Chapter Thirteen: Could You Do Me a Small Favor?

The clueless onlookers at the back of the line began to piece together what was happening.

“Checking IDs... this must be the urban management officer.”

“Do you think they’ll impound the cart?”

“Oh no! What about the pickles I ordered the day before yesterday?”

At the end of the queue, an insider who wished to remain anonymous offered some reassurance:

“Don’t worry. The bun vendor took a day off recently—I heard he went to handle some business permits.”

“Oh, that makes sense. His stuff is always so clean.”

Gradually, the crowd calmed down.

Only the customer who had sent Wang Meng to queue scratched his head, murmuring, “Did I speak too loudly just now?”

Of course, the situation was nowhere near as serious as people imagined.

First, it was the weekend, so this wasn’t an official inspection.

Second, Wang