CFSMS -Chapter 7 My Sweet Red Bean Bun Refuses to Lose

Ever since she had contracted that strange illness and her face had been disfigured, Xiaohua had hated mirrors more than anything.

Suppressing the urge to throw it away, she looked at the surprise and delight in the woman’s eyes and felt a trace of doubt.

Her mother knew how much she cared about her appearance. She would never joke about something like this.

Could it really be true?

Hesitantly, Xiaohua raised the mirror.

To help her see more clearly, the woman brought the candleholder closer.

The flames flickered, providing ample light.

Summoning her courage, Xiaohua looked into the mirror and saw the ugly face reflected back at her.

Inferiority and pain nearly swallowed her whole.

Her fingers tightened around the mirror until her knuckles turned white. Fighting back the sting in her nose, Xiaohua studied her reflection carefully.

It had been a long time since she had looked at her own face.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but the black spots really did seem much lighter than before.

Comforted by that thought, Xiaohua remembered what her mother had said earlier.

“Mother, you said that bun was magical. What’s so magical about it?”

For some reason, she had a feeling that the changes in her face had been caused by the bun she had just eaten.

A burning hope surged inside her.

Grabbing her mother’s hand, she asked anxiously,

“I… I didn’t hear the rest…”

The woman was no fool. Realizing something, she immediately jumped to her feet and ran outside.

“Xiaohua, don’t worry! I’ll go ask around. I’ll buy more buns for you!”

The buns were expensive, but if they could heal Xiaohua’s face, then every coin would be worth it.

She left so quickly that her knee slammed into a chair with a dull thud along the way, but she paid no attention and continued running.

Xiaohua failed to stop her.

Biting her lip, she glanced once more at her reflection before getting out of bed and putting on her shoes.

After hesitating at the doorway for a few moments, she finally gathered her courage and chased after her mother.

Her mother was her only family.

It was already dark outside.

She couldn’t let her mother wander around alone.

When the woman hurried back to Yanliu Street, she discovered that the bun stall was gone.

In fact, two quarters of an hour earlier, Lu Wu’s buns had completely sold out, and she had already packed up and gone home.

The crowd of customers had dispersed as well.

Still panting heavily, disappointment flooded the woman’s face.

“How could this happen…”

If the hope she had finally found disappeared just like this, what would become of her Xiaohua?

A woman who had never been defeated by hardship now broke down in tears.

“Mother.”

When Xiaohua arrived, she found her mother crouching on the ground, crying.

In all her memories, the woman who had raised her alone had never appeared so fragile.

Worried, Xiaohua no longer cared whether her face was fit to be seen.

She hurried over and helped her mother up.

“It’s alright, Mother. Let’s go home.”

Even if her face was ruined, her mother was still with her.

Just like her mother, she would continue living bravely.

So what if people mocked her?

So what if they looked down on her?

She wasn’t afraid!

“Young lady, do you need some help?”

As the mother and daughter embraced each other and cried, a kind elderly voice suddenly sounded.

It was none other than Old Master Li—the mysterious gossip enthusiast who seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever drama was brewing.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the mission.

Lu Wu was already thoroughly familiar with purchasing ingredients and preparing fillings.

Before leaving home, she deliberately checked outside her door.

This time, Old Master Li wasn’t lurking outside waiting to ambush her.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, on Yanliu Street, before Lu Wu had even arrived, the several-meter-wide road was already packed with people.

A huge crowd had gathered.

Besides the residents of Xiaohe Town, there were also visitors from other places who had been drawn here by the posts circulating online.

Fortunately, nobody was fighting today.

People stood together in small groups, all staring toward the entrance of Baihua House.

There stood a group of people wearing masks, covering themselves up suspiciously.

Judging by their figures, they were all quite young.

Their strange appearance naturally attracted attention.

“I heard these people started lining up before sunset?”

“Young Master Lou, do you know who they are?”

Someone asked Lou Xiaotian.

Boss Lu had become completely famous now. Many people had arrived early to queue, yet they still hadn’t managed to secure spots near the front.

“I don’t know.”

Lou Xiaotian was curious as well.

He was acquainted with many of the courtesans here, and some had told him that these mysterious masked people had arrived one after another throughout the day.

Apparently, they had come specifically to wait for Boss Lu.

“None of them dare show their faces. Could they be here to cause trouble?”

Someone guessed.

Hearing that, Lou Xiaotian immediately became alert.

He carefully examined the group.

Many of them had very low cultivation levels, and some weren’t even old enough to cultivate yet.

They didn’t look like troublemakers.

“Boss Lu is here!”

As Lou Xiaotian pondered, a shout rose from the outer edge of the crowd.

Those who had already tasted Lu Wu’s buns instinctively helped part the crowd, making way for her.

And when Lu Wu arrived, she was greeted by a sea of eager customers and a cluster of masked figures standing in the middle.

Her steps paused briefly.

If she hadn’t recognized so many familiar faces, she might have thought she had stumbled into some kind of evil cult gathering.

“Good evening, everyone.”

She greeted the customers and parked her stall in its usual spot.

Without wasting time, she got straight to work.

“Just fifteen more minutes!” she called out.

After making money these past two days, she had upgraded her stall.

Instead of ordinary firewood, she now used fire-attributed spirit stones as fuel.

With a steady supply of spiritual fire, the buns cooked much more efficiently.

As everyone watched with watering mouths, plump white buns were placed into the steamers.

The queue quickly formed in an orderly line.

Standing at the very front was a masked girl.

Lu Wu stole a glance at her.

Judging from her height, she wasn’t an adult.

Her slender frame suggested she was still quite young.

At first glance, there were dozens of similarly dressed youngsters around the same age.

Could this be some sort of underage evil organization?

Still, Lu Wu was just a businesswoman.

Surely they weren’t here to pick a fight with her.

Shaking off the thought, she rang the bell she had recently hung up.

Ding!

“The buns are ready!”

“And it’s still two buns per person today!”

“Ahhh! There’s still a purchase limit?!”

A chorus of miserable wails erupted instantly.

Lu Wu merely smiled.

【Mission Progress: 631/1000】

Thanks to these enthusiastic customers, she estimated the mission would be completed today.

“Boss Lu, I’d like two red bean buns.”

The masked person at the front spoke, revealing a young girl’s voice.

It was Xiaohua.

Outside the crowd, her mother watched nervously.

After discovering yesterday that Lu Wu’s red bean buns could reduce the black spots on Xiaohua’s face, the mother and daughter had rushed over in excitement.

Unfortunately, Lu Wu had already closed her stall by then.

At a loss, they were fortunate enough to receive help from the kind Old Master Li, who explained Lu Wu’s regular stall schedule.

After learning how quickly the buns sold out, they decided to wait on this street all day to avoid missing their chance.

To avoid the strange looks of strangers, Xiaohua wore a mask.

As for the other masked people…

They had shown up on their own.

Each of them had arrived already wearing a mask.

That strange coincidence made Xiaohua somewhat uneasy.

The previous night, a post titled:

“Sweet Red Bean Bun, Give Me Back My Baby Face!” had rapidly climbed the popularity rankings on the town’s One Realm Network.

After Kidney Buns and Pure-hearted Meat Buns became viral sensations, Sweet Red Bean Buns had finally stepped into the spotlight as well.

The post heavily emphasized the bun’s ability to remove black facial spots.

The accompanying photographs had been generously provided by Xiaohua herself.

And the mastermind behind the entire campaign?

Old Master Li.

As for why…

At that very moment, Old Master Li stood in line, staring coldly at another post on the One Realm Network that was slowly being buried beneath the flood of new discussions.

A chilling glint flashed through his eyes.