Chapter 136: The Stinky Tofu Shop

"What's so strange about that? When there's a road, people walk on it; when people walk on it, it gets damaged; and when it gets damaged, it has to be repaved..."

In a certain commercial street in Lvteng City, Huang Xiaoxiao followed closely behind Zhang Yunxi, brushing past hurried pedestrians, and said out of breath, "Slow down. If the pavement is uneven, don't walk so fast. I'm getting old and can barely keep up with you."

Zhang Yunxi turned back to look at Huang Xiaoxiao, pouting like a child as she said, "When I came to Lvteng City a few years ago, this road was also under construction. It gets damaged way too fast. Do the people in Lvteng City all weigh as much as elephants?"

"It's not the road that's broken, it's people's hearts. To get rich, you must build roads first, so naturally, they have to repave it a few times..." Huang Xiaoxiao pointed at a stinky tofu shop ahead. "Let's go sit over there for a bit. Last time your dad brought me some local specialties, but I feel like maybe because of the long journey, the taste was a bit off."

Zhang Yunxi frowned, her face full of confusion. "What do you mean the taste was off?"

"It smelled stinky," Huang Xiaoxiao said, taking Zhang Yunxi's hand and pulling her into the stinky tofu shop. She ordered two servings of spicy stinky tofu, casually found a seat, and lowered her voice. "It must have gone bad on the way because they didn't keep it fresh. I was too embarrassed to say it directly in front of your dad—he cares too much about his pride—so I just pinched my nose and forced myself to eat a couple of pieces..."

"Mom, stinky tofu is supposed to be stinky," Zhang Yunxi rolled her eyes. "Even if you ate it fresh out of the fryer in this shop, it would still smell."

"No way, even the ones right out of the wok smell?" Huang Xiaoxiao pouted. "I heard Auntie He from our apartment complex say stinky tofu tastes really delicious?"

"It tastes delicious, but it smells stinky."

"So is it delicious or stinky in the end?"

Zhang Yunxi let out a long sigh, looking at Huang Xiaoxiao with utter helplessness. "Mom, if you have something to say, just spit it out. Every time I talk to you and Dad, I feel like an absolute fool..."

"Don't doubt it, you're our biological child." Huang Xiaoxiao used a bamboo toothpick to spear a piece of stinky tofu coated in chili powder, blew on the steam, and sniffed it. "It really stinks, even worse than that so-called Ghost Gentleman's reputation... Oh right, did you see this morning's news? It's simply outrageous..." She pointed at a table of customers diagonally across from them. "Look, people over there are already discussing it, practically wishing they could tear that Ghost Gentleman limb from limb. But I think this Ghost Gentleman might just be like this stinky tofu—it smells awful, but those who truly understand him think he's wonderful."

Zhang Yunxi lazily picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "You know him?"

"I don't know him..." Huang Xiaoxiao waved her hand. "You do though, right? After spending so many days together in Lvteng City, you should understand each other by now. What do you think is actually going on with this matter?"

"You've already figured everything out, so why ask me?" Zhang Yunxi said dejectedly. "I originally thought his heart was wicked, but I never expected someone to have an even more wicked heart, deliberately driving him to ruin. I wonder where he's hiding right now, secretly wiping away his tears. It's truly heartbreaking."

Huang Xiaoxiao chewed on a piece of stinky tofu while pulling a face. "Yep, it really is stinky..." She took a sip of tea, rinsed her mouth, and spat the water into a nearby trash can. "It seems you really understand him quite well. Tell me about it, what kind of tricks does he have up his sleeve?"

***

"That night, he was staying at that shared clothing store and sneaked out in the middle of the night. The owner of the clothing store got up to pee in the middle of the night, discovered the bed was empty, and called me..." Zhang Yunxi said unhurriedly. "After asking my dad, I began to understand him just a little bit. Later, I went and investigated privately on my own, and found out something my dad didn't tell me—for instance, about that girl named A-Lian... I had planned to find a chance to tell him about A-Lian's situation, but I never expected there would be no more chances."

Huang Xiaoxiao slammed her teacup heavily onto the table and said angrily, "Too much! To dare bully our little ghost—I, Huang Xiaoxiao, will be the first one to say no!"

"Mom, you should just save your breath," Zhang Yunxi glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the publishing house building across from the tofu shop. "We don't even know where he is right now, how are we supposed to help? Besides, Dad and the others definitely know about this by now; they might even be on their way... I originally planned to go back to City A today, but I guess I'll hold off for now and wait until this matter is settled..."

Huang Xiaoxiao used the bamboo toothpick to spear another piece of stinky tofu and put it in her mouth. "Hmm? You know what, this second bite actually tastes quite good... Tell me properly the story of that little ghost and A-Lian; I rather like these sweet plots."

Zhang Yunxi curled her lips, ordered two bowls of clear-broth rice noodles, and said listlessly, "Mom, can we please not talk about such unappetizing things early in the morning? Eating stinky tofu isn't appropriate either; let's just have something light."

"Fine, fine, if you don't like listening to that, let's talk about something you do like," Huang Xiaoxiao pushed the stinky tofu aside, pulled out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and said with a serious expression. "Has that kid Nie Yi told you he likes you yet? Did he mention when he plans to marry you? Dragging things out like this is no solution; how many years does youth actually last..."

Zhang Yunxi was stunned, her face turning crimson. She lowered her head and said, "What nonsense are you talking about... Why would he say those kinds of things to me..."

"I'm not blind," Huang Xiaoxiao slurped her rice noodles and said indifferently. "The four of you—you, Nie Yi, Li Jun, and Tiantian—are tangled up even more messily than the rice noodles in this bowl. Yunxi, to be honest, I think Li Jun is actually better than Nie Yi. Li Jun is like this stinky tofu; he might seem unreliable at first, but after a few more bites, you fall in love with the flavor. As for Nie Yi, sure, he's a tiny bit better-looking than Li Jun, but making a living and living life doesn't rely on a pretty face, does it..."

