DLRC – Chapter 37 I Really Want to Be Yu Hui

The kids who played with Zou Gaigai every day actually all knew about Yu Hui, the new kid who had just moved in. He was beautiful—his exceptional looks made sure everyone remembered his face.

But no one was particularly close to Yu Hui. Only Zou Gaigai kept thinking all day long about how to trick Yu Hui into becoming his little follower. Still, whenever they saw him, they’d call out warmly, “Huihui!”

As they stepped into the store, the kids were so excited they didn’t know where to look. They’d glance over here, then get distracted by something over there—before they even had time to take a good look at one dessert, another more eye-catching one would steal their gaze.

“Look, look! What’s that?!”

“Zou Gaigai, look at this! Look at this!”

“Woooow——!”

Yu Wei turned to look and saw the kids who had been sticking close to her just moments ago now all crowded outside the glass display, their faces pressed against it, marveling at a beautifully decorated six-inch birthday cake.

“Wow, it’s so pretty… I want my mom to buy me one.”

“My mom won’t buy it for me, but I really want to eat it.”

“Yeah, my mom won’t buy it for me either. I want to eat it too.”

Listening to their childish voices, Yu Wei shook her head helplessly. She turned to call Yu Hui over, and once the little guy ran over with a da-da-da, she crouched down and softly instructed him: “Sweetie, can you help Mommy give out some cookies to the big brothers and sisters? They’re in the little basket on the table. Give each one five pieces, okay?”

Yu Hui was naturally shy and didn’t like taking initiative, but Yu Wei could tell from his cautious eyes that he still wanted to play with the other kids.

No one is born wanting to be alone. No matter what he had experienced in the past, at this moment, he was just a four-year-old child.

That’s why Yu Wei wanted to give her son a chance to blend into the circle of children.

As soon as she said that, Yu Hui looked up at Zou Gaigai, whom he was at least somewhat familiar with. Then he looked at all the expectant eyes now focused on him. He suddenly felt both nervous and a little happy.

He instinctively looked to Yu Wei for help. Her eyes were full of encouragement. He saw that.

“Five cookies…” Yu Hui murmured softly, holding his little panda plush, then timidly looked at Zou Gaigai.

He knew this older boy because he always said he wanted to play with him.

Zou Gaigai, being perceptive, called the group of kids to follow Yu Hui. Not long after, they were lined up in front of the cashier counter. Mimicking how his mother did it, Yu Hui picked up small plastic bags from the table and used tongs to place five cookies in each one.

“Brother Gaigai.” Yu Hui shyly handed over a bag of cookies, while Yu Wei went outside to greet customers.

The name “Brother Gaigai” was something Yu Wei had taught him. Luckily, Yu Hui didn’t resist using it—though when he said it, he was still a bit shy.

But this was Zou Gaigai—King of Changqing Road, a lively kid who didn’t know the meaning of awkward or embarrassed.

He acted like a host, taking the cookie bag Yu Hui gave him and handing it to the youngest in the group—five-year-old Chen Zhiman.

“Here you go, Guoguo. You get the first one.”

All the kids’ envious gazes immediately shifted to Guoguo. Chen Zhiman smiled shyly and accepted it: “Thank you, Brother Gaigai!”

“You’re welcome!” Zou Gaigai waved it off nonchalantly. Yu Hui had already packed the next bag and handed it to him.

“Here.” He passed it to another little boy.

Meng Guotao shouted excitedly, “Thanks, Brother Gaigai!”

The third bag was handed to Ding Xiaohua. She smiled like a cool little princess, her twin braids bouncing slightly as she gracefully accepted the cookie bag. “Thank you, Zou Gaigai.”

Ding Xiaohua came from the wealthiest family among the kids. She was actually only seven, a year younger than Zou Gaigai. Though she played with the others, she always acted like a proud little peacock. Just from the way she addressed him, you could tell.

But after playing together for a while, everyone got used to her personality and wasn’t fazed anymore.

“Hmph.” Zou Gaigai lifted his chin proudly and continued distributing the cookies to the remaining five or six kids. Then he took the last bag for himself and, satisfied, began munching—one big bite at a time.

Each cookie was almost as big as Yu Hui’s palm. They were sweet and crispy, with a rich milky aroma. Zou Gaigai couldn’t help himself.

“So good, so good, so good! I really want to be Yu Hui!”

Chen Zhiman blinked her little eyes and bit into her crunchy cookie. “Brother Gaigai, why do you want to be Yu Hui?”

