Better not to marry. Someone like You Jianyuan might be worse than dung!
The two ahead kept arguing over the union, while Feng Man finished picking ladies’ winter clothes and moved to the men’s section with Cheng Lang.
With Cheng Lang’s build and looks, even a sack would look stylish on him. Feng Man showed no mercy, picking a leather jacket, black coat, and padded jacket for the man.
If Ink River weren’t as cold as the Northeast, Feng Man would’ve gotten him an army coat.
An army coat that made shorter, stockier men look dumpy and round would surely look dashing on Cheng Lang’s shoulders!
At checkout, Cheng Lang stuck to his “macho principles,” insisting the woman not spend. But once the two women’s items and sundries tallied up, Feng Man told the cashier, “Comrade, bill the three men’s items separately.”
She turned sideways to Cheng Lang, her eyes sparkling prettily, one sentence shattering his resolve. “You have to give me a chance to buy clothes for my man, right~”
His body stiffened for a moment. Cheng Lang’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed deeply at Feng Man, then turned his head, fixing on the three men’s items on the counter without shifting away.
The cashier was skilled at sweet talk. When she heard Feng Man speak with a sweet smile, she couldn’t help but tease, “Comrade, you’re so lucky. Look how much your wife dotes on you.”
After settling the bill, Cheng Lang picked up the four shopping bags, his expression serious as he let out a soft “Mm,” a barely noticeable curve appearing at the corner of his lips.
The cashier had closed a big sale, selling over a hundred yuan worth at once. How could she not be excited? She watched the handsome man and beautiful woman ahead of her with envy.
After putting away the clothes from the big shopping trip and the meeting gifts at home, the kitchen was already bustling.
Dong Xiaojuan proactively reported the day’s sales to Feng Man, her beaming face giving away her intention to tease by holding back: “Wow, our business was even better than before! A lot of people heard that the district chief and deputy district chief bought Feng’s milky white fish soup. They all wanted a bowl. We took out two big buckets today, and they sold out in no time.”
The celebrity effect worked in any era, and the curiosity and trend-following it sparked went without saying.
Feng Man had instructed her cousin-in-law to lay out that newspaper clipping of the district chief paying for the fish soup at the stall for exactly this reason.
How could she refuse the big gift that You Jianyuan had sent?
“That’s great. We can slightly reduce the portions of sesame flatbread and stir-fried noodles, but add another bucket of fish soup. It’s also easier to prepare.”
Making fish soup was indeed simpler and more convenient than the others. After getting it going, she just needed to watch the time.
With fish soup selling well, Fang Yue next door was equally delighted. Now Feng’s needed ten fish a day. Fang Yue didn’t mind the hard work or fatigue; she just worried about not catching enough.
Every night, she went to the riverbank to set her nets, braving the chilly river breeze for a while, then collected them the next day.
Over a week, she couldn’t catch that many every day, so later Feng Man told her to bring whatever she caught. Fang Yue felt grateful and, after delivering and processing the fish, went to the aquatic market to buy enough of the rest.
Having grown up by the river, she knew all kinds of fish inside out. The ones she picked had plump, tender meat. Then she came back to help process them, working so neatly that no one could find fault.
Seeing her eagerly helping out, Feng Man considered giving her more pay, but Fang Yue waved her hands repeatedly: “Boss Feng, I make a few yuan a day selling fish I catch from the river—that’s more than enough. If you give me more money, what kind of person would I be?”
She was very honest, so Feng Man was naturally happy to do long-term business with her.
Over the next few days, Feng Man prepared the marinated fresh meat and the sauce for the stir-fried noodles in the morning, reducing the need for hands-on work.
She checked the ledger every day and settled the accounts on the spot. The small business ran methodically, steadily getting on track.
The day before Cheng Lang’s master returned, Dong Xiaojuan and Yuan Qiumei went to the stall to sell food. Feng Man was calculating accounts in the house when Fang Yue suddenly came to relay a message.
“Boss Feng, Sister Xiaojuan asked me to call you. She said Comrade Lu and Comrade Chen from the Development Office came to buy food.” Fang Yue had finished her morning work and was helping at her cousin’s stall, so she ran over to pass the message.
Lu Yongnian and Chen Fuping had come to buy food?
Feng Man put away her pen and hurried out with Fang Yue. Dong Xiaojuan had clearly taken Feng Man’s words to heart and knew to pay special attention to people from the Development Office.
By the time Feng Man arrived at the stall, Chen Fuping had just paid, and Lu Yongnian was taking an insulated bucket of fish soup and five oil paper bags of sesame flatbread, preparing to leave.
“Comrade Feng, there you are.” Chen Fuping and her husband had come to buy food today and were considering whether to drop a hint, but with the owner of Feng’s absent, her budding intention faded.
“I was handling something up front and just got here.” Feng Man responded with a sweet smile. “Did you get your fish soup? Do the elders and your daughter at home like it?”
Chen Fuping felt warmed by this and nodded with a tease: “They all love it! Even those with bad teeth can drink it. I heard the deputy district chief bought a bucket for his mother at home? Your stall is really something!”
Word was that Feng’s had served the District Committee leaders, and now it was even more famous. Looking at the noticeably longer line, it lived up to the hype.
Feng Man humbly replied: “It’s all thanks to everyone liking it and coming to support the business.”
“Now everyone at the District Committee has heard of Feng’s. They just say the line at your place is too long—hard to buy.”
