It seemed gender hierarchy was too deeply ingrained to change overnight. Mu Simiao had to address the immediate issue first—she wouldn’t have agreed even if it were someone else, let alone Liu Haoxuan, who looked identical to her cousin.
She couldn’t bring herself to kiss him even with her eyes closed. Raising her hand, she said, “I have no special feelings for you, and I won’t shortchange your wages. How you spend your earnings is none of my concern. I merely reminded you that you have the right to decide for yourself.”
After speaking, Mu Simiao returned the handkerchief from her waist to him and turned away, leaving Liu Haoxuan standing there lost in thought.
The private school bell rang, and crowds poured out. Yet, the usual bustle at the Liangmian stall had noticeably dwindled. Though Mu Simiao found it somewhat concerning, she first served the customers in line. Only when the crowd had dispersed did she thoughtfully gaze at another stall across the street.
This stall was unfamiliar to Mu Simiao, as if it had appeared out of nowhere that day. A neat queue stretched in front of it, and through the gaps, she could see the vendor clutching oiled paper identical to the ones used at her own stall.
To think a “knockoff” had emerged just days after she started her business—it truly proved that tall trees catch the wind. Moreover, the rival stall’s prices were one coin cheaper than Mu Simiao’s. When the offerings were nearly identical, customers naturally opted for the cheaper option.
“Mu Jiejie, they’re going too far,” Liu Haoxuan fumed, unable to stay silent any longer. He even wanted to confront the opposing stall owner.
Mu Simiao reached out to stop him, soothingly saying, “It’s fine. Let’s just focus on doing our part.”
Human nature is inherently curious. When Liangmian first appeared, quite a few customers had tried the rival stall out of novelty. However, from Mu Simiao’s observations, the portions they bought were often discarded half-eaten, with plenty left uneaten.
It seemed that despite the lower price, the taste of their Liangmian left much to be desired. Seeing this, Mu Simiao finally felt reassured.
Leisurely standing at her stall, Mu Simiao served the few remaining customers and casually pulled out the handkerchief from her waist to wipe away sweat. Watching her handle the handkerchief, Liu Haoxuan felt indignant but helpless.
After all, he was nominally her Fu Lang.
Seeing his puffed-up cheeks, Mu Simiao thought he was angry at Granny Liu’s actions and couldn’t help laughing. She took a piece of waterproof paper, dished out a portion of Liangmian, drizzled sauce over it, mixed it thoroughly, and handed it to him.
A bare wrist suddenly appeared before him, the mixed Liangmian exuding a fresh, savory aroma. When Liu Haoxuan looked up, his eyes met Mu Simiao’s smiling gaze.
“Anger harms your health. Have some Liangmian to cool down.” Seeing his dazed expression, Mu Simiao waved her hand. This time, he finally snapped out of it, accepting the Liangmian with flustered gratitude. His mind was filled with the earlier scene, leaving no room for anger.
Fortunately, there wasn’t much Liangmian left. After Mu Simiao and Liu Haoxuan had their share, she took the rest home for dinner. Before leaving, she cast a deep glance at the rival stall owner, raising an eyebrow with a smile when their eyes met.
The handkerchief at Mu Simiao’s waist fluttered with her movements. Liu Haoxuan helped push her cart, his gaze lingering on her waist.
“Sister Mu, is this handkerchief your Fu Lang’s? What pattern is this?” Liu Haoxuan asked abruptly, but Mu Simiao instinctively nodded before promptly replying, “White orchid.”
“I never expected that elder brother would favor such a lonely flower?” Liu Haoxuan pursed his lips, leaving only this remark.
Mu Simiao didn’t understand where his words came from—orchids are gentlemen among flowers, and their floral meaning clearly signifies purity and sincere love. The notion of loneliness might stem from their nature of not competing with other blooms for attention.
“The beauty smiles with subtle fragrance, standing uniquely apart,” Mu Simiao blurted out, turning sideways to glance at him. “My Fu Lang and I both admire the orchid’s character. Perhaps you’re still too young to fully grasp these things.”
Being too direct might bruise Liu Haoxuan’s pride, but Mu Simiao still didn’t want him focusing his affections on her. The final comment about age was merely a hint that they weren’t well-suited for each other.
Liu Haoxuan didn’t even register the latter part of her words—the term “Fu Lang” had already clouded his mind with jealousy. He snorted lightly, turned, and strode into the alley.
Mu Simiao shook her head helplessly at his retreating figure, then pulled her cart home.
Returning earlier than usual today, Qi Yuze looked over in surprise. As Mu Simiao handed him the money pouch, she explained: “There’s a stall in the city copying our Liangmian, but it’s not a serious concern. They only imitated the noodles and oiled paper—the seasoning is my secret recipe. Even if they’ve tasted it, they couldn’t replicate it exactly.”
Only then did Qi Yuze relax. Together they unloaded the remaining noodles from the cart. The sauce couldn’t be stored for long and had to be used today, while the noodles could be preserved by lowering them into the well.
After tidying everything up, Mu Simiao began pondering what new items to add to attract customers. After much thought, she concluded that soup would pair best—after all, Liangmian was essentially mixed noodles without any broth to moisten the palate.
However, the soup for sale certainly couldn’t be Grass Carp and Tofu Soup—firstly because the cost was too high, and secondly because the preparation was too tedious and time-consuming. Since it was the sweltering summer season, an appetite-stimulating soup would be essential. Mu Simiao then recalled Sour Jujube Drink.
