Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"Grandma, who wants to try a steamed bun and see how it tastes?" Mo Lan didn't dare to reach for the bun; her hands were too delicate to withstand the heat.

"Let me do it," Wang said, picking up a steamed bun, turning it over and over in her hand, and taking a bite. It wasn't that Wang particularly liked it, but she felt that she had eaten more good food than most people when she was younger. Trying it out wasn't a problem.

Wang swallowed the steamed bun in one gulp, looking at the several pairs of eyes staring at her, all waiting for her answer.

"It's too hot, I couldn't taste it," Wang said. Seeing everyone's speechless expressions, she smiled and continued, "It smells delicious, it makes you want to eat more."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat relieved, but still a little worried that the steamed buns might not sell.

Mo Lan and Mo Mei carried over the large wooden box, lined with clean cotton cloth. They began to pick out the buns and put them in one by one. After placing them in the box, they covered them with another clean cotton cloth, and on top of that, they placed a small cotton quilt. This way, the buns could be kept warm and would cool down more slowly.

Mo Lan then went to check on another large pot, which contained a soup made from three large pork bones. These bones had been chopped in half when purchased, blanched, and then filled with a large pot of water before being simmered. After simmering for an hour or two, she added tofu and spinach and continued simmering.

The soup is almost ready, and Mo Lan plans to pack a bucket and take it over to sell along with the steamed buns. Even if they don't sell it all, it's okay; they can drink it themselves when they get back. The bone broth is not only delicious but also a good source of calcium, which is good for their health. The leftovers in the pot can be given to the workers. It's a win-win situation!

Another big pot of steamed buns came out. Mo Lan saw that it was almost ready, so she urged them to start loading the cart and leaving. She didn't dare to prepare too many because it was the first time, and she was afraid that people who were not familiar with the business might not buy them. She was also worried that some people might have brought their own dry food and wouldn't know how to eat steamed buns.

The cart was loaded with a large box of steamed buns, a half-full bucket of soup, a basket of bowls, and a large bag of lettuce leaves. Mo Mei and Mo Lan couldn't possibly carry all that stuff, and Mo Changhe was busy with the house-building project ahead, while their mother and the others were busy preparing lunch for the other people. With no other option, Mo Lan had to go ahead and call her grandfather, Mo Quan, to help them pull the cart.

Mo Quan led the way, while Mo Mei and Mo Lan pushed from behind, and the group headed towards the place where the Xue family was building a villa.

The road wasn't very long, but the surface wasn't very smooth. I wonder if the Xue family plans to repair the road later.

Upon arriving at the location, Mo Lan looked around. The open space stretched as far as the eye could see, clearly intended for future construction. The land was entirely flat, with piles of bricks, tiles, wood, and other miscellaneous items on one side. Construction hadn't begun yet; the foundation was being laid. Many craftsmen were busy at work.

Mo Quan parked the car under a shady tree, then squatted down and lit his pipe. Mo Mei stood beside the car.

Mo Lan squinted at the sun. It wasn't noon yet, so it seemed the craftsmen hadn't eaten yet and they would have to wait.

About fifteen minutes later, Mo Lan, who was talking, heard a loud shout: "Stop what you're doing and take a break to eat."

She hurriedly looked at the craftsmen and saw that they had all put down their work and started to find places to rest in twos and threes.

She cleared her throat and began to shout, "Selling steamed buns! Delicious meat buns! Two coins each, come and buy!"

"Hey, what's this guy selling steamed buns? Let's go check it out."

"Let's go take a look."

Hearing the shouts, many people began to gather around. Once they got closer and saw the three people—grandparents and grandchildren—some started asking, "What kind of steamed buns are they selling? Are they good?"

"Uncle, we have beef buns and pork buns, they're both delicious! Would you like to buy one and try some?" Mo Lan enthusiastically promoted her buns.

"Never mind, I brought some flatbread with me. I don't know if it'll be good or not. I'll think about it next time." After saying that, the uncle took out a flatbread from his pocket, found a place to squat down, and started to eat it.

Mo Lan wasn't angry; she simply continued introducing the group to the rest of the people.

There were many people, but no one said they wanted to buy anything. Many squatted down and started eating the flatbread. Some were tempted, but were afraid it wouldn't taste good, and were also worried about the cost, so they didn't say they wanted to buy anything, but they didn't take out any flatbread to eat either. Clearly, they preferred to eat steamed buns.

Mo Lan was just thinking of a way to convince everyone that her family's steamed buns were delicious when she suddenly heard a shout: "Steamed buns for sale! Give me two to try first."

Mo Lan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a big bearded man standing in front of the car. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with thick eyebrows, big round eyes, and a big nose. His lips were not clearly visible because his face was covered with a big beard. He was wearing a blue cloth shirt and trousers, but he was much cleaner than the craftsmen around him. He looked like a foreman.

The surrounding conversations confirmed Mo Lan's guess; many people greeted him and called him Master Qin.

Mo Lan smiled, lifted the quilt, then uncovered the fine cotton cloth, took a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a lettuce leaf in the other, and asked, "Would this gentleman like beef or pork?"

