Chapter Twenty-Nine: Just Wait for Your Fortune

Yang Meng laughed and said, “Sister Ma, why are you being so polite? If you need anything, just say it. You’ve looked after me so much over the years.” He wasn’t just making empty gestures—though Ma Fengying’s job wasn’t great, she was genuinely kind. In the past, Yang Meng and Ma Fengying had shared a small courtyard for quite some time. During that period, she had taken care of him in countless ways. Whenever she cooked, she always set aside a portion for him. Later, Yang Meng moved out to his own little courtyard, but they remained on good terms, just like that night when he came home and Ma Fengying tossed him half a pack of cigarettes without a word.

After a moment’s thought, Ma Fengying said, “Yang, here’s the thing—my son is coming to visit in a few days. You know what my place is like; it’s not exactly suitable for him to see. So, I was wondering if I could stay at your place for a while. I’ll pay you rent, is that all right?”

Ma Fengying had a son who was attending university in another city. Currently, she was sharing a place with a group of “colleagues,” which truly wasn’t convenient. She lived frugally, saving every penny to put her child through college. Yang Meng respected her for that. The saying “a woman may be weak, but a mother is strong” was embodied in Ma Fengying.

Yang Meng grinned, “Sister Ma, don’t say such things. If you want to stay, just come stay. The house is empty anyway—no need to talk about money. Take any of the three rooms you like; just tidy them up a bit, they’re a little dusty. Oh, I parked my motorcycle in one, but I’ll move it out for you.”

But Ma Fengying shook her head. “No, no, Yang, you don’t understand. My son will be here for about half a year—he’s doing his university internship.”

Yang Meng was surprised. “University internship? Why isn’t he doing it where his school is? Why come here?”

A bit embarrassed, Ma Fengying explained, “He’s grown up now and wants to help support me. It’s easier to look after me if he’s close by. Well, that’s the nice way to say it. Truth is, he has a girlfriend here in Han Dong City and can’t bear to leave her.”

Yang Meng laughed heartily at that. “That’s good news! Your boy’s grown up; your burdens will be lighter. All right, you two come stay. Don’t mention money again. No need to fuss over a few coins.”

He had plenty of money in his pocket now—what was a little rent, after all? It would be meaningless to quibble over it.

Ma Fengying hesitated a little. “But… won’t your girlfriend have something to say about this?”

Yang Meng waved a hand. “We’ve split up. No need to talk about it. Here, Sister Ma, we’re not strangers—here’s the key to the courtyard gate. Come whenever you like.” With that, he took a key off his ring and handed it to her.

“You’ve split up? That’s a pity. You two looked like a golden couple,” Ma Fengying said with regret as she took the key.

Yang Meng was at a loss for words. Golden couple? He wasn’t sure if he counted as “golden,” but Wang Xin-nuan definitely wasn’t any kind of “jade maiden”—more like a “lustful maiden,” if anything.

Seeing Yang Meng’s silence, Ma Fengying offered comfort. “There I go, saying the wrong thing again. Don’t be upset, Yang. You know what they say—‘There are plenty of fish in the sea.’ In a country as big as ours, you’ll find someone better!”

Yang Meng smiled. “I’ll take your good wishes, then.”

Suddenly, Ma Fengying asked, “By the way, Yang, what are you doing at home?”

Yang Meng slapped his forehead. “Damn, am I losing my mind? Sister Ma, why are we chatting at the gate? I’m inside with friends, having a barbecue! Come in and join us.”

Ma Fengying’s eyes lit up, though she said, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” her feet carried her straight into the courtyard. “Yang, what are you grilling? The whole alley is filled with the smell—everyone’s been out searching for the source, sniffing like puppies.”

Yang Meng was exasperated. “Sister Ma, aren’t you exaggerating?”

“Exaggerating? Go look for yourself!” she said, pointing to the street.

Yang Meng poked his head out and, sure enough, a crowd was staring at him, eyes gleaming like a wolf spotting Little Red Riding Hood. He hurriedly shut the gate.

“Sister Ma, is it really that fragrant?” he asked, puzzled. To him, it smelled pretty ordinary.

Ma Fengying pointed at Hu Erleng and Qi Kun, who were wolfing down meat. “You don’t even know how good your own barbecue is? Look at your friends—they’re eating like they haven’t seen food in three hundred years.”

Yang Meng looked over and nearly burst with frustration. The way those two were eating… utterly embarrassing! How could he be friends with them?

