Jiang Heng looked up to see the two chubby pups waddling toward her, their round, black faces looking up at her in curiosity.
When they saw her standing still, they walked over and flopped down on her slippers.
One per foot.
Jiang Heng was wearing cotton slippers and could immediately feel something soft and fluffy weighing on her feet—not heavy, but warm and comfortable.
Truly, having pets made everything different.
Feeling cheerful, Jiang Heng picked them both up, used the Dust Removal Technique on them, and watched as Caramel and Pudding’s fur instantly lightened a shade.
Her mouth twitched—why did they still look a bit dirty, even when they seemed so clean?
She went to check the dog bed by the door.
The dog bed was by the door in the courtyard, making it easy for them to go to the bathroom.
Before going upstairs after lunch, Jiang Heng had placed the fish-offal mixed rice and water next to their bed, so they could eat as soon as they woke up.
Sure enough, the two portions were licked clean—not even the disposable bowls needed washing.
The water was just plain boiled water, with only a third gone.
No wonder their bellies were so round. No need for dinner tonight.
About two meters in front of the bed, there were two little piles of poop.
The courtyard had cement on one side—used for drying things and parking the e-bike—and dirt on the other, which used to be for raising chickens.
That way, if the chickens pooped, it was easy to deal with; just shovel out that patch of dirt.
Now that Jiang Heng was handling things, it was even easier. She sent a wave of Spiritual Energy, making the dirt flip over and burying the poop deep in the soil.
Satisfied that everything was clean, Jiang Heng cuddled both puppies on the sofa, one hand rubbing a little Jiang Heng’s Dog—making it whimper with pleasure—while the other hand pulled out her phone to shop.
Dog bed, dog bowls, dog toys—she bought them all!
And peach wood. She liked the previous batch she’d bought, so she got more from the same store.
Besides peach wood beads, she ordered some cords; when she charged the beads with Spiritual Energy and hung them around the puppies’ necks, she’d be able to sense danger right away.
Plus, wooden beads weren’t valuable—no one would care.
Altogether, she spent several hundred.
Jiang Heng looked at her already thin balance shrinking further, poked Pudding’s rear as it wriggled on her lap, “Remember to put this on your bill. On your first day Home, I’ve already spent nearly seven hundred for you two. When you grow up, you’ll have to work to pay me back!”
Pudding, having barely found its footing, was sent tumbling, exposing its soft belly, and its little tail curled up to cover between its legs.
“Awwooo!” Pudding yelped angrily.
The voice was fierce, but so childish.
Jiang Heng immediately reached over to scratch its chin.
The “awwoo” sound instantly softened, turning into a plea for affection.
Seeing this, Caramel wagged its tail and came over as well. Jiang Heng scratched its chin too, and the little pup collapsed onto her belly, exposing its soft underbelly for more rubs.
How could Jiang Heng resist?
She put down her phone and focused on petting the dogs!
They were just too cute, so Jiang Heng left the house ten minutes later than usual.
Luckily, everything on the way went smoothly.
She still arrived at her spot a little after five thirty.
Song Ming was already selling Sushi, business brisk.
When she saw Jiang Heng, she waved with a smile, then turned to greet another customer. Jiang Heng was the same—her Three-Wheeled Vehicle had barely stopped before customers came rushing over.
The first was Ge Dongfang.
She’d been waiting eagerly since five o’clock.
You really couldn’t blame her for being so impatient—business had been that good this morning!
There was no Chicken Oil Mushroom, but they still had Mushroom Meat Sauce for topping!
They’d eaten to their hearts’ content last night, closed up at eight and went home happy.
But arriving at the shop at four the next morning, she instantly regretted it. Why hadn’t she resisted last night and saved some Chicken Oil Mushroom!
She could’ve used the aroma of Chicken Oil Mushroom to attract more customers.
But as soon as she made the Mushroom Meat Sauce topping, Ge Dongfang had no more regrets.
That stuff was super fragrant!
Maybe it couldn’t beat Chicken Oil Mushroom for popularity, but it was sure to sell well—after all, that aroma drew people in from the street. By six o’clock, business was coming in steadily.
Nearly every customer’s first question was, “Boss, what’s that wonderful smell from your place?”
Ge Dongfang hadn’t set a high price: one portion of Mushroom Meat Sauce Noodles (or rice noodles) for eighteen yuan, with an Egg and a Sausage added in.
The portions were generous, so nearly ninety percent of customers chose to buy. The rest was easy—meat sauce was pre-cooked, noodles just blanched and drained, a scoop of sauce ladled on, topped with Egg and Sausage, ready to go.
Even during the seven or eight o’clock morning rush, the shop was packed, a rare long line. She and her husband handled it smoothly, never flustered.
They sold out all the meat sauce they’d planned to use for the whole day, just in the morning.
During the break, counting today’s earnings, the couple grinned from ear to ear.
Truly, you can’t be too shy in business.
She’d learned thick skin from that Sushi Vendor and made a tidy profit!
Many customers hadn’t had enough and clamored to come back after work, telling them to prepare more.
