◎Give a kiss?◎
Under the guise of the Fresh Meat Thousand Layer Pancake, Liu Cuihua’s family had doubled their earnings lately. They set up their stall early in the morning, beaming with joy. Before the lunch rush arrived, they already hawked their wares: “Thousand-layer fresh meat pancakes, so fragrant and crispy! Come take a look~ Everyone who eats them says they’re great!”
Dong Xiaojuan sold snacks and couldn’t stand it anymore. She raised her voice in anger: “Do you really think people don’t know whose thousand-layer fresh meat pancakes they’re coming to buy?”
Liu Cuihua felt no shame. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and huffed angrily: “What’s wrong? You can sell thousand-layer fresh meat pancakes, but I’m not allowed to?”
The surrounding stall owners all knew what banner Liu Cuihua flew for her sesame flatbreads. There was no law against it, though. A few stall owners persuaded Dong Xiaojuan, and the matter ended amid the smoky bustle.
Feng Man brought over sesame flatbreads at noon. When she heard about the morning squabble, she comforted her: “Sister Xiaojuan, don’t get upset with her. Doing business like that, she’ll lose all her repeat customers sooner or later.”
“I’m angry for you.” Dong Xiaojuan noticed that Feng Man remained calm and unhurried, with a good temperament.
“How about we partner up?” Feng Man earned this money fairly easily each day, but she sold too few sesame flatbreads. She didn’t want to work herself to death like a dog, and she wasn’t ready to hire help yet. Partnering with the familiar Dong Xiaojuan seemed better. “I’ll control the quality, especially the meat filling flavor and baking technique. You’ll handle prepping the ingredients and mixing the dough?”
Dong Xiaojuan truly hadn’t expected Feng Man to share such a profitable business: “Manman, your sesame flatbreads make money. Why not keep it all to yourself?”
Feng Man smiled faintly: “You can’t earn all the money in the world alone. I can’t work myself to death just to make every penny without even time for a sip of water.”
In her previous life, Feng Man had toiled endlessly. She had long since realized that money needed to be earned, but not at the cost of her own health. Once things developed later on, she wanted to become a hands-off boss.
The two discussed it and settled on the plan. Feng Man also mentioned the wedding house she’d looked at yesterday with Dong Xiaojuan: “That courtyard is big. You and Brother Hua can move in too. It’ll make prepping ingredients more convenient. Cheng Lang probably mentioned it to Brother Hua today as well.”
The more she thought about it, the better it seemed. Dong Xiaojuan agreed lightly but felt reluctant to give up her own business: “What about my stuff?”
“Sell it the same way. People who eat sesame flatbreads will want drinks too. Sell them together, and we’ll split it as partners.” Feng Man made the decisive call.
“Deal!” The two discussed it enthusiastically when a menacing middle-aged man suddenly appeared before them.
He wore a deep gray Zhongshan suit and looked refined, but anger made veins bulge on his face: “Comrade, what kind of meat do you put in your sesame flatbreads? My family bought some and we all ended up vomiting and having diarrhea!”
The man’s shout instantly drew the attention of the nearby crowd. Feng Man’s sesame flatbreads had made people sick? That was serious!
The onlookers whispered among themselves. After all, what went into the stomach mattered greatly. Plus, Feng Man’s business was too good—plenty of people envied or resented her for it.
Dong Xiaojuan’s heart skipped a beat. How could Feng Man’s sesame flatbreads cause stomach issues? But the man dressed respectably, like someone with status. He probably wouldn’t cause trouble on purpose. Her heart rose in her throat.
“Comrade, don’t get worked up first.” Feng Man stayed the calmest of all. Her eyes glanced indifferently over the oil paper bag the man held—the one that had contained the sesame flatbreads. Its bare surface gave nothing away. “Tell me first: when and where did you buy them? If it’s really from me, I’ll take responsibility if there’s a problem.”
The man’s surging anger calmed somewhat under Feng Man’s soothing, water-like voice. He finally settled down: “Around seven last night, my wife came to buy two sesame flatbreads for two yuan. We’d heard there was a really good stall in the Mine District, so we biked over specially. But after eating them last night, the whole family vomited and had diarrhea.”
“Seven? My sesame flatbreads sell out by five-thirty every day at the latest. At seven, I’m already home resting.” Feng Man looked to the surrounding stall owners. “Everyone knows that.”
It was true—and something everyone envied. Feng Man barely had to tend her stall; her sesame flatbreads sold out so fast!
“How is that possible? My wife said yesterday she asked around for the best-tasting thousand-layer fresh meat pancakes.” The man looked puzzled.
Liu Cuihua, who had rushed over from afar to watch the excitement, got thrilled and shouted: “Oh my, she gave people food poisoning and won’t admit it? Bah! Everyone see? Her sesame flatbreads have problems—don’t eat them!”
Doing business nearby relied on integrity, at least among neighbors. They wouldn’t sabotage each other. This was naturally a big deal.
Stirred up by Liu Cuihua, the crowd murmured again, unsure who was really at fault.
Feng Man took out an extra oil paper bag from her stall and showed it to the man: “Comrade, look—this is the bag I use for my sesame flatbreads. It has my brand Feng’s on it, plus a pattern. Yours has nothing. It’s definitely not from me.”
The man compared them with his gaze. It really was different!
“Well…” As the man hesitated, his wife’s slightly weak voice came from behind him.
The middle-aged woman, fresh from an IV drip at the hospital, spotted her husband: “Didn’t I tell you to find the person who sold the sesame flatbreads yesterday? What are you doing here?”
“This is the place.” The man had just asked around—the best sesame flatbreads were sold by the young woman comrade right in front of them.
