VFGRC Chapter 24

TL: Moonlit

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Xingxing: “Daddy just told me that we have sugar-coated hawthorns at home too! But I haven’t tried sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn, so I wanted to exchange it with the grilled cold noodles and taste the flavor…”

Earlier, Yu Bai had told Xing Xing that Yu Dong had given him several strings of sugar-coated hawthorns.

Xing Xing thought that the sugar-coated hawthorns Yu Dong gave him were all strawberry-flavored, so when he saw Qiuqiu holding sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn, he became interested in trying it.

“This is how it is…”

Qiuqiu’s two round eyes were filled with a sense of disappointment.

He had just eaten the piece of grilled cold noodles that Xing Xing gave him. It was warm, fragrant, sour, and sweet, and it tasted especially delicious!

But… Qiuqiu still remembered what Xing Xing had said earlier.

This grilled cold noodles were specially made by Xing Xing’s dad for him, and others couldn’t taste them…

What should he do?

Wuwuwu, he really wanted to eat the grilled cold noodles!!

At this moment, an observant regular customer who was waiting in line to buy teppanyaki noticed the grilled cold noodles in Xing Xing’s hand.

The aroma of the grilled cold noodles was similar to that of the teppanyaki, with just a little more tangy tomato fragrance.

The customer tentatively asked Xing Xing, “Is your dad the owner of the teppanyaki stall?”

Xing Xing nodded, “Yes!”

“And did he make this grilled cold noodles?”

Xing Xing replied, “Yes! Because I wanted to eat it, my dad made it especially for me! The taste is also tailored for Xing Xing!”

Yu Bai had considered Xing Xing’s age and other factors, so he adjusted the flavor to be milder.

Therefore, the grilled cold noodles in Xing Xing’s hand were truly unique in the world.

Hearing this, the customers in line started to think.

So the person who made these grilled cold noodles is the owner of the teppanyaki stall.

When it’s their turn to buy teppanyaki, maybe they can ask the stall owner if he can also make them some grilled cold noodles?

These customers, who were towards the end of the line, knew that a portion of the grilled cold noodles had several pieces of dough.

The grilled cold noodles in Xing Xing’s hand were freshly made, and there might still be some dough left on Yu Bai’s stall.

If they wanted…

But before they could think further, someone poured cold water on their thoughts.

It was a customer who had arrived early and was at the front of the teppanyaki stall, walking and eating the grilled cold noodles in his hand.

This customer’s expression showed that he was enjoying the food, and even a fool could tell that the grilled cold noodles were exceptionally delicious.

“You bought this grilled cold noodles at the teppanyaki stall?”

The customer said, “Of course!”

The customers behind him couldn’t show it on their faces, but they felt sour inside.

The day was still long, and there was no telling when the stall owner of the teppanyaki stall would start selling the grilled cold noodles.

When that time comes, they would have to buy several portions at once to satisfy their cravings!

—

After Xing Xing fed Qiuqiu the grilled cold noodles, he picked up the paper bag that Qiuqiu had given him and slowly opened it.

Inside the bag were three round sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn balls. Xing Xing was afraid of dropping the sugar-coated hawthorn balls, so his movements were slow.

Qiuqiu, who was chewing a piece of grilled cold noodle dough, slowed down his pace, sensing Qiuqiu’s gloomy mood, Xing Xing gave him another piece of grilled cold noodle dough.

Qiuqiu didn’t devour it like before; he slowly chewed on the small piece of dough on his fork.

Qiuqiu knew that if he ate too fast, the dough would be gone!

The sound of friction from the paper bag continued for a while until Xing Xing carefully pulled out one sugar-coated hawthorn ball.

This sugar-coated hawthorn ball was bought by Qiuqiu’s dad, but Qiuqiu hadn’t eaten any of them yet.

So when Qiuqiu saw Xing Xing about to eat the sugar-coated hawthorn ball, he slowed down his pace of chewing the grilled cold noodle dough and stretched out his short and chubby neck.

