Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

In the kitchen of Li's Restaurant, Li Chunsheng was looking at a clay pot on the stove. Inside was braised pork that had been simmering since last night. The broth had thickened, and the pieces of pork belly, with three layers of lean meat and two layers of fat, trembled slightly in the reddish-brown liquid, emitting a mouthwatering aroma.

"Chunsheng, it's getting late. Yaya is already dressed." Yunniang walked in.

She was wearing the new clothes she wore for the New Year. After the New Year, her face and body looked much fuller. She was holding Yaya's hand. The little girl was also dressed very smartly today, carrying a new leather and canvas shoulder bag and wearing a pair of Neiliansheng thousand-layer cloth shoes. Her big eyes were filled with undisguised excitement.

"My dad will pack the food right away."

Li Chunsheng opened a small red wooden food box, first scooped out a large spoonful of white rice and spread it at the bottom, then picked up four pieces of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and arranged them neatly on top of the rice. Finally, he poured a spoonful of concentrated meat gravy over it, and then added a golden-brown fried egg with slightly charred edges, along with a few blanched cabbages on the side.

"Yaya, remember, when you eat lunch, mix the meat sauce well with a spoon." Li Chunsheng squatted down and straightened Yaya's collar. "If your classmates ask, just say this was made by your older brother. We're just as good as anyone else, understand?"

Ya Ya nodded sensibly, her little hands gripping the handle of the food box tightly: "Brother Chunsheng, I will definitely study hard."

Li Chunsheng stood up, went back inside to put on his navy blue cotton robe, and said, "Let's go! Da Hu and Mr. Wu will watch the shop for a while, and we'll take Ya Ya to school!"

Jingwen Girls' School, located outside Xuanwu Gate, was a renowned private school in the area. Its arched gate, made of blue bricks, exuded a sophisticated charm, and the entrance was filled with all sorts of carriages and horses, highlighting the extraordinary status of the families sending their children to school.

When Li Chunsheng and his entourage got out of the car, many eyes turned to them.

Zhou Zhengnan was already waiting at the school gate. When he saw Li Chunsheng, he greeted him with a smile: "Boss Li, Mrs. Shen, you've finally arrived. Principal Liu is already waiting in his office."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you to wait, Mr. Zhou," Li Chunsheng replied politely.

Just as I was about to walk in, a soft laugh suddenly came from the crowd.

"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Yunniang from Xiheyan? What's going on? Has Jingwen Girls' School dropped so low that even this brothel-dweller can send her seed here?"

Li Chunsheng frowned and looked in the direction of the sound.

Not far away stood a couple. The man was about thirty years old, wearing a dark-patterned satin long gown with a fox fur coat over it. He was fair-skinned, but exuded a superficial, lewd air. He had his arm around a middle-aged woman wearing a white fur coat and with curly hair. The woman looked to be about 1.6 meters tall, but she was obese, probably weighing at least 180 pounds. She had a mean look in her eyes and was staring suspiciously at her husband.

Li Chunsheng had never seen this man before, but from Shen Xiuyun's trembling breath, he could guess that this was probably one of the men Shen Xiuyun had served during those dark and hopeless years.

"Sun Dafu, do you know this woman?" The woman in the white fur coat raised an eyebrow, her voice sharpening. "What Yunniang? Explain yourself!"

The man called Sun Dafu only then realized that his wife's eyes were strange, and he cursed his bad luck inwardly.

He was a typical womanizer, his family business was entirely supported by his father-in-law, and his biggest fear in life was his shrewish wife. He recognized Shen Xiuyun at a glance just now, originally wanting to show off in front of his friends, but he forgot that his own tigress was still by his side.

"Oh dear, Madam, please don't misunderstand." Sun Dafu stammered, his eyes darting around. Then, to extricate himself, he pointed at Shen Xiuyun with even greater vehementness, "How could I possibly know a woman like that? I heard from a former shop assistant that she used to work as a prostitute on the West Riverbank, charging twenty copper coins for a service. I knew it! Jingwen Girls' School is supposed to be a place of education and character building, how could they accept such a despicable bastard's child? Our precious daughter can't live under the same roof as someone like that, she'll be tainted by their bad luck!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding parents all looked astonished, then took a few steps back, their eyes filled with contempt and disgust as they looked at Yunniang and her daughter.

"So that's what happened. How utterly disgraceful!"

"What's wrong with Principal Liu? He's letting just anyone in. Have we been paying tuition for nothing?"

The harsh whispers surged like a tide. Shen Xiuyun lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, but she bit her lip tightly to keep from crying.

Although Ya Ya was young, she understood those harsh words. She looked up and whispered, "Mother..."

Seeing this, Sun Dafu straightened his back even more and waved his hand with disgust: "Get out of the way! Don't block the way here. You reek of poverty and filth. Take your bastard and get back to Xiheyan!"

"Have you said enough?"

Li Chunsheng stepped forward and stood in front of the mother and daughter. He was tall and straight, half a head taller than Sun Dafu.

"What? Did I say something wrong? And who do you think you are? Judging by your attire, you're one of this bitch's clients, aren't you?"

Li Chunsheng was not angry. He looked Sun Dafu up and down, and finally his gaze fell on the fat woman's face.

"Madam," Li Chunsheng began, "not to be rude, but your husband claims to know this Yunniang, that she was on the West Riverbank, and that he even remembers the price of twenty copper coins perfectly. If he didn't experience it firsthand, isn't his memory a bit too good?"

Sun Dafu's expression changed.

The fat woman's eyes turned fierce again, and she gripped Sun Dafu's arm tightly: "Sun Dafu! Didn't you say you used to be in the shop looking at the accounts every day? So you were just ripping off the people from Xiheyan with your accounts?!"

"No! No! Madam, please let me explain! This boy is spouting nonsense!"

Li Chunsheng stepped forward: "Mr. Sun, Jingwen Girls' School is indeed a place for education and character building, teaching morality and integrity! This Ms. Shen Xiuyun is the manager of my Li's Restaurant, earning her living honestly and cleanly. But you, as a grown man, relying on your wife's family for protection, use such old, rotten slander to humiliate a mother. What, do you want to reminisce in front of your wife?"

"You! You!" Sun Dafu's face turned red from the rebuke, and he stammered for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word.

"Sir, I see that the material of your long gown is quite nice, but unfortunately, your character is not even as good as the scraps of this material." Zhou Zhengnan also stepped forward at this time. "I am Zhou Zhengnan from National Beiping Normal University, and I am also the introducer of this child. If Mr. Sun has any objections to the admission of Jingwen Girls' School, he is free to appeal to the board of directors. However, before going, I suggest you think carefully about how to explain it to your wife."

Upon hearing the name of National Beiping Normal University, the surrounding parents immediately changed their tune.

"A professor from a teachers' college? They probably wouldn't say anything out of line."

"It seems this family really has connections. This Sun Dafu looks like a slick-looking guy; he's probably just spouting nonsense."

Sun Dafu's wife had completely lost her temper. Forget about appearances, she slapped Sun Dafu hard across the face: "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?! Get back here! If you don't explain what happened at Xiheyan clearly today, you're getting the hell out of the Sun family!"

"Madam, spare me! Madam, spare me! I really don't know her!" Sun Dafu covered his face and wailed as the fat woman grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away, drawing laughter from passersby along the way.

P.S.: Next, I'll be writing about Shen Nian, but I'll still use Yun Niang.