Chapter 7: Sweet Red Bean Bun Will Never Admit Defeat
Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Sweet Red Bean Bun Will Never Admit Defeat
Ever since a strange illness had disfigured her, Xiao Hua hated mirrors more than anything.
She resisted the urge to throw it. Seeing the delighted look in her mother’s eyes, Xiao Hua grew suspicious.
’Mom knows how much I care about my face; she wouldn’t joke about something like this.’
’Could it be... real?’
Hesitantly, Xiao Hua lifted the mirror.
Her mother brought a candlestick closer so she could see better.
The candlelight flickered, casting ample light.
As Xiao Hua summoned her courage, the hideous face in the mirror filled her vision.
Xiao Hua was nearly drowned by a wave of self-loathing and anguish.
Her fingers tightened around the mirror, knuckles turning white. Her nose began to sting as she fought back tears, studying her reflection intently.
It had been so long since Xiao Hua had truly looked at her own face. She couldn’t tell if it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she really did think the black spots had faded quite a bit.
A small measure of comfort washed over Xiao Hua as she recalled what her mother had said earlier.
"Mom, you said the bun was amazing. What was so amazing about it?"
For some reason, she had a feeling that the change in her face was because of the bun she’d just eaten.
A desperate hope surged within her, and she grabbed her mother’s hand.
"I... I didn’t hear you..."
Her mother was no fool. Realizing what her daughter meant, she quickly stood and ran outside.
"Xiao Hua, don’t you worry! I’ll go ask, I’ll buy you more buns and be right back!"
’The buns were expensive, but if they could heal Xiao Hua’s face, it would all be worth it.’
Her mother rushed out so fast she slammed her knee into a chair. There was a dull THUD, but she ignored it and kept running.
Xiao Hua couldn’t stop her.
She bit her lip and glanced at her reflection one more time before finally getting out of bed and slipping on her shoes.
After hesitating at the door for a moment, Xiao Hua summoned her courage and ran out after her.
’Her mom was the only family she had.’
’It was dark out. It wasn’t safe for her mom to be out there alone.’
But by the time her mother ran all the way back to Yanliu Street, the bun stall was gone.
In truth, Lu Wu had sold out of buns half an hour ago and had already packed up and gone home.
The crowd of customers had scattered.
Still panting heavily, disappointment washed over the mother’s face.
"How could this be..."
’If the hope she’d just found vanished so easily, what would become of her Xiao Hua?’
The woman, who had never been broken by any hardship before, was now sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom."
When Xiao Hua arrived, she found her mother crouched on the ground, weeping.
In all her memory, her mother, who had single-handedly raised her, had never seemed so fragile.
Worried for her mother, Xiao Hua forgot all about whether people could see her face. She rushed over and helped the woman to her feet.
"Mom, it’s okay. Let’s go home."
’Even if her face was ruined, her mom was still here. She had to be like her mom and live on, strong and resilient.’
’So what if people laugh at me? So what if they look down on me?’
’I’m not afraid!’
"Miss, do you need any help?"
As the mother and daughter clung to each other and wept, a kindly voice spoke up.
It was none other than Uncle Li, who had a habit of appearing and disappearing like a ghost and loved watching drama unfold.
...
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was the third day of her mission.
Lu Wu was now well-practiced in purchasing ingredients and doing prep work.
When it was nearly time to head out, Lu Wu specifically checked outside her door. This time, Uncle Li wasn’t lying in wait to ambush her.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Wu hadn’t even reached Yanliu Street yet, but the street, only a few meters wide, was already teeming with people.
Quite a crowd had shown up.
Aside from the locals of Xiaohe Town, there were also some out-of-towners who had been drawn in by the recent online posts.
No one was fighting today, at least.
They were gathered in small groups, and all eyes were fixed on the entrance of the Baihua Building.
A group of people stood there, all wearing masks and trying to conceal their identities.
Judging by their builds, none of them were very old.
Their strange attire was enough to make one’s imagination run wild.