He didn’t know if this sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn ball would taste good?

But even though the appearance of the sugar-coated hawthorn ball wasn’t good, Xing Xing didn’t mind.

Xing Xing brought the sugar-coated hawthorn ball to his lips and took a bite.

Yu Dong had taken Yu Bai’s advice and let the sugar-coated hawthorn ball sit outside for a while before it became sticky.

Although the sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn ball that Qiuqiu’s dad bought was not completely sticky yet, after Qiuqiu’s handling just now, the sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn ball was now perfectly sticky.

The slightly sticky layer of sugar was easily bitten through by Xing Xing’s tender teeth.

Biting into the mildly sweet sugar and the slightly sour hawthorn, the flavors danced on Xing Xing’s taste buds.

Enveloped by hawthorn, the soft and sweet sticky rice was sprinkled with fragrant black sesame seeds, complementing the clear sweetness of the sticky rice with the burst of fragrance from the sesame seeds.

Soft and sticky, sour and sweet, it has always been a favorite of young ones.

With just one seemingly ordinary sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn ball, it easily captured the heart of Xing Xing.

Xing Xing: “It’s delicious!”

Saying that, he took another bite of the sticky rice sugar-coated hawthorn ball.

It really was delicious! Uncle Yu, who sells candied¹sugar-coated hawthorn next door, is amazing! Xing Xing thought strawberry candied hawthorn was already tasty, but he didn’t expect Uncle Yu to make an even more delicious sticky rice candied hawthorn ball!

Xing Xing’s round eyes curved into two crescents, and deep dimples appeared on his cheeks.

The satisfied expression on the young one’s face was enough to prove how delicious this sticky rice candied hawthorn ball was.

As they listened to Xing Xing’s chewing sound of the sticky and chewy sticky rice, the customers waiting in line to buy teppanyaki couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

Qiuqiu curiously asked, “Is the candied hawthorn ball really that delicious?”

“It really is super delicious! I’m not lying to you! Try it yourself if you don’t believe me!”

Xing Xing said, then he picked up the remaining half of the sticky rice candied hawthorn ball and handed the paper bag back to Qiuqiu.

Qiuqiu followed Xing Xing’s example and carefully pulled out a candied hawthorn ball from the paper bag.

The customers waiting in line behind also craned their necks, wanting to see Qiuqiu’s expression when eating the candied hawthorn ball.

The sticky and sweet sticky rice had a similar texture to Qiuqiu’s favorite chewy candy. The cold and sandy texture of the hawthorn felt like eating a popsicle. And the sweet sugar coating on the outside was Qiuqiu’s favorite!

With one candied hawthorn ball, Qiuqiu experienced three different flavors and textures. Qiuqiu’s two bean-sized eyes lit up again!

“Xing Xing, you were right! The sticky rice hawthorn candied hawthorn ball is really delicious!”

When eating something delicious, Qiuqiu habitually ate faster.

Just as Xing Xing swallowed the last bite of the candied hawthorn ball, Qiuqiu had already finished the entire candied hawthorn ball.

Qiuqiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the whole candied hawthorn ball.

Fortunately, Xing Xing didn’t agree to exchange three pieces of grilled cold noodles for three candied hawthorn balls, otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how delicious this sticky rice candied hawthorn ball was!

Just as Qiuqiu was about to pull out the last candied hawthorn ball, he suddenly heard Xiao Mei’s voice behind him.

“Can, can I have a taste too?”

Qiuqiu turned his head.

He saw the most beautiful girl in their class, Xiao Mei, blinking her watery round eyes at him.

Xiao Mei’s fair and tender cheeks showed a hint of shyness and a touch of worry.

She had thought that this candied hawthorn ball didn’t look good, so she thought it wouldn’t taste great and rejected Qiuqiu’s offer earlier.

