Chapter Summary: Chapter 49: Shall I Kowtow Twice for You? – Switched Marriage The Coddled Little Wife by Zhi Lan
In Chapter 49: Shall I Kowtow Twice for You?, a key moment in the Romance novel Switched Marriage The Coddled Little Wife, Zhi Lan delivers powerful storytelling, emotional shifts, and critical plot development. This chapter deepens the reader’s connection to the characters and sets the stage for upcoming revelations.
Although she never expected any reward from old Sir He, seeing his expression so full of bitterness and unease, she couldn’t help but find it amusing.
With a teasing tone, she said, "So, Old Sir He, you have treasures, huh? Then I’ll have to stick to you. What should we do about the traditional gift for becoming an apprentice? Shall I kneel and kowtow to you first?"
"You... stay away from me," Old Sir He frowned and rubbed his arms.
Before, when he saw the girl laughing, it was always warm and friendly. But now, somehow, her smile seemed cold to him.
"How can I show my respect if I’m too far away? Why don’t we follow Granny Su’s suggestion? I’ll acknowledge you as my master and you can see me as your junior. In the future, I can have meat buns every day, how about that?"
If she could bring a glimmer of hope into Old Sir He’s heart, giving him the will to live on and wait for his son’s triumphant return, Lin Chuxia was willing.
Finally, Old Sir He stood up, waving his hands dismissively, "I don’t have an appetite today, don’t feel like eating meat buns. Just the smell of meat makes me nauseous—I can’t stand it, I need to leave... I’m leaving..."
Watching his hasty retreat, Granny Su snorted with laughter.
Lin Chuxia quickly picked a few meat buns from the steamer and chased after him.
If Old Sir He managed to find this place, he surely hadn’t eaten. Seeing how skinny he was, it seemed he usually ate quite carelessly. How could she bear to let him leave hungry?
Seeing Granny Su’s face, seemingly enjoying the show at the entrance of the Bun Shop, Old Sir He turned his head away pridefully. "Take it away, I’ve lost my appetite today. Just the smell of meat disgusts me."
Smiling, Lin Chuxia stuffed the buns into his arms, "They’re not meat, all vegetarian fillings."
And with that, she headed back to the Bun Shop.
Old Sir He watched her leave, his eyes twinkling with complexity. Raising his head, he met Granny Su’s gaze, snorted, and walked home holding the buns. While walking, he took out a bun and took a bite, savoring the meaty flavor.
...
Inside the Bun Shop, Granny Su had started telling Lin Chuxia about Old Sir He.
Old Sir He came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine, with ancestors who once served as imperial physicians for the emperor. Because of this...
Three daughters and a son, they all suffered as a result. Fortunately, the daughters were married and immediately cut off their ties with him. Luckily, it was only his youngest son, born in his later years, who couldn’t avoid the situation.
His wife couldn’t make it through that time either and passed away the following year.
It was a pity that he, with his medical skills, couldn’t save his own wife and could only watch her die in agony.
Since then, Old Sir He never again treated anyone, nor was he willing to talk about his past as a physician.
Now that policies have improved, Old Sir He is just hoping for the day when his youngest son can safely return.
What remained was what Lin Chuxia saw, Old Sir He sitting at the entrance of the train station every day, keeping watch.
"Grandpa He’s son will definitely come back safely," Lin Chuxia held Granny Su’s hand.
Granny Su sighed, "Everyone’s hoping for that, it’s just that there’s been no news for so long."
Lin Chuxia could not tell the elderly that Old Sir He’s son was still alive. She would not reveal the secret of her rebirth to anyone; in her previous life, she had only heard rumors and never actually saw Old Sir He’s son.
Most customers who came to eat at her shop were men, many who didn’t want to go to the state-owned restaurant and preferred eating and chatting at her place. There were also friends catching up over drinks and food; sales of beverages and cold dishes were quite good.
After a while, when the weather cooled down, relying on cold dishes alone wouldn’t do. Lin Chuxia was thinking, once the bun shop was on the right track, she would start selling cooked food as well.
Cooked food was also her strong suit.
And the profit from cooked food was substantial. If she added cooked dishes, the shop’s daily profit could increase by at least twenty yuan.
It would surely mean, however, that the shop would be short-staffed.
Lin Chuxia was contemplating whether to place an ad for a service staff when an acquaintance showed up in the shop the next day.
Seeing Sun Lanlan, Lin Chuxia wanted to slap herself; she had been so busy that she completely forgot about her good friend.
Sun Lanlan looked around the shop, her face full of surprise, "A couple of days ago, my third brother went to the train station to see someone off and said he saw you selling buns at a bun shop. I didn’t believe it, but turns out it’s really you."
Lin Chuxia led her into the shop, found a quiet corner and poured her a cup of water, "Are you hungry? I’ll grab a couple of buns for you to try."
Sun Lanlan quickly grabbed her, glanced around, and lowered her voice, "Maybe not, it wouldn’t be good to get spotted by your boss. I’ll just sit here and chat with you. Are you busy? Is it okay to talk?"
Lin Chuxia patted her shoulder, "No problem, I call the shots here. Just make yourself comfortable."
She then fetched a few buns. At this moment, Su Wensong approached, "Boss, the meat’s all chopped up, we can start making the fillings."
Sun Lanlan beside them widened her eyes in shock, remaining speechless long after their conversation had finished.
"You... you’re the boss?"
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