The steaming hot small wontons were ladled into the snow-white porcelain bowl, blooming like flowers. They were garnished with seaweed, dried shrimp, and chopped cilantro, with diamond-shaped slivers of egg yolk the size of a thumbprint floating on top.
It looked beautiful and smelled divine, but it remained to be seen how it tasted.
As the first customer, the burly man had the honor of occupying the entire square wooden table and even received three extra wontons, courtesy of the boss, Jiang.
He picked up his spoon and eagerly scooped one into his mouth.
First came the fragrance of the soup base, and when he took a bite, the piping hot broth burst from within the wonton. The ratio of fat to lean meat in the pork filling was perfect, blending with the soup to create a unique, exquisite flavor that was simply mouth-watering.
The man froze.
He had never eaten such delicious small wontons before. No, he had never eaten such delicious food in his entire life! By comparison, the meals his wife made at home were not fit for human consumption.
Xu Chuanhua’s husband was a cargo ship manager, and the family lived and ate on the boat, only disembarking at the pier every day to stretch their legs. But the pier at dawn was always the same, and these daily strolls had lost their appeal.
On this day, she brought a few servants down to buy supplies for the ship as usual.
The sky was just beginning to brighten. Before Xu Chuanhua’s feet even touched the ground, she caught a scent so fragrant it almost made her tumble into the river.
“What is that smell? It’s so good!” she exclaimed, waving her handkerchief. The savory aroma only grew more intense.
“Madam Xu, it seems to be coming from that breakfast stall at the pier,” someone behind her said.
“It smells like chicken soup,” Xu Chuanhua said, twitching her nose and grinding her teeth. “Who is so unscrupulous to sell chicken soup at this ungodly hour?”
Wasn’t this intentionally trying to make people part with their money?
She marched over with her head held high, full of bluster. When she arrived, however, she was immediately disappointed.
“So, it’s just wontons,” Xu Chuanhua muttered. “I thought it was something worthwhile.”
She had eaten a bowl of wontons at the Jiangzhou pier before. When she bit into them, not only was the dough thick, but the tiny bit of “meat” was just fat—greasy enough to make one gag—and the soup base was as bland and watery as dishwater.
Since that day, she had sworn off such traps.
Glancing up inadvertently, she noticed the stall was run by a mistress and her maid. The mistress wore a lotus-root-pink, embroidered, waist-length skirt, her face partially veiled with white silk, and a bright red mole between her brows. Her waist was slender and graceful, swaying like a willow.
Not to mention those expressive, peach-blossom eyes; her mere presence was a feast for the eyes. Who could resist a beauty?
Xu Chuanhua lingered for a moment. “How much for a bowl of these wontons?” Her husband and son were both on the ship. Given the enticing aroma of the chicken soup, it wouldn’t hurt to buy one bowl to try.
“Twenty coins a bowl, twelve wontons per bowl,” Jiang Mo replied.
Xu Chuanhua’s eyes widened. “How much? Twenty coins?!”
The bowl she had bought previously was only eight coins, and it came with fifteen! Even if the taste was mediocre, there was a twelve-coin difference. With those twelve coins, couldn’t she buy several meat buns?
“Miss, this is far too expensive. Other stalls only charge seven or eight coins,” Xu Chuanhua complained, her face drooping in displeasure. She resisted the intoxicating aroma of the chicken soup wafting toward her nose. “Look, your stall has no customers anyway. Why not lower the price to ten coins, and I’ll buy three bowls?”
“Hey, what kind of talk is that, auntie?” the burly man eating the wontons protested. “Look at how big I am—am I invisible to you?”
Xu Chuanhua shot him a look of disdain. Was he stupid? If she managed to negotiate the price down, it would be cheaper for everyone in the future.
“No bargaining. But since it’s our first day, I will add three extra wontons,” Jiang Mo said.
