Chapter 32: Labor That Delivered Itself
Once they entered the city, they had to split up. Wen Xiuyi made a point to remind his two younger brothers that after they finished selling their goods, they should come find him at the docks. He told them not to rush home—they could eat lunch at his stall before heading back.
Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing dumbly nodded along, still in a daze even as Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun pushed the cart away.
Wen Xiuqing tugged on Wen Xiuzhu’s sleeve. “Second Brother… was that really our eldest brother?”
Wen Xiuzhu shook his head, then nodded. “Seems like it?”
“……”
The two brothers fell into silence. The eldest brother’s sudden transformation had left them completely unprepared.
“Sigh,” Wen Xiuzhu sighed, patting his younger brother’s shoulder. “He’s definitely our big brother. Just don’t know how long this change will last. Let’s wait and see. Come on, let’s sell our stuff first, then head to the docks. Don’t forget, Mother told us to check if Eldest Brother is really running a proper stall and not just fooling everyone.”
Wen Xiuqing nodded repeatedly and followed his older brother to sell their goods.
They delivered the women’s embroidery to the fabric shop, got some money, and bought new thread and cloth. Then they headed to their usual market spot, where they spent the rest of the morning selling. Only when the sun rose high and business slowed down did they finally manage to sell everything.
By then, they were starving. They had dry rations prepared by their mother in their baskets, but remembering what their eldest brother had said, they grit their teeth and decided to hold off until they could check out his stall.
The docks were huge, and they had no idea where to find Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun, so they wandered aimlessly—until they overheard two laborers who’d just gotten off work.
“Word is Wen’s Fried Rice has a new dish today. Better get there before it’s all gone.”
“Yeah, I heard it’s some kind of braised meat. Sounds good. Ten wen a plate. We can split one.”
The brothers exchanged a look. Wen’s Fried Rice? Could it really be their big brother?
They quietly followed behind the two men, circling around until they finally arrived at the stall.
When they saw it, they were stunned. The place was packed. People jostled shoulder to shoulder, and some were even squatting by the roadside with bowls in hand.
Wen Xiuyi was working nonstop—one hand stirring rice, the other flipping the wok. Wen Jun weaved through the stall, clearing tables, taking money, serving dishes.
Both brothers rubbed their eyes in disbelief. The man wearing an apron, wielding a spatula—was that really the proud and aloof big brother they used to know?
But no matter how they looked, that was definitely their brother.
They hurried forward.
“If you’re here for food, you’ll need to wait—might be a line at this hour,” Wen Xiuyi called out without even looking up. When he glanced up and saw his two brothers, he blinked in surprise.
Seeing them frozen there, he immediately barked, “What are you standing around for? Drop your stuff and help out!”
“Ah? Oh, oh, right!” They finally snapped out of it, quickly setting their baskets down behind the stall and jumping in to help.
Wen Jun spotted them and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the busy stall and then toward the dishwashing area. “Second Uncle, Third Uncle, help me manage the front. I’m going to wash the dishes.”
The two brothers waved their hands in panic. “No, no, we’re too clumsy! What if we upset the customers? You go handle things—we’ll do the dishes.”
Wen Jun didn’t argue. He nodded. “Alright then. I’ll leave it to you. Just stack the clean bowls next to my dad when you’re done.” Then he headed off.
Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing exchanged a look, then squatted down obediently to start washing bowls.
Beside them were two large tubs already filled with water. They scooped some into a basin and got to work.
As they scrubbed, both their stomachs grumbled loudly. Had they known they’d be working, they would’ve eaten something first to tide themselves over.
After nearly half an hour, the lunch rush finally eased up, and Wen Xiuyi could catch his breath. Seeing his two brothers still hunched over washing dishes, he called out, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Stop washing for now. Let Xiao Jun take over. Come sit down—I’ll make you something to eat.”
“Just a few left. We’ll be done in a second,” they replied, hands moving quickly as they finished the last of the dishes.
Wen Xiuyi had already stir-fried two steaming bowls of rice, each with two eggs and plenty of shredded meat. He even had Wen Jun slice up a plate of braised pig head meat.
“Eat up,” he said, wiping his hands on his apron with a grin.
The brothers stared at the big bowls of rice, the side of braised meat, and their own bowls of soup, almost afraid to touch anything.
When they didn’t move, Wen Xiuyi raised an eyebrow. “What are you spacing out for? Eat!”
Wen Xiuqing looked at Wen Xiuzhu, who took a deep breath and picked up his chopsticks. “Let’s eat. Big Brother told us to.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Wen Xiuqing dove in, stuffing his face while mumbling between bites about how delicious it was.
Watching his brother scarf down food, Wen Xiuyi’s expression softened. In his eyes, the two of them weren’t much older than the Wen Jun from his past life.
“Slow down, no one’s stealing your food. If it’s not enough, I’ll make more,” he said with a smile.
Mouth still full, Wen Xiuqing looked up and beamed. “Thanks, Big Brother.”
Wen Xiuyi just smiled. When he saw Wen Jun had finished his chores, he called over, “Jun, go eat. There’s still food in the wok.”
“Okay!” Wen Jun answered, serving himself a bowl. He even made sure to serve one for Liuzi as well.
Liuzi accepted it while saying he felt embarrassed, but he took the bowl anyway. The two found a couple of stools behind the stall, eating and chatting.
Before long, Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing had cleaned their bowls and meat plate spotless—even the soup was gone. They both let out a loud burp.
“Want more? I can make another batch,” Wen Xiuyi offered.
They quickly waved their hands. “No, no, we’re full.” Then they scratched their heads and smiled sheepishly at him.
Wen Xiuyi couldn’t stand to look at these two goofballs and asked, “You sold all your goods?”
“Mm.” They nodded. “All gone. Dried goods from home sell well. We also sold some embroidered handkerchiefs the women made—give them a bit of money to buy thread and such.”
For some reason, hearing that made Wen Xiuyi’s heart ache a little. He reached out and patted Wen Xiuzhu on the shoulder.
“These years must’ve been hard on you both.”
One sentence nearly brought these two seven-foot-tall men to tears. Wen Xiuqing’s eyes reddened, and Wen Xiuzhu sniffed hard. “Big Brother… please don’t mess up again. Dad and Mom really can’t take another hit.”
Wen Xiuyi gave a bitter laugh. He had never messed up in the first place—but that wasn’t something he could explain. So he simply said, “You know how prideful I used to be. Now I’m out here at the docks, making a living by selling food. Doesn’t that prove I’ve changed for real?”
