Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The next day, Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu set out early and went together to Yao Sheng's house first.

Yao Sheng worked as a butcher, having to get up in the middle of the night to slaughter the pigs and portion out the meat before the morning market customers came to buy—it was the hardest and most physically demanding work. By the time they traveled from Liushan Village to the city, Yao Sheng's morning market business was mostly done.

Yao Le was also helping out at the shop. He couldn't do the heavy lifting, but he was very skilled at cutting and portioning meat. Yao Sheng had initially refused to let him come—a young omega doing butcher's work would be looked down upon when it came time to arrange a marriage.

But Yao Le knew how hard Yao Sheng worked and didn't care about any of that. Besides, his fiery temper was already well known throughout the area; no one would take him as a husband anyway.

Yao Sheng had gone to serve in the army because his drunkard father was still alive back then and the family couldn't afford to hire a replacement, so he had no choice. Two years ago, his father drank too much and drowned in the river, leaving only his A-die and Yao Le to rely on each other. To protect his kind-hearted A-die from being bullied, Yao Le—a delicate young omega—had developed a fierce, sharp-tongued disposition through sheer necessity. No one could ever get the upper hand on him.

The neighbors gossiped plenty, but no one dared say anything to his face—anyone who did would find Yao Le standing at the door with hands on hips, cursing them out by name, and they could never out-argue him anyway.

Yao Le had sacrificed his reputation to keep himself and his A-die safe until Yao Sheng returned. Fortunately, the city had law enforcement and patrols, so he hadn't been taken advantage of by ruffians and thugs.

Yao Le and his A-die had waited and hoped, finally seeing Yao Sheng return safely. They were overjoyed, thinking their days would slowly get better from then on—their family was hardworking and all pulling in the same direction, surely they could make life meaningful. But then A-die silently fell ill.

They had no idea how long A-die had been bearing the pain before he said anything. He asked them not to treat him, to save the money and live well, but how could they? Neither he nor his brother had ever once thought of giving up. A-die had raised them through so much hardship—how could they bear to let him leave without enjoying a single day of happiness? A-die was still so young.

After hearing Zhong Yizhu's invitation, Yao Le didn't hesitate for even a moment before agreeing right away. No shop in the city would hire a young omega like him; he could only do odd jobs to add a bit of income to the household. Now that an opportunity to earn money was right before him, he was just afraid that if he hesitated, he'd miss out.

And though he hadn't had much to do with Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu as a couple, he trusted their character. He even wondered if they had come to him because they'd seen his A-die bedridden on their earlier visit and wanted to help out. Regardless, he was filled with gratitude.

Of course, this wasn't a final decision. Zhong Yizhu was straightforward about it—the shop was neither big nor small, and when you added it all up, there were quite a few odd jobs, so they'd need to try him out to see if Yao Le could handle it.

Yao Le actually thought that was a good thing. Though he'd gotten this opportunity through acquaintance, whether he could seize it depended on his own ability. That actually stirred his fighting spirit—whether he succeeded or not, he felt at ease.

No sooner said than done. Yao Le asked them to wait, went home to change clothes and scrubbed his hands and face with soap until no trace of the shop's greasy smell remained, then hurried back out.

Meanwhile, Pei Mu had already gotten Yao Sheng to cut the meat. Zhong Yizhu wouldn't eat properly on his own, but if someone cooked at the shop, he'd eat without fuss. From that perspective, hiring He Geer had been a good thing after all.

Grain prices in the city were high—they hadn't bought much yesterday—so today they'd brought two bags of rice from home to save money.

Yao Sheng had specially cut them a slab of meat from the pig's hind leg—beautifully marbled with fat and lean. During this season, working families were short on grease and fat, so fatty meat sold at a premium. He'd been the same himself before, but after being a butcher for so long, he'd gotten sick of it. It was the marbled cuts that tasted best, and the pickier households in the city preferred that too.

Pei Mu paid, and Yao Sheng knew Pei Mu's personality well enough not to argue. Such a great favor couldn't be repaid with a slab of meat—he remembered every bit of it. Still, he couldn't help but cut a little extra for them.

The exchanges were all about goodwill, and Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu both noticed and appreciated it.

After picking up Yao Le, Pei Mu first dropped off Yao Le, the goods, and the grain at the shop.

He Geer was already up, having tidied the courtyard up nicely. He no longer looked as anxious as yesterday—wearing new clothes with his hair neatly combed, he looked full of energy.

In the time it took Pei Mu to turn around, he had already carried both bags of rice into the kitchen, and he easily moved the two crates of goods into the storeroom, no help needed. Yao Le's eyes went wide as he watched, and he kept praising him.

He Geer scratched his head, feeling that everyone he'd met here was kind, and the work he had to do was minimal—he felt like he had all this strength and nowhere to use it.

When it came time to cook lunch, Zhong Yizhu told him to cook up all the meat. He didn't ask questions, assuming others would be eating too, but once it was ready, Zhong Yizhu told him to sit down and eat together.

"What are you standing there spacing out for?" Zhong Yizhu sniffed the air, somewhat surprised. "He Geer, your cooking is really good—that smells amazing."

Kong He was still stunned when Zhong Yizhu, bowl in hand, kept urging him: "Go get your rice! After we finish eating, you can go out front and take over for Le Geer so he can come eat."

Since they ran a fragrance business, they naturally couldn't carry their bowls out front to eat—the food smells would clash with the shop's scents and put customers off. Besides, it was still a bit earlier than the usual mealtime, so he'd asked He Geer to cook early on purpose.

The door between the shop and the back courtyard kept the smell of food from drifting out front. Zhong Yizhu ate quickly, hurrying to take Pei Mu his meal.

He'd spent the whole morning showing Yao Le the ropes and planned to let him try on his own.

Yao Le picked things up quickly, had a sharp mind, and knew when to lay on the charm. Everything Zhong Yizhu told him about recommending fragrances based on what customers wore and liked, he could remember.

The hardest part turned out to be keeping track of the money. Yao Le couldn't read, and Kong He was no help either, so Zhong Yizhu had to come up with a simple method—Yao Le would use different symbols for the different price points. He just had to draw the right symbol for each item the customer bought, and Zhong Yizhu would tally it up later.

Zhong Yizhu's mouth never stopped moving, and his mind was always racing, thinking about the shop. Seeing Kong He so reserved that he barely touched his food, he grabbed a spoon and piled a heaping scoop onto his bowl.

"With such a tall frame, how come you eat even more politely than I do?"

Kong He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. The rice in his bowl was fragrant, the meat slices fried in oil then stir-fried with seasonings—he'd only picked at a few crumbs to taste the saltiness, never imagining the boss had included a portion for him.

This cooking method had been taught to him by the cook at the landlord's house where he'd worked as a hired hand. He'd only made it once, during a New Year's years ago, and hadn't even gotten to eat two bites before Kong Dashan took the whole thing away. Since then, he'd never bought meat again.

The flavor in his mouth was so good it almost hurt. Kong He chewed carefully, savoring the taste, almost not wanting to swallow. Then he remembered Yao Le was still out front without having eaten, and he quickly chewed faster, wanting to go relieve him.

After finishing his meal, Zhong Yizhu picked up the lunchbox and left the shop. The midday sun was blazing, shining directly in his face so bright he could barely keep his eyes open. Thinking the incense stall probably had little shade, he bought an oil-paper umbrella on the way and walked quickly into the West Market.