So, as the time approached, Ge Dongfang kept peeking outside, afraid to be late and miss out—the Chicken Fungus Oil was already in short supply.
As soon as Jiang Heng arrived, Ge Dongfang rushed out to greet her.
She’s a real God of Wealth!
Absolutely a God of Wealth!
If nothing else, she’d eaten a lot of good Mushroom, but none could compare to the ones from Jiang Heng’s stall.
But the next second, seeing what was in the basket, she had a bad feeling and carefully asked her own God of Wealth, “Boss, do you only have a little Termitomyces today?”
Jiang Heng paused as she parked, then said, “Sorry, there’s no Termitomyces today.”
The bit of Termitomyces she’d picked today, she’d turned into Chicken Oil Mushroom at Home—it was all in her fridge now.
Ge Dongfang was dumbfounded. “Ah?”
Jiang Heng grinned, “I picked so little Termitomyces today, I kept it for myself.”
Ge Dongfang: “!”
It was true, she hadn’t heard wrong!
There really was no Termitomyces!
The Boss kept it for herself!
Her eager heart turned cold, and she mentally beat up her husband—how could he not tell the Boss in advance? If he had, maybe the Boss would have brought some instead of keeping it all!
Anxious, she asked, “Will there be more tomorrow?”
Jiang Heng said, “Tomorrow… I probably won’t be setting up the stall.”
Ge Dongfang was even more confused. “Why not?”
Jiang Heng: “There’s work to do at Home, I can’t get away.”
Ge Dongfang was shocked, “What work could be more important than making money at your stall?!”
She was willing to put aside stall work to handle things at Home???
If it were her own daughter, she’d make sure she did nothing but run the stall.
Jiang Heng replied calmly, “I’m the only one at Home, so I really can’t leave.”
Ge Dongfang paused, then gave an awkward smile, not daring to say more—she’d accidentally touched a sore spot. Feeling guilty, she eagerly went to help carry the crates.
Jiang Heng tried to stop her, but couldn’t—it was impossible to refuse that much enthusiasm.
Once everything was set up and other customers came to buy Mushroom, Ge Dongfang bought even more Mushroom than yesterday, plus over a jin of Mulberry Fruit, then planned to go home and scold her husband.
Normally, the two of them would take turns resting at this time. Yesterday was special, and today her husband wasn’t around, so she closed up early.
Such a careless guy!
Never remembers a thing!
Yesterday, when he found there was no Termitomyces, he didn’t say a word—just turned around and left?!
Before leaving, Ge Dongfang stopped, pulled out her phone, “Boss, let’s add contacts.”
She smiled brightly and explained, “Boss, if you can’t come to the stall, but happen to pick Mushroom, I can come get them from you. It shouldn’t be far, right?”
Jiang Heng readily accepted, “It’s not far, just a dozen kilometers or so. If I pick Mushroom, I’ll ask you first.”
Ge Dongfang was finally reassured and left, walking lightly.
Not long after, Jiang Heng, with her now-sharpened hearing, caught the sound of the male Boss in the noodle shop screaming and begging for mercy.
Oh!
How tragic.
Once Ge Dongfang stepped aside, the second customer came over and, seeing that nearly half the Mushroom was gone, was shocked: “Do people have this much money now?!”
Just like that, the cheaper Forest Mushroom, tea-tree Mushroom, were down to only a third, and there was a chunk missing from the pine and black Mushroom too.
Jiang Heng smiled slightly, “Maybe because I won’t be at the stall for the next two days, Boss Ge just bought extra.”
Customer: “What? Then I’ll buy more too!!”
The customer, who’d planned to buy just a bit of each, now picked Mushroom with gusto.
The final bill—over five hundred.
The regulars in line couldn’t help but laugh, “You say others are rich, but you’re rich too!”
The customer laughed, “Not at all, but since the Boss won’t be here the next two days, shouldn’t I stock up?!”
Everyone else: ?
So without any promotion from Jiang Heng, every customer who followed bought two or three times their usual amount.
Jiang Heng was left in silence.
She was starting to wonder—was she the only one who was broke these days?!
Someone even asked, “Boss, are you really not selling fish anymore? It’s pretty good—I was going to buy more today.”
Jiang Heng didn’t say anything definite, only, “Not selling for now.”
The customer was relieved and promised, “Boss, if you sell fish, I’ll definitely buy! I only meant to support your stall, but the fish was so good that even a simple soup with it tastes almost as fresh as Mushroom I buy for a couple hundred!”
A customer behind him twitched his lips, a bit conflicted, but after two seconds pursed his lips, as if making a decision.
Jiang Heng smiled and thanked him, smoothly rounding down the bill.
The customer happily carried his purchases away.
The next customer stepped up, an older lady with graying hair, wearing a floral jacket common among elders, her face serious as she asked, “Yesterday you said if the fish wasn’t tasty, I could get a refund, right?”
Jiang Heng was a bit surprised, but replied, “Of course, but are you sure the fish wasn’t tasty?”
The old lady flushed with embarrassment and raised her voice, “What, are you trying to back out? Would I not know if it tasted good or not? Are you going to refund me or not?!”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.