Ever since she was disfigured by a strange illness, the thing Xiao Hua hated most was mirrors.
She resisted the urge to smash it, her gaze fixed on the woman’s surprised eyes. Xiao Hua was a little suspicious.
Her mother knew how much she cared about her face; she wouldn’t joke about something like this.
Could it be… real?
Hesitantly, Xiao Hua raised the mirror.
To get a better look, the woman brought the candlestick closer.
The candlelight flickered, providing ample light.
As Xiao Hua mustered her courage, the first thing that met her eyes was the ugly face in the mirror.
Self-loathing and anguish nearly drowned her.
Her fingers tightened around the mirror, knuckles turning white. Her nose tingled with the urge to cry as she examined her reflection seriously.
It had been a long time since Xiao Hua had looked at her own face. She didn’t know if it was just a psychological effect, but she truly felt that the black spots had faded a lot.
Somewhat comforted, Xiao Hua recalled what the woman had just said.
“Mom, you just said this bun was magical. How is it magical?”
For some reason, she now had a feeling that the change in her face was caused by the bun she had just eaten.
A craving surged within her, and she grabbed the woman’s hand.
“I… I didn’t hear…”
The woman was no fool. Realizing something, she quickly stood up and ran outside.
“Xiao Hua, don’t worry! I’ll go ask. I’ll buy more buns for you!”
The buns were expensive, but if they could cure Xiao Hua’s face, it would all be worth it.
The woman left in such a hurry that she bumped her knee against a chair. A dull thud sounded, but she paid it no mind and kept running.
Xiao Hua failed to grab her.
She bit her lip, glanced at her reflection in the mirror again, and finally got out of bed and put on her shoes.
After hesitating at the doorway for a moment, Xiao Hua summoned her courage and chased after her.
Her mother was her only family.
It was dark, and it wasn’t safe for her mother to be out alone.
But by the time the woman ran back to Yanliu Street, she found that the Baozi Shop was gone.
In fact, half an hour earlier, Lu Wu’s buns had been completely sold out, and she had packed up and gone home.
The crowd of diners had also dispersed.
The woman, still panting, had a face full of disappointment.
“How could this be…”
If the hope she had just found was gone just like that, what would happen to her Xiao Hua?
The woman, who had never been defeated by hardship before, was now in tears.
“Mom.”
When Xiao Hua arrived, she saw her mother squatting on the ground, crying.
In her memory, the mother who had raised her all by herself had never been so fragile.
Worried about her, Xiao Hua no longer cared whether her face was presentable. She hurried over and helped the woman up.
“Mom, it’s okay. Let’s go home.”
Even if her face was ruined, her mother was still here. She had to live on tenaciously, just like her mother.
So what if she was mocked? So what if she was looked down upon?
She wasn’t afraid!
“Miss, do you need help?”
As the mother and daughter wept in each other’s arms, a kind voice rang out.
It was none other than the elusive and gossip-loving Old Man Li.
…
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the mission.
Lu Wu was now well-versed in purchasing ingredients and preparing them.
Just as it was about time to leave, Lu Wu deliberately checked outside her door. This time, Old Man Li wasn’t there to ambush her.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
On Yanliu Street, even before Lu Wu arrived, the several-meter-wide street was already teeming with people.
Many had come.
Besides the locals from Xiaohe Town, there were also some outsiders who had been attracted by the previous post.
No one was fighting today.
They gathered in groups of three or five, all eyes fixed on the entrance of Baihua House.
A group of people wearing masks stood there, acting secretively.
Judging by their figures, they weren’t very old.
Their strange attire made one’s imagination run wild.
“I heard this group started lining up before it even got dark?”
“Young Master Lou, do you know who these people are?” someone asked Lou Xiaotian.
Boss Lu was a complete hit. They had deliberately come early to line up, but they still hadn’t managed to get to the front.
“I don’t know.”
Lou Xiaotian was curious too.
He was familiar with many of the Flower Girls here, and someone had told him that this secretive group had arrived one after another during the day.
It seemed they were specifically waiting for Boss Lu.
“These people don’t even dare to show their faces. Could they be here to cause trouble?”
Someone guessed. Hearing this, Lou Xiaotian immediately perked up.
He carefully sized up the group. Many of them had very low Cultivation, and some hadn’t even reached the age to begin cultivating.
It didn’t look like they were here to make trouble.
“Boss Lu is here!”
As Lou Xiaotian was pondering, a shout came from the outer edge of the crowd.
Those who had eaten Lu Wu’s buns now consciously guided the crowd to part, making way for Boss Lu to enter.
When Lu Wu arrived, what she saw were diners with gleaming eyes and the masked people in the middle.
Lu Wu’s steps faltered.
If she hadn’t seen so many familiar faces, she would have thought she had stumbled into some kind of evil cult gathering.
“Good evening, everyone.”
Lu Wu greeted the diners and parked her stall in its designated spot.
Without further ado, Lu Wu got straight to work.
“Just a quarter of an hour,” she called out.
After making some money over the past two days, she had upgraded her stall. Now, the heat source wasn’t firewood, but fire-attribute spirit stones.
With a sufficient supply of heat, the buns cooked through more easily.
As everyone salivated, the plump white buns were placed in the steamer, and the line formed neatly.
Standing at the very front was one of the masked people.
Lu Wu took a moment to size them up.
Judging by the figure, it wasn’t an adult. Looking at the slender bone structure, it was probably a girl.
At a glance, there were dozens of people dressed this way, all of a similar age.
Was this some kind of underage evil organization?
But she was just a businesswoman. She shouldn’t provoke these people, right?
As her mind raced with speculation, Lu Wu shook the bell she had hung up today. The bell rang.
“The buns are ready!”
“Still a limit of two per person today.”
“Ah! Still a limit!”
The crowd instantly let out a collective wail. Lu Wu smiled, her eyes crinkling.
[Mission Progress: 631/1000]
Thanks to these enthusiastic diners, Lu Wu estimated that she could complete the mission today.
“Boss Lu, I want two Dousha Bao.”
The moment the masked person at the front of the line spoke, one could tell it was a young girl with a tender voice.
It was Xiao Hua.
Outside the crowd, the woman watched Xiao Hua worriedly.
After discovering yesterday that Lu Wu’s Dousha Bao could treat the black spots, the mother and daughter had rushed over, but Lu Wu had already closed up shop.
At their wit’s end, the kind-hearted Old Man Li had told them about Lu Wu’s stall schedule.
Upon learning that Boss Lu’s buns were in high demand, they simply waited on this street to avoid missing their chance.
And to avoid the strange looks from strangers, Xiao Hua wore a mask.
As for the other masked people, they had come on their own.
They were already wearing masks when they arrived.
This unspoken understanding made Xiao Hua a little uneasy.
Last night, a post titled “Sweet Red Bean Paste Bun, Give Me Back My Baby Face” had rapidly gained popularity on Xiaohe Town’s Universal Realm Communicator.
After the Yāozi Bāo and Little Meat Bao went viral, the Sweet Red Bean Paste Bun finally had its moment in the spotlight.
The post emphasized the ability of Lu Wu’s Dousha Bao to remove black spots, and the photos were courteously provided by Xiao Hua.
The mastermind behind it was Old Man Li.
As for the reason…
Old Man Li, who was also in line, looked at a certain post on the Universal Realm Communicator that was gradually being buried, his gaze icy.