As a traditional beverage in health preservation circles, Mu Simiao had heard of it—Sour Jujube Drink not only tasted sweet and sour while cooling and quenching thirst, but also had fatigue-relieving and sleep-soothing properties.
The preparation wasn’t too difficult either, though the immediate priority was purchasing the necessary ingredients. Since it wasn’t too late yet, Mu Simiao decided to act immediately. She asked Qi Yuze for some money and walked back to the marketplace.
The medicinal shop owner packed dried sour jujubes, rock sugar, goji berries, and dried tangerine peel into paper bags and handed them over. Mu Simiao paid and accepted the parcels, returning home just as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Mu Simiao tossed the leftover noon noodles into the pot to reboil them, adding seasonings and a few green vegetables to create a simple noodle soup. After the two finished eating, she scooped half a bowl for Yue’er. While Qi Yuze fed the child, Mu Simiao went to prepare the Sour Jujube Drink.
Time efficiency was crucial—after all, tomorrow morning she still needed to cook noodles, chicken, and seasoning sauce.
The process for making Sour Jujube Drink wasn’t particularly troublesome. Mu Simiao rinsed the dried sour jujubes, added water to the pot along with the jujubes, and waited for them to release their color before adding a small amount of rock sugar. After covering the pot and bringing it to a boil, she added goji berries and dried tangerine peel.
After simmering on low heat for half an hour, Mu Simiao turned off the flame and lifted the lid to taste the brew first. The balance of sweet and sour with a slightly bitter aftertaste was exactly as she remembered.
She ladled a small bowl for Qi Yuze, leaving the pot uncovered to let the steam escape and cool the Sour Jujube Drink faster.
Qi Yuze clearly had never seen Sour Jujube Drink before, his confusion evident on his face. Mu Simiao explained, “This is Sour Jujube Drink. Besides being refreshingly sweet and sour to relieve summer heat, it also helps with sleep. Tomorrow I’ll sell it along with Liangmian – it’s sure to attract more customers.”
Mu Simiao’s expression was full of determination, and Qi Yuze found himself caught up in her enthusiasm. He had grown to trust her completely: “Mu Niang’s Sour Jujube Drink will definitely bring in business. This humble one has never seen anything like it.”
“That’s not surprising. These are medicinal soup recipes from ancient texts – they nourish the body while serving as beverages.”
The claim about ancient texts proved useful indeed, since these were things they had never encountered before. Mu Simiao wielded this explanation skillfully, and Qi Yuze trusted her words completely.
After the Sour Jujube Drink cooled, Mu Simiao took Yue’er back, freeing Qi Yuze to taste the drink. Watching him bow his head to drink, she felt unexpectedly nervous, wondering if he would like the flavor.
When he lifted his head and she saw his throat move with the swallow, Mu Simiao stared intently at him and asked impatiently: “How is it?”
Savoring the lingering sweet and sour taste in his mouth, Qi Yuze’s eyes sparkled before he lowered his head for another sip. Only after swallowing did he answer Mu Simiao’s question: “Delicious.”
Having said this, he finished the remaining Sour Jujube Drink in two gulps. Receiving his approval, Mu Simiao breathed a sigh of relief. If he found it pleasing, it suggested the flavor would suit local tastes. Her confidence immediately grew.
To avoid a repeat of the unsold Liangmian situation, Mu Simiao prepared only one bucket of noodles the next day, using the other two buckets for seasoning sauce and Sour Jujube Drink respectively.
That day, Liu Haoxuan was uncharacteristically late. Mu Simiao had everything ready and waited another quarter-hour before he arrived slowly, though he seemed somewhat off.
His steps were uneven, his fingers pressed against his waist, and his usual cheerful expression was replaced by a pained look. A bad feeling arose in her. Setting aside propriety, Mu Simiao furrowed her brows and quickly moved to support his elbow: “What’s wrong?”
Liu Haoxuan looked startled, managing a strained smile: “Mu Jiejie, I’m fine.”
He clearly didn’t look fine. Mu Simiao helped him to the back of the stall before releasing him and sitting beside him. She pressed her fingertips against his lower back: “Does it hurt here?”
“Hiss…” Liu Haoxuan drew a sharp breath, his features contorting with pain. He grasped Mu Simiao’s fingers and turned to look at her: “Jiejie, don’t worry about me. We need to sell Liangmian soon.”
Mu Simiao had some understanding of Liu Haoxuan’s character. Seeing his condition, she sighed softly and assigned him the money-handling duty: “You don’t need to serve today, just handle the payments.”
Liu Haoxuan had been slowly rising to his feet when these words made him freeze momentarily. He could tell Mu Simiao had been somewhat guarded around him these past few days, yet now she was entrusting him with the money.
Suddenly, the injuries from his mother’s beating no longer seemed to hurt. His pained expression now contained a thread of happiness.
Mu Simiao handed him the money pouch and waited for the private school bell to ring, occasionally glancing toward the stall across the way. The stall owner there wore a smug expression, even clicking his tongue derisively in their direction.
Today, the Liangmian and Sour Jujube Drink are sure to win back the business. Mu Simiao did not accept the other party’s provocation but was somewhat concerned about Liu Haoxuan’s condition.
Once things got busy later, she would have no time to look after Liu Haoxuan, so she reminded him, “Take care of yourself later. If it really becomes too much, don’t push yourself—just step aside and rest.”
Liu Haoxuan was already overwhelmed with joy, unable to suppress the smile on his face. He tilted his head toward Mu Simiao, his eyes brimming with laughter, and said, “Understood, Mu Jiejie.”