“All right, you two, that’s enough! Can’t you see we have a lady present? You’re making me lose face! Stop eating for a second—let me introduce you. This is Ma Fengying, Sister Ma, my longtime neighbor, who’s looked out for me all these years. Sister Ma, these are Hu Erleng and Qi Kun, both old friends from my hometown.”

Hu Erleng wiped his hands before shaking Ma Fengying’s hand, while Qi Kun simply handed her a skewer of chicken wings. “Sister Ma, here, try these wings—they’re delicious!”

Ma Fengying took the skewer with a smile. “I came over because of the aroma. Yang, I’ve seen your friends around but never spoken to them. In this alley, there are no secrets—you so much as sneeze and everyone knows.”

“Well, it’s not too late to get acquainted,” Yang Meng replied. “Lobster, Erleng, looks like Sister Ma will be staying here for about half a year, so you’ll be seeing a lot more of her.”

“Of course!” Qi Kun laughed. “All right, enough with the small talk. Get back to grilling and serve us well! Tonight, I’m eating till I burst!”

Yang Meng flipped him the finger. “Your belly’s round enough as it is! Call Crazy and see why he’s not here yet. If he doesn’t show soon, I’m opening the drinks without him!”

Qi Kun whipped out his phone, dialed Ling Feng, and then waved it. “Phone’s off. He’s probably still on duty. For a part-time cop, he’s busier than the real ones.”

Yang Meng chuckled. “That’s just how he is. He’s desperate to get a full-time position.”

Qi Kun nodded. “All because of my uncle. But why did such a good man have to end up with such an aunt?”

Yang Meng waved him off. “Enough. Their issues aren’t our business. Can’t you keep your mouth shut while eating?”

Qi Kun shrugged. “Never mind that—let’s start drinking! Sister Ma, will you have some too?”

Ma Fengying held up her chicken wing. “Let me taste this first. After smelling it out there for so long, I can’t wait any longer.”

Yang Meng agreed. “Let’s eat first. We can wait for him to start drinking—otherwise, he’ll just accuse us of drinking behind his back.”

Hu Erleng asked, “By the way, Mengmeng, why do your skewers taste different this time?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Yang Meng asked, confused.

Hu Erleng explained, “The chicken wings you just grilled taste nothing like the earlier ones. These are good, but the others were worlds apart—so much better.”

Yang Meng grinned slyly. “Didn’t I say you were my guinea pigs? The wings you had earlier were marinated in a new mix I’m experimenting with. I wasn’t sure if it’d be good, so I didn’t make much.”

“What? That wasn’t good enough?” Qi Kun protested. “Marinate all the rest with that mix. After eating your special recipe, the plain stuff is hardly edible.”

Yang Meng turned to Ma Fengying. “Is it really that big a deal? I don’t trust these two.”

But when he looked at Ma Fengying, he saw that though she’d laughed at Hu Erleng and Qi Kun for their lack of manners, she herself was eating just as heartily.

Noticing his gaze, she coughed and said, “Yang, if I had your skills, I’d be rich by now.”

“Rich?” Yang Meng echoed, “You mean opening a barbecue stall? How much could that earn?”

Ma Fengying wagged her finger. “Don’t underestimate the barbecue business. I used to work one, and the money was real! Different foods have different profit margins. For things like enoki mushrooms, the margin is over tenfold. As long as business is steady, even a small stall can make a few hundred a night; a busy one can easily make thousands. Of course, it’s exhausting—late nights and early mornings every day.”

“So much money?” Yang Meng and the others were stunned. They’d always barbecued at home and never realized how lucrative it could be.

Ma Fengying nodded. “Take these wings—they cost just over ten yuan a kilo wholesale, about fifteen per kilo. So, say a yuan each. At a stall, they sell for at least five yuan per skewer, eight or ten in a shop. Do the math—how much profit is that? And that’s not even the best margin. Vegetables like enoki mushrooms or green peppers seem cheap but are even more profitable! For instance, the skinny green peppers you bought cost just over two yuan a kilo—about ten per kilo, enough for twenty skewers. Even at a yuan a skewer, that’s tenfold profit. Still think barbecue is a joke? I once thought of opening a stall, but now the city’s cleared out street vendors, and shop rent is so high it’s easy to lose money. So I gave up on the idea.”

Suddenly, Yang Meng’s eyes lit up. “Sister Ma, by your logic, opening a barbecue restaurant should be profitable, right?”

If it was so lucrative, he’d finally have a way to send money home!

Sister Ma considered it. “I don’t know what you put in your marinade, but as long as the food is clean and you can keep up this standard, you’re bound to make a fortune!”