The next day, after breakfast, Xiaoguo was planning to drive the donkey cart to the county by herself. However, Qin Anming was worried. He felt that it was not safe for a powerless woman to go to the county alone.

There were all kinds of people there. Xiaoguo was so skinny and pretty. Although she was already a mother, it was impossible to tell from her appearance.

How could he feel at ease letting her go out alone? Even though Xiaoguo had said that she had gone there several times before, he still couldn’t help but feel worried.

Xiaoguo had no choice but to bring Qin Anming along with her. Of course, she had to bring Zhuang Zhuang as well.

“Zhuang Zhuang, didn’t you say that you had to study this morning?”

Xiaoguo looked helplessly at Zhuang Zhuang, who was curled up in her arms.

Zhuang Zhuang looked up and said in an aggrieved tone, “If both of you go, I’ll be the only one left at home. Besides, I was intending to teach Uncle some words in the morning, but he is going to follow you. What am I going to do alone at home?”

Xiaoguo could not outtalk him. Recently, Zhuang Zhuang has become more and more eloquent. He was no longer a child that Xiaoguo could fool easily.

She lowered her head and kissed him hard on the forehead. Zhuang Zhuang basked in Xiaoguo’s kiss and chuckled in her arms.

Qin Anming was quite happy on the way to the county city. This was the first time he was going there.

As soon as Xiaoguo arrived at the entrance of the county, she realized that there were many people queuing up to enter. She then realized that it was the big market day, which only happens once every three months.

On this day, the number of stalls in the market would be three times more than usual. The crowded streets were even more packed on this day—everyone was huddled together, with little room to move about.

On this day, people from all over the world would come to the market to peddle rare goods. There were all kinds of vegetables, fruits, clothes, appliances, and so on. Other than those who were selling goods, there were also visitors from the surrounding villages and counties, who were there to seek out rare items.

Xiaoguo drove the donkey cart forward carefully. The small stalls extended from the entrance of the county to the county center. Small vendors were lined along both sides of the road. There were people dressed in strange clothes and shouting in accented Chinese, introducing their wares. There were also dark-skinned people playing with fire sticks, busking for money…

Zhuang Zhuang’s eyes were wide open. He was shouting and writhing with excitement in Xiaoguo’s arms. His eyes could not take in enough of the sights around him. Xiaoguo hugged Zhuang Zhuang tightly with her left hand and felt a little frustrated. If she had known that it was the big market today, she wouldn’t have come no matter what. There were just too many people!

Seeing that it was difficult for Xiaoguo to carry Zhuang Zhuang and drive the donkey cart at the same time, Qin Anming took the boy from her and let Xiaoguo drive in peace.

Xiaoguo felt lighter instantly—she could now steer the cart with both hands. They drove quickly through the city. Xiaoguo had heard that there were several shops selling tiles and bricks on the east side of the county.

She drove towards the place where tiles and bricks were sold. Along the way, she happened to pass by the Ruyi Noodle Restaurant.

Xiaoguo stopped the cart. It had been a while since she had been here, so she explained to Qin Anming that she would stop for a while and go in to take a look.

Zhuang Zhuang was very familiar with the place. He held Qin Anming’s hand and followed Xiaoguo past the queue outside. The three of them entered the noodle shop.

As soon as Xiaoguo entered, she saw the same girl whom she had met the last time. Seeing that it was Xiaoguo, the girl invited her directly to the backyard. She asked her to wait there while she called for the boss.

Not long after, Xu Ruyi came in and greeted Xiaoguo from afar, while taking off her apron.

“Sister Xiaoguo, are you here for the big fair today?”

She also knew that it was the big market today. There were more than half of the usual crowd lining up to buy potato noodles. She was so busy that she did not have time to take a breather. When she heard that Xiaoguo was coming over, she quickly took the time to come out.

Xiaoguo could tell that she was really busy. Since she had nothing much to do this morning, she could help Xu Ruyi at the restaurant. The tiles could wait—she could check them out later in the afternoon.

Xiaoguo told Zhuang Zhuang to follow Qin Anming and not wander about. After which, she followed Ruyi into the kitchen.