When Mr. Qin saw Mo Lan's posture, he was somewhat surprised. The young girl was quite clean, not using her hands to grab the food. Looking at the buns, they were large and looked good. He put aside his previous joking thoughts and replied, "One of each, please, sir, to have a taste."

Mo Lan picked up two steamed buns with her chopsticks, placed them on a lettuce leaf, and handed them to the bearded Mr. Qin.

The bearded man took the bun without hesitation, put it to his mouth and took a bite. He ate several bites before swallowing and saying, "I didn't expect this to taste so good, even better than the ones sold in town. Give me three more."

"Okay." Mo Lan replied, picked up three buns, wrapped them in lettuce leaves and gave them to the bearded man. After thinking for a moment, she opened the wooden bucket, ladled out a bowl of soup, and brought it to the bearded man.

"Mr. Qin, you're the first person to buy our steamed buns, and you bought five of them. This bowl of soup is free for you."

The bearded man had just finished eating two steamed buns and was feeling a bit choked when suddenly a bowl of soup appeared in front of him. The soup was milky white, with tender white tofu and bright green spinach, and it smelled delicious. He laughed heartily, took the bowl, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and exhaled, saying, "Ah, this soup is really good, quite flavorful. Thank you, little girl."

"You're welcome." Mo Lan smiled and went back to the back of the car.

"Boss, do you sell this soup? I have some dry food, do you just want the soup?" Some people saw the bearded man enjoying the soup and smelled its aroma, so their mouths felt dry and they wanted to buy the soup separately.

"Selling! This soup is made with big bones and simmered for a long time. It took a lot of firewood. It also has tofu and spinach. It tastes great! If any uncles or grandpas want some, it's only one coin a bowl," Mo Lan answered crisply.

"It's fine, not expensive at all. Give me a bowl." Upon hearing Mo Lan's words, the burly man hurriedly ordered a bowl.

As she ladled out the soup, Mo Lan said, "Of course it's not expensive. All of you uncles and patriarchs earn your money through hard work. We were just thinking that if we didn't eat well at noon, how would we have the energy to work? So we made this at home and brought it here to sell. Firstly, it's convenient for you uncles and patriarchs, and secondly, we can earn some money to buy salt."

"This young girl speaks more pleasantly than some vendors who openly claim they're selling at a loss. What's the point of selling at a loss? They might as well go home and hug their wives and kids. Give me two steamed buns too." Another burly man called out for steamed buns.

As soon as he spoke, it was as if his words were contagious; many people asked for two or three steamed buns, while others asked for soup alone.

With so many people around, Mo Quan took on the task of picking up the steamed buns, while Mo Mei was in charge of serving the soup, and Mo Lan was responsible for collecting the bowls and money.

Mo Lan smiled happily as she accepted the small amount of money, which, though meager, was hard-earned and she was content.

"Give me two more!" A burly man ate even the lettuce leaves from the bun, but still wasn't satisfied, so he called out again.

"Brother, we're out of steamed buns. This young man took the last two too," Mo Quan said apologetically, looking at the empty wooden box.

"Why are they all gone? I'm still not full. These buns are so delicious. How can I possibly eat any more flatbread? I told you to steam more tomorrow." The big man complained, but had no choice but to start eating the flatbread again.

Those who hadn't bought any steamed buns and were eating flatbread suddenly felt their flatbread tasted bland after hearing what he said. They all thought that they would buy a couple of steamed buns to try tomorrow. After all, the Xue family paid them well, and they couldn't let everyone else eat steamed buns while they ate flatbread.

"Alright, alright, you've eaten and drunk your fill. Take a break, then we'll get back to work." The bearded man waved to the craftsmen, then asked Mo Lan, "Little girl, will you come again tomorrow?"

"Come on, we come every day. Is there anything you need, Uncle?" Mo Lan stopped tidying up the bowls and asked the bearded man.

"It's fine if you come. We won't bring any food tomorrow. By the way, do you guys know how to make snacks to go with drinks?" The bearded man asked Mo Lan as if he had just remembered something.

"Uncle, what kind of snacks would you like to go with your drinks? We can make the usual ones, but if you want something fresh, you'll have to wait until our shop opens," Mo Lan replied honestly.

"You're opening a shop, huh? No wonder, that big building under construction must be it." The bearded man was surprised at first, then he understood.

"Yes, that's our shop. We hope you'll come and support us when we open. All the buns will be the same price as now, and we'll even have a discount." Mo Lan took the opportunity to advertise her shop.

"What kind of discounts are there?" Several people nearby asked.

"You uncles and grandpas will know when you get there. Come and patronize us on that day!" Mo Lan said with her little mouth, but didn't reveal any discounts.

"This little girl keeps her mouth shut. Alright, just bring me a couple of snacks to go with your drinks tomorrow, I'd like to see how well you cook." The bearded man laughed and told Mo Lan to bring him two snacks to go with her drinks tomorrow.

"Alright, we're off then. You all have your work to do, gentlemen." Mo Lan waved to everyone, and the three of them pushed the cart back.