CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 20 GOING TO A RESTAURANT_2

"The braised meat is fifteen wen per bowl, no soup, but would noodle soup be okay? It’s free," the young waiter said.

Lian Manman nodded, "Okay, we’ll start with these and order more if it’s not enough."

The waiter hastily agreed and shortly after, two large plates of buns and four bowls of noodle soup were served.

"Take your time, guests. If you need anything, just holler for me," the waiter said, seeing that although Lian Manman and the others were young, they were still valuable customers, so his attitude was even better.

Lian Zhizhi pushed the meatball buns toward Lian Manman and Xiao Qi, reaching for the vegetable meat buns herself.

"Sister, you should have the meatball ones," Lian Manman quickly intervened, grabbing a vegetable meat bun for herself not because she begrudged the money, but because she wanted to taste the difference between Chen’s various buns.

Lian Manman tore open the bun, finding the skin a bit thick and the dough not very white, clearly the flour wasn’t finely ground. The finely chopped cabbage filling was not fully mixed with the meat filling. The meat filling was pale with more fat than lean, but it still smelled very fragrant. Lian Manman nibbled on a bite, chewing carefully. The taste was still okay, a delicacy compared to the wo wo buns at the Lian Family’s home, though there was certainly room for improvement.

Lian Zhizhi also tore a meatball bun in half, passing one half to Lian Manman, and taking the half with vegetable meat from her hand.

Lian Manman looked at the meatball bun, which apart from a few green onions, was mostly large chunks of fat meat with much more fat than lean, clearly distinguished chunks of fat that felt greasy in the mouth. A bit too rich, but seeing how the other customers in the shop devoured theirs, she knew it was considered delicious. Lian Manman then sampled the braised meat and pickles, getting a sense of the shop’s delicacies, before starting to eat accompanied by the noodle soup.

"Who would’ve thought we’d eat at a restaurant," Lian Zhizhi quietly joked to Lian Manman.

Lian Manman smiled back but said nothing. This was just a snack shop, that inn across the corner, one day she would take them there to dine.

"Manman, let’s take two meat buns back for dad and mom," Lian Zhizhi suggested quietly while holding onto her meat bun without eating it.

Lian Manman felt a little troubled. It wasn’t that she begrudged the money to buy food for Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin, but rather she was afraid the source of the money would be difficult to explain.

Seeing that Lian Manman did not agree, Lian Zhizhi looked down at her bun, seemingly a bit saddened. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi also stopped and looked up, eyes fixed on Lian Manman, as if they would refuse to eat if she didn’t agree.

Lian Manman rubbed her forehead.

"If mom and dad ask where the money came from, what do we say? If they want us to give the money to grandma, what then? If word gets out, will we still be able to make money next time?" she said.

Neither Lian Zhizhi nor the others wanted to eat alone, and Lian Manman wasn’t one to be selfish, but her concerns were not unfounded.

"How about we say I found some bird eggs and sold them in town for a few coins?" Lian Wulang suggested.

"We can say Brother Youheng gave it to us," Xiao Qi added.

"Let’s go with the bird eggs story," Lian Manman said, massaging her temples. "But we have to agree in advance. You must ensure mom doesn’t let the secret slip out," she reluctantly concluded.

The three children nodded in unison.

"Alright," Lian Manman thought to herself, they were all filial children, but by doing this, Lady Zhang would learn about her earning money. Never mind, they could hide it from Lady Zhou and the rest of the Lian Family, but not from Lady Zhang. Better to let her know. United, they would surely persuade Lady Zhang to keep their secret, which would also make future endeavors easier.

After finishing the buns and polishing off the braised meat, pickles, and noodle soup, Lian Manman asked them if they were full.

"We are," everyone replied.

Each of Chen’s buns weighed over two liang, with each person having two buns and a large bowl of noodle soup, along with the braised meat and pickles, naturally leaving them well-satisfied.

"Let’s have four more meatball buns to go," Lian Manman called to the waiter.

The young waiter hurriedly fetched four buns, wrapped them tightly in wax paper, and handed them to her. Lian Manman let Lian Zhizhi take them, then counted out a string of coins to settle the bill with the waiter: ten meatball buns at two wen each cost twenty wen, two vegetable meat buns at two wen, and the braised meat at fifteen wen, totaling thirty-seven wen.

Lian Manman handed the thirty-seven coins to the waiter and then left the bun shop.

It was still early, so they strolled the streets at a leisurely pace. Lian Manman stopped at shops and stands to ask the price of goods. Passing a candy stand, she bought a few candies for a handful of coins. Gradually, Lian Manman gained an understanding of the town’s prices, and found unlike the era of rampant inflation she knew, here, money was valuable. One wen could buy ten regular malt sugar balls or five high-quality ones with pine nuts, walnuts, and sesame seeds.