Her fingers, delicate as scallions, moved like magic, crafting cute little wontons one after another and arranging them neatly on the bamboo mat. They looked clean and beautiful.
Xu Chuanhua remained unsatisfied. Three wontons were nothing; they would be gone in a single gulp. If she could lock in a price of ten coins, she would save so much money over time.
“Miss, perhaps you don’t know, but if you sell wontons at such a high price, nobody will buy them. At twenty coins, how can you compete with the seven-or-eight-coin stalls?” she attempted to persuade her.
However, Jiang Mo remained unswayed. No matter what Xu Chuanhua said, she maintained a gentle smile, neither annoyed nor hurried, waiting patiently for her to finish.
After Xu Chuanhua had talked for a long time, she became genuinely irritated. It was just a bowl of wontons, and after all this time, only one person was eating at the stall. She wanted to see how many she could actually sell! Once she couldn’t sell them, she would naturally be forced to lower the price.
Didn’t she understand these petty tricks?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a questioning voice sounded from behind her.
“Huh? Is there a wonton stall here? The smell is amazing! Boss, give me a bowl!”
A young man dressed as a bailiff pushed through the crowd, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the large pot of simmering chicken soup, rubbing his hands together to warm them.
It was freezing today. Master Shen was working tirelessly in the magistrate’s office until dawn every single day. The bailiffs who ran errands for him had to switch shifts, coming to work before the sky was even light.
Having a bowl of hot, fragrant chicken soup wontons on a day this cold—just thinking about it gave him the motivation to work.
“Young man, didn’t you ask how much a bowl costs?” Xu Chuanhua asked, shocked.
Han You paused, scratched his head, and asked, “How much is it?”
Xu Chuanhua held up two fingers. “Twenty coins!”
Han You said “Oh,” and then went back to watching Jiang Mo prepare the wontons. One, two… fifteen! His eyes sparkled as he mentally cheered. Fifteen small wontons!! That was great!
Xu Chuanhua, seeing his indifferent reaction, found it unbelievable. “Don’t you think that’s expensive?”
Han You realized what she meant. “I suppose it is a bit pricier than the other stalls.”
Xu Chuanhua felt satisfied. That’s more like it. She wanted to persuade Han You to join her side.
But then Han You added, “Isn’t that normal?” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Just smell the soup base; it’s incredibly fragrant. No other wonton stall has this scent.” He had smelled it from a street away. “Besides,” Han You said, looking confused, “if you think it’s expensive, just don’t buy it.”
Xu Chuanhua: “…”
A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to eat them, but she didn’t want to spend the extra money. She decided to turn away and leave, pretending she hadn’t seen them. It was just wontons. Was she really the type of person to be enslaved by her appetites? How shallow!
Han You held the clean, snow-white porcelain bowl, looking at the seaweed, shrimp skins, and egg strips with curiosity. He had never seen these toppings in anyone else’s wontons!
He cradled the bowl and took a large sip of the soup first. The hot chicken soup flowed into his stomach, and it felt as if all the cold in his body had been washed away—it was incredibly warm and comforting!
Mmm, so delicious.
He scooped up a wonton and popped it into his mouth. Oh my! It burst with juice!
Han You’s eyes narrowed in bliss. His mouth was filled with the fresh, non-greasy wontons; after eating one, he wanted another. He was stunned. Could wontons really be this good?
Han You slurped them up, and in the blink of an eye, the fifteen wontons were gone. He looked at the empty bowl with lingering desire, noting the leftover chicken soup and seaweed at the bottom.
After a moment of contemplation, Han You picked up the seaweed and slowly put it into his mouth. It was smooth, crisp, and chewy. Huh, a fresh taste I’ve never experienced before!
The wontons were delicious, and the soup was great, but there was only one problem.
Han You’s expression grew serious. His stomach must have gone bad. Why was he getting hungrier the more he ate, even though he had finished a large bowl???
These wontons are killing me! QAQ!!!