The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Xiao Yuan gave Anning some food: ”Okay, I’ll try harder, and when you go to the Capital, I’ll go too. I’ll think of a way to rent a place near Imperial University.”

Xiao Qin wanted to say something to Xiao Yuan, but seeing his eyes full of Anning, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

After dinner, Xiao Yuan told Anning to take a shower and rest.

Xiao Qin went to wash the dishes, and Xiao Yuan followed her into the kitchen.

He quietly said to Xiao Qin, ”Don’t tell the family about me and Anning.”

”Why?”

Xiao Qin didn’t understand: ”If our parents knew you could marry a girl like Anning, who knows how happy they’d be.”

Xiao Yuan shook his head: ”If our family knows, they might spread it around. If Uncle Yang hears about this, do you think Anning and I could still be together? Given our family’s circumstances compared to Uncle Yang’s, would they willingly marry off a good daughter to me? So for now, don’t say anything to anyone, wait until I’ve worked hard enough to be in a position to propose to Uncle Yang, then you can talk.”

Xiao Qin realized he was right.

Since the two families are from the same village, if she told the family, her parents might happily say something to the Yang Family. Or, even if they didn’t, over time, they’d eventually let it slip, and then Uncle Yang might come and split up her brother and Anning.

Xiao Yuan, worried that Xiao Qin might say something, reminded her again: ”If Anning and I break up, considering her conditions, she can surely find another good match. But your brother might stay single for life.”

Xiao Qin nodded immediately: ”I won’t say anything, not a word, even if I’m talking in my sleep.”

She understood what Xiao Yuan said was true.

Dating a girl like Anning, if they really broke up, her brother probably wouldn’t find another woman attractive.

After all, Anning is the village’s acknowledged fairy. Once you’ve been with a fairy, how can mortals catch your eye?

Xiao Qin glanced outside, seeing Anning hadn’t come out. She quietly said, ”Bro, it’s not easy to marry a fairy. Bringing a fairy down to earth is tough.”

”I’m willing.”

Xiao Yuan smiled and tousled Xiao Qin’s hair: ”That’s my business; don’t worry unnecessarily.”

He helped Xiao Qin wash the dishes and then started preparing the things needed for steaming buns the next day.

Once prepared, Xiao Yuan urged Xiao Qin to go take a bath.

Anning came out after her bath and sat talking with Xiao Yuan in the yard.

She wore a light blue floral dress, her long hair down, still damp from the wash. The summer evening breeze blew, bringing some warmth but felt comfortable.

Anning looked up at the tall night sky, stars gradually appearing, and felt life was pretty good.

Sitting in the rundown farmhouse courtyard, on a bench made from old wood, surrounded by dilapidated houses, she still felt quite happy.

Anning looked at Xiao Yuan: ”I remember the house we stayed in at the Southern Yi, the one we borrowed wasn’t as good as this courtyard.”

Xiao Yuan picked up a towel to dry Anning’s hair.

Seeing her smiling face, his heart swelled with emotion.

”It won’t be long before I make sure you have a nice house.”

Anning smiled: ”Whether the house is good or not doesn’t matter. Do you think I’m someone who cares about that? As long as we’re together, it’s fine. If you become the Emperor, I’ll be the Empress; if you become a beggar, we’ll beg on the streets together.”

Xiao Qin came out from her bath and heard that sentence.

She honestly didn’t know what to say.

Xiao Qin didn’t know the modern saying about getting full from eating dog food; she only knew she felt uneasy inside.

She just thought, do these two forget I’m still at home?

That night, Anning and Xiao Qin shared a room.

Around 3 or 4 AM, Anning heard some noise.

She quickly dressed, and Xiao Qin also put on clothes and went outside.

When they came out, they saw Xiao Yuan was already kneading dough.

Anning went over to help: ”You knead the dough, and I’ll prepare the filling.”

Xiao Qin took a knife and started chopping vegetables, Xiao Yuan rushed to mince the meat filling, and the three of them worked together. After about an hour, the buns were in the steamer.

By the time the buns were ready, it was already past five, almost six o’clock.

Anning helped Xiao Yuan load the buns onto the tricycle: ”You go sell these first. Xiao Qin and I will steam some more, and I’ll bring more over to you later.”

Xiao Yuan nodded: ”Okay, I’ll head out then.”

He rode the tricycle to the area near the Fourth Provincial Middle School.

The Fourth and Eighth Provincial Middle Schools were close, and at this time, students moving from the second to the third year of middle school, and those moving to the third year of high school, weren’t on vacation yet, so there were quite a lot of students from both schools combined.

When Xiao Yuan arrived, it was past six, right when students were heading to school.

Many students, rushing for school, didn’t have time for breakfast, some brought food with them, others bought something near school.

Xiao Yuan stopped and took out some buns.

He hadn’t had breakfast himself and was quite hungry, so he grabbed a meat bun to eat.

Xiao Yuan and Anning, having lived through countless lifetimes, both had a knack for cooking. In one life, Anning’s sister owned a bun shop, and Xiao Yuan learned the art of steaming buns. His stuffing was truly fragrant; as soon as you bite in, the aroma spread far.

Students passing by, smelling that fragrance, salivated.

Several students crowded around, buying two or three buns each.

Soon people gathered more and more.

Before long, Xiao Yuan nearly sold out all the buns he brought.

At that moment, Anning arrived, riding a worn-out bicycle, bringing more buns, just in time.

When they sold out all the buns they steamed that day, several students didn’t get any. Anning laughed and said: ”We didn’t steam enough today, we’re really out, but tomorrow, we’ll save some for you.”

Seeing that classes were about to start, those students left reluctantly.

Xiao Yuan and Anning went back and started counting money.

The buns Xiao Yuan steamed weren’t big, but the filling was generous. Each sold for 30 cents, and Xiao Yuan steamed six to seven hundred buns in total, selling over 200 yuan, with about 100 yuan in profit after costs.

Xiao Qin thought it was quite lucrative, but Xiao Yuan felt it wasn’t enough; they were making money too slowly.

Anning pondered and said: ”How about selling drinks on the side, like soy milk? We can get some plastic cups and a sealer.”

Xiao Yuan thought for a moment: ”That could work. Let Xiao Qin make the soy milk, and we’ll steam the buns.”

With that settled, Xiao Yuan and Anning went to find a place to buy a lot of plastic cups and a sealer machine.

With this added, they got busier, needing to get up even earlier every day to steam buns and make soy milk.

But they earned a lot more money too.

The next day, they woke early to sell buns and soy milk at the school gate in the morning, and at the factory gate at noon. They could sell two thousand buns a day, and coupled with the profit from selling soy milk, they were making quite a bit at the time.

After selling like this for three or four days, Xiao Yuan had about 1,000 yuan in hand.

Xiao Qin thought they were making money quickly. In previous years, their family couldn’t earn this much in a year, but now they’d made it in just a few days, which motivated her even more.

Afterward, Xiao Yuan sold buns in the afternoon and then took Anning out for a walk, bought her a few outfits, and strolled around the Provincial City with her.

A few days later, Anning had to return.

She had to go back, as it was soon time to apply for universities, and she had to return to fill out the forms.

Both Xiao Yuan and Xiao Qin were reluctant to see Anning go.

After sending Anning off, when Xiao Qin returned, she said to Xiao Yuan: ”Brother, Anning is truly remarkable. Despite her family’s good conditions, she didn’t mind ours. She steamed buns with us and ran around in the heat selling buns with you without a single complaint. She even sympathized with how hard you had it. Brother, such a girl is hard to find nowadays; you must hold on to her and never let Anning down.”