Little Ger, Slow Life in Another World

Chapter 30.2

Alone

Translated by Coke
Edited by Coke

A day spent alone

Despite being taken aback, Miao He nodded. 

The shopkeeper took another piece and sent it to his mouth, his eyes narrowing slightly this time. He seemed to be carefully analyzing the flavors conveyed by this humble cake. After tasting, he gazed upon the serving size of the trial plate. There were three pieces per plate, and now only a piece remained. 

Shopkeeper Jin dropped all proprietaries this time. His hand quickly shot out and ate it!!

After a while, his mouth squished together again.

‘Magical!! Seriously magical!! How does this cake make a person want more after a bite?

‘Sweet but not greasy. The silky soft texture immediately melts in the mouth, effectively flaunting the fineness and sweetness of the mung bean kernels!

‘And once the opulent taste has wholly diffused in the mouth, people will only think “Hurry, I must have another one”!’

Shopkeeper Jin patted the table after eating and immediately decided. He did not even have to ask the chef specializing in pastry in the kitchen.

And even if the teahouse refused to accept it, he would buy and eat it himself!

“Don’t be in a rush. This cake, we’ll take it! Just now, this shopkeeper, I talked a little too fast. But it is hard to believe this delicious cake is just mung beans! Despite it looking unappealing, it’s totally fine! Accept it! Wonderfully! How about a small amount of money today — 3 coins, perhaps? Later, I will ask my master to give you a set of impression molds. Use that set to mold the cakes, and in the future, we will use half a string of chuan to buy one!”

Miao He’s eyes widened in surprise! What he produced yesterday were at least fifty pieces. If one piece was sold for three coins, fifty pieces are approximately two and a half dimes of silver. If it is made with mold, its size would be larger, but with more quantity should be completely fine!

Highly likely to earn almost three dimes of silver in one day. One tael in three days and ten taels in thirty!

Then the money for building a house might have spare change?!

Miao He finally smiled, “Okay, thank you, shopkeeper! Then I’ll also deliver this one in the future!”

Shopkeeper Jin laughed and said, “No problem, no problem. The more, the better, ah!”

The two of them did not have a contract this time. In any case, it was merely a matter of trading money and delivering goods. Miao He later received a set of wooden impressions from Shopkeeper Jin and returned to the town’s food store for sugar and a small pot of lard. He worried that other people would not like the taste of sesame oil. Moreover, mung bean cakes made with fat were easier to eat, more sweet smelling, and purer. 

Returning from the village that afternoon, Miao He had relaxed and enjoyed each step of home. 

But when he arrived, no soul was still in sight; only Dabai gladly and diligently ran out to him. Disappointed, Miao He squatted down and picked up to his bosom the little black cat that had gained a few pounds. A random thought came to him.

‘If I truly parted ways with Yang Dalang and never came home, wouldn’t this situation today be the kind of life I would be living? Making money, going home, and living alone?’

Miao He could not help rubbing his face against the restless little black cat in his arms. “You’re not even here,”

The cat edged out of the white hand over his face to sniff and meowed. It was uncertain whether it agreed with the words or implied its hunger. Then, it went closer to the person to smell it, picking up the mung bean cake’s aroma on Miao He’s hand. 

‘It was the delicious cake yesterday!!’ He licked it enthusiastically and meowed incessantly. 

Miao He finally connected the dots. He grumbled, “No wonder you are not clingy. You are entirely a foodie!”

The little black cat peered his innocent eyes at the man in response. ‘What is a foodie? Can I eat it?’

Miao He, the only one accompanied by the little black cat that evening, was too drained that he immediately drifted off once he lay on the bed. Even so, he woke up before dawn the following day and prepared a massive batch of mung bean cakes without distraction. 

He had to do more this time, not to mention the preparation work also grew heavier and more time-consuming. Last time, a technical aspect was cast aside for the time being — mushed mung bean was not ground precisely enough. As apparent as it was, ancient times had yet to have invented a juicer, food processor, or even a sieve with mesh. Miao He tried to grind it as his muscle strength could, pounding it with a rod while it was encased in cloth. Fortunately for the mung beans grown in Xirang, they were excellent regardless. Otherwise, the experience as it melted into the mouth would be awful. 

When faced with a large amount of bean paste, considerable effort was imperative to overcome such a challenge. Thus, Miao He beat, pounded, and stirred the whole day. He had a lot of irons on the fire, and he completed his goal not until the evening came. Miao He used the impressions and made 60 pieces, which were precisely three dimes of a silver tael. 