“Because if I were Yu Hui, then Yu Wei would be my mom. That means I could eat these snacks whenever I want!”

“Wooooow——”

That made so much sense! The kids munched their cookies in amazement and looked at Yu Hui with even more envy.

But Yu Hui just stood there watching them eat, not touching any cookies himself.

“Little Brother Huihui, why aren’t you eating?” Guoguo asked curiously. Wasn’t Yu Hui Yu Wei’s son? Didn’t that mean he could eat as much as he wanted? Why wasn’t he eating now?

All eyes turned to Yu Hui again. He stood off to the side watching them, eyes a little bashful. He instinctively reached into his pocket and clutched his little panda plush. The anxious feeling in his chest eased up quite a bit.

“Little Brother Huihui, aren’t you gonna eat?” Meng Guotao asked, puzzled.

Yu Hui thought for a moment, squeezed his panda, and softly replied, “I already had some.”

Actually… what he didn’t tell them was that he was already tired of those cookies. These days, he preferred the mille crepe cakes his mom made—especially the mango one. That was his favorite. Way tastier than cookies.

Too bad they hadn’t had it yet, Yu Hui thought wistfully.

The kids finally understood. After they finished their cookies, they also felt a bit more familiar with Yu Hui. You had to admit, kids bond quickly—just a few cookies and suddenly everyone was calling him “Little Brother Huihui” like they’d known him forever.

Even the proud little peacock Ding Xiaohua called out, “Little Brother Huihui, the snacks at your place are so yummy!”

When Yu Hui heard everyone saying how delicious the pastries were, he felt incredibly proud—it meant they were praising his mom! He glanced at Yu Wei, who was introducing the desserts to the adults, and his little heart thumped with excitement.

“Can you guys buy some cookies?”
No one expected those to be Yu Hui’s first words.

What he was thinking was: if everyone bought cookies, then Mom would have money. If she had money, she could make him delicious food, buy him new clothes, and go out looking pretty every day. Maybe she could even buy a big house.

His mom was always whispering in his ear about how she wanted to earn a lot of money and buy a big house for Hui Hui to live in. He had remembered those words clearly, and today, he finally had a chance to help his mom.

What a clever little boy.

“We can!” the first to answer was Ding Xiaohua. Her family was well-off and didn’t care about the cost of sweets. She had even brought 2 yuan with her just to go out and have fun today—which could buy a lot at Yu Wei’s shop.

Once she said that, the other kids looked at her with admiration, but Ding Xiaohua was used to it and enjoyed the attention.

Everyone knew she had money, but it wasn’t a big deal. She was usually the “little treasurer” of the group, and whenever she bought snacks, she liked to share them. So, even if she was a bit spoiled, the other kids still liked hanging around her.

And so, the kids began choosing desserts at Yu Ji Dessert House, with Yu Hui as their little tour guide, leading his little crew through the shop.

By now, more people had started to flood in, and Yu Wei’s voice was getting hoarse from introducing everything, but she kept going:

“Grand opening today! All desserts are 40% off! If you see something you like, take it home and try it! This is the best deal you’ll get—after today, everything goes back to the original price!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement. People who had been standing outside started trickling in curiously.

40% off?

That was nearly half price! A huge bargain—and freshly made, no less!

In this era, people were still cautious about new things, so some hesitation toward Yu Wei’s dessert shop was normal.

She raised her voice and smiled as she said, “Pick whatever you like. I’ve got small baskets over here. Use these tongs to grab your favorites and bring them to the register—I’ll weigh them for you!”

“What about the prices? How much are these pastries?” someone asked.

The kids didn’t care how much anything cost. All they saw were delicate, tempting treats—many of them swallowing their drool in secret. The sweet scent in the air was intoxicating. What had she put in these things to make them smell so good?

Since prices were being asked, Yu Wei happily stepped over to a glass cabinet and pointed to the small cards next to each dessert.

“All the prices are written here, both the original and the sale prices. Take a look, and if you see something you like, buy some to try. The discount is only for today—miss it, and it’s gone!”

So those cards had the prices! Everyone leaned in to compare, seeing how Yu Wei’s fancy cakes stacked up against the plain ones sold elsewhere.

And the comparison shocked them.

They had assumed new things would be expensive. But to their surprise, many items were just a few mao. One familiar-looking cake—what was it called again? Ah yes, the egg cake—was golden and soft, labeled:

Original price: 9 mao per jin. Sale price: 5 mao 4 per jin.