“No, it wasn’t this stall yesterday, and not this woman either. It was a short-haired, round-faced woman in her thirties who sold them to me, over there…” The woman wouldn’t mistake the stall owner since this one was young and pretty.
She scanned around and spotted a short-haired woman a few meters ahead who suddenly turned and hurried away. She took a few extra glances, but the woman bumped into someone, twisted aside, and revealed her profile: “Ah, it’s her!”
Liu Cuihua recognized the woman who had bought two of her sesame flatbreads the night before. She just wanted to run away fast and not get recognized.
But footsteps approached from behind. Liu Cuihua had just fled back to her own stall when she was caught on the spot. The female customer from last night pointed at her: “I bought them from her yesterday. I asked her, and she said hers were the most famous and best-tasting sesame flatbreads.”
Liu Cuihua had wanted to watch Feng Man get into trouble, but the drama landed on her instead. Her face flushed red and white in panic. She was about to put her hands on her hips and curse when she noticed the government unit logos on the couple’s work clothes. She went speechless.
Feng Man saw the onlookers shift forward to watch, even Sister Xiaojuan grinning as she joined them. She curved her lips slightly.
This turned out well for Liu Cuihua—she’d provoked customers with some background. She had no choice but to compensate for medical fees. Not only did she lose all the money from selling under Feng Man’s sesame flatbread banner these days, she even paid out an extra seven or eight yuan. She fumed.
The incident became the talk of the Mine District. Everyone finally learned that the fresh meat thousand-layer pancake boss was surnamed Feng, with the Feng’s brand and a little cartoon face on the packaging.
By a twist of fate, it became free publicity. Feng Man felt great and went with Cheng Lang to tidy the new house. Dong Xiaojuan’s family of three happened to be off work and came to help.
Boss Wang’s house had sat empty for a while but was well-maintained—clearly cherished when lived in. With four adults and one child cleaning, they made quick progress.
They swept away all the dust, mopped twice. Xiaoshan, small as he was, wiped everywhere with a rag, working diligently.
Feng Man praised him: “We’ll reward Xiaoshan with some snacks later.”
Dong Xiaojuan laughed: “This kid negotiated with me before coming. He said if he works hard, he wants soda and instant noodles. He’s been eyeing my stall’s stuff.”
“He did so well today—he deserves it! I’ll take you to buy some later.” Feng Man wouldn’t let Dong Xiaojuan spend.
Everyone worked hard. The wedding house shone like new. With daily touch-ups, all the rooms and central courtyard looked brand new.
A week before the wedding, the furniture and appliances they’d ordered arrived one after another.
The main house had two rooms. The north-facing living room got a sofa, coffee table, and TV. A wooden double bed frame went into the bedroom, with bedside tables nearby. The wardrobe was pear wood, finely crafted, with a long mirror embedded in the door—like a full-length dressing mirror for the era.
Opposite the foot of the bed stood a desk—two meters long, as Feng Man specially requested, convenient for bookkeeping.
Cheng Lang had almost no opinions on furnishing the new home and let Feng Man decide everything. At first, she asked his input on everything. Later, seeing he had none, she just handled it.
He had only one demand: no paying from Feng Man. His reason? No man lets a woman pay.
Perhaps some machismo, but Feng Man figured it wasn’t too bad in this regard.
Once goose-yellow curtains hung and summer breezes stirred them, shimmering gold light scattered on the floor. It finally felt like home.
Local custom called for a banquet at the wedding house, usually with a nearby restaurant chef cooking. They’d set up lively tables for it, so Dong Xiaojuan was already arranging ingredient procurement.
The banquet day drew nearer. Feng Man roughly calculated—it was in seven days. Truly miraculous.
After all, she’d never experienced marriage in her previous life. This time, things had somehow reached this point. She couldn’t quite name the emotions in her heart.
Until noise came from the big iron gate. Feng Man looked over and saw Cheng Lang and his cousin carrying something huge back. She grew curious: “What’s that?”
Fan Zhenghua went to the next room for water and teased on his way: “Something good A-Lang got for you!”
Cheng Lang, cigarette in mouth, tore open the cardboard box beside him, revealing the large square white appliance inside.
Feng Man’s eyes lit up: “An ice chest?!”
Ice chests were rarities, usually only in factories. Feng Man hadn’t even considered one: “How’d you get it? Don’t most people think of buying a fridge?”
He removed the cigarette and stubbed it out. Cheng Lang said lowly: “An ice chest is more convenient for your business.”
Feng Man looked happily at the big item—truly satisfied. Her earlier emotional ups and downs over the impending marriage calmed. Cheng Lang was indeed good—few words, but perceptive, capable, and reliable.
But…
Feng Man eyed the stubbed-out cigarette butt on the ground, puzzled how he’d crushed it with just a short bit left.
Following her gaze, Cheng Lang hooked his lips: “I don’t smoke in front of you.”
Actually, ever since he’d glimpsed Feng Man leaning toward the truck window last time, Cheng Lang hadn’t smoked in front of her again.
Now thinking of it, Feng Man felt a stir in her heart. She pushed her luck a bit, lifting her eyelids to look at the man: “Then can you quit altogether? Won’t you suffer without it?”
Cheng Lang’s addiction wasn’t heavy—mostly for night shifts or all-nighters driving, when he’d smoke more to stay alert. Normally, just the occasional one. But this was a request he’d never heard, not even from other wives. He lowered his brows to Feng Man and saw sly mischief flickering in her eyes, testing him.
His gaze shifted inch by inch down, tightening his jaw. Finally, it lingered repeatedly on her soft red lips. He pushed his luck too: “If I quit, what’s in it for me?”