Chapter 5: Your Uncle is Still Your Uncle
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Your Uncle is Still Your Uncle
There were too many people.
Lu Wu had prepared plenty, but it still felt like it wasn’t enough to go around.
She saw some Flower Ladies who had stopped doing business just to stand in her line. The complicated looks from the madams made Lu Wu’s conscience ache a little.
Who would have thought a bun stall could compete with the brothels for business?
"Argh, two isn’t enough! Boss, can you get rid of the limit?"
Someone complained.
For a Cultivator’s appetite, two buns were just a drop in the bucket. They hadn’t even had a proper taste.
"We have money!"
Someone held up a bag of Spirit Stones and gestured toward Lu Wu.
"I just want to make sure everyone gets a chance to eat," Lu Wu explained. "I’ll be here for the next few days, so there’s no need to panic."
Her business was booming. There were simply too many customers; it couldn’t be helped.
Muttering to herself, Lu Wu placed the freshly steamed buns on the counter and, with a grand wave of her hand, announced, "Here you go! The next batch is up!"
"Boss Lu, two red bean buns!"
Furong stared at the plump, white buns, swallowing hard.
As Lu Wu moved, the steamer basket jostled, and the white dough of the buns quivered like a baby’s cheeks—plump, pale, and dewy.
She wanted to reach out and give them a little pinch.
She also wanted to try the other flavors.
But Furong touched her own face with a hint of regret. ’My looks are more important. I absolutely can’t let those other little demons steal my position as the top lady of Yanliu Street.’
"You got it! Here you are."
Lu Wu smiled and handed them over. She watched as Furong, under the covetous stares of the crowd, stepped aside from the line and squatted down to start eating.
She broke one open, blowing away the billowing steam.
The glossy, rich red bean paste rested inside the white dough, like a peach blossom blooming in a mountain forest in spring.
She took a small bite, and a sweet flavor exploded in her mouth—sweet but not cloying. Furong’s eyes crinkled in delight.
Some of the other Flower Ladies watched Furong with envy.
To be honest, aside from their... special properties, the buns were also incredibly delicious—the kind you get addicted to after just one bite.
"I’ll have one red bean, and one demon... ah, no, I mean, kidney bun."
Lou Xiaotian rubbed his hands together. ’It’s definitely not because I need to *recharge my kidneys* that I’m eating a kidney bun,’ he thought. ’It was clearly the demon bun that seduced me.’
As the two of them began to eat, their aromas started to mingle in the air.
A series of loud GULPs could be heard from the crowd.
Some customers, who had come with empty stomachs on purpose, clutched their bellies with pained expressions.
Still, no one rushed Lu Wu.
The commotion here attracted many onlookers.
This street was never short on customers.
A young Cultivator, who had been on his way to a brothel to enjoy himself, was drawn over by the activity.
While still on the outskirts of the crowd, he was dazed by the fragrance.
Seeing that the line was already two people deep and that waiting his turn properly would take who-knows-how-long, he thought for a moment and decided to try a different approach.
"My friend, how about I give you two Spirit Stones for one of your buns?"
The young man held out the Spirit Stones and looked expectantly at a customer, only to receive a scornful glare in return.
The customer couldn’t even be bothered to speak, simply taking a big bite out of his other bun.
Meat juices splattered, and the aroma hit the young man square in the face.
Having been silently rejected, the young man tried flashing his cash at others, but to his dismay, most of them refused.
Finally, when the price reached ten Spirit Stones for a single bun, someone wavered.
"Just one, mind you!"
The customer reluctantly handed over a bun. Seeing the young man eagerly dig in, his own expression turned sour.
Waaaah, could he admit he already regretted it? He hadn’t even tried the "Sweet Innocence" bun yet.
These buns were so damn good!
Seeing this man successfully "cut in line," the other wealthy people tried to follow suit, but no one else in the crowd was willing to sell.
For a Cultivator, one Spirit Stone was nothing. The number of Spirit Stones they used for their daily cultivation was far greater than this.
These buns, on the other hand, were a rare treat.
This bun boss was only selling for a few days. If they missed this chance, it was gone for good. They weren’t foolish enough to trade them for money.
"Delicious!"
The young man, who had been taking small bites, stuffed the last piece into his mouth. He shamelessly licked the remaining juices off his fingers and then voluntarily walked to the back of the line.
Quite a few people were won over by the buns, just like the young man.
Once Lu Wu got busy, she didn’t stop. Lou Xiaotian tried to strike up a conversation, but she didn’t even have time to reply.
"CLICK, CLICK!"
After a few clicks, Lu Wu looked up, bewildered, to see a familiar face standing in front of her stall, "taking pictures" of her.
"Uncle Li, what are you doing here?"
Lu Wu was a little surprised. Wasn’t this the old uncle from next door?
The old man was hale and hearty for his age, but surely not so hearty that he’d come to a place like this for recreation, right?
Noticing Lu Wu’s peculiar stare, Uncle Li’s mouth twitched.
"What are you thinking? I followed you here to give you some publicity."
After uploading the "photos," the old man gestured for Lu Wu to carry on, then walked toward the line.
"Uncle Li, you’re here! You can have my spot. When I buy my buns, we can just split them, one for each of us."
"Come here, come to my spot! You can have both of mine, Uncle Li. I’ll go line up again!"
To Lu Wu’s astonishment, the Cultivators who just moments ago wouldn’t budge for Spirit Stones were now voluntarily giving up their spots—and prime spots near the front, at that.
This development completely changed the way Lu Wu looked at Uncle Li.
’Figures. Uncle Li is really something else.’
He was no simple man!
Lu Wu marveled at the scene but didn’t intervene.
’It’s a consensual matter,’ she thought. ’Why should I interfere?’
In the end, Uncle Li accepted the offer from the person giving up both their buns. He stood beaming in the line with his hands clasped behind his back, looking like an enlightened master.
If it weren’t for the fact that he kept glancing down at the One World Communication device in his hand and breaking into a sleazy grin.
While Lu Wu was so busy her feet barely touched the ground, on the Xiaohe Town board of One World Communication, a post about the Flower Ladies that should have sunk was suddenly dredged back up.
It had been shared by Uncle Li.
As the number one gossipmonger, Uncle Li was very famous on One World Communication.
Many of the scoops he’d shared had ultimately been proven true, giving his profile a great deal of authority.
"Verified!"
A post certified by Uncle Li instantly attracted attention, shooting into a wider audience’s view at rocket speed.
Whether to verify the news for themselves or just to try the buns, many people from out of town began preparing to head for Xiaohe Town.
Completely unaware, Lu Wu remained immersed in the labor of making buns, selling buns, and making more buns.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked at the rapidly increasing mission progress on her system interface, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.
’My customers are amazing!’
Moments after the buns entered their stomachs, certain effects began to manifest.
Many of the customers who had come for "that special reason" exchanged knowing glances and then, with a silent understanding, rushed toward the brothels they’d already picked out.
"Mudan, your man is here!"
"Tonight... Hehehe!"
It had to be said: food and sex are primal urges.
Some people simply went to the nearby Baihua Building. The sharp increase in foot traffic made the Baihua Building’s madam, who had previously been wearing a sour expression, look at Lu Wu as if she were a living Bodhisattva.
She even took the initiative to send her Flower Ladies who weren’t currently with clients to go line up, adding to the buzz around Lu Wu’s stall.
"Anyone who has eaten Boss Lu’s buns gets a ten percent discount at the Baihua Building tonight!"
The madam was adept at seizing opportunities.
Lured by the discount, the Flower Ladies of the Baihua Building were in for a sleepless night.