When Wang Yuwei arrived at the City Criminal Investigation Team with the buns, she was already late. She set the buns and porridge on the table and asked her colleague, Old Zhang, “Is Captain Jiang back yet?”
Old Zhang twitched his nose. “Smells pretty good. Is there a new person setting up a stall?”
Wang Yuwei was amused. “Alright, Old Zhang, your nickname really fits you. This time, it’s a tenant of my neighbor’s selling them. A young girl with a child—it’s not easy for her. Hey, let me say this first: if the buns aren’t good today, don’t nag me endlessly. At least you won’t go hungry.”
Old Zhang chuckled, reached for a bun and a cup of soy milk, and said, “How could I? This smells great. By the way, how’s your application to transfer to administrative duties going? Don’t you have to wait until this current case is closed before you can go?”
Wang Yuwei sighed. “If it weren’t for the fact that my son is so mischievous that no one can control him, I wouldn’t want to transfer to a desk job while we’re so short-handed.”
At that moment, several other colleagues entered the office. They didn’t waste any time and began analyzing the case. Old Zhang also set his breakfast down for a moment.
After half an hour of discussion, the buns had gone cold, and everyone’s stomachs were growling. The person speaking instinctively grabbed a bun from the table and stuffed it into his mouth—
The office suddenly fell silent. Everyone stared quietly at the colleague who was gnawing on the bun, thinking he had realized a key point in the case.
The crowd held their breath for a few seconds, only to see the colleague suddenly chew vigorously a few times, swallow the bun with effort, and ask, “Sister Wei, where did you buy this bun?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted back to Wang Yuwei.
Wang Yuwei also thought it was related to the case and asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Just at the snack street…”
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by that colleague. “Holy cow, this bun is too delicious! It’s still so fragrant even when cold. It’s way better than what our cafeteria makes. Sister, give me a meat one. The vegetarian one is good, but mental work needs energy, haha.”
A wave of mock scolding erupted in the office, and the atmosphere became lighter than the previous tension.
With him stirring things up, everyone felt hungry, so they shared the buns and porridge and continued the meeting.
To their surprise, the buns were gone in no time, and even the porridge had only one cup left. Wang Yuwei was so busy she didn’t even manage to eat a single bun; she could only drink a little porridge. It was almost noon, and she had to go out on field duty in the afternoon.
Old Zhang smacked his lips and asked Wang Yuwei, “Xiao Wang, you said she’s your neighbor. Can we pre-order some buns from her? It’ll save you the trouble of carrying them. Didn’t you say the mother and daughter are having a hard time? We can consider it as looking out for the locals.”
Besides, Wang Yuwei wasn’t free every day. If she didn’t come in one day, wouldn’t they miss out on the good food?
Wang Yuwei rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “I’ll ask when I get back.”
As luck would have it, near noon, Li Shuo’s homeroom teacher called her, insisting she come to the school this time. Wang Yuwei knew Li Shuo had caused trouble again and gritted her teeth in anger.
Sure enough, when Wang Yuwei arrived at the school, all the other students had already been dismissed. Her son, Li Shuo, was still slumped over his desk, lazily writing and drawing.
Wang Yuwei’s vision went dark; from his posture, she knew he was writing a self-reflection again. He had just started the first grade in September, and now, in late October, he had already written three self-reflections.
The only upside was that his character recognition speed was advancing by leaps and bounds.
The teacher was quite polite, but her smile was strained. “Li Shuo’s mother, students are allowed to bring breakfast to school. However, we still suggest that they try to finish eating at home before coming. I know you and his father are busy with work, but please try to…”
Wang Yuwei suppressed her anger and tried to speak calmly to the teacher. “Teacher Li, you don’t need to put in a good word for him. Just tell me, what kind of trouble did he cause this time?”
Perhaps because she had been a criminal investigator for many years, even Wang Yuwei’s calm speech carried a sense of pressure. Teacher Li was also a young teacher who had only graduated a year ago, and she accidentally blurted out, “He held an auction in class today. He was auctioning off two buns. Whoever bid the highest or was willing to do his homework could have them.”
“…”
The classroom fell silent. Li Shuo was dragged away by his mother, who was twisting his ear.
Teacher Li rubbed her own ear and winced. She took a confiscated bun out of her desk and murmured, “I just wanted to say, the bun really is quite fragrant. Bringing it into the classroom affects everyone’s studies too much.”
After giving Li Shuo a piece of her mind and dropping him off at his grandmother’s house, Wang Yuwei finally returned to the Xingfu Community.
Just as she went upstairs, she happened to run into the Xiong family across the hall and Qiao Man coming out for a meal. After discussing the bun pre-order, she felt a bit embarrassed. “I’ve been too busy lately with shifts, and I didn’t even know you had moved in. I didn’t recognize you this morning.”
Although she hadn’t eaten a bun herself, the feedback from her colleagues was excellent. If the buns weren’t delicious, it would have been impossible for her son to hold an auction.
