“Uncle Mo, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to prepare this dish.” Jiang Chan’s lips twitched, barely forming a semblance of a smile. If Uncle Mo and Aunt Mo weren’t familiar with her, they wouldn’t have recognized it as a smile.
Uncle Mo laughed heartily, “Of course, Jiang girl, just say the word. I may not have much else, but I can certainly cook.”
Aunt Mo watched the duo, a large and a small figure, whispering to each other. A faint smile played on her lips. How good would it be if Jiang Chan were their daughter? If she and Old Mo had children, they would probably be around the same age as Jiang Chan.
It’s just a pity that a girl like Jiang Chan has to work and study part-time at such a young age. Aunt Mo sighed, “Well, if we can help, we will.”
Encouraged by Uncle Mo, Jiang Chan and he decided on six dishes, four meat and two vegetarian. They would take them to the construction site for the workers to taste. As for future orders, Jiang Chan was confident that once the workers experienced Uncle Mo’s cooking, they wouldn’t be able to resist.
Around half past ten in the morning, Jiang Chan rode the electric tricycle that Uncle Mo used for shopping, braving the scorching sun to navigate to the construction site. The heat was intense, and beads of sweat trickled down Jiang Chan’s forehead, but she paid no attention.
Although the plan was good, Jiang Chan was, after all, a fourteen-year-old girl. Whether she could earn her first pot of gold depended on her performance.
Fortunately, Jiang Chan was born with few facial expressions. Despite her many thoughts, her face remained cool and composed. Throughout the journey, she organized her words, planning what to say when she arrived at the construction site.
Around eleven o’clock, work on the site gradually came to a halt. The heat dissuaded everyone from having a big meal. A sturdy young man poked the rice in his lunch box, “Ah, eating the same communal meal every day. Old He always serves these few dishes, and I’m getting tired of it.”
Beside him, a man in his forties struggled to swallow a mouthful of yellowed green beans, “Endure it. There’s nowhere nearby to eat. No food stalls or anything.”
“Even if there were, looking at that greasy food in this heat, I wouldn’t be able to eat it.”
“Yeah, at times like these, I crave some cold dishes for a refreshing change.”
The sturdy young man grumpily closed his lunch box, “Forget it, I’m not eating. Really not in the mood.”
Kind-hearted Old He tried to persuade him, “Just eat a bit. Otherwise, you’ll have no energy for work in the afternoon.”
“Ah, the weather is getting hotter and hotter.”
Jiang Chan arrived at the construction site amid this conversation. At noon, with no supervisor around, she saw about ten people sitting together in the shade, looking at the food in dismay.
Jiang Chan encouraged herself, patted her chest where a jade cicada pendant hung, and approached these people on her three-wheeled vehicle.
The dispirited sturdy young man suddenly sniffed, looked around, and when he saw Jiang Chan, he froze in place.
Seeing Jiang Chan’s gaze directed at them, he jumped up, strode over to her tricycle, and sniffed eagerly, “Little girl, what delicious food did you bring?”
It was a straightforward question, and Jiang Chan unveiled the dishes she brought without hesitation. They were neatly packed in large containers, emitting steaming heat.
“I… I run a small restaurant nearby,” Jiang Chan stuttered a bit at first but became more fluent as she spoke, “We’ve just launched fast food and wanted to see if there’s demand here at the construction site.”
The sturdy young man, ignoring what Jiang Chan said, stared fixedly at the dishes she brought, especially the plate of smashed cucumbers. His mouth watered, “How much for a portion? Give me one first.”
Prompted by this enthusiastic young man, all the food Jiang Chan brought was sold out in less than twenty minutes. Not to mention that he also called more than thirty people over.
When Jiang Chan returned, her waist bag was filled with money, plus orders for fifty more dinners. Calculating how much she would earn from this meal, Jiang Chan returned to Uncle Mo’s small restaurant with a satisfied heart.
Uncle Mo and Aunt Mo were busy with many customers in the shop. Jiang Chan put down her bag and went straight to the kitchen. It wasn’t until past one o’clock that Jiang Chan finally stopped.
Aunt Mo wiped the table, “Xiaochan, have lunch.”
Uncle Mo laughed heartily, “How was your outing, girl?”
Jiang Chan twitched her lips, “All sold out, and there are fifty more for tonight.”
Aunt Mo widened her eyes slightly, then smiled, “That’s great! Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Jiang Chan remained calm, “You were busy at that time.”
Uncle Mo was also happy, not just because of the money but because he could help Jiang Chan. They understood her well. If they directly offered financial assistance for her education, considering her pride, she would never accept it.
Now that Jiang Chan had found a way, and they could also make money, it was a win-win situation.
“Alright, tonight, I’ll go with you to deliver and finalize the deal. We’ll confirm how many meals we’ll send to the construction site every day.” Aunt Mo was efficient and had a way with words.
With Aunt Mo’s accompaniment, the fast-food orders at the construction site were easily settled. Jiang Chan needed to deliver a hundred meals to the construction site every day, and the payment was daily.
Once the orders were settled, Aunt Mo swiftly handed two hundred to Jiang Chan, “This is your wage for today.”
Jiang Chan declined, “It’s too much.”
Aunt Mo raised her eyebrows, “Take it. You’ll be running to the construction site every day; it’s hard work. Consider it hard-earned money.”
Helpless, Jiang Chan thought that she must repay Uncle Mo and Aunt Mo for their kindness.
When she was leaving, Aunt Mo packed a few dishes for her, “Take your time going back, be careful, and let me know when you arrive.”
Jiang Chan’s tricycle, with two large plastic bags hanging on the handlebars, wobbled forward. Suddenly, it hit a protruding stone, and Jiang Chan, with an unstable center of gravity, fell off.
Summer clothes were thin, and Jiang Chan’s elbows and knees were scraped and felt painful. If she were a bit more delicate, she would have cried long ago. Jiang Chan just wiped her face, checked that the food hadn’t spilled, picked up the tricycle, and continued on her way.
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Pride? Always these protagonists and their dumb pride. Just accept help you idiots.
“Aunt Mo watched the duo, a large and a small figure, whispering to each other. A faint smile played on her lips. How good would it be if Jiang Chan were their daughter? If she and Old Mo had children, they would probably be around the same age as Jiang Chan.”
She’s literally an orphan??? You can literally adopt her??? So why don’t they???