Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 218

Wanting to Rest

When Hip-hop Mei was faced with everyone’s teasing, she was completely unmoved, instead saying to Shen Yiqiu, “Auntie, are you here to buy fried skewers? Why did you come in person? If you wanted to eat, you could have just let Su-jie…” Before she could finish, she felt Yabi Mei’s hand on her waist, which then twisted hard.

Hip-hop Mei cried out from the pinch, and her IQ re-entered her brain. She understood the crux of the matter and immediately changed her tune, “If you wanted to eat, you should have let Su-jie come and wait in line. She’s young, she can handle the standing.”

That was close. She had almost said, “Just let Su-jie tell Little Boss Sun, what’s the relationship between those two? Do you still need to wait in line?”

Shen Yiqiu shook her head. “She’s usually quite tired from work, so I’ll let her rest more. Besides, your Uncle wants to eat too, so he can just wait in line.”

After the two chatted briefly, Hip-hop Mei said, “Then you sit for a while. I’ll buy a few extra skewers later, and you can eat first. I also brought drinks, would you like something to drink?” Only someone with Hip-hop Mei’s train of thought¹ would say something like this. A normal person would have just offered to let Father Su come over as well, telling him not to line up and that they would just buy a few extra skewers for him.

But the rule of “no cutting in line or you’ll be blacklisted” was engraved in Hip-hop Mei’s mind. She firmly believed she couldn’t let people cut in, nor could she bring food for others. Otherwise, if she got herself blacklisted just to do this small favor, wouldn’t the gain not make up for the loss²?

As for bringing some for Shen Yiqiu, she didn’t think it was a big deal.

After all, this was Su Ruixi’s biological mother. When Sun Miao found out later, she definitely wouldn’t blame me!

It never once occurred to her that Father Su was also Su Ruixi’s biological father.

When Sun Miao arrived, she was a bit stunned to see Shen Yiqiu waiting on the side. At this moment, Hip-hop Mei stood up, feeling it was her time to shine. But before she could speak, Shen Yiqiu nodded at Sun Miao, and Sun Miao returned a big smile.

Only after the two had greeted each other did Hip-hop Mei say, “This is my auntie. She’s just sitting here for a bit. Is it okay if I buy two extra portions to give to her?” As she spoke, she winked and made faces at Sun Miao from an angle Shen Yiqiu couldn’t see.

Sun Miao didn’t understand what she meant, but hearing Hip-hop Mei’s words, she still said, “Sure.”

Hip-hop Mei was overjoyed and ordered more than usual. Yabi Mei, standing beside her, was lost in thought.

Yabi Mei was much smarter than Hip-hop Mei. Seeing their simple interaction and their smiles of tacit understanding, in that instant, Yabi Mei understood: Little Boss Sun probably already knew that Auntie Shen was Su-jie’s mother, and Auntie Shen also knew that Little Boss Sun was Su-jie’s girlfriend.

Looking at Shen Yiqiu’s expression, Yabi Mei also knew that Little Boss Sun had already passed the mother-in-law test. It was just that although their heart illuminates, not spoken³, they didn’t greet each other with great enthusiasm. That probably meant: they knew about each other, but they hadn’t formally met and were even in an ambiguous state of “you don’t say it and I don’t say it.” As for Uncle Su lining up at the back, that was even more proof: Uncle Su definitely did not know.

In just that short amount of time, Yabi Mei had already figured out so much.

She began to weigh the situation again. Based on the current circumstances, it was only a matter of time before Uncle Su accepted Little Boss Sun. Perhaps in a little while, Little Boss Sun would be making a formal visit to their home. Given Uncle Su and Auntie Shen’s fondness for delicious food, they would surely have Sun Miao come over to cook a few meals.

This would also improve the relationship between them.

If that was the case, it meant she had an opportunity to get a free meal!

Su Ruixi was just too good at strictly defend, guard to the death⁴. She had even blacklisted Hip-hop Mei directly when they went out to play, just to prevent her from getting a free meal. From such a ruthless person, they had only managed to get a single Lion’s Head meatball from beginning to end. But if it were Shen Yiqiu and her husband, it would be different. They were elders. If she, as a junior, went to get free food and drinks, they couldn’t possibly kick her out, right?

Yabi Mei glanced at Hip-hop Mei again, who was still grinning foolishly.

Right, she had to get Hip-hop Mei on the same page. After all, her own family’s relationship with the Su family could only be described as slightly above average. It would be too presumptuous for her to go for free food alone. But bringing Hip-hop Mei along would be completely different.

Hip-hop Mei suddenly felt her nose itch. She stepped to the side and let out an “Achoo!” then turned back to look at Yabi Mei. For some reason, she had a feeling someone was plotting against her.

After the Hip-hop Yabi duo got their fried skewers, they went to a small table on the side. Another reason they came so early was to sit at a table to eat. Sitting at Sun Miao’s small folding table gave more of that the air of smoke and fire of the marketplace⁵. They could hear Sun Miao occasionally answering customers’ questions and the sounds of her preparing food.

Hearing the soft murmurs of the people around them while eating Sun Miao’s food, the whole experience was just comfortable.

This time, having Shen Yiqiu sit with them, they had an even happier meal.

The two of them ate rather quickly. After finishing, they wiped the table with a napkin and packed up. They called out a goodbye to Sun Miao, not caring if she replied, and walked off together. After they left, Sun Miao would come over again to clean the spot where they had been sitting.

