Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 39

The Argument in the Group Chat

After saying this, Sun Miao’s embarrassment became even more obvious.

“Uh… the beef pancakes are sold out too. I was just about to leave.”

The young nurse was dumbfounded. She knew Sun Miao’s fried rice was delicious, but she didn’t expect the beef pancakes to be so popular that they were already sold out. Her friend was also surprised: the beef pancakes sold that well? They’re already gone?

The young nurse stood frozen in place, thinking for a long moment before finally asking, “Then what time will you be setting up the stall tomorrow?”

“From seven in the morning to seven at night.”

The young nurse seemed to make up her mind. “Okay, I’ll come by tomorrow to buy some.”

Sun Miao thought for a moment, then took out her phone. “How about this — I have a group chat where I post updates on where I’ll be setting up each week and what I’ll be selling. Do you want to join?”

This time, the young nurse didn’t hesitate. She answered firmly, “Yes, I’m in!”

After joining the group, the young nurse finally left with her friend. Once they were gone, Sun Miao quickly packed up her food cart and pedaled off. Her phone buzzed nonstop along the way, and when she stopped at a red light, she finally fished it out of her pocket to take a look.

What greeted her eyes was a flood of messages from people she didn’t recognize, all tagging her.

@SeriouslySettingUpTheStallToday: Way to go, boss! Sneakily selling beef pancakes behind our backs while we’re still waiting for your fried rice!

@SeriouslySettingUpTheStallToday: Hello? Why the beef pancakes? What about the fried rice?

Just from reading the messages, Sun Miao could tell these were her fried rice customers. Scrolling up, she saw that the group, which originally had only about thirty people, had now surpassed fifty members. Scrolling even further, she discovered that the young nurse had been continuously adding people to the chat.

Sun Miao swallowed nervously and decided to pretend she hadn’t seen any of it.

After all, WeChat doesn’t show read receipts. Sun Miao loved WeChat.

As soon as the traffic light turned green, Sun Miao twisted the throttle and drove off immediately. No matter how much her phone buzzed in her pocket, she didn’t spare it a single glance.

She got home earlier than usual today. Since she hadn’t eaten dinner while running her stall, she only reheated the food and ate after getting back. It was only during her meal that she finally had the time to scroll through the messages again.

By now, the malatang customers had caught on too, and they were now squaring off against the fried rice customers in the group chat, engaging in a “pleasant discussion.”

【What? Boss Sun also sells fried rice? Forget fried rice — if anything’s making a comeback, it should be malatang! Malatang is the true delicacy!】

【I agree! If you’re selling something, sell malatang!】

【? You all know the boss’s surname is Sun now? Damn, that was fast. But what’s so great about malatang? It’s spicy as hell. Fried rice is way better!】

【You can get fried rice anywhere. Sell malatang! Bring back the malatang!】

【Malatang comes with both spicy and non-spicy broths, okay? Don’t go spreading lies if you’ve never had it!】

【Exactly! Besides, this group was created by us malatang customers. What right do you fried rice people have to say anything?】

【If you ask me, fried rice isn’t even that good. It’s way too greasy.】

【? Never even tried it and you’re already spreading falsehoods, huh? Boss Sun’s fried rice isn’t greasy at all — it’s light and delicious! Fried rice deserves a comeback!】

【We fried rice fans were here first! We were the originals! Why are there so many unfamiliar faces in this group now?】

The argument grew more heated by the minute, but none of the messages came from Hip-Hop Mei. Maybe she was too busy having fun to chime in. Just as Sun Miao was thinking that, Hip-Hop Mei suddenly joined the fray:

【I think they’re all delicious! Boss Sun’s beef pancakes are also top-notch. Seriously, the beef pancakes are amazing. No way… don’t tell me there are still people in this group who haven’t tried them yet?】

Under Hip-Hop Mei’s wave of mockery, those who had tasted the beef pancakes today finally stepped forward.

Zhou Ling’s Mom: 【They really are fantastic! The pancake crust is crisp and flaky without crumbling apart, the beef filling is tender and flavorful, and the combination of cabbage and green onions makes it the best beef pancake I’ve ever had.】

Zhou Ling’s Mom truly lived up to her reputation as a “chicken baby master”¹. Even the way she described food had a bit of that essay-writing flair, and her one comment made both those who had tasted the beef pancakes and those who hadn’t start imagining the flavor. Many people even began to cheer in support:

【Exactly! You should all abandon the fried rice and malatang of the past and embrace the world’s most delicious beef pancakes…】

【I’m trying them tomorrow! It’s at the entrance of Jinsha Building, right? Nobody fight me for them!】

【A new faction has appeared! The third group in the chat — the Beef Pancake Party!】

【I don’t believe it. Could they really be that good? Unless someone gives me a bite, I won’t be convinced!】

They plunged into another round of heated debate, making Sun Miao, who was watching the group chat while eating dinner, curl her toes in embarrassment — because, in essence, they were all praising her. Some even said outright:

【What exactly did Boss Sun grow up eating? How is it that no matter if it’s fried rice, malatang, or beef pancakes, she has so many die-hard fans?】

【Because it’s really that good! Ah, I wish I could kidnap Boss Sun and have her make malatang and beef pancakes for me every day.】

— No way. Especially since the one saying this was a guy.