Additionally, she had heard some elderly ladies on the way talking about the argument in the community today and the mysterious subsequent pre-ordering of buns, which reminded her of her colleagues’ requests.
In reality, their office didn’t order much each day; everyone wasn’t there every day like typical office workers, and the office was often empty.
But even so, when they heard that Wang Yuwei was going to order from today’s stall, they all wanted to place an order, ranging from three to five buns.
While Wang Yuwei was tallying the numbers, she asked some of her colleagues in confusion, “Aren’t you going on a business trip tomorrow? Why are you still ordering? Xiao Hu, aren’t you off tomorrow?”
The person asked chuckled. “I have to let my wife taste something good!”
Hearing Wang Yuwei’s intent and seeing that the list only totaled about a hundred buns, Qiao Man said softly, “No problem. However, it doesn’t say here what kind of fillings they want.”
Wang Yuwei pulled out an entry pass. “It’s fine, just make them all meat. This bunch of gluttons just loves meat. Xiao Qiao, sorry for the trouble. Calculate the total, and I’ll transfer the money to you later.”
Qiao Man agreed readily. “Sure. But Sister Wang, I’ll only be doing this business for a few days. Once I’ve earned enough money for a heated food cart, I might not sell buns anymore.”
Wang Yuwei was stunned. “Will you still be selling breakfast at the old spot?”
Qiao Man nodded, somewhat between laughter and tears. She had only been selling for one day—how was it already the “old spot”?
“By the way, do you guys want porridge or soy milk for breakfast? I can have the lady who was selling porridge this morning deliver them together.”
Wang Yuwei gladly agreed. After discussing the delivery time for tomorrow, she prepared to leave.
She looked down and saw the little girl standing beside Qiao Man. She had been standing there quietly the whole time, a complete opposite to the little demon in her own house. She couldn’t help but squat down in front of An’an. “Your name is An’an, right? You’ll be in the same class as Li Shuo—the boy from this morning—from now on, right?”
Seeing An’an blink her large, round eyes and nod obediently, she softened and rubbed An’an’s head. “If anyone bullies you in the future, just find Li Shuo. He’s the troublemaker of the class; he can definitely help you.”
An’an nodded solemnly and said after a moment of hesitation, “Thank you, Auntie.”
The little girl’s voice was soft, and she looked thin and dark, with only her pair of large eyes being particularly striking. However, Wang Yuwei still felt that girls were much better than boys. She said “you’re welcome” and stood up, not forgetting to remind Qiao Man: “Keep a good eye on the child lately. Don’t let her leave your sight.”
She couldn’t say more than that, but she gave a serious reminder to the Xiongs once more before heading home.
Now they could finally eat. The four of them decided to just have a bowl of beef noodles at the snack street.
Originally, Xiong Mei wanted to go to a restaurant to have at least a few stir-fried dishes to celebrate, but Qiao Man said, “I need to check the bun orders for tomorrow and mix the fillings this afternoon. I also need to get some rest early; I have to go buy groceries at three in the morning.”
The Xiongs clicked their tongues. “Why is it so much hard work? I thought you got up quite late. Let’s have a quick lunch then, so you can go back and rest well. Tell me, what do you need me to do?”
Qiao Man didn’t actually feel tired; the body tempered by battles in the post-apocalyptic world had come with her, but she couldn’t act too unusually.
She thought for a moment and said, “I’ll have to trouble you with the bun deliveries in the community tomorrow. If you and Qi Dongmei aren’t on good terms, I’ll deliver to her house when I get back.”
Thinking of the joy of counting money earlier, which had suppressed the resentment in her heart, Xiong Mei waved her hand and said, “No need. I know what’s important. Leave it to me.”
While the four of them were eating noodles, Xiong Mei specifically added large chunks of beef to all four bowls of noodles and even ordered a large bowl for An’an, telling her, “Eat as much as you can. How else will you grow as tall as your aunt?”
An’an nodded vigorously and ate quietly.
Xiong Mei happily picked at her noodles. Today’s beef noodles tasted even more fragrant than usual!
She took a big slurp before remembering something. “By the way, why are you bringing business to others? We can cook porridge and soy milk at home ourselves.”
Qiao Man picked up a few strands of noodles and savored them—the beef quality here was average, but it was cheap and came in large portions. The soup base was rich and flavorful, with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. The noodles were also hand-pulled, not machine-pressed or bought fresh from the market; they had a rich wheat aroma and were springy and chewy.
Indeed, just as Qiao Ya had said, this world was not only rich in resources, but there were also many talented people in the culinary arts.
Hearing Xiong Mei’s words, Qiao Man explained, “Cooking porridge and making soy milk requires someone to watch it, and we’re short-handed. It’s best to steam the beans before making them into soy milk and then simmering it for it to be more fragrant and rich, but we don’t have the equipment. Besides, my doing breakfast is only temporary; I wouldn’t be able to recover the costs that way.”
