Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

Since the implementation of the numbering system, a peculiar scene has appeared in front of Li's Restaurant: a group of people holding bamboo tokens, either chatting in small groups or taking a stroll around before returning, which has boosted the business of several tea stalls in the vicinity.

"Number 66! Who is number 66!"

Da Hu stood at the door, holding a gong in his hand. He struck it with a loud, clear voice.

"Here it is! Here it is!" A man squeezed through the crowd, his face beaming with joy, as if he had just won the imperial examination. "Oh my, it's finally my turn! I haven't had boiled pork slices for three days, I've been craving them so much!"

The lobby was steamy and bustling with noise.

Li Chunsheng's forehead was covered in sweat in the kitchen. Although the number of people allowed in was limited, the workload had not decreased at all. On the contrary, the increased table turnover rate made it seem even more tiring.

"Master, there's not much pork belly left!" Yunniang glanced at the meat basin beside the cutting board and called out anxiously, "We used it up too quickly today. I'm afraid this little bit won't last until tonight."

"Understood. Finish the remaining portions first," Li Chunsheng said in a deep voice. "Once we're done with the midday rush, I'll personally go to the meat market."

At 2 p.m., Li Chunsheng took off his apron, washed his face, and changed into a clean cotton robe.

"Mr. Wu, please keep things at the shop. I'm going to the butcher shop," Li Chunsheng said to Old Wu, who was checking the accounts.

"Alright, boss, you can go now."

Li Chunsheng nodded and pushed open the door to go out.

In the past, Zheng the butcher's stall at the Qianmenwai Market was always surrounded by people. While cutting the meat, Zheng would chat and joke with his customers.

But today, as soon as Li Chunsheng reached the meat market entrance, he sensed that something was wrong.

Zheng the butcher's stall was deserted, with only a few sparse pieces of meat hanging on the cutting board, and they didn't look very good. Zheng himself was sitting on a small stool, holding a whetstone in his hand, idly sharpening his knife, the harsh whetting sound of which was irritating to everyone.

"Brother Zheng!"

Li Chunsheng stepped forward, a smile on his face, "Why do you look so listless today?"

When Butcher Zheng heard the voice, he looked up and saw Li Chunsheng. A look of panic flashed across his face. He subconsciously tried to stand up, but then, as if remembering something, he sat back down heavily.

"It's Manager Li." Butcher Zheng's voice was a little hoarse, his eyes darting around. "Why are you here now? Are you short of meat?"

"It's not quite enough. We've used up all the meat we bought the day before yesterday," Li Chunsheng said as he walked to the cutting board and reached for a hanging pork tenderloin. "Brother Zheng, this tenderloin looks good. Weigh it for me..."

"Don't move." Butcher Zheng pressed down on the tenderloin.

Li Chunsheng's hand froze in mid-air as he looked at Zheng the Butcher's flushed face and asked softly, "Brother Zheng, we've known each other for a long time. What happened? Where did I offend you?"

Zheng the butcher looked into Li Chunsheng's clear eyes, and his lips trembled a few times.

He was a rough man. He had his eye on the young man when Li Chunsheng first set up his stall. Later, when Li's restaurant became popular, his butcher shop benefited from it, and his daily turnover doubled. Logically speaking, Li Chunsheng was his benefactor.

But now...

Butcher Zheng gritted his teeth, loosened his grip, but didn't hand the meat to Li Chunsheng: "Manager Li! It's not that I don't want to sell it to you! It's just that all the meat has been reserved for today!"

"They've ordered it all?" Li Chunsheng chuckled. "Who has such a big appetite, buying up all the good meat in your shop?"

"None of your business!" Butcher Zheng retorted, feigning impatience. "Anyway, from now on... don't expect me to save you any good meat! Go look somewhere else!"

After saying that, he turned around and faced away from Li Chunsheng.

Li Chunsheng didn't move.

Having lived two lives, if he couldn't even see through this little trick, then he had lived in vain. Although Butcher Zheng's words were meant to drive people away, the helplessness and guilt in his tone were impossible to hide.

Moreover, looking around the market, there are no other butcher shops besides Butcher Zheng.

Someone is choking him.

"Brother Zheng," Li Chunsheng stepped forward, lowered his voice, and said in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Has someone come looking for you?"

Butcher Zheng turned around and looked at Li Chunsheng with an incredulous expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but dared not speak.

Li Chunsheng sighed: "Brother Zheng, can we talk in private for a moment?"

Butcher Zheng hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, took off his apron and threw it on the chopping board: "Let's go to the outhouse in the back."

The alley behind the market was piled with clutter and garbage bins, and smelled terrible, but because of that, there were hardly any people there.

Zheng the butcher squatted in the corner, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and the flickering embers illuminated his sorrowful face.

"Manager Li, I'm so sorry!"

After finishing his cigarette, Butcher Zheng stomped it out angrily. "I, Old Zheng, am no human! For a few bucks, I'd cut off my brother's livelihood!"

Li Chunsheng grabbed his hand: "Brother Zheng, what are you doing! Explain yourself clearly what happened."

"It's Sun Dehai!" Butcher Zheng said through gritted teeth. "He's the head manager of Dongxing Restaurant! He came in person the day before yesterday, carrying a bag of silver dollars, and slammed it on my cutting board."

Butcher Zheng gestured to indicate the size of the money pouch: "He said that from now on, Dongxinglou will buy all the best cuts of pork belly and tenderloin in my shop! The price will be 10% higher than the market price!"

"Add 10%?" Li Chunsheng sneered. This Dongxinglou was really rich and powerful, sparing no expense to ruin him.

"It's not just about money," Butcher Zheng continued. "Sun Dehai also said that if I dare to sell you even a tael of good meat again, he'll get people from both the legitimate and criminal worlds to come and check my shop every day! You know, our small business can't afford any more trouble! I have elderly parents and young children to support."

On one hand, there was the temptation of a high-priced acquisition; on the other hand, there was the threat of his family being destroyed. How could a mere butcher resist such temptation?

Li Chunsheng fell silent.

He patted Butcher Zheng on the shoulder and said calmly, "Brother Zheng, I understand. This isn't your fault. Dongxinglou is powerful; you can't afford to offend them."

"Brother!" Butcher Zheng grabbed Li Chunsheng's hand and said urgently, "But I can't just stand by and watch your shop go out of business! Your braised pork is so good; if you don't have good meat, won't your reputation be ruined?"

He looked around, like a thief, then leaned close to Li Chunsheng's ear and whispered in a very, very low voice:

"Brother, Sun Dehai and his gang are keeping a close eye on us, but I, Old Zheng, can't do something so ungrateful!"

"Here's what we'll do: every night, just after midnight, you pull a cart and quietly come to the small gate in my backyard. When I slaughter the pig during the day, I'll secretly save the best pieces of meat for you and hide them under the ice cellar. Nobody will find out! Just pay me the original price!"

"Brother Zheng, if the people from Dongxinglou find out about this, you're going to be in big trouble."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Butcher Zheng glared. "I had something stolen from my own back door in the middle of the night! What does that have to do with Sun Dehai? At worst, I'll just say I was robbed! Anyway, in this world, who doesn't get robbed every day?"

Li Chunsheng gripped Zheng the Butcher's hand tightly: "Brother Zheng, I, Li Chunsheng, will remember this favor! I'll be there promptly at midnight tonight!"