“Stop! Anyone who wants breakfast, come buy!”
The half-eyebrowed official shouted at the top of his lungs. He was the small leader of the group of officials, known to everyone as Boss Wang.
“Ten buns for a hundred wen! Add meat or vegetables for fifty wen, pickled vegetables twenty wen per dish! If you don’t buy, you’ll go hungry—but don’t complain about being tired!”
The crowd immediately erupted.
“What? Ten buns for a hundred wen? Highway robbery!”
“In town, ten white-flour buns cost only twenty wen. This is outrageous!”
“Better just eat our own flatbreads. Hard, but at least it saves money.”
Many people dug out their own dried provisions from the market, and only a few who truly had nothing bit the bullet and bought two buns each.
Shen Jiaojiao stared at the buns, swallowing hard, and tugged at Lady Zhou’s sleeve. “Grandmother, I want a bun. The flatbread is too hard to chew.”
Lady Zhou slapped her hand away. “What are you talking about? Ten buns for a hundred wen? Where would we get that money? Just bear it!”
Shen Shuangshuang, however, walked straight up and pulled two hundred wen from her pocket, placing it on the wooden box. “Boss Wang, I’ll take twenty buns—make them hot.”
Boss Wang raised an eyebrow and smiled, handing over a cloth bag. “The third-branch girl knows quality. These buns were steamed this morning, much softer than your flatbreads.”
The surrounding people were stunned. Shen Yaozu jumped up, scolding, “Shuangshuang, are you crazy? You have money to buy twenty buns? Save it for the road!”
“I’ll spend my money as I please. What’s it to you?” Shen Shuangshuang shot him a glance. “Better than always coveting other people’s things. Besides, who wants to gnaw on stone-like flatbreads when there’s soft white buns?”
Shen Zihan, holding his swollen face from yesterday’s beating, sneered, “I bet that silver didn’t come from a clean source. The Hou mansion was raided. Where did your branch get so much money to buy buns?”
“None of your business,” Shen Shuangshuang said.
Carrying the cloth bag, she returned to the corner. “At least my parents and the baby in my belly won’t go hungry. Better than you gnawing on tree bark.”
Shen Yaozong frowned at the bag. “Why buy so much? We have plenty of food in the space.”
“You don’t get it,” Shen Shuangshuang said. She placed the buns on the ground. “Eating only from the space draws attention. These buns are perfect camouflage. Also…” She nudged toward the officials. “Being friendly with the officials makes the road ahead much easier.”
Xiang Meimei immediately understood and nodded. “Smart thinking. By the way, do you want to use the pork and stove now? The officials haven’t rushed us yet, so we can cook a warm meal to strengthen your father.”
Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up. “Exactly what I had in mind!”
She asked Xiang Meimei to watch the items while she pretended to fetch water from the creek, finding a secluded spot to enter her space.
Inside, the pork was piled like a small mountain. She picked a five-pound piece, along with soy sauce, rock sugar, and star anise. Wrapped it in oil paper and put it in her satchel, emerging just as she carried half a bucket of water.
Back at the fire, she set up the stove and poured in some vegetable oil from the space.
Once the oil heated, the sliced pork sizzled, filling the air with aroma that drew the surrounding people’s attention.
Shen Jiaojiao stared, tugging at Zhang’s sleeve. “Mother, I want meat too…”
Zhang glared at her. “Quiet! Flatbread is good enough!”
“Mother, watch the fire while I add the seasoning.”
Using her satchel as a cover, Shen Shuangshuang quickly added star anise and cinnamon, pouring in soy sauce.
The aroma wafted even toward the officials, drawing their attention.
Xiang Meimei fanned the scent toward their group. “These spices are all I brought from home. There’s very little, so we need to use it sparingly.”
Soon, the braised pork was ready—glossy, red, and aromatic.
Shen Yaozong, wearing twenty pounds of shackles, salivated at the smell.
Xiang Meimei tore a white bun into pieces, dipped it in the pork sauce, and added a slice of fatty pork to Shen Yaozong’s mouth. “Eat slowly, don’t burn yourself.”
Shen Yaozong bit into it, juice bursting in his mouth, eyes squinting in delight. “Nothing beats your cooking. This smells better than the braised pork we had back home.”
“That’s because the meat is fresh and the spices are right,” Shen Shuangshuang said, taking a bun and enjoying it with the meat herself.
After five buns, she set down her chopsticks, patting her stomach. “That’s satisfying.”
“Mother, I’ll feed father. You eat.”
Shen Shuangshuang took the bowl from Xiang Meimei, scooped some sauce-soaked bun, and fed her. “You’re pregnant—you need more protein.”
Xiang Meimei gratefully ate alongside them.
After a few bites, someone called out, “What smells so good?”
Looking up, it was Boss Wang and a tall, thin official approaching.
Shen Shuangshuang’s heart skipped, but she continued feeding Shen Yaozong.
“What are you cooking?” Boss Wang squatted by the pot, sniffing the braised pork. “Smells better than at the tavern. Make some for us too.”
Shen Shuangshuang smiled. “Boss Wang, we would, but the ingredients are limited. This five pounds of pork cost a lot at the market, and the seasonings are almost gone. We can’t make a second batch.”
Boss Wang raised his eyebrow, his scarred face looking fiercer. “Don’t worry about ingredients.”
He called the tall official, “Go get our meat! And the seasoning pack too!”
The tall official ran back and brought over ten pounds of frozen pork and a bag with salt and coarse soy sauce.
Shen Yaozong tried to speak, but Shen Shuangshuang stopped him with a glance.
Xiang Meimei also lowered her head, quietly eating, knowing they couldn’t offend the officials.
Shen Shuangshuang frowned at the frozen pork. “Boss Wang, this needs to thaw first or it won’t cook properly. And with just salt and soy sauce, it won’t be as flavorful as ours.”
“Stop talking! Just cook it!”
Boss Wang dropped the meat. “We don’t care how it tastes. Just make it edible. Do it well, and you’ll benefit too.”
Shen Shuangshuang calculated. The officials had the keys to the shackles, so helping them now could save a lot of trouble later. She nodded. “Alright, I’ll try. But my mother is pregnant and can’t stand long—so it might take me a little while.”