But…

She just saw Qiuqiu and the other cute young one next to him enjoying the candied hawthorn ball so much.

As a young one herself, how could Xiao Mei resist the temptation of “delicious”!

She watched as there was only one candied hawthorn ball left in the paper bag and mustered up the courage to ask.

“Qiuqiu, I’m sorry.” Xiao Mei twisted her skirt with her small hand, “I thought it didn’t look good, so I thought it wouldn’t taste good. That was wrong of me! I will definitely…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Qiuqiu generously handed the paper bag containing the last candied hawthorn ball to Xiao Mei, “You can have this one!”

Xiao Mei’s round almond eyes brightened. “Thank you, Qiuqiu!”

The most beautiful girl in the class, Xiao Mei, said “thank you” to him!

Qiuqiu proudly puffed up his chubby chest: “You’re welcome!”

As Qiuqiu and Xing Xing said before, the sour, sweet, sticky, and soft sticky rice candied hawthorn ball easily captured Xiao Mei’s heart.

However, Xiao Mei only ate half of the candied hawthorn ball before stopping.

Then…

Xiao Mei tiptoed and offered the other half of the candied hawthorn ball to the tall and sturdy man standing behind her.

“Daddy, would you like to try this candied hawthorn ball too!”

The onlookers among the customers sighed: The daughter is such a thoughtful little cotton jacket. Even when eating the candied hawthorn ball, she still remembered to save half for her dad.

Xiao Mei’s dad, enjoying the envious and admiring gazes, opened his mouth happily, “Ah…”

Xiao Mei threw the half candied hawthorn ball into her dad’s mouth.

Xiao Mei: “Dad, isn’t the candied hawthorn ball especially delicious?”

Her dad, who was blissfully enjoying being fed by his daughter, said, “Delicious, it’s especially delicious!”

Xiao Mei blinked her eyes, “I think it’s really delicious too. So…”

“Dad, can you also go to the candied hawthorn stall next door and buy two skewers of sticky rice hawthorn candied hawthorn balls? One for each of us?”

Xiao Mei’s dad’s smile froze.

Was it just his imagination? He felt like his daughter’s filial heart had changed?

Xing Xing, Qiuqiu, and Xiao Mei were undoubtedly the best spokespeople for the sticky rice candied hawthorn ball.

Among the customers waiting in line, many were parents of Qingqiao Elementary School and Qingqiao Kindergarten, accompanied by their young ones.

These young ones saw Xing Xing and the other two young ones praising the candied hawthorn ball as they ate, and their mouths were watering.

These young ones were also curious if the candied hawthorn ball was really as delicious as the three young ones claimed.

Seeing Xiao Mei’s dad asking Xiao Mei to obediently stand in line while he seizes the opportunity to go to the vacant candied hawthorn stall next door, buy two skewers of candied hawthorn balls, and quickly return, other young ones who haven’t tasted the sticky rice candied hawthorn ball also start insisting that their parents go to the candied hawthorn stall next door and buy the sticky rice candied hawthorn balls.

Even the customers waiting in line for teppanyaki have their kids help them line up!

Under the young ones’ tactics of crying, throwing tantrums, and being cute, many parents soften their hearts and agree to their children’s request to go to the candied hawthorn stall next door and line up to buy the sticky rice candied hawthorn balls.

Some parents who arrived early were able to quickly buy the sticky rice candied hawthorn balls as they had hoped.

However, some parents who dawdled for a while before going to buy found that there was now a queue in front of the previously empty candied hawthorn stall.

Moreover, they could see that the line in front of the candied hawthorn stall was quite long.

When it was finally their turn, the vendor selling the candied hawthorn balls informed them that the sticky rice candied hawthorn balls, which were made in limited quantities on the first day, were already sold out.

The parents had been waiting in line for so long, and they couldn’t just go back empty-handed, could they?

