ming paused for a moment before saying, "If she continues to throw a tantrum like this, we can't do business. Calling the police is the best solution."
Zhu Liushuang gave him a reassuring smile, then walked out of the stall. She squatted down and held her phone up to the old lady.
“Auntie, look closely. The stalls on this street are free. Every time someone applies for a stall, it’s recorded on the community app. The last time I set up a stall was several months ago. Can you believe me now?” A clear voice rang out amidst the noise. After showing the old lady the phone, Zhu Liushuang straightened up and showed it to the onlookers.
The whispers fell silent instantly, and the old woman sitting on the ground stiffened her neck and stopped crying.
At the same time, He Ming spoke up again: "We regret what happened to your granddaughter. If you continue to cause trouble here, then we will have no choice but to call the police."
At this point, the old lady completely lost her momentum, hanging her head and remaining silent.
"Turns out, we've got the wrong person!"
"Let's disperse, let's not disrupt their business."
"Auntie, why don't you call the mayor's hotline to complain? They'll help you find the stall owner..."
As the crowd gradually dispersed following the admonitions, Zhu Liushuang squatted down again and said kindly to the old lady, "Auntie, the ground is cold, please get up."
"Young lady... I'm sorry." The dejected old man looked up, his eyes full of apology. "I was just angry!"
"I know, I know!" Zhu Liushuang nodded repeatedly. Seeing that the old woman still wouldn't get up, she said to the little girl standing helplessly to the side, "Little sister, quickly help Grandma up."
The little girl stammered "Eh" twice and was about to help her grandmother when an arm suddenly appeared and beat her to it.
The man, radiating coldness, had a somber expression as he helped the old woman up from behind.
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Author's note: It feels so good not having to stay up all night doing practice problems every day! [droopy-eared rabbit head]
[Shrug] I should have known better than to waste a week doing practice problems. It's like there's no difference between doing them and not doing them at all! The problem setter is really heartless. [Clown]
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