The two of them got busy in the kitchen for a long time. The people lining up outside seemed to be growing in numbers. Qin Anming brought Zhuang Zhuang to the backyard and watched the busy scene in front of them. It didn’t feel right for him to stay and do nothing. He saw Zhuang Zhuang chatting in a familiar manner with the cashier.

Knowing that Zhuang Zhuang was with someone familiar, he felt more at ease. Qin Anming then chipped in to help clear the tables and serve the noodles.

All of them were kept busy the whole morning. They were constantly shuttling in and out of the kitchen. When they finally sent off the last customer, the ingredients in the kitchen had all been used up. Not even a single leaf of vegetables was left.

By noon, everyone was hungry after a whole morning of hard work.

Xiaoguo wanted to take her leave, but Ruyi refused to let them go. After all the work, they had to stay for lunch.

Xiaoguo couldn’t turn down her kind offer. She asked Qin Anming and Zhuang Zhuang if they wanted to stay and they both asked her to decide. Xiaoguo then agreed to stay.

Ruyi had to go buy some ingredients as there was nothing left in the noodle shop. Xiaoguo went along with her, leaving the others to clean up the noodle shop.

The two of them chatted along the way to the market. Much of the crowd in the market had dispersed, leaving only some groups of people behind. Fortunately, the vegetable stall was still open. The two of them bought some vegetables and meat for lunch. Xiaoguo paid for the ingredients as the three of them were staying for lunch. It was more appropriate for them to pay for the food.

Ruyi had no choice but to let her. On the way back, Xu Ruyi and Xiaoguo shared some interesting things that had happened over the past two days.

As they chatted, Xu Ruyi and Xiaoguo started talking about the noodle shop.

Ruyi felt that the business at the shop was doing well, but it seemed rather monotonous. She wanted to discuss with Xiaoguo if they could change the way the shop was operated.

Although Ruyi didn’t go into details, Xiaoguo understood what she was saying and thinking. The potato noodles would be sold in the morning until noon. In the afternoon, they would prepare the ingredients for the next day. During those few hours, it was quite a waste to keep the restaurant closed. She was hoping to extend the operating hours.

Xiaoguo thought about it and came up with a good idea. They could do Malatang¹ instead. It would work for both lunch and dinner. The ingredients were diverse, so customers could pick whatever they wanted to eat. The items selected could be weighed in a basin and be charged by weight.

After telling Ruyi what she was thinking, Xu Ruyi’s eyes lit up. She exclaimed with joy. Xiaoguo really knew her too well!

The two of them exchanged ideas about their plans in lowered tones as they walked towards the noodle shop.

Xiaoguo took on the role of master chef that afternoon. She was going to let everyone have a taste of her culinary skills.

A total of ten dishes and a soup were prepared. When the last plate of soup was served at the table, lunch was ready.

The seven of them gathered around and waited for Xiaoguo to sit down before picking up their chopsticks.

Praises rang out around the table. Xiaoguo felt a little embarrassed and quickly got everyone to eat more.

Xu Ruyi was still thinking about what Xiaoguo had said about Malatang. Once Xiaoguo put down her chopsticks, she eagerly pulled her back to her room to discuss it.

Xiaoguo explained what she had in mind in detail and Ruyi took note of everything. Xiaoguo told Ruyi about the small meatballs she had to prepare, and wrote down the recipe. The making process for the meatballs was easy and was basically the same as the fish balls.

Ruyi found it simple too and after asking in detail about how to make them, she had a pretty good understanding of the entire process.

Xiaoguo wrote down a list of vegetables that could be included in the menu on a piece of paper. There were also condiments like sesame sauce, vinegar, chili oil, peanuts, crushed coriander, and so on.

Seeing that she had filled up seven or eight pieces of paper, Xiaoguo carefully checked if she had missed out anything. After she was done, she handed them to Ruyi.

Ruyi held the sheets of paper like they were precious treasures. She was filled with confidence!

“Sister Xiaoguo, should I buy a few more girls?”

Ruyi felt that it would be easier for her if there were more helpers.

Xiaoguo agreed. With more people, more ingredients could be prepared. It would be easier for everyone ultimately.