Xiong Mei listened, only half-understanding. Cheng Xiangdong, who had been burying his head in his noodles, suddenly asked, “Little Qiao, listening to you, it sounds like you have other plans and don’t intend to do breakfast later. But didn’t you buy the food cart specifically to sell breakfast?”
Qiao Man smiled. “Making breakfast is too tiring; there’s no normal routine.”
In truth, she felt that she couldn’t accompany An’an properly this way, and she had other ideas.
To buy back the Qiao Family Restaurant, relying solely on selling breakfast definitely wouldn’t work; she needed a small shop and to extend the business hours.
She didn’t need to explain this to anyone else. She lifted her noodles and said to the Xiongs, “These noodles are good. This place must have been open for many years?”
At that moment, the owner happened to walk out from the back. Hearing the compliment, his previously drooping face instantly brightened into a smile. “Young people have sharp palates. This shop of mine has been open here off and on for over twenty years. In the early years, it was on Tuanjie Road; back then, the shop was big and had many customers. Later, my partner withdrew his investment, so the shop closed, and I came here to open one. Many of my old diners followed me here, but… sigh, let’s not talk about it. If you like it, come eat here often this year, and I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”
Old Cheng also felt the noodles were springy and asked curiously, “What about after the New Year?”
“A few months after the New Year, my lease on this place will be up, and I’ll probably put the shop up for transfer,” the owner sighed. “Look at this time—including you, there are only three tables of people. I really can’t hold out any longer.”
The diners who heard this sighed in regret, while only Qiao Man lowered her eyes, deep in thought.
The next day, Qiao Man woke up early. She made the same two kinds of fillings but made several hundred more buns this time.
Yesterday afternoon, people had been coming to her house and Xiong Mei’s house to pre-order buns one after another. Logically, she didn’t need to go out and set up a stall anymore.
However, what the owner of the beef noodle shop said yesterday made her itch to do something.
Qiao Man pulled the small cart and led An’an with one hand, preparing to deliver breakfast to the Criminal Investigation Team.
She planned to set up her stall on the snack street for a while after delivering the breakfast, so she came to deliver at the earliest possible time.
The days were getting shorter; at seven in the morning, it was just beginning to get light. Qiao Man prepared to take a shortcut through a small path to reach the Criminal Investigation Team.
She and An’an had walked this path during the day and hadn’t thought much of it, but now she realized it was quite dark, as there were no streetlights.
Once in this environment, Qiao Man instinctively became alert and cautious. She observed her surroundings and squatted in front of An’an. “Come, An’an, it’s hard to walk here. Get on my back.”
“Auntie will… ah!” An’an’s small hand had just touched Qiao Man’s shoulder when she suddenly cried out.
Qiao Man only saw a dark shadow flash in her peripheral vision. She reflexively threw a punch as she stood up, then kicked out at a corner of the shadow.
There was only a woman’s cry of pain as the shadow fell to the ground, followed by An’an’s crying.
Qiao Man ran over quickly, took An’an into her arms, and stepped heavily on the woman’s chest.
The woman trying to snatch the child had no idea why this thin girl had such great strength! She stepped on her so hard she couldn’t even catch her breath, let alone speak.
Behind them, the sound of rustling footsteps echoed—there was more than one person.
Qiao Man whispered to An’an, “Don’t cry. I’ll carry you. Let’s go quickly.”
On the deserted path, Qiao Man carried An’an on her back and pulled the small cart, running as fast as she could. They were soon out of that path.
The stout woman was still lying where she fell. Just as she managed to cough a couple of times, she was surrounded by several police officers and handcuffed.
An officer checked the vicinity and said to the youngest man among them, “Captain Jiang, the surveillance here is broken. Looking at the force and agility of this strike, it should have been a man.”
Jiang Feng silently looked at the dropped bun on the ground, picked it up, and sniffed it: it was quite fragrant.
After delivering the buns, Qiao Man and An’an could only go home first.
One of the boxes had flipped over just now; those were the buns she had prepared to sell at the stall.
Moreover, after being frightened, An’an was listless. She had been panting warmly against Qiao Man’s neck just now; it seemed she had a fever.
An’an’s constitution was still too weak to withstand such a fright.
Qiao Man took An’an back, but some people who had bought buns yesterday couldn’t find Qiao Man’s stall anywhere. Even the lady who sold porridge yesterday didn’t show up. They couldn’t just be “Snail Girls” who vanished into thin air!
Huang Ling was one of the most anxious. she even called her colleague Xiao Chang: “I waited here for five minutes today and didn’t see anyone!”
Huang Ling had thought that Qiao Man might have had something to do today and would return tomorrow. Little did she expect that Qiao Man would still be nowhere to be seen on the third day.
Huang Ling and Xiao Chang were dreaming of the buns they had eaten that morning. By the fourth morning, Huang Ling could finally bear it no longer.
Xiao Chang suddenly had a flash of inspiration: “Didn’t you pay her before? Try to find her through that!”