After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 126 Xiong Kai's Contest

Shen Dagou and Shen Xiang were particularly diligent. They earned thirty coins a day and not only helped Shen Yi make guokui (a type of flatbread), but also cleaned the house and wiped the tables for Su Tai.

Su Tai only needs to stay at home and rest during her pregnancy. Occasionally, she can use a medium to draw water from the water space to irrigate the grape seedlings and fill the water tank. It takes almost no effort.

Time flies by unnoticed, and spring turns to summer in the blink of an eye.

Two more people suddenly appeared to cross the river at Shenjiazhuang on the Daxun River, which greatly affected Shen Yi's passenger business. In addition, he set off late and returned early, so almost no one took his boat. He didn't care and continued to live his life as usual.

The morning light along the riverbank was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Ma Xingteng, accompanied by his servants and guards, stood watch by the river. The boats for the ferrymen had arrived, and they were only missing three people. There were four of them, so they could squeeze on. The people on the boats were getting impatient and shouted to them, "Get on the boat!"

The servant shook his head and said seriously, "This is not the ship we are waiting for."

The boatman, who had been silent all along, looked up and said unhappily, "Shen Yi has stopped ferrying people across the river, so you'd better not waste your energy."

The servant offered no explanation.

They didn't get on the boat, and the boatman wouldn't leave either; only the villagers, eager to cross the river, were cursing and swearing.

After waiting for half an hour and still not having enough people, the people on the boat started to complain. "Are you going to leave or not? When Shen Yi used to ferry people across the river, he would leave even if there weren't enough people and the time was up. What's wrong with you? If you're not going to leave, give us our money back!"

Xiong Kai really wanted to argue with the other party, but fortunately he still had some sense and managed to hold back. However, when his stubborn temper flared up, he really didn't move.

Just as they were about to start arguing, Shen Yi appeared carrying several large rattan baskets.

Ma Xingteng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to greet him, "My benefactor."

"Young Master Ma? You want to cross the river?" Shen Yi was a little confused about the situation.

Xiong Kai subconsciously lowered the brim of his hat, preventing Shen Yi from seeing his true face.

Ma Xingteng shook his head and stepped forward. "I came here specifically to wait for my benefactor. I heard that a kind of flatbread has recently become popular in Dahe Town. I asked around and found out that it was sent from here. I waited here today, and now it seems that the person I was waiting for is my benefactor."

He had originally planned to wait a little longer, and if the person selling the guokui (a type of flatbread) didn't come, he would take Shen Yi's boat to Dahe Town to ask again. It seems that God was on his side, and his wait was worthwhile.

Shen Yi was in a hurry to deliver the goods and said, "If Young Master Ma is not in a rush, we can talk on the ship. I need to deliver the goods as soon as possible."

“Sure, sure.” Ma Xingteng immediately led his men onto Shen Yi’s boat.

Shen Yi didn't glance at the boat next to him once throughout the entire process.

The villagers on Xiong's boat immediately panicked when they saw this, shouting, "Hey! Is there any room left? We want to get on!"

Shen Yi glanced at the location on the ship and nodded. "Okay."

The group was overjoyed and had just stood up when they were suddenly jolted and fell back down.

They then realized the boatman had already set sail, and now they couldn't switch boats even if they wanted to. They could only grumble and curse in frustration.

With his back to Shen Yi, Xiong Kai's mind was in turmoil. What did the eldest son of the Ma family want with Shen Yi? Why was he being so polite to Shen Yi? And how was the food Shen Yi sold made? How much did he earn in a day?
These problems were almost overwhelming him, and he couldn't care less about the troublemaking guests.

Shen Yi had no idea that Xiong Kai was targeting him. He rowed the boat further away before asking Ma Xingteng, "What does Young Master Ma want with me?"

"It's like this, I've tried guokui (a type of flatbread), and it's really delicious. There's no one selling it in Moshi Town, so I've opened my own eatery and want to be the only one in Moshi Town selling guokui. Is that possible?" Ma Xingteng made no attempt to hide his ambition. Shen Yi frowned slightly. "So, in that case, I can't sell guokui exclusively in Moshi Town, right?"