"But I don't like him," Zhang Yunxi twirled a mouthful of noodles onto her chopsticks and muttered in a voice no louder than a mosquito's, "Not everyone likes eating stinky tofu."

"Like?" Huang Xiaoxiao scoffed. "Liking someone is nothing more than a surge of hormones; the fever passes quickly. How many men have you even met in your life to be talking about liking or not liking? As someone who has been through it, your own mother is telling you a truth: choosing a man boils down to two things—either he makes you laugh until your mouth can't close, or he makes you laugh until your legs can't close."

Pausing for a moment, Huang Xiaoxiao continued, "You want to know why I chose your dad? During the day, he's ice-cold, just like those brooding young men waiting to be saved, but at night, he's intensely passionate... Much better than those central-air-conditioning types of guys. Aren't women always terrified that what they have, others have too? From what I understand, a kid like Li Jun can at least make you laugh until your mouth can't close, and *only* makes you laugh until your mouth can't close. Isn't that wonderful?"

The rice noodles Zhang Yunxi had just put in her mouth were choked back out. She hurriedly grabbed her teacup to take a sip of water, her face burning hot. "Mom, what on earth are you talking about... Li Jun and I aren't a match..."

"What do you mean not a match? You haven't even tried, how do you know you're not a match?" Huang Xiaoxiao looked at Zhang Yunxi with complete earnestness and said profoundly, "The two of you grew up running around naked together. He knows your depths and you know his length; you know everything about each other's roots. You're a much better match than that Nie Yi character who barged in halfway through."

Annoyed, Zhang Yunxi pushed the bowl of rice noodles in front of her away and said huffily, "I'm not eating. This doesn't suit my taste at all."

"Why are you flipping your mood so fast..." Huang Xiaoxiao blinked. "If you don't want to eat, then don't. If you don't eat this meal, you'll eventually eat when you're hungry."

Just as Zhang Yunxi was about to retort, she caught sight of a dark shadow passing by the entrance of the publishing house building. She immediately fished a red hundred-yuan bill from her pocket, slapped it on the table, and hurried off in pursuit. Turning back, she waved at Huang Xiaoxiao and said, "Mom, I'm going to go talk to that guy first. Once you're done eating, head back to the hotel. Lvteng City isn't like City A; the waters run deep here, so don't wander around blindly by yourself..."

Huang Xiaoxiao looked at the red bill on the table, then looked at Zhang Yunxi's departing figure. "Look at that, and she says Li Jun would be a better match. That wasteful streak of hers is cut from the exact same cloth as Nie Yi. Can two spendthrifts possibly make a life together if they pool their money?" She picked up the red bill, reached into her pocket for a handful of loose change, and placed it on the table coin by coin. Waving at the owner, she called out, "Boss, the bill..."

***

The square-faced owner of the stinky tofu shop wiped his hands on his apron and walked over with a beaming smile. "Auntie Huang, forget about the bill. Two bowls of rice noodles and two orders of stinky tofu aren't worth much anyway."

"Oh, did you strike it rich or something?" Huang Xiaoxiao eyed the square-faced owner sideways. "Two bowls of rice noodles and two orders of stinky tofu should come out to at least twenty yuan. You're just ignoring twenty yuan now?"

"Twenty-six..." The square-faced owner chuckled. "It's not that I'm ignoring it, it's just that when we drink water, we mustn't forget those who dug the well... If it weren't for you, this stinky tofu shop wouldn't even exist. Forget about you just eating two bowls of noodles and two orders of tofu; even if you ate twenty bowls, I still couldn't take your money."

"Business is business," Huang Xiaoxiao counted out another six coins and placed them on the table. "The ones who helped you were the Charity Volunteers Association, not me."

"Isn't that association basically yours too? It's all the same. I really can't take this money. If I actually took it, I wouldn't be able to hold my head high in front of those old brothers of mine anymore."

Huang Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes and spoke in an unquestionable tone, "Take it, you must take it! Because if you don't, our friendship is only worth two bowls of rice noodles and two orders of stinky tofu, and how could I possibly have the nerve to ask you to do things for me after this?"

The square-faced owner froze, glanced left and right, sat down opposite Huang Xiaoxiao, and said softly, "Auntie Huang, what is it you need me to do?"

"Your old line of work—swindling and bluffing..." Huang Xiaoxiao gazed coldly at the publishing house building. "Not just you, we need to call a few more people. Many hands make light work; I'm going to set a fire right here in Lvteng City and burn all this foul rubbish clean."

As if suddenly remembering something, the square-faced owner shuddered involuntarily and shrank back slightly. "Auntie Huang... It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that Uncle Man definitely won't agree... We aren't who we used to be anymore. We finally managed to start over from scratch, and life has been getting better day by day. We wouldn't dare touch those kinds of things ever again."

"Relax, I'm not asking you to do anything that carries a three-year sentence," Huang Xiaoxiao rubbed her hands together, the corners of her mouth curling up into a slightly pleased smile. "I'm just helping a little ghost vent some frustration... Do you know what kind of business those rich tycoons in Lvteng City have been busy with lately?"

The square-faced owner instantly breathed a sigh of relief, scratched his head, and said, "It seems they're running some kind of vegetable-selling app. I don't understand the inner workings of it, but I heard it makes a ton of money and is about to go public..."

"Shameless. They're trying to drive poor people into a dead end..." Huang Xiaoxiao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and smiled sinisterly. "Go call all our people over. As for me, I'll go invite an expert in this field to help us brainstorm, and we'll teach them what it means to fetch water in a bamboo basket—emptiness!"