Even if it were a girl, Sun Miao would only consider it if the other person was her crush, let alone a guy — there was absolutely no chance.

Hip-Hop Mei was as blunt as ever:

【Kidnap her? Dream on! Boss Sun belongs to all of us!】

After Hip-Hop Mei’s clapback, several others chimed in to pile on, and the guy who made the comment fell silent. Sun Miao didn’t take it seriously — it was just people mouthing off online.

After finishing dinner, she cleaned up thoroughly, leaving no corner untouched — from her food cart to her home. Cleanliness was crucial when working with food, after all.

Once everything was spotless, she calculated her earnings for the day before curling up in her room. That’s when she heard the system’s voice:

【April has already ended, so it’s time to pay your taxes for the month.】

“Oh right, I almost forgot.”

She wasn’t very good at handling this kind of stuff, so the system took care of it for her:

【Just transfer the money to me, and I’ll handle the tax payment.】

Sun Miao trusted the system 100% — at least when it came to paying her taxes. There was no reason for the system to scam her over such a small amount.

She agreed, and after the system quickly reported the required sum, she transferred the money into the designated account. Only afterward did it dawn on her to ask:

“Wait… whose account is this? Is it yours?”

【Yes, I made it.】

Sun Miao marveled — the system really could handle anything.

When it came to paying taxes, Sun Miao had no complaints. As long as her income exceeded the personal tax threshold, paying taxes was a citizen’s duty. She also knew that many street vendors didn’t actually pay taxes, which was understandable. Some probably didn’t even realize that they were considered self-employed and needed to pay taxes.

But Sun Miao had previously run a breakfast shop, so she was already familiar with these things. In this world, all her papers were in order — even if she wanted to avoid paying, there was no way to escape it. Besides, she wasn’t the kind of person who would deliberately shirk her tax obligations.

Having the system handle it definitely saved her a lot of trouble.

Still, the taxes were high. No wonder so many people wanted to avoid paying them. Even someone as self-disciplined as Sun Miao couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache when she heard the system report the amount.

There was no helping it. Being frugal was practically etched into her bones — watching her hard-earned money slip away through her fingers was always painful. Her mind wandered to Su Ruixi. With a business as big as hers, she must have to pay an enormous amount of taxes every month too. Sun Miao wondered what Su Ruixi was up to right now.

What she didn’t know was that, at this very moment, Su Ruixi was at a family dinner, enjoying Sun Miao’s beef pancakes with her parents.

That afternoon, with nothing else to do, Su Ruixi stayed at the office until 4:30 PM. Before leaving, she deliberately went to the first floor and stood inside the building, watching Sun Miao work outside. At that moment, Sun Miao was making beef pancakes. Su Ruixi couldn’t see her face, only her back.

Sun Miao stood straight, her food cart customized to match her height so that she didn’t need to bend or hunch over while working — a back-friendly design. Even so, some tasks required her to lower her head slightly. From where she stood, Su Ruixi could only see Sun Miao’s head bowed as she worked busily.

She wore a white long-sleeve T-shirt, paired with jeans and flat canvas shoes. From Su Ruixi’s angle, she could even see the apron strings wrapping around Sun Miao’s waist and tying in the front. Her outfit was simple and clean, yet for some reason, in Su Ruixi’s eyes, she seemed to glow.

Su Ruixi shook her head. Seeing that Sun Miao was busy, she didn’t call out to her and headed straight down to the basement parking lot. In her hand was the beef pancake, which she casually placed on the passenger seat. Beside it was her lunch bag, containing the soup Sun Miao had prepared for her and the empty lunchbox from earlier.

Only then did it hit her: Ah, I forgot to return the lunchbox. Guess there’ll be no Sun Miao-made lunch tomorrow.

Another thought struck her — I should probably wash this soup bowl… Maybe I’ll ask the housekeeper to clean it tonight.

Her gaze still fell on the beef pancake. After sitting in the bag all afternoon, it was inevitable that some oil had seeped out, soaking into the parchment paper, leaving dark patches here and there while other areas remained dry, making the whole thing look rather messy. Even the bag itself had become crumpled… the overall appearance felt especially cheap.

Normally, she would never bring something like this home — her parents would definitely say she had no taste.

But… given the choice between being scolded by her parents and eating something awful for dinner, Su Ruixi still chose the former. One must never eat food that’s too unappetizing — otherwise, it’s easy to spiral into emo².

With that thought in mind, Su Ruixi started her car and drove home. She took the elevated highway, driving for about half an hour before exiting, and then another ten minutes before arriving at her front gate. That was quite a long time, considering traffic wasn’t too bad today, and she was heading out of the city, deliberately avoiding congested routes.

Even so, it still took nearly forty-five minutes to get home.

Su Ruixi was, without a doubt, a certified rich woman — the crème de la crème of the wealthy. In a city where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, she’d secured a quiet plot of land and built a villa halfway up a mountain. And it wasn’t just a single villa — there was also a garden, a fountain pool… the whole place was practically an estate.

It was a good thing Sun Miao didn’t know about any of this. If she found out just how unimaginably rich Su Ruixi was, she’d probably abandon the idea of having a crush on her altogether.

Living comfortably with a little wealth is fine, but when faced with immense wealth — the best choice is to run fast.

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