Seeing that there were other types of candied hawthorn available at the stall, the parents bought several skewers of different flavors.

While buying the other flavors of candied hawthorn, the parents were still worried that these might not be what their little ones wanted, and they wondered if their children would continue to throw a tantrum.

Fortunately, the candied hawthorn sold at this stall tasted good, and the fruits were fresh.

Even though what they bought wasn’t the sticky rice hawthorn candied hawthorn balls they wanted, their little ones still enjoyed them.

Moreover, the candied hawthorn skewers sold at this stall were small-sized, so the parents didn’t have to worry about their young ones not finishing them or getting too full from eating too many candied hawthorns.

The satisfied young ones happily ate the candied hawthorn skewers in their hands, and even though the line for teppanyaki grew longer, the young ones remained calm and quiet throughout.

Because the delicious and beautiful candied hawthorn completely captured the attention of the young ones!

Today, the Sanjiaokou area had another bustling food stall.

The vendors at the other food stalls present thought that setting up a stall next to the popular teppanyaki stall was a sure path to failure.

So they never expected that the previously deserted candied hawthorn stall, which barely had any customers, would suddenly experience a resurgence of business when placed next to the teppanyaki stall!

Looking at the customers lining up in front of the candied hawthorn stall, except for Aunt Zhang, who had a business second only to the teppanyaki stall with her fried chicken strips, the other food stall vendors couldn’t help but envy.

So many customers in line… How much money could they make in such a short time!

The food stall vendors had sharp eyesight, and even though the candied hawthorn stall was a bit far from their own stalls, they could clearly see the happiness on Yu Dong’s face.

If they were in his shoes, with so many customers coming to their stalls to buy food, their smiles would reach their ears!

“You used to be quite familiar with Yu Dong. Why don’t you go over and ask him about the reason for his booming business? Learn a thing or two?” a food stall vendor asked the vendor next to him, who sold roujiamo.

The roujiamo vendor, whose business was slow, gave the other vendor a disdainful look and turned his gaze to Yu Dong. He couldn’t help but feel envious and bitter.

He and Yu Dong had occupied the least popular stalls in the Sanjiaokou area just a few days ago.

But in the blink of an eye, Yu Dong’s candied hawthorn stall had become so prosperous. How did that happen?

Was it because of the feng shui at his stall?

No, that couldn’t be it!

A few days ago, when the latecomer selling teppanyaki arrived, the other stalls had already taken up the available spaces, but their businesses didn’t improve much.

What was the reason then?

The roujiamo vendor pondered carefully and remembered the conversation he had with Yu Dong before and the changes at Yu Dong’s stall.

The roujiamo vendor furrowed his brow.

He recalled that Yu Dong had switched from selling large-sized candied hawthorn skewers to small-sized ones and introduced several new flavors of candied hawthorn…

Were these two reasons enough to explain Yu Dong’s sudden success?

The roujiamo vendor didn’t believe it.

But he couldn’t think of any other reason why Yu Dong’s business would suddenly thrive today.

“In my opinion, his business won’t stay booming for long,” the roujiamo vendor said. “Yu Dong changed from selling large-sized candied hawthorn skewers to small-sized ones and introduced new varieties of candied hawthorn. I reckon that the customers bought more today because they hadn’t seen small-sized candied hawthorn skewers or tried the new flavors before.”

“After a couple of days, when the hype dies down, fewer people will buy them…”

However, the roujiamo vendor couldn’t have been more wrong.

One day, two days… one week, two weeks…

Several weeks had passed, and his roujiamo business remained as stagnant as ever.

Meanwhile, Yu Dong’s candied hawthorn business became more prosperous with each passing day.

Yu Dong’s candied hawthorn stall never returned to its previous state of being ignored. In fact, several years later, Yu Dong opened a candied hawthorn snack shop, which eventually became a chain.

It was only much later that the roujiamo vendor realized.

