A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

At noon, the sun was dazzlingly bright, slightly dispelling the winter chill.

This is when there are the most customers.

Ye Qingxue just launched a new dessert today: red bean and osmanthus dumplings.

Having already released over a dozen noodle dishes, it had become somewhat monotonous, which is why Ye Qingxue decided to develop the dessert category.

This dessert was inspired by a few osmanthus trees she stumbled upon on her journey.

Add a little sugar to glutinous rice flour, roll it into balls, cook them in boiling water, and then rinse them with cold water to make them soft, chewy, and bouncy.

During this time, cook the red beans with sugar, keep them warm and simmer until they become mushy, then serve and sprinkle with osmanthus flowers to get a bowl of fragrant red bean and osmanthus dumplings.

The steaming hot red beans, presented in such a novel and unique style, received unanimous praise from the customers.

In addition, a new waiter named Shan Xuan was hired today. He is a diligent and sweet-talking person who is always busy, which makes Ye Qingxue much more relaxed.

A monthly wage of one tael is considered above average in Qingshui County.

Ye Qingxue was collecting empty plates and walking towards the back when she bumped into Shan Xuan, who had just come out of the kitchen.

"Boss Ye, thank you for your hard work. I've washed some of the bowls in the back and dried them. I think we're running out of bowls." Shan Xuan quickly said to her, and then went to the front to help serve the guests.

What a spirited and energetic young man.

Ye Qingxue chuckled, then took the bowl in her hand to the back.

Sure enough, there wasn't much of the dirty bowl left in the basin.

Ye Qingxue was quite satisfied with him.

Just as I was about to go out, I saw Shan Xuan rushing over again, his face looking somewhat serious.

"What's wrong?" Ye Qingxue's eyes darkened.

"Boss Ye, four people have come to the stall."

Ye Qingxue narrowed her eyes slightly. Anyone who could make Shan Xuan so worried must be no ordinary guest: "Who? Fierce Tiger Stronghold?"

"No, they're from the Beggars' Sect. They never pay for their food! They've already ordered over a dozen bowls of noodles!"

Ye Qingxue's gaze turned cold. She peeked out slightly and saw four ragged and dirty men sitting at a table, shouting incessantly.

"Hey! Is anyone there? How come they ran off after I only ordered a few dishes? Are they afraid I won't pay?"

His voice was hoarse and husky, which startled some of the customers around him. Those who were about to come in hesitated for a moment and then left.

"Please don't rush, sir. What would you like to order?" Ye Qingxue's expression was cold, but she still managed a smile as she walked over.

"Everyone, take your time eating, it's alright."

Shan Xuan was busy comforting the guests.

The leader of the four men was a man with bloodshot eyes, uneven teeth covered in yellow stains, and a strange, unpleasant odor emanating from him.

"Hey buddy, bring me one serving of every kind of noodles you have here, and also those dozen or so bowls I just ordered, don't forget a single one."

Ye Qingxue readily agreed: "Okay, is there anything else?"

The four men exchanged glances, seemingly surprised that Ye Qingxue had agreed so readily.

After all, they clearly came here to dine and dash.

"Young Master, seeing how generous you are, how about making ten more of each dish so my brothers in the gang can have a taste? That's not too much to ask, is it?"

Ye Qingxue smiled with her eyes narrowed: "Of course, no problem, but you'll have to wait a little longer."

The four men were stunned, not expecting her to remain so composed.

A hunched-over man chuckled, "Hehehe, Qi Jin, I think this young man is quite sensible, a good one."

It turns out the man in the lead was named Qi Jin.

What an awful name.

Ye Qingxue silently made a mental note of it.

Qi Jin laughed too: "Hehe, alright, then I won't make things difficult for him. We brothers are really in for a treat today!"

Another old man with a face full of terrifying wrinkles spoke up: "Not just today, I think the brothers will be having a lot of noodles to eat during this period."

Judging from their tone, Ye Qingxue felt as if they thought this place was a self-service noodle shop.

Ye Qingxue lowered her gaze slightly and glanced at them a few more times.

Then she quickly served them several bowls of noodles, and Ye Qingxue went about her other business as if nothing had happened, as if they were just ordinary guests.

The men each ate two or three bowls of noodles before putting down their chopsticks. Seemingly finding it boring, they asked Ye Qingxue to pack up the rest.

Ye Qingxue's eyes flickered slightly, and she stepped forward with a smile: "Brothers, there are still over a hundred servings of noodles left. If you're going to wait, it will take about two hours. How about this, you brothers go back first and give me the address, and I'll deliver it to you after I close up shop this afternoon."

Qi Jin chuckled, "Kid, are you trying to pull some trick? If we leave now, will you really deliver it to us? Or are you just trying to get rid of us as soon as possible?"

Ye Qingxue raised her eyes, her expression calm: "How could that be? You brothers are all renowned, how could I dare to play tricks? If I don't deliver tonight, my shop won't be able to stay open tomorrow. I know that much."

Qi Jin stared at her for a while, then suddenly laughed: "Hehe! Alright! Then you can send it to Qiwei Alley tonight, and we'll be waiting for you there."

"Okay, I'll definitely deliver it."

Ye Qingxue's tone was somber.

The four men finally left.

Ye Qingxue exhaled sharply, then began to breathe heavily.

It's suffocating! It's suffocating! This smell is even worse than an old lady's unwashed foot binding cloth that hasn't been washed in ten years!

While catching his breath, Shan Xuan walked over worriedly: "Boss, almost all the customers have left. I'm afraid there won't be any customers today."

Ye Qingxue shook her head: "It's okay, we'll come again. Let's get rid of this smell in the stall first."

Dan Xuan exclaimed "Hey!" and ran to get a palm-leaf fan to fan away the stench.

Chen had just finished her work at the shop and asked Ye Qingxue with a furrowed brow, "Are you really going to make those hundreds of servings of noodles for them?"

Ye Qingxue nodded: "Shan Xuan should have noted down what they want. Once you've finished, find some boxes to pack it up, and I'll deliver it tonight."

Chen lowered her head and started working again.

But there was a deep worry between his brows.

"Young Master Ye, if they come every day, then our business..."

Ye Qingxue gave her a reassuring look: "Don't worry, they can't come."

……

As evening fell, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and Ye Qingxue, with a cartload of noodles, headed towards Qiwei Alley.

Before long, we arrived at Qiwei Lane.

In the long, dark, and damp alley, some men dressed in tattered clothes sat or lay down, their hair disheveled like wild grass, looking utterly lifeless.

As soon as Ye Qingxue appeared, all the men looked at her with excitement in their eyes, and slowly stood up one by one.

A strong, pungent stench wafted from the alley, forcing Ye Qingxue to hold her breath once again.

"Hehe, young man, you really keep your word and actually delivered it to us?"

A man walked out from the depths of the alley; it was Qi Jin.

Ye Qingxue gestured for them to leave the noodles in the car and told them to go get them.

The men glanced at Qi Jin, who nodded, and they rushed forward like madmen, scrambling for the noodles in the car.

Qi Jin smiled, revealing a set of yellow teeth: "You flatter me, they're just impatient."

Ye Qingxue shook her head and smiled slightly: "It's alright. These noodles will cost one tael of silver plus three hundred and sixty copper coins. You can pay?"

Woohoo——

After Ye Qingxue said this, the alley fell silent instantly, with only the whistling wind blowing by.

Qi Jin's smile froze, then he slowly turned his neck, scratched his ear, and chuckled, "What...did you just say?"

The sound was filled with the imminent threat of a storm.

“I said, you have to pay.”

Ye Qingxue spoke each word with a smile.