Chapter Four: Triggering the Quest

"Your jianbing is ready."
Taking the jianbing from Yang Qing, Wang Ke'er gazed at the golden crepe wrapped around crisp lettuce, with mischievous cubes of ham and other toppings peeking out. Her stomach grumbled once more.

Crunch—
The crispness between her teeth, the gentle touch on her tongue, the explosion of flavors on her palate—she was instantly conquered.

One bite, two bites... In less than a minute, she had devoured the entire jianbing. Staring at the empty wrapper in her hand, she shamefully licked her lips.

How she wished she could lick it clean!

Fortunately, her livestream camera was not pointed at her at that moment. If her fans had seen this scene, they would have gone wild with excitement.

"Sister..."
Just as she was savoring the aftertaste and queuing for a second helping, a clear, childish voice rang out.

Wang Ke'er looked down to see a cute little girl with slightly yellowish hair tilting her thin face up at her.

"Sister, pay please. Five yuan."

Little Qiu'er held out her small hand, squinting her big eyes and grinning widely.

"Oh, right!" Only then did Wang Ke'er realize she hadn't paid yet, and, thoroughly embarrassed, replied, "Five yuan? I'll pay by phone then."

"Okay!"
Little Qiu'er nodded happily but still held out her small hand.

Wang Ke'er: ...

She glanced around Yang Qing's busy stall, searching for a payment QR code.

"Sister, hurry up and pay!"
Qiu'er urged her, and Wang Ke'er was at her wits' end.

"Little one, where's the QR code for payment?"

"What code? Sister, do you not have money? How can you not have money? You can't eat jianbing without paying!"

Little Qiu'er's face grew stern, her clear childish voice rising, her big black eyes suddenly widening in disapproval.

"Sister! What you're doing is wrong! You're a bad child!"

Wang Ke'er: ...

She was utterly helpless, being lectured by a little girl. What could she do? Argue her case, explain the situation? Would this adorable little one understand?

She looked pleadingly toward Yang Qing, but he was so busy he hadn't noticed her predicament at all.

He made crepes, handed them over, and by his side, a girl of about six collected the money.

Only now did Wang Ke'er realize that all the customers were paying cash—exactly five yuan each, not even needing change!

She looked down; the little girl was still gazing up at her, and her once-thin cheeks were now puffed up in anger.

But... she was so cute! Wang Ke'er almost couldn't resist pinching those cheeks.

Just as her hands were about to move, a voice of delight sounded in her ear.

"Giggle... You don't have cash? Here, five yuan for you. Just let me have your spot."

Wang Ke'er: ...

Looking at the pretty girl handing her a five-yuan note, Wang Ke'er suddenly felt indignant! Buying someone’s spot in line? This damned brat! Get lost!

Fuming, Wang Ke'er walked away. Little Qiu'er, having received the money, grinned again and said to the pretty girl who had bought the spot:

"Pretty sister, you're here again! Isn't my brother's jianbing delicious?"

"Yes, it's incredibly tasty! That's why I brought all my girlfriends!"

Little Qiu'er looked at the four stylish, beautiful young women standing beside her and nearly jumped for joy.

"Sister, you're the prettiest!"

"Haha... Little one, you're so cute! What's your name?"

"Qiu'er, my name is Qiu'er, heehee..."

"Giggle... Qiu'er, that's adorable. Can you tell me what time your brother sets up his stall every day?"

"Um..." Qiu'er tilted her little head and thought for a moment. "When my eldest and second sisters go to school, my brother and I come out. Then we pick them up after school, go home for dinner, and come back. Sister, what time is that? I don't know."

Pretty girl: ...

Four girlfriends: "Pfft, hahaha..."

The pretty girl glanced at the short-haired girl by Yang Qing's side, mentally calculating when elementary students go to and finish school, but she couldn't remember. Reluctant, she asked again:

"Qiu'er, you're so smart. You must remember your brother's phone number, right? Can you recite it?"

Qiu'er smiled sweetly. "My brother doesn't have a phone."

Four girlfriends: "Hahaha..."

...

Three hours later, after handing the last jianbing to an uncle, Yang Qing straightened his aching back, looked at the still-long line, and apologized with a smile:

"Sorry, we're out of ingredients for today. Thank you all, but that's it for now."