A diligent person also gets exhausted. So the delivery had to wait for tomorrow. Money — is such a hard thing to earn. Ten taels a month, and not subtracting the manufacturing cost, it could dreadfully drop to five taels per month. 

That night, he did not notice when he dozed off. When he woke up, he was greeted with a sore back, already past the donkey cart’s departure time!

Miao He sighed, vexed. ‘What’s done is done. I have to carry it today.’

On top of that, the cake must not be dropped. So, they had to be encased in squared boxes, which had to be layered on top of each other for stability. Although the boxes used today were the same as those for vegetable delivery, the handling precision differed. It could not be shaken. Miao He thought it doable, but he now had his teeth gritted and eventually carried a pole!

It’s just that Miao He assumed too high on his physical strength. Perhaps this body was accustomed to manual labor before. But, after being raised by Yang Dalang for several months, the original strength dipped. Not long after leaving, Miao He began to pant. 

It was around noon, and the sun shone at its very apex. There were hardly any people on the way to town this time. People tended to walk in the early morning, far from the sun’s glares. Though he wore a bamboo hat on his head for shade, beads of sweat still poured down his chin like rain. Miao He’s meager strength was also depleting much faster. Soon, Miao He could only bore holes in the ground with his eyes, dragging his feet step after step. 

Until a shadow obstructed his path. Miao He sluggishly raised his hand to push up the bucket hat to see who it was. Unexpectedly, the weight on his shoulders became light simultaneously, as if someone had lifted it. Then, a familiar voice sounder. 

“Why don’t you take a cart?”

“Ah?”

Miao He hurriedly raised his head. Sure enough, he saw a face he knew too well under the hat!!

Yang Dalang also carried a basket behind his back. Frowning, he said, “What is this? It doesn’t look like vegetables.” He placed the box on the ground as he spoke. 

At that time, Miao He did not know why either, but his eyes reddened. After a few days of exhaustion, loneliness, the recent disheartening, and the peace, relief, and relaxation after unexpectedly seeing this person — his emotions erupted. On the one hand, he felt his reactions were unreasonable and that he should be mad! He had to teach people a lesson! So, why was he crying!!

Intuitively, he diverted his head. He planned not to talk to a certain someone now!

Though in a flash, Yang Dalang caught sight of the little ger’s eyes, and his voice became tense. “What’s wrong?”

While speaking, his hand came to lift the other’s hat, but Miao He held it tight. “Don’t lift it!”

Although anxious, Yang Dalang dared not force him. He squatted down instead so that he could see underneath the hat!

His eyes happened to meet the red-eyed Miao He!

“…!” Miao He even got angrier and scooted his whole body to the side again.

Yang Dalang chased after him. “What’s the matter? Speak, did someone bully you?”

“….No one but you!” Miao He choked before finally flying in rage. “I-I’m all angry with you! Why did you sneak away that early morning?! You didn’t even notify me. Don’t you think that people will not worry about you? And now you came back, looking as if nothing had happened. Ah, I am bursting mad at you!”

Yang Dalang was stunned, and it took a while to find his voice. He slowly said, “I said in the morning.” A few breaths in, he tried taking off the man’s hat, and as expected, the little ger had loosened his grip. Seeing that he was sweating, he quickly fanned him. 

“What kind of timing is that?!” Miao He fumed. 

At that time, he was still stark naked, embosomed by the other’s arms and dazed from sleep. So, pray to tell, could that count?

“I was careful. You said it, I remember.” Yang Dalang could only comfort him.

Miao He glared at him. “Of course, I know you’ll be careful!! But what will you eat and drink uphill if you don’t tell me? How could I prepare it for you?! There are also ginseng slices that I have already prepared before the morning. Yet loo, you did not even bring any! You hurried away alone. Do you think I would stop you?! It’s the work you do! I am so angry!!”

Yang Dalang’s pitch-black eyes widened subtly. “Aren’t you going to stop me?”

Miao He was well aware of the feeling of not being able to do something you could exactly do. Especially since hunting was the expertise of Yang Dalang that he had always relied upon for a living and was even proud of. He never wanted to stop Yang Dalang from going out because he had Xirang. But unexpectedly, it made him feel like Miao He could live just fine without him stepping in.

The two of them were family. If they both want to contribute, then let each do so. 

Miao He said through his nose. “Just remember, if you can’t come back, I will find someone else!”

Before finishing the last part, Miao He was pulled into the man’s embrace! 

Even with the smell of weeds, sweat, and even the bloody embrace, it was warm. 

“Unlikely.”