Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

"Third Master is right." Li Chunsheng smiled and poured Ma San a bowl of noodle soup. "I've been thinking about this too. If I really open a shop, I'll be counting on Third Master to help me out."

"Of course!" Ma San finished the soup in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "I, Ma San, keep my word. But Manager Li, you'd better pay back the three silver dollars you owe as soon as possible. The gang will remember it."

"No problem, Third Master, I'll send it over to you as soon as I have it all."

Just then, Ya Ya, who had been hiding in the back, suddenly walked over.

She held the stool that Er Laizi had just sat on, carefully wiped it with a rag, then walked up to Ma San and whispered, "Third Master, thank you for helping Brother Li."

Ma San was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the little girl who wasn't even as tall as the table.

In his life, he has been called a hooligan, called grandpa, feared, and hated.

But this is the first time I've ever been thanked by such a young child.

Ma San's fierce face, covered in pockmarks, looked unusually uneasy.

"Cough..." Ma San coughed and took out a piece of candy from his pocket and threw it into Ya Ya's hand.

"Take this and eat it! You're so skinny, you look like a monkey."

After saying that, he stood up and called to his men, "Let's go! To the next one!"

Watching Ma San's departing figure, Li Chunsheng couldn't help but smile.

The world of martial arts during the Republic of China era wasn't all black; sometimes, there was a touch of humanity.

"Brother Li, this candy..." Ya Ya held the candy, at a loss.

"Eat up." Li Chunsheng patted her head. "It's a gift from Third Master, so you can eat it."

"Mmm!" Ya Ya nodded vigorously, unwrapped the candy, and stuffed it into her mouth.

After the storm passed, business at the stall actually improved.

After that incident, not only was Li Ji's reputation not damaged, but it also helped Li Ji Wonton Shop gain a foothold on Qianmen Street.

When it was time to close up shop in the evening, Li Chunsheng tallied up his earnings for the day.

A full six hundred and fifty copper coins!

This is still net profit after deducting costs!

At this rate, in another ten days to half a month, I should be able to secure the deposit for a small shop.

But before that, we still need to settle the debts owed to the Black Tiger Gang.

On the way home after packing up, Ya Ya kept chattering away.

Li Chunsheng pushed the cart while giving half-hearted replies.

His mind had already drifted to the plan to take over the shop.

Land on Qianmen Street is extremely valuable; renting a shop on the main street is incredibly expensive, and most of them are already owned and not easily transferred.

But if it's in a slightly out-of-the-way alley, or one of those shops that aren't doing well.

A place suddenly flashed through Li Chunsheng's mind.

Not far from his stall, at the entrance of an alley, there is a shop called Lao Liu's Steamed Bun Shop. The location is actually quite good, right behind the theater, with a lot of foot traffic.

But for the past six months, the shop has remained closed. It's said that something strange happened there, or that the owner went back to his hometown. Anyway, it's been empty, and the red paper with the "For Rent" sign is almost faded.

If we could take over that shop...

As Li Chunsheng pondered this in his mind, his pace quickened involuntarily.

Back in the courtyard, Yunniang didn't seem to be receiving any guests today; she was waiting for Yaya to return.

After what happened that morning, Yunniang's face was still a little red when she saw Li Chunsheng.

"You're back? Are you hungry?" Yunniang greeted them, taking the things from Yaya's hands. "I steamed some cornbread and cooked some porridge. You should have some supper."

"Sister-in-law, stop fussing," Li Chunsheng washed his face. "I have something important to discuss with you."

Yunniang was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

She didn't know what important business Li Chunsheng wanted to discuss with her in the middle of the night. In this large courtyard, it was inevitable that people would gossip if a man and a woman were alone in a room late at night, especially since she was in business.

If it weren't for Ya Ya happily munching on a cornbread bun next to her, she would never have been alone with Li Chunsheng.

Li Chunsheng looked at Yunniang. Although she was dressed simply, her face, after washing away the makeup, still retained its charm. However, there was an inescapable sorrow and inferiority complex between her brows.

"Sister-in-law," Li Chunsheng hesitated for a moment, deciding to speak frankly, but this topic was really difficult to bring up. He took a deep breath, "I want to ask you something. Don't take it personally, and don't be angry."

Yunniang raised her head, somewhat puzzled: "Chunsheng, you speak."

"Um... I mean... how much money do you make per session with that kind of work?"

Upon hearing this, Yunniang's face turned deathly pale, then flushed bright red.

She originally thought Li Chunsheng was going to talk about Ya Ya or something between the neighbors, but she never expected that this usually gentle and polite young man would ask such an embarrassing question.

"You!" Yunniang's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "Chunsheng, I'm a lowly woman. If you look down on me, just don't come to my door again. Why treat me like this!"

After saying that, she pulled up Yaya, who was still eating a cornbread bun, and tried to drive Li Chunsheng away.

"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law! That's not what I meant!" Li Chunsheng quickly shouted. He had expected Yunniang to react this way. "Let me finish. I'm not trying to humiliate you. I'm just trying to do business with you! If this works out, you and Yaya can hold your heads high!"

Yunniang stopped in her tracks. The words "stand tall and be a decent person" seemed to have a magical power. She turned around and looked into Li Chunsheng's clear, open eyes, which were devoid of any contempt or lewdness.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally sat down again, but with her head bowed very low, down to her high breasts.

"Normally... it only costs twenty copper coins," Yunniang said softly. Saying this in front of Li Chunsheng made her feel ashamed. "If you meet someone generous, or if it's for an overnight stay, they can give you forty or fifty. In a month, after deducting about a week of menstruation, if you're lucky, after deducting the money for rouge and face powder, you can have about three or four silver dollars."

Li Chunsheng silently did some calculations in his mind.

Three or four silver dollars—this was earned in exchange for dignity, health, or even life. In those days, the lives of lowly prostitutes were worth less than grass. It was only a matter of time before they contracted diseases. Once they grew old and lost their beauty or contracted diseases, their fate was often to be thrown into mass graves to be fed to wild dogs.

"Then let's settle this score." Li Chunsheng took out a chopstick and gestured on the table. "Twenty copper coins a time, sister-in-law. I've heard Brother Lu say that you've also studied in private schools. You know this better than I do. You're risking your life for money."

Yunniang gave a bitter laugh, tears dripping onto the table: "Chunsheng, do you think I don't know? But what can I do? I'm just a woman, unable to lift a finger. Besides this body, what else can I sell? If I don't do this, Yaya will starve to death!"

"You can do accounting, and you can read; that's enough."