"I hear this group started lining up before the sun even set?"
"Young Master Lou, do you know anything about them?"
Someone asked Lou Xiaotian.
Boss Lu had really blown up. They had made a point of coming early to get in line, but they still hadn’t managed to get a spot near the front.
"I don’t know."
Lou Xiaotian was also curious.
He was familiar with many of the Flower Ladies here, and one of them had told him that this secretive group had been trickling in all day.
It seemed they were waiting specifically for Boss Lu.
"These people don’t even dare to show their faces, could they be here to cause trouble?"
Someone speculated. Hearing this, Lou Xiaotian immediately straightened up, his interest piqued.
He sized up the group carefully. Many of them had very low cultivation, and some didn’t even look old enough to have started training.
’Looks like they aren’t here to cause trouble.’
"Boss Lu is here!"
While Lou Xiaotian was lost in thought, a shout came from the edge of the crowd.
Those who had eaten Lu Wu’s buns before automatically started parting the crowd to make way for Boss Lu.
When Lu Wu arrived, she was greeted by the sight of customers with stars in their eyes and, in the center of it all, the group of masked people.
Lu Wu paused in her tracks.
’If she hadn’t spotted so many familiar faces, she might have thought she’d stumbled into some kind of cult gathering.’
"Good evening, everyone!"
Lu Wu greeted the customers and parked her stall in the designated spot.
Without any further ado, Lu Wu got straight to work.
"Just fifteen minutes!"
She called out.
After earning some money over the past two days, she’d upgraded her stall. The heat source was no longer firewood, but Fire Attribute Spirit Stones.
With the ample heat supply, the buns cooked through much more easily.
As everyone watched with mouths watering, the plump, white buns were placed in the steamer, and the crowd formed a neat line.
At the very front of the line stood one of the masked people.
Lu Wu took a moment to size the person up.
’Judging by their height, they aren’t an adult. And with that slender frame, it’s probably a girl.’
At a glance, there were dozens of people dressed like this, all of them appearing to be around the same age.
’Is this some kind of underage evil organization?’
’Well, I’m just here to do business. Best not to get on their bad side.’
Lost in her thoughts, Lu Wu shook the bell she had hung up that day, and it chimed.
"Buns are ready!"
"Still a limit of two per person today!"
"Aww, still a limit?!"
The crowd instantly let out a collective groan. Lu Wu’s eyes crinkled with a smile.
[Mission Progress: 631/1000]
Thanks to these enthusiastic customers, Lu Wu estimated she could complete her mission today.
"Boss Lu, I’d like two red bean paste buns."
The moment the masked person at the front of the line spoke, it was clear from her youthful voice that she was a young girl.
It was Xiao Hua.
On the outskirts of the crowd, her mother watched Xiao Hua with a worried expression.
After discovering yesterday that Lu Wu’s red bean paste buns could heal the dark spots, the mother and daughter had frantically rushed to find her, only to discover that Lu Wu had already closed her stall for the night.
When they were at their wit’s end, the kind Uncle Li had told them about Lu Wu’s regular stall hours.
Upon learning that Boss Lu’s buns were always in high demand, they decided to simply wait on the street to avoid missing their chance.
And to avoid strange looks from strangers, Xiao Hua had put on a mask.
As for the other masked people, they had shown up on their own.
They had arrived already wearing masks.
This strange coincidence made Xiao Hua a little uneasy.
Last night, a post titled "Sweet Red Bean Buns, Give Me Back My Baby-Smooth Skin!" had rapidly shot up in popularity on Xiaohe Town’s One World Communication.
After the kidney buns and mini meat buns went viral, it was finally the sweet red bean bun’s time to shine.
The post detailed how Lu Wu’s red bean paste buns had the effect of removing dark spots, and the accompanying photos had been "courteously provided" by Xiao Hua.
The mastermind behind it all was, of course, Uncle Li.
As for the reason...
Uncle Li, who was also in line, stared at another post on One World Communication that was slowly being buried, his gaze icy.