“You’re old customers, and it’s rare for you to come by. We definitely have some set aside for you.” Feng Man followed her lead, saying nothing to displease.
On the flip side, they had come drawn by the reputation before, bought the wrong sesame flatbread, gotten sick, and ended up in the hospital on an IV—yet they still thought of this food afterward and made the long trip to buy Feng’s. That kind of support was precious.
Chen Fuping chatted happily with Feng Man and, before leaving, lowered her voice to whisper: “This area will soon be turned into a commercial district, all shops. Rent a store then, and your business will definitely be even better.”
Feng Man had some inkling: “That would be great. Having a shop would be convenient, but I wonder if it’ll be easy to rent? What will the setup be like?”
“The young head in charge over at Liberation Mine District—You… You Jianyuan—he’s managing your area. Since it’s all Mine District, it should be easy to rent.” Chen Fuping didn’t know the ins and outs here, but figured with Feng’s reputation, renting a prime spot shouldn’t be a problem. She let slip that much and left with her husband.
You Jianyuan really had gotten the management rights for Commercial Street… Feng Man had been mentally prepared, but it still annoyed her.
You Jianyuan was narrow-minded, good at stealing credit and putting on a show, always provoking and bullying those he disliked. If he really took charge, managing the whole Commercial Street, her stall wouldn’t be targeted—that would be strange.
For Feng’s future, she absolutely couldn’t sit idly by. She had to take the initiative.
Considering Dong Xiaojuan and Sister Qiumei’s mental fortitude, Feng Man temporarily didn’t tell them the news, sparing them sleepless nights.
That evening, Cheng Lang and Fan Zhenghua got off work, Fan You Shan came home from school, and the family chatted at the dinner table about Xiaoshan’s upcoming winter break.
“I’ll come help too, packing sesame flatbread at the stall.” Fan You Shan volunteered eagerly.
Fan Zhenghua immediately exposed his son’s ulterior motive: “You helping? Don’t bankrupt your aunt’s stall.”
Fan You Shan: “…”
Cheng Yulan rarely teased her son with a smile: “Listen to yourself. Xiaoshan couldn’t eat that much even if he tried.”
“Grandma’s right! Dad, you always badmouth me!”
Fan Zhenghua chuckled and turned to ask about his cousin: “Your master arrives tomorrow. This puts us in a bit of an awkward spot. Do some persuasion and get him to come over?”
Cheng Lang’s master was still technically a Liberation Mine District worker, not in the same place as his apprentice. Fan Zhenghua naturally hoped the old master would join them.
They couldn’t have master and apprentice in opposing camps, with You Jianyuan stirring trouble.
Cheng Lang fell silent for a moment upon hearing this: “You know how Master feels about Liberation Mine District. This really isn’t easy to say.”
Dinner ended as the sun set in the west. Afterward, everyone strolled nearby. Even as the weather grew colder, it couldn’t stop the neighbors from gathering to chat and gossip about local families.
Fan You Shan played with Little Yellow and a group of kids. The children all liked the big dog, petting its head and teasing it. Little Yellow was well-behaved, panting with its tongue out toward everyone, looking cheerful.
Feng Man saw it from afar and couldn’t help poking the man’s arm: “Look at Big Yellow—so big, looks pretty fierce, but it’s really so docile. Gentler than the little dogs around here.”
Little dogs were small and often barked fiercely, but this big dog Little Yellow was different—obedient and cute.
Cheng Lang cast a faint glance at the dog putting on a show and didn’t expose it: “It sure knows how to put on airs.”
The next moment, Feng Man tilted her head with a sweet smile: “Just like you.”
Cheng Lang: QAQ
The next morning, Feng Man and Cheng Lang ate breakfast, packed up, and headed to the train station to pick up Cheng Lang’s master, Chen Xingyao, who had been transferred away for a year.
Along the way, Feng Man tried to recall details about this villainous big shot from the book, but she had skimmed the long novel hastily to begin with, and with time passed, she had even forgotten the main leads’ names, let alone side characters.
In her vague memory, that capable villainous big shot had promoted and helped the original body’s baby betrothal partner, which matched the mining bigwig master Cheng Lang mentioned.
The green train arrived leisurely amid the drawn-out whistle and billowing white steam. Passengers filed out into the surging crowd. Following Cheng Lang’s gaze, Feng Man spotted an old man on the platform.
He looked over fifty, short and thin, even skin and bones, making him seem especially aged. His eye sockets were sunken, but his eyes gleamed sharply—not for nothing was he known in the Mine District as Eagle Eyes.
But… Feng Man felt a faint doubt. Was the villainous big shot in the book this frail and aged?
“Master.” Cheng Lang led Feng Man forward, took the luggage bag from Chen Xingyao’s hand, and introduced them. “This is my wife Feng Man. We couldn’t reach you when we got married four months ago. Manman, this is Master. Call him like I do.”
Facing the villainous big shot, Feng Man felt a bit of doubt but still behaved properly: “Hello, Master. We couldn’t contact you when Ah Lang and I got married. He often mentions you. Finally meeting you now. You must be tired from the three-day train ride. Go rest up and have a meal.”
Chen Xingyao’s eagle-sharp eyes, aged yet gleaming, scrutinized the young woman before him seriously, then looked at Cheng Lang and spoke slowly: “Where’d this one come from, daring to impersonate my apprentice’s wife? How could my apprentice get married? Don’t I know him!”
Cheng Lang: “…”
Feng Man: QAQ