Chapter 34 — Meat Buns
“Ah, that’s my good son. Go on—Uncle Zhao and the others helped us work for most of the morning, they must be starving. Go next door to the bun shop and buy ten meat buns.”
Seeing this, Ling Jingxuan finally smiled. He took out his money pouch and pulled out a large copper coin, pressing it into the boy’s hand. Earlier, when he’d left the pharmacy in a hurry, the pouch had stayed on him the whole time.
“Mm.”
For once, Da Baozi didn’t act stingy this time. He nodded and ran off—but…
“Daddy, don’t buy too much. Just let us taste it, that’s enough.”
“…Uh.”
After running just a few steps, Da Baozi deliberately turned back with a stern little face to warn his father. Ling Jingxuan’s forehead darkened, and he immediately declared defeat. Damn it—when would he ever get to live the life of guzzling wine and devouring meat in big mouthfuls? That day seemed pretty far off!
“Hehe!”
Seeing this, Ling Wen split into a mischievous grin and turned to dash toward the bun shop. Where Ling Jingxuan couldn’t see, his thin little face was filled with pure, simple happiness.
“Boss, give me two jin of pork belly. How much is the offal?”
Coming back to himself, Ling Jingxuan shook his head helplessly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a length of pig intestines hanging nearby, and couldn’t help thinking of things like braised pork intestines and spicy stir-fried intestines.
“Eight wen a jin. That’s the last set left. Want it, kid?”
The butcher replied as he sliced the meat. Ling Jingxuan raised a brow. Weren’t ancient people supposed not to know how to clean intestines properly, so nobody wanted them? Why were they so expensive here—eight wen a jin, almost the price of lean meat?
“Forget it. Cut me another jin of lean meat instead.”
He cast one last reluctant glance at the offal but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to buy it. Maybe he’d been influenced by the little bun—he’d started caring about money too.
“Alright then. That’ll be forty wen total. I’ll throw in two pork bones for you.”
The butcher casually tied the two cuts of meat together with a few strands of straw and tossed in two big pork bones. Just then, Ling Wen returned with the buns. He glanced at the meat in Ling Jingxuan’s hands, his lips moving slightly, but in the end he said nothing and obediently counted out forty copper coins to the butcher.
“Daddy, just this once—we’ll splurge a little. After that, it’s better to save the extra money. What if we need it in an emergency, right?”
On the way back, Da Baozi couldn’t help lecturing again. In a good mood, Ling Jingxuan carried the pork in one hand and rubbed the boy’s head with the other.
“Alright, you decide. Once we make real money, we won’t have to worry about not having meat to eat.”
“Exactly! That’s the logic!”
Da Baozi put on an I’ve taught you well expression, making Ling Jingxuan chuckle despite himself. Fine—since his little bun was being generous for once, he wouldn’t lecture him today. There’d be plenty of time later. After all, a spoiled rich young master isn’t made in a single day.
“Wow—are those meat buns? Big brother, hurry and give me one, they smell so good!”
The ox cart started moving again. The instant Xiao Baozi caught sight of the meat buns, his eyes lit up with excitement, filled entirely with visions of plump, white, chubby buns stuffed with meat.
“Don’t rush—careful, it’s hot. Here—Tiewa, Uncle, Uncle Han, you all have some. You really worked hard today.”
Unable to stand his little brother’s foodie nature bursting out in full force, Da Baozi scolded him with his mouth, yet before handing the bun over, he thoughtfully blew on it a few times. Then he handed one to Ling Jingpeng and the others, and only after that did he take one for himself. Holding a meat bun in hand, Ling Jingxuan finally realized that his dry-fried little bun wasn’t just stingy—he actually knew how to treat people well, too.
“Mmm… so tasty!”
Ling Wu took a big bite, his mouth instantly slick with grease, his smile one of pure satisfaction. The others followed suit and began eating as well—they really were starving. Ling Jingxuan took one bite, then stopped. It wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry; it was just too greasy. Maybe ancient people didn’t get much fat in their diets, but this meat bun was nothing but fatty pork—far too oily. Coming from the twenty-first century, he honestly couldn’t handle it.
“Daddy, why aren’t you eating?”
The three buns each devoured two meat buns and now clutched their bulging bellies, faces glowing with contentment. Ling Wu, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed the half-bitten bun in Ling Jingxuan’s hand. His little face filled with confusion, but his eyes shone brightly, locked onto the bun. Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help but smile, inwardly sighing what a little glutton. He handed the bun over casually.
“It’s too hot today—I don’t feel like eating. You have it.”
“Okay—n-no, no, Daddy should eat it. I’m full.”
Xiao Baozi had already stretched out his hands, only to quickly pull them back. The corners of his mouth glistened, and his eyes lingered longingly on the bun.
“Hehe… if I’m giving it to you, take it. Daddy really can’t eat anymore. Didn’t we buy meat too? Tonight I’ll just eat more meat instead.”
For a foodie, resisting the temptation of food was incredibly hard. That his little bun could show such filial restraint made Ling Jingxuan genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart. Loving them so dearly hadn’t been in vain.
“Daddy, you’re the best!”
Hearing this, Xiao Baozi could no longer resist his craving for the meat bun. Holding it with both hands, he flashed a sweet smile—the exact same look Ling Wen wore when holding money. These two really were twins through and through. The only difference was that one loved money, while the other loved to eat.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
