The quantity was large today, so most customers got to have a taste. And it was precisely because they had eaten Lu Wu’s baozi that they were even more displeased with the purchase limit.
“If I find out who spread the news, I’ll kill them!”
Someone muttered. Lou Xiaotian shrank back.
He regretted it too. He could have had them all to himself. Sob, sob, sob, he hadn’t managed to eat his Innocent Little Meat Bun today!
So there really were things in this world that he couldn’t buy even with all his money.
Filled with remorse, Lou Xiaotian’s eyes darted around as he started scheming again.
By now, quite a few people had discovered that post, Lou Xiaotian among them.
After a sinister chuckle, he began to fiddle around.
A sentence appeared below that post.
“The boss’s baozi for the next few days have all been bought out. Everyone, stop coming.”
First, he would muddy the waters, tricking as many people as he could. Then, he would fish in troubled waters and maybe get to eat a few more.
After all, judging by the current situation, Boss Lu’s Baozi Shop had no worries about a lack of business.
The customers on this street alone were enough for Boss Lu to sell out.
Before long, Lou Xiaotian saw his comment get pushed to the top.
He glanced around and noticed many people scrolling through their Universal Realm Communicators. A group of them met each other’s gazes, sharing knowing smiles.
As expected, he wasn’t the only scoundrel here.
It was just that when he met Lu Wu’s gaze, Lou Xiaotian felt a little guilty.
It couldn’t be helped.
Even if he didn’t earn a steamed bun, he had to fight for a baozi.
Ever since he had eaten these baozi, he had completely lost his taste for the ones made by the Lou family’s master chefs.
For the sake of his own appetite, he could only deceive the innocent masses.
Meanwhile, Old Man Li, who had also eaten a baozi, smacked his lips, savoring the endless aftertaste.
He deleted the follow-up review full of praise that he had originally prepared.
Don’t blame him.
He was just afraid that those young people wouldn’t be blessed enough to enjoy them.
He was old, he wasn’t afraid. Let him take on the burden!
Lu Wu was very busy.
Watching the food she had made with her own hands being tasted and loved by others filled her heart with a sense of satisfaction.
Lu Wu smiled as she listened to the customers, who were chatting about everything under the sun while unceremoniously munching on their baozi.
For Lu Wu, many things were full of fun and novelty.
Amidst the lively night scene and the rich aroma of food, Lu Wu truly felt that she was integrating into this world.
…
In a remote alley in Xiaohe Town, a plainly dressed woman clutched something to her chest and pushed open a shabby door.
The furnishings in the house were spartan, appearing empty at a single glance.
The woman lit a candle and walked toward the wooden bed in the innermost part of the room.
A small lump could be seen under the old but clean cotton quilt, rising and falling. Someone was sleeping inside.
The woman’s footsteps were heavy, yet the person in the bed showed no reaction.
“Xiao Hua, I bought your favorite Dousha Bao. Get up and have a few bites.”
“This baozi is delicious. When I went, there were so many people in line. I almost didn’t get one.”
“It’s just a little expensive.”
The woman chattered on, but there was still no movement from the quilt. The woman’s gaze fell gently upon it, her expression sorrowful.
“Xiao Hua, we have to eat more so you can get better.”
“In the future…”
The woman was about to persuade her further when she was interrupted by an extremely sharp and irritable roar.
“The future? What future is there?”
“My face is ruined!”
“Those people call me an ugly freak. When I go out, they all laugh at me. How can I face anyone? I might as well just die!”
From the sound of it, it was a young girl.
Her tone was filled with hostility.
She sat up abruptly and forcefully slapped her mother’s hand away.
The woman, wincing in pain, didn’t notice as the baozi flew from her hand and hit the ground. The oil paper it was wrapped in came undone.
The skin was already thin, and upon impact, a small crack split open on the baozi’s surface. The aroma of red beans, mixed with a sweet scent, stopped the hurtful words that were about to tumble from the girl’s mouth.
The little girl froze.
Her nose twitched, and she followed the scent with her eyes.
She saw the tender white, steaming baozi, and she also noticed her mother’s pained and heartbroken expression.
For a moment, her face was filled with remorse.
Her father had died young, and she and her mother depended on each other.
She was about to turn twelve and would soon be able to have her aptitude tested. Perhaps she would have a chance to soar to greatness.
But she no longer dared to hope.
She had contracted a strange illness, and her life was ruined.
And in the candlelight, her cheeks, covered in black spots, were fully revealed.
They were dense and numerous, turning a face that should have been delicate and lovely into that of a terrifying monster.
When she spoke, her muscles moved, making the spots look like writhing worms.
Disgusting and ugly.
This was Xiao Hua’s greatest pain now.
The mother and daughter had tried many methods and spent a lot of money on these spots, but they couldn’t get rid of them.
Facing the contemptuous and disgusted gazes of others with such a face, Xiao Hua didn’t even have the courage to step out the door.
“Xiao Hua, have a taste.”
Noticing her daughter’s gaze, the woman held back her tears, picked up the baozi, and handed it to Xiao Hua.
“It’s clean. I heard a Flower Girl there say that this baozi is quite magical.”
As for what was so magical about it, she had been in a hurry to get back and hadn’t heard the rest.
Xiao Hua wanted to refuse, but the sweet fragrance kept tempting her, like a devil that was impossible to resist.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Having not eaten properly for several days, Xiao Hua’s face turned beet red when she heard the sound. Fortunately, the black spots hid it, and her mother didn’t see.
Enduring her shame, Xiao Hua took the baozi.
Under her mother’s eager gaze, Xiao Hua took a small bite.
It was so fragrant, so soft.
Like her mother’s embrace.
Xiao Hua remembered that when she had woken up one day with these black spots and had to face the ridicule of others, it was her mother who had held her in her arms.
Her mother’s embrace back then had been so warm it made her want to cry.
Having starved for several meals, Xiao Hua wolfed it down. But no matter how big a baozi was, it would eventually be finished.
When the last bite was swallowed, facing her mother’s expectant gaze, Xiao Hua’s tears flowed uncontrollably.
“Mother… sob, sob, sob… I’m not an ugly freak, I’m not a monster.”
“They all scold me, they all dislike me.”
“Mother, I’m so sad.”
She wailed, and crystal-clear teardrops fell on the back of her mother’s hand. Their scalding heat made the woman’s eyes turn red as well.
“Yes, Mother knows. Xiao Hua is not an ugly freak. Xiao Hua is very beautiful. You are Mother’s most precious treasure.”
She gently comforted Xiao Hua, wiping her face with a handkerchief.
After a few wipes, the woman’s expression changed.
She looked at Xiao Hua’s face in astonishment, then at her handkerchief, her expression like she had seen a ghost.
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
Hiccup!
Having cried out all the grievances in her heart, Xiao Hua’s attitude had improved greatly. She asked her mother with concern.
“Xiao Hua, I think my eyes are playing tricks on me. I thought I saw the spots on your face fade a little.”
To verify, the woman leaned in for a closer look.
Xiao Hua frowned. She didn’t believe it, thinking her mother was just trying to comfort her.
“It’s true! They really have faded!” the woman cried out, her joy overflowing.
“Xiao Hua, I’ll go get you a mirror.”
The woman moved quickly, and a mirror was thrust into Xiao Hua’s hands.