Eternal madness

Chapter 11 Wonton Seller
Zhang Laifu wanted to ask a few more questions, but the driver had already driven away.

They were complete strangers, but he gave them a word of advice for five copper coins, which was more than enough. The driver then took the rickshaw back to the theater entrance and waited for fares.

The first play hadn't ended yet, and after waiting for a while without anyone getting a ride, the driver was dozing off when he suddenly heard someone talking at the ticket booth.

Has anyone from out of state bought a ticket here today?

The ticket seller was very impatient: "Are you here to see a play? If you are, buy a ticket. If not, go look around somewhere else."

The man wasn't annoyed; he smiled and said, "You're new here, aren't you? Don't you recognize me?"

In those few words, the driver felt as if he had heard some singing.

It wasn't just the singing style; it also sounded like the pipa.

The ticket seller's voice softened: "Well, um, there's someone covered in mud who bought a ticket an hour ago. I don't know if he's from out of state."

……

Walking down the street, Zhang Laifu was pondering a question.

Do I have a legitimate background?
I was kidnapped by bandits. I am a completely innocent person. Is this a legitimate background?

The thought lingered in my mind for less than ten seconds before vanishing.

Song Yongchang and his gang were bandits, and under normal circumstances, bandits are illegal in any country.

These bandits themselves had questionable origins, so how could Zhang Laifu's origins be legitimate?

The police only care about cracking down on illegal immigrants; whether they are innocent or not is simply not within the scope of the police's consideration.

Thinking of this, Zhang Laifu quickened his pace.

Zhang Laifu came by train and will have to take the train back, which means he has to come to the theater.

I can think of this, and Lao Song certainly can too; he'll be coming to the theater to find me soon.

We need to leave this street as soon as possible, and preferably leave Heishakou as soon as possible.

After walking for a while, Zhang Laifu suddenly felt a pang of anxiety; he was hungry.

He patted his pockets and found he had eight copper coins and about twenty copper coins left.

Is this enough for travel expenses?
Let's fill our stomachs first, otherwise we won't have the energy to run.

There were many shops along the street, selling shoes, cloth, sauces, and vinegar, but Zhang Laifu walked for a long time without finding a restaurant.

Walking through the streets and alleys, Zhang Laifu came to a main road and looked at the street sign. This place was called Pearl Street.

The street was bustling with activity, and there were many food stalls. Zhang Laifu was wondering what to buy when a man in his early thirties carrying a kitchen cart came up to him.

It's no exaggeration to say he carried the kitchen on a shoulder pole; the stove hung on the left and the rack on the right.

There are three rows of drawers on the shelf. The top row holds the dough and fillings, the middle row holds the cutting board, and the bottom row holds the bowls and chopsticks.

Several buckets and a basket of firewood were hanging next to the stove.

The man put his carrying pole down on the ground and shouted, "Wontons~ Ready to serve!"

Is this a place selling wontons?

Just by looking at this outfit, you can tell this person is very professional.

The stall owner lifted the lid of the pot, and a fragrant steam wafted into Zhang Laifu's nose.

This smells so tempting! Zhang Laifu leaned closer and asked, "How much is a bowl?"

As the stall owner packed up his carrying pole, he called out, "Add firewood to start the fire and boil the soup, I make a living on my shoulders! Five coins is really not expensive, thin skin, big filling, and delicious taste!"

Five coins in one bowl?
Zhang Laifu thought it was quite expensive, but the enticing aroma made him unable to tear himself away.

“Give me a bowl!”

Zhang Laifu gave the vendor five coins, and the vendor served him a bowl of wontons. As he chewed a wonton, Zhang Laifu's cheek twitched slightly.

The wonton wrappers are elastic; when you bite into them, they don't break open, they burst open.

The skin is filled with broth, the broth is wrapped around the filling, the filling also has tendons, and the tendons also have broth hidden inside. The taste of the broth is different from that of the skin.

The broth from the skin clung to his cheeks, while the broth from the filling clung to his tongue. The filling and skin moved back and forth between his teeth, and the two kinds of broth mixed together, going down into his stomach along with the skin and filling. Zhang Laifu felt his tongue go numb.

“This is too delicious!”

Zhang Laifu made a compliment, but unfortunately the stall owner didn't hear it.

The stall owner was very busy, and the area around the stall was crowded. People kept coming to buy wontons, and the stall owner cooked and sold them at the same time.

Zhang Laifu stood next to the stall and ate a bowl of wontons. In just a few minutes, the stall owner sold about ten bowls.

Filling the dumplings, starting the fire, adding soup, adding firewood... the stall owner's hands never stopped. Zhang Laifu couldn't even see how many hands he had; he was so busy that he was almost seeing double.

Zhang Laifu finished the bowl of soup, wiped his lips, and realized he wasn't full. He hadn't eaten anything since last night except for this bowl of wontons.

He wanted another bowl, but he only had three copper coins left in his pocket. With the copper coins, he could make five large coins, but if he spent all of them, he wouldn't have anything to eat for the next meal.

Why don't we talk to the stall owner about it?
"Can you give me a discount if I buy another bowl?"

The wonton vendor paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is the wrapper thin or thick?"

Zhang Laifu recalled for a moment: "I think it's just right."

The man selling wontons frowned; that statement doesn't fit.

He thought Zhang Laifu might not have reacted immediately. After a short while, the wonton seller asked again, "Did it float in the water or sink in the pot?"

Zhang Laifu thought about the process of cooking wontons: "I think it should all be there."

"I don't negotiate prices. If you think it's too expensive, there's a wonton vendor over there; their prices are cheaper." The wonton vendor pointed across the street and continued to serve other customers, ignoring Zhang Laifu.

Across the street, under a big tree, there was another wonton stand. This stand was much smaller than the one from the previous vendor, and the wonton seller was an old man in his early sixties.

His business is slow, and there's no need to queue.

How much is a bowl of wontons?

The old man quickly replied, "Two coins."

It was indeed cheap. Zhang Laifu gave him two coins, and the old man filled a bowl with wontons.

"Sir, please sit down and eat."

Not only did he give a lot, but he also provided a place to sit. There was a table and benches under the big tree, and soy sauce and vinegar condiments on the table.

Zhang Laifu sat on a stool, picked up a wonton, put it in his mouth, and almost couldn't swallow it.

There was noodles, filling, and soup, but for some reason, Zhang Laifu just couldn't eat it.

There's no reason to vomit if you're not full.

The stall owner was right there; it would be very impolite to spit it out.

Zhang Laifu struggled to swallow the wontons, and a middle-aged man around forty years old sat down next to him.

"It's hard to swallow, isn't it? It's not the wontons' fault, you just ate the wrong thing."

This man had a fair complexion, his hair was combed back and shiny, and he wore a small melon-shaped hat. There was a plaster on his left eyebrow, which just covered half of his eye.

He wore a pale white long gown with a mandarin jacket over it, a pipe hanging from his waist, a folding fan tucked into the back of his collar, and a purple bamboo birdcage in his left hand. Looking at the bowl of wontons on Zhang Laifu's table, he asked, "Do you know what you did wrong?"

Zhang Laifu didn't understand. How could he make a mistake while eating wontons?
PS: Thanks to Alliance Leader Fengci Tushen, a long-time reader of mine. He was the Alliance Leader during Protime, and I remember that kindness.

(End of this chapter)