Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 134

She Spoke

“There is always someone beyond the person, and a heaven beyond the sky¹. There’s no need to feel bad about this.”

Jiang Ping comforted the owner of Yuanfu Lou, and then the two began to discuss business. Halfway through their conversation, Jiang Ping suddenly laughed. “Actually, I also learned a trick from that little girl. That unique, fresh fragrance in the Lion’s Head Meatball with Crab Roe is the aroma of lemon. It’s just that I haven’t figured out the exact amount needed to let the Lion’s Head retain this fragrance without a hint of lemon’s sourness.”

They chatted for a long time. Just as the two were getting engrossed in their conversation, they suddenly heard some noise outside. The owner of Yuanfu Lou frowned and stood up, but Jiang Ping didn’t move.

Jiang Ping was very clear about her role. She was just a head chef hired by Yuanfu Lou. Her battlefield was in the kitchen; whatever happened outside had nothing to do with her. Her duty was simply to cook the dishes well.

The owner of Yuanfu Lou knew Jiang Ping’s personality. She asked Jiang Ping to sit and wait there while she went out herself.

Not long after she stepped out, the owner of Yuanfu Lou heard the noise grow louder. She could vaguely make out the voices of Chef Qian and the manager, seemingly arguing about something.

The owner of Yuanfu Lou’s brows were knitted tightly. With a swift movement of her feet, she hurried over. As soon as she arrived, she heard the two sides quarreling. But the owner didn’t rush to show herself. Instead, she first called a waiter over to ask what was going on.

The waiter seemed to be in a difficult position, but still quietly explained the situation to the owner. “A customer felt the Lion’s Head Meatball with Crab Roe wasn’t good and called the manager over. But then the manager called Chef Qian over. Chef Qian refused to admit his cooking was bad and started arguing with the customer.”

That manager… The owner of Yuanfu Lou truly felt a headache coming on. He was supposed to be the one to calm the customer’s anger, yet he called the chef over, adding fuel to the fire². She admitted that she had been careless in managing Yuanfu Lou due to her business expansion, but she never expected the manager to poke such a big hole³ for her.

And after poking such a big hole, he could still continue to poke more holes.

The owner of Yuanfu Lou composed herself before walking over. With the force of a thunderbolt, she suppressed the manager and Chef Qian and apologized to the customer. Only out of respect for her did the customer let them off. He was still muttering, “It just doesn’t taste good. The Lion’s Head Meatball with Crab Roe I had yesterday… even if it can’t compare to half of theirs, it should at least be able to reach their fur and skin⁴.”

“Your original price is also 588 yuan, how can it be this bad? A complete waste of all the money I’ve spent here over the years.”

Seeing the customer still saying such things, Chef Qian almost lost his temper again. It wasn’t until the owner of Yuanfu Lou shot him a glare that he unwillingly bit his lip and lowered his head. The owner glanced at the two of them again, really wanting to fire them on the spot. But it was obvious that Su Ruixi intended to keep them around as clowns jumping on the beams⁵. Only after this matter was settled could she deal with them.

“Boss, I really don’t believe it. This customer must be a shill⁶ hired by that little brat. Our chef’s skills are plain to see, how can he be humiliated like this?” the manager incited with a sharp and mean tone. Chef Qian’s face also filled with anger upon hearing this.

But the owner of Yuanfu Lou’s face was expressionless. “You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing? At a time like this, instead of tucking your tails between your legs and behaving⁷, you’re both acting so out of line? I think you two really don’t want to work in this industry anymore.”

Her one sentence made the manager and Chef Qian as silent as a cicada in winter⁸. The owner of Yuanfu Lou added another sentence: “No investigation, no right to speak⁹.” She looked at Chef Qian, her words leaving no room for argument. “Do we even need the customer to say it? I’ll tell you bluntly, what you made is simply not as good as hers. Not only is it not as good, it doesn’t even reach her fur and skin.”

Chef Qian’s eyes widened in anger, but facing his boss, he couldn’t say a word.

After resolving the problem, the owner also left.

The manager sidled up again. “I think we’ll probably be fine. See, the boss just said a few words, no real action. Chef Qian, you have to hold on, that’s 3 million yuan!”

He was still chattering on, but Chef Qian could no longer hear him. His mind was filled only with what the customer and the boss had said: “You don’t even reach her fur and skin.” Chef Qian shook his head, saying in his heart: I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! Impossible! How could I possibly not measure up!

It’s one thing to not be as good as Jiang Ping, but he couldn’t even compare to such a young girl. Does that even make sense?!

An inner demon¹⁰ was gradually being nurtured in Chef Qian’s heart, but Sun Miao went home happily. When she got home, she indeed saw the Auntie Su Ruixi had mentioned. The Auntie had a kind face, and Sun Miao felt an immediate sense of familiarity, as her disposition was somewhat similar to the director of Sun Miao’s orphanage.

“You must be Miss Sun, right? Miss Su told me about you. Thanks to you, my work has become much easier.”

Sun Miao was actually a little curious about how exactly Su Ruixi had introduced her to the Auntie. Did she say they were ordinary friends living together, or did she just say the Auntie didn’t need to cook, making the Auntie misunderstand that she was here to help with the cooking?

Just as she was wondering, she noticed a trace of awkwardness on the Auntie’s face. This trace of awkwardness was like a guiding light, letting Sun Miao subconsciously know what Su Ruixi had said.