Ma Xingteng said, "That's the principle, but if our cooperation ends, you can sell it however you want."

"So, if you don't buy my guokui (a type of flatbread), I can still sell it in Moshizhen?"

Ma Xingteng nodded repeatedly.

Shen Yi thought for a moment and said, "There's something I have to make clear. We've already made the most of these potstickers we can. If you want to send them to Moshi Town, you'll need to come to my house to pick them up later. But my wife is the only one at home, so it's not very convenient."

Ma Xingteng breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's alright. My wife's maid, Shiliu, is also a woman. We can have her come to pick up the goods."

Shen Yi did not agree immediately. "Let me go back and discuss it with my wife. I will go to Moshi Town to give the young master the news after noon."

“Okay!” Ma Xingteng agreed readily.

Xiong Kai watched them from afar, and seeing the two chatting happily, his expression twisted with jealousy.

He couldn't understand why Shen Yi was doing so well while his life was getting worse and worse, since he was clearly better than Shen Yi in every way.

Ever since his mother-in-law injured one of his eyes with a firecracker, her temper has become increasingly eccentric. When things are good, she is polite and caring towards him, but when things are bad, she will run to his door and yell at him, criticizing him for being worthless, comparing him to Shen Yi, and saying that she regrets marrying Mo Chunxiang to him.

If it were only Guan Shi who said that, he wouldn't say anything. But that woman Mo Chunxiang actually had the same idea. She would always say things like how good Shen Yi was at making money and how much he loved his wife, making him look like dirt.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have spitefully become a ferryman soliciting passengers across the river.

He thought he could finally get his revenge by stealing Shen Yi's business, but he didn't expect that Shen Yi didn't care at all. It was like he punched a cotton ball. What's even more infuriating is that Shen Yi was able to receive such courtesy from Young Master Ma. Why?
Is it all because of that lousy guokui (a type of flatbread) that Shen Yi is making now? Did he steal Shen Yi's business so that all of this would belong to him?

The more Xiong Kai thought about it, the more he realized that this was exactly the case.

After the boat docked, he secretly followed Shen Yi and saw him deliver two baskets of guokui (a type of flatbread) into the Jixiang Inn and leave. He immediately went into the inn and said to Manager Li, "Manager, I want to buy that flatbread."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment before realizing what he meant, "You mean Shen's guokui? What flavor do you want?"

"What flavors are available? How much do they cost?" Xiong Kai frowned subconsciously. Guokui? What a terrible name!

Manager Li enthusiastically introduced, "We have plain white flour guokui and coarse flour guokui, each with three flavors. The sweet ones contain peanuts and sugar, while the savory ones have preserved mustard greens with braised pork and scallion flavors."

Two sheets of coarse-cooked noodles with scallions cost three dollars; two sheets of coarse-cooked noodles with preserved mustard greens and braised pork, and two sheets of sweet noodles cost five dollars; all thin-cooked noodles cost one dollar more.

"So expensive!" Xiong Kai's eyes widened, a hint of annoyance mixed with deep jealousy.

Shopkeeper Li said, "Sir, this price is very fair! You're not from our town, are you? We've been selling at this price for a long time!"

Xiong Kai was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Give me one of every flavor."

He bought six guokui (a type of flatbread) for sixteen coins, which really hurt his heart.

As soon as he left the inn, he couldn't wait to take a bite. He had already planned how he would complain about the flatbread, but after chewing a few times, he still couldn't taste what was in it. He only had one feeling—it was delicious! It was incredibly delicious!

Especially the braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, it's so oily you can practically squeeze it, and there's plenty of meat. It's hard to find any reason to complain.

He was so angry that he wanted to throw the guokui on the ground and stomp on it, but he couldn't bear to waste it. He was stuck there, unable to decide what to do, and his resentment and dissatisfaction with Shen Yi grew stronger.