Chapter 21: Teacher, Welcome Back Next Time

Chapter 21: Please Come Again, Teacher

After drinking half the cup in one go, Wang Juguang gave Jiang Yingxue a thumbs-up. "Ying Xue, this juice is really good!" His student was so skilled; she was sure to carry on her craft and make her mark in this industry.

Wu Zhengqiong wasn't happy. This headstrong old man didn't understand his own health condition, yet he drank so much. "Juguang, you..."

Before she could finish, Wang Juguang stuck the straw in her mouth. "You try it."

Wu Zhengqiong took a sip and found the taste truly delightful. Something this tasty, it's okay to indulge once in a while.

Having tasted the Qiong Peach Juice, Wang Juguang pulled out his wallet to pay, but Jiang Yingxue flat-out refused.

After catching up briefly, the teacher and his wife prepared to leave.

Jiang Yingxue packed two shrimp and seaweed rice balls, some Qiong Peach fruits, and a bag of Spirit Guzhi Powder, handing them to Wu Zhengqiong. "Teacher, Mrs. Wang, these are my special homemade rice balls; they're nourishing. If you don't sleep well tonight, you can come find me tomorrow." Her teacher had always looked out for her, and these rice balls were a small token, not nearly enough to repay his kindness.

Wu Zhengqiong quickly waved her hands, refusing. "No, no, we can't accept this."

Jiang Yingxue pressed the bag into her hands, smiling gently. "Please take it, Mrs. Wang. This peach powder is good for your health; consider it a health powder. Have one or two packets a day."

"Ying Xue, the juice was a gift, but we can't just take these for free. These are for sale." Wang Juguang reached past Jiang Yingxue and directly placed three hundred yuan into the stall's money box. As her teacher, he should be supporting her business, not taking freebies.

Jiang Yingxue saw him slip the money in. She took the 300 yuan and firmly tucked it back into Wang Juguang's shirt pocket. "Teacher, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please, don't be so polite. Don't worry, it's not like I'm giving away the whole stall; I still have plenty to sell."

After several rounds of polite refusal, Wang Juguang finally accepted the bag of food. As he turned to go back to school, he smiled and said, "Ying Xue, your teacher's wife and I will accept it this time. Next time, you have to let me pay, or I'll be too embarrassed to come back."

A smile lit up Jiang Yingxue's eyes. "Alright, you're always welcome." She believed they would return.

The after-school lunch rush lasted just over an hour. After that, most students had either gone home or returned to school, leaving the snack street pretty quiet.

Some stalls had already sold out their morning stock and packed up to go home, while others were still operating.

Jiang Yingxue still had some rice balls left. The egg, ham, and seaweed rice balls sold the most and were completely gone. The pork chop and seaweed rice balls sold fairly well, with six remaining. The shrimp and seaweed rice balls weren't moving; aside from the two given to the teacher, three were left.

Jiang Yingxue planned to sell the remaining pork chop rice balls before packing up and heading home. The stall's umbrella kept her in the shade, so it was quite comfortable. She put away the ordinary stool and replaced it with a bamboo recliner.

In the gentle breeze, Xiao Zhao slept exceptionally soundly, even letting out little snores. After drinking the freshly squeezed Qiong Peach Juice, he had fallen asleep. Most babies are like that, spending most of their time sleeping aside from eating and playing.

Jiang Yingxue covered Xiao Zhao's belly with a small blanket to keep him from getting cold. Although she knew a Divine Bird wasn't that fragile, she covered him anyway.

She then leaned back in the recliner, waiting for the next customer.

*

Three women on electric scooters slowly rode along the snack street in front of Taoxi Middle School's main gate, scanning the stalls as if searching for something.

"What was the name of that stall Peizhi mentioned? Something 'He'?"

"Xuehe Rice Ball."

"Ahead, on the right. I see it, right there."

Their names were Xu Xina, Lin Wenjuan, and Liang Qianru, all in their twenties. They were employees of Xihua Oil Factory and colleagues of Hu Peizhi. After tasting the Qiong Peach Juice in the office, Hu Peizhi was blown away, her face a picture of bliss, and she raved about it to her colleagues.

Her actions attracted the attention of other colleagues in the office. Hu Peizhi was happy to share when asked and generously told them about the stall. She went on and on about how good the Qiong Peach Juice was. However, since there was only one straw and she had already drunk from it, it wasn't appropriate to share with others. So, she suggested that interested colleagues go buy it at the Taoxi Middle School gate.

There were about 15 people in that office, but only three were captivated by her description of the Qiong Peach Juice and acted promptly, hopping on their electric scooters and heading right over.

They stopped in front of the Xuehe Rice Ball stall.

Xu Xina said, "Boss, three 20-yuan Qiong Peach Juices, please."

"Okay, just a moment."

Liang Qianru's gaze fell on the small blackboard. "Boss, you sell rice balls here too."

Lin Wenjuan's lips twitched. "Obviously, why else would the sign say 'Xuehe Rice Ball'?" She emphasized the words "Rice Ball."

Liang Qianru chuckled sheepishly. "Right."

A friendly smile graced Jiang Yingxue's lips. "Would you like to buy some rice balls?"

Actually, they had already eaten, but enticed by the alluring aroma wafting from the rice balls, they decided to buy some to try later.

The three of them had arrived on two electric scooters: Liang Qianru and Lin Wenjuan on one, with Lin Wenjuan driving, and Xu Xina on her own. After paying and receiving their food, they prepared to start their scooters and head back to the company.

Once seated on the back of the scooter, Liang Qianru immediately inserted the straw into her cup. She wanted to taste if the Qiong Peach Juice was truly as marvelous as Hu Peizhi had claimed.

The next second, stars seemed to appear in her eyes. "Ah! This taste is absolutely incredible."

"Is it really that amazing?" Lin Wenjuan glanced back at her.

"Truer than pearls! Wenjuan, stop. I'm going to get the shop owner's WeChat." Liang Qianru ran to the stall, exchanged a few words with Jiang Yingxue, and successfully added her on WeChat.

Back on the scooter, Liang Qianru told her two companions, "I've got the shop owner's WeChat now. In the future, if we want Qiong Peach Juice or rice balls, we can pre-order and pay on WeChat, then just come pick it up."

Lin Wenjuan was also intrigued. She let go of one handlebar and used her teeth to tear open the straw wrapper, inserting it into her cup. She took a big sip. The flavor rushed straight to her brain—it was truly incredible!

It was at the moment Lin Wenjuan looked down that a black car appeared from around the corner.

"Ah! Brake! Wenjuan, brake!" Liang Qianru screamed in terror from behind. The distance was dangerously close.

"Screech—" The car opposite slammed on its brakes, and Lin Wenjuan reacted in time, hitting her brakes as well.

Beneath her helmet, Lin Wenjuan's face was deathly pale, fear still lingering in her eyes. "That scared me to death."

Liang Qianru, still shaken, said, "Me too."

Xu Xina was also frightened by their reckless maneuver of not watching the road. "You guys scared me to death too."