The crowd immediately became restless, especially the girl at the front clutching fifty yuan, who was nearly in tears, exclaiming in desperation:

"How can this be! How can you be sold out! Do you know how long I've been in line? I don't care! You have to make me one! Tell me what ingredients you need; I'll go buy them!"

Yang Qing: (ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ)

"Yeah! Young boss, your jianbing is so good. I've had three already and still want more. I need to buy one for my wife too. If you’re out of ingredients, go buy more!"

"Right! We'll watch your stall for you!"

"Go, boss, go!"

"... "

The crowd clamored, and Yang Qing was completely cornered.

Go buy ingredients now? Not a chance!
Not only was it late, but even if he could buy them, he didn't want to.
The ingredients for his jianbing—aside from flour, eggs, and sausage—were all grown in his family's little yard. Saving on costs was a beautiful thing.
Making a bit of money wasn't easy, especially with four little ones to raise.

"Hey, it's you! The sister with no money!"

As Yang Qing stood there, at a loss, Qiu'er's voice suddenly chimed in. She looked at the girl at the front of the line and said cheerfully:

"Sister, you want jianbing without money? They're all sold out! Heehee..."

Wang Ke'er turned red with embarrassment. "I... I have money! Look!"

"Oh."
Qiu'er glanced indifferently at the fifty-yuan note in Wang Ke'er's hand, stuck out her little tongue and chirped, "It's fake, tricking kids. Your money has an extra circle on it."

Wang Ke'er: (ー_ー)!!
Yang Qing: (~0~)

Wang Ke'er's livestream chat:
"Pfft! Hahaha... An extra circle! I can't, I'm dying laughing! Hahaha..."

"Haha... Poor Ke'er, being looked down on by a little cutie!"
"Don't speak, let me laugh first!"
"Ah! What an adorable little girl! I want to hug and kiss her!"
"Ahem, there's an even cuter grown-up kid who can give you a shot, you want one?"
"... A shot... Slow down there!"

The livestream was filled with laughter, while Wang Ke'er at the scene was blushing furiously.

"Sorry about that, the child doesn't understand and talks nonsense. Please don't mind," Yang Qing said apologetically, patting Qiu'er's little head.

Qiu'er pouted. "Hmph, Qiu'er wasn't making it up. There really was an extra circle."

Then she perked up again. "Brother, let's go home and count our money!"

"Alright."
Yang Qing smiled fondly. Then, glancing at the crowd that hadn't dispersed, he said, "Everyone, please head home for now. Come back tomorrow, alright?"

With that, he started packing up the stall. Only then did Wang Ke'er notice a piece of paper taped to the corner of the stall:

"Jianbing, five yuan each. Only five-yuan notes accepted. Thank you."

She stared, then looked at Yang Qing as he packed up. "This..."

Yang Qing tilted his head, smiled, and said, "Just posted it tonight. The crowd's gotten too big, and my sister's only in first grade—not great with numbers."

Wang Ke'er eyed the three cheerful little girls and the littlest one clapping her hands as they helped clean up, and understood. "Oh. But why not use QR codes for payment?"

Yang Qing grinned. "My sister likes counting money, and I prefer cash myself."

Wang Ke'er: ...
Liking... counting money!
Hmph! Little money-grubber!

"What time will you open the stall tomorrow?"
"Eight in the morning."
"Okay, then prepare more ingredients and be on time!"

Yang Qing: ...
On time! Damn it! Why do I feel like I'm being supervised at work?

Wang Ke'er left with her livestreaming phone, and Yang Qing finished packing up, ready to take the little ones home.

Just then, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind:
"Ding! Trial business revenue has surpassed five hundred yuan. Achievement task triggered."
"Ding! Achieve the 'Somewhat Famous' achievement within three days to earn 1 achievement point! Achieve the 'Famous Far and Wide' achievement within one month to earn 10 achievement points."
"Note: Achievement points can be used in the system lottery, with a 100% winning rate!"

Tasks, achievement points, and a 100% winning rate!
Am I about to take off?

Yang Qing snapped back to his senses, grinning excitedly at the four little ones.
"Who wants a bear drink?"