That discount was even cheaper than what the supply and marketing cooperatives got from wholesale food factories! Now that was a deal!

Someone was tempted. It was so cheap—why not buy a little to try? Not to mention, the sweet fragrance in the air was impossible to resist.

People tend to follow the crowd. Once one person takes the first bite, more are sure to come.

Before long, half the stock of the egg cakes—the cheapest item—was gone.

Those from poorer households bought half a jin or a jin and a half, then left quickly, afraid they’d be tempted to spend more if they lingered.

Most people, once they had their purchases, couldn’t wait to dig in. One bite and their mouths were filled with soft, fluffy sweetness and the rich aroma of milk.

It was addictive!

Many hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet when they came to Yu Ji Dessert House. After just a few egg cakes, half their paper bags were empty.

The man who first bought half a jin only wanted to try a bite at first, but it was so good he immediately came back for two more jin. As he was weighing them, he explained he had a wife and kid at home and wanted them to try the good stuff too.

What a great husband!

The shop even had specially made paper bags just for the cakes. Yu Wei had ordered them from a gift factory. Each bag had “Yu Ji Dessert House” printed on it. She had thought about adding a logo too, but hadn’t figured out what design to use yet—so she planned to add it later.

The bags themselves were high quality, borrowing the minimalist style of future packaging. Factories in this era used real, solid materials—these bags were thicker than two modern paper bags put together. People could reuse them at home, making the purchase feel even more worthwhile.

This kind of thoughtful detail made customers feel like they were getting great value, and the shop’s business suddenly exploded.

“Boss! Give me two jin of egg cakes!”

“Boss! What’s that red cake? It’s so pretty—I want to buy one for my daughter!”

“Boss! This pastry has fruit in it—give me one!”

Yu Ji Dessert House, with its unique and fresh desserts and eye-catching décor, had a spectacular first day of business. The only real issue was how busy it was. Nothing serious, just a lack of hands to help.

Just as Yu Wei was starting to panic about being short-staffed, someone called her name from outside.

“Yu Wei!”

She looked up—and it was Song Xia, bringing her two daughters along. Behind her was Jiang Aihua. Yu Wei quickly weighed out the cakes in her hands and hurried over.

“Sister Song, Auntie Jiang—you came!”

Jiang Aihua looked around the shop and replied, “Yeah, Song Xia told me you were opening today, so I came to support you.”

Yu Wei tucked some stray hair behind her ear and gave a shy smile. “I left the house in a rush this morning and totally forgot what you told me, Auntie Jiang.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Song Xia told me, so I still made it in time.”

Yu Wei was just about to respond when she heard someone else calling her from the crowd. She looked up and saw Chen Caiqian walking over from where she had been peering at the desserts through the glass.

“You’re here too, Caiqian?”

“Hi! When Sister Song Xia said your dessert shop was opening, I had to come check it out.” She grinned, full of joy. “Oh my god, your shop is so pretty! How did you even think of all this? Wow…”

No woman could resist this kind of sweet, dreamy décor—especially young women like Chen Caiqian. Her level of amazement was no less than the kids’.

Speaking of kids, Yu Wei glanced around for her good boy and found him leading a group of children in front of another display case, whispering to each other about who-knows-what.

“Boss! Help me weigh a cake!”

“Coming!” Yu Wei smiled apologetically at her visitors. “Sister Song, Auntie Jiang, I’m really swamped right now. Please, make yourselves comfortable and sit down for a bit.”

“Sure, go ahead and take care of business!”

Yu Wei nodded and hurried back behind the register to weigh more cakes. Business was booming, especially for the affordable egg cakes. Following closely in popularity were the cookies, egg tarts, and mousse mini cakes.

The slightly more expensive items weren’t left out either, just bought less frequently. For example, the 4- and 6-inch birthday cakes hadn’t sold at all yet—understandable, since each one cost three or four yuan, and not every household could afford such luxuries.

The shop had two sets of wooden tables and chairs, specially prepared for customers, but since most people were still gathered around the display counters, no one sat down.
So Jiang Aihua and the others took a seat.

Song Xia’s twin daughters were only about ten years old. Faced with all these new things, how could they sit still? Zhang Shule pulled her sister Shuya to the display case in excitement.

She pressed her little face to the glass, took several deep sniffs of the fragrant air, then exclaimed loudly:

“Sister! What kind of pastries are these?! They smell amazing—oh my god!”