Su Ruixi had most likely been as straightforward as she was in front of the Hip-Hop Yabi Duo, directly saying: I’m going to be living with my girlfriend from now on. She’s a great cook, so Auntie, you don’t need to cook anymore.

If not, the awkwardness on the Auntie’s face wouldn’t have looked so strange.

Sun Miao also felt a little embarrassed. After a moment, she finally spoke: “Auntie, Susu-jie said you only need to be responsible for cleaning. You don’t have to worry about the kitchen; we’ll clean it ourselves.”

Hearing this, the awkwardness on the Auntie’s face eased a little. She nodded. “Okay, I understand.” When she first heard about it, she had subconsciously assumed Sun Miao would be the one doing it. Because she was quite clear about what kind of person Su Ruixi was.

She was a young lady with ten fingers that don’t touch the spring water¹¹. How could she possibly take the initiative to clean up? So it was most likely Sun Miao who would do it.

But the reality was a world away from what she had imagined. The kitchen was usually cleaned by Su Ruixi after she came home and ate. This young lady with ten fingers that don’t touch the spring water was truly making an effort for the little nest¹² the two of them shared.

The Auntie tidied up a bit and left. When Su Ruixi came back, Sun Miao kept her thoughts to herself. It wasn’t until after they had both showered and were curled up on the sofa that Sun Miao, holding back a mischievous urge, asked Su Ruixi, “Susu-jie, did you tell the Auntie about our relationship?”

Su Ruixi was taken aback for a moment. She subconsciously asked, “Did the Auntie say something strange to you?” What she actually wanted to say was—Did me telling her about our relationship cause you any trouble?

Su Ruixi was someone who easily started drilling into a bull’s horn¹³. She was afraid that what she did would truly make Sun Miao unhappy. In the next second, however, Sun Miao used her actions to tell Su Ruixi that she really, really liked what Su Ruixi had done.

She scooted over, wearing cute pajamas, and pounced on Su Ruixi on the sofa. When Su Ruixi fell back, her head landed on a throw pillow.

The way Sun Miao was hugging her was a bit like a koala hugging a tree trunk. Su Ruixi lowered her eyes to look down, only to see Sun Miao’s fluffy head. The weather was gradually getting warmer, as it was already June. Sun Miao’s hair wasn’t completely dry from being blown, and it still felt a little damp.

Now her head was resting on her chest, and Su Ruixi could feel that dampness seeping through her pajamas onto her skin.

It felt a little ticklish, and also made one feel shy.

What made her even shyer was Sun Miao’s words: “Susu-jie, how can you be so cute!”

No one had said such a thing to Su Ruixi since she became an adult. She wasn’t the “cute” type to begin with; she was cool and aloof. Even if people praised her, they would only use words like beautiful, smart, or capable. Suddenly being called “cute,” Su Ruixi subconsciously retorted, “No, I’m not.”

“You really are cute.”

Sun Miao maintained her posture, hugging her waist with her head resting on her chest. She suddenly lifted her head. Her chin was propped on Su Ruixi’s chest, sharp and causing a slight, jabbing pain. Sun Miao probably noticed her expression and backed away a little.

Her sudden departure instead made Su Ruixi feel a little disappointed. But very quickly, Sun Miao squeezed over and lay down on the sofa with her.

The sofa in Su Ruixi’s house was quite large, but it was inevitably a bit of a squeeze for two adults to lie side by side. Su Ruixi was afraid Sun Miao would fall off, so she could only turn on her side. This was great, as she was now face to face with Sun Miao.

Sun Miao’s eyes were truly beautiful, bright and shining. Especially when they reflected her own image, it made Su Ruixi feel as if her eyes could only hold her and no one else. Su Ruixi really liked this feeling of being the sole focus.

Su Ruixi couldn’t help but say, “Sun Miao is the one who’s cuter.”

She sincerely felt this way.

Sun Miao heard the seriousness in her words and couldn’t help but smile. “Mhm, I’m cute too!”

The atmosphere was just too good, as if pink bubbles were drifting in the air. They were so close that Sun Miao could feel Su Ruixi’s steady breath on the tip of her nose. Her heart fluttered again. To be precise, as long as she was with Su Ruixi, her heart would always flutter.

Behind Sun Miao, the host of the finance channel was speaking seriously about business matters, but right now, Su Ruixi had no heart to listen to them. Her entire focus was on Sun Miao.

Seeing herself in Su Ruixi’s pupils, Sun Miao felt exceptionally content.

Being with Su Ruixi felt like a dream to Sun Miao. That was a person from a completely different world, yet now she was lying beside her, within arm’s reach. Sun Miao uncontrollably reached out her hand. The tips of her fingers touched Su Ruixi’s chin, and then her lips followed, pressing against hers.

First, it was a lingering kiss, after which Sun Miao’s lips fell on Su Ruixi’s brow, the corners of her eyes, and her cheeks. Su Ruixi’s breathing gradually grew hotter, puffing against Sun Miao’s cheeks and making her pause for a moment.

The moment Sun Miao guessed that Su Ruixi had told the Auntie the truth, she felt her whole body grow hot with excitement. She didn’t mind telling people she knew that she was a lesbian¹⁴, but she also didn’t want Su Ruixi to suffer criticism from others.

But not only did she admit their relationship in front of good friends like the Hip-Hop Yabi Duo, she even told the Auntie, who didn’t need to be told, in crystal clear terms.

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