While she was cleaning, Shen Yiqiu was still sitting on the stool. Sun Miao even nodded towards Shen Yiqiu. After she left, Shen Yiqiu could smell a faint floral scent. It was the smell of the cleaning solution Sun Miao used—not pungent, just faint, and it didn’t bother the people who were still eating.

Shen Yiqiu ate slowly, eating her skewers slowly, item by item⁶. Hip-hop Mei had said she would bring her two portions, but in reality, she ate less herself to leave a full five portions for Shen Yiqiu. Shen Yiqiu had already eaten dinner and wasn’t very hungry at the moment, which was why she ate so slowly.

Taking a sip or two of the carbonated drink Hip-hop Mei had insisted on giving her, these little days⁷ were indeed comfortable. It was hot at night, but the heat was diluted quite a bit by the leisurely atmosphere. Amidst the bustling scene, there was a special feeling of in noise, seek tranquility.

Shen Yiqiu looked up at the sky, at the round moon, and felt even more beautiful inside.

After finally making it through the line, Father Su bought eight portions of skewers this time. As soon as he left Sun Miao’s stall, he turned his head and saw his wife blissfully eating, having already consumed quite a bit. In the plastic bag on the table, there were already several finished skewers. At this moment, a hundred emotions intertwine and gather in Father Su’s heart.

He walked up to the small table and found there wasn’t even a seat left. He could only squat down next to Shen Yiqiu and hand her the skewers he was holding.

“Where did you get those skewers? And… a drink.”

Most of the time, Shen Yiqiu was quite health-conscious, drinking things like orange juice at home. When had she ever drunk a carbonated beverage? So when he saw the drink by her hand, Father Su was stunned. Shen Yiqiu replied, “I ran into some acquaintances. They gave them to me.”

Seeing that they were an old couple, the people sitting next to Shen Yiqiu sped up their eating and gave up their seats after a short while. Father Su was about to sit down directly but was stopped by Shen Yiqiu. Before he could figure out what was happening, Sun Miao came over with a rag. She wiped the seat clean before smiling at Father Su and letting him sit down.

After she left, Father Su couldn’t help but praise her, “She’s quite a clean person.”

Shen Yiqiu became a little happier. “Yes, she is.”

Su Ruixi had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, just like her. Sun Miao loved to be clean, re-cleaning every time someone left. That meant this child would definitely pay attention to hygiene at home too. This way, the two of them could be together for a long time.

Shen Yiqiu ate the skewers Hip-hop Mei gave her and also ate quite a few from Father Su’s share. After the couple had finished eating, she stood up, let Father Su clean up first, then went over to Sun Miao to say goodbye before leaving with Father Su.

The next evening, while Sun Miao and Su Ruixi were having dinner together, Sun Miao mentioned this matter. Su Ruixi told Sun Miao not to mind them and to just treat them like ordinary customers. She also guessed, “My dad probably won’t be going to the stall to eat for the next two days.”

“Huh?”

“A matter does not exceed three⁸. He’s already gone three times. With his personality, he’ll need to take a break at the very least.”

Going three times in one week was already Father Su’s limit, just like Su Ruixi before him. As a great filial daughter, Su Ruixi keenly sensed that what had happened to her that day would definitely repeat itself with her father. As expected⁹, for the next two days, Father Su did not show up at Sun Miao’s stall.

Sun Miao, as usual, told the customers who came to her stall that today was the last day of vending and they would have to wait until the next time she came out. But privately, she was secretly negotiating with the system, “Before, when I asked about the plum rain season, didn’t you say you would give me a break when it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter? It’s so hot these days, I want to rest for a while.”

Actually, Sun Miao didn’t really want to rest for herself; she was more concerned about Su Ruixi. Vending for seven days in a row, with the last two days being Saturday and Sunday, Su Ruixi hadn’t even gotten a good rest on those two days because of Sun Miao’s stall. And because Sun Miao was too tired, they hadn’t been very intimate.

Even on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, they just held each other and caught up on sleep.

Sun Miao really didn’t want to live like this.

She had some self-awareness, knowing she was no longer the warrior from before she transmigrated who could wake up at 1 or 2 in the morning for a little bit of money¹⁰, acting like she was injected with chicken blood¹¹. Perhaps the hometown of gentleness¹² was truly too intoxicating, but to put it another way, because she now had ties, she didn’t work as hard as before, which was within feeling and reason¹³.

She wanted to rest well for a while. The savings she had were enough for her to be lazy for a bit. Besides, as long as she didn’t lose her skills, even if she lost some customers due to this break, she was confident she could earn them back.

Most importantly, she wanted to spend quality time with Su Ruixi and take care of her lover, who had lost some weight again these past few days.

Fortunately, the system was indeed very easy to talk to. It had indeed mentioned a break before, and it was too hot these days. High-temperature warnings had been issued for several consecutive days. Vending at night was one thing; at least she wouldn’t be under the sun. If she went out to vend during the day, Sun Miao would surely come back as black as charcoal.

So the system gave Sun Miao a break: 【Then let’s rest from tomorrow until the end of August. However, there will be temporary tasks during this period, please pay attention to receiving them. Before a temporary task is issued, the system will remain in standby mode. Host, please do not panic.】

Sun Miao wasn’t worried at first, but hearing the system say this, she couldn’t help but frown, her face showing concern, “System, if I take a break, will it affect you? I can take less time off, I don’t need this much.”

【Is the host worried about me?】

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