Yu Dong had become an extraordinary presence among the ordinary food stall vendors in the Sanjiaokou area, someone they could never catch up to in their lifetime.

But… along with Yu Dong, there was another vendor selling teppanyaki at the Sanjiaokou area. His business was even more successful and his future achievements were even more dazzling, making Yu Dong’s previous achievements seem ordinary.

—

Previously, while running his stall, Yu Dong had spare time to chat with other food stall vendors and play with his phone.

But today, Yu Dong was busy selling candied hawthorn the entire time, hardly taking any breaks or sips of water.

He was tired, but when he saw today’s earnings on his mobile phone, he felt that all the fatigue was worth it.

And it was more than worth it!

He had sold all the candied hawthorns that he couldn’t sell in a week at Sanjiaokou in just one day!

As Yu Dong pushed the lightweight candied hawthorn cart, his steps became lighter, and his smile couldn’t be contained.

If his business could be like today every day… No, even half as good as today, he would not only be able to earn back his son’s tuition before the New Year but also make some extra money to have a good year with his family!

Yu Dong was especially grateful to Yu Bai.

His business became so successful today because of the few suggestions Yu Bai had given him.

Yu Dong definitely wanted to express his gratitude to Yu Bai, but being a simple-minded and straightforward person, he didn’t know how to best show his appreciation. He decided to discuss it with his wife when he got back home.

When Yu Dong returned home, his wife happened to be out shopping for groceries and wasn’t at home.

Yu Dong didn’t sit idle either.

He remembered the new suggestions that Yu Bai had given him today regarding his candied hawthorn business.

When Yu Dong’s wife came home, she found Yu Dong, who usually came home and sat on the chair with a worried look on his face, behaving completely out of character, enthusiastically working on his candied hawthorn in the house.

Yu Dong’s wife was astonished.

What was going on? Had the sun risen from the west? Or had something happened to Yu Dong while he was out running his stall?

Soon enough, Yu Dong’s wife learned the reason.

When she saw Yu Dong, who noticed her return, his face immediately lit up with a joyful smile.

“Honey, I made money today!”

Yu Dong’s wife replied, “When don’t you make money?”

Yu Dong said, “I mean, I made a lot of money today!”

“A lot of money?” Yu Dong’s wife found it hard to believe.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Yu Dong, but his candied hawthorn business wasn’t doing well. It only earned him some petty cash each day.

But looking at Yu Dong’s joyful expression, it didn’t seem like he was lying…

Yu Dong’s wife furrowed her brow. “Yu Dong, our family doesn’t want any ill-gotten money! You wouldn’t be…”

“Hey, hey, where are you going with your thoughts? Am I the kind of person who would do that?”

Yu Dong’s wife looked at Yu Dong’s honest face and could tell that he didn’t seem like someone who would earn dirty money.

Yu Dong took out his phone and opened WeChat: “Honey, look at this! This is the money I earned from selling candied hawthorn this afternoon… This is just the WeChat income. I also have a bunch of cash in my pocket!”

Yu Dong continued, “Thanks to Yu Bai’s suggestions, my candied hawthorn business is doing exceptionally well! I sold all the candied hawthorns, so it looks like I’ll have to make more tomorrow…”

As Yu Dong’s wife squinted at the numbers on the phone screen, her eyes widened instantly.

“Oh my! So much money?!” Yu Dong’s wife exclaimed, “If we can make this much every day… No, even if it’s a hundred or two hundred less, after deducting the costs, we’ll have enough for Chen Chen’s tuition for the next semester in less than a week!”

Yu Dong smiled, “Not just Chen Chen’s tuition… If the business keeps thriving, we can finally have a good year this year!”

On Yu Dong’s smiling face, the layers of folds caused by years of hardship and weariness towards life appeared, but he still smiled happily.

Because Yu Dong’s once bleak life, which resembled stagnant water, was now illuminated by a star called “hope,” brightening his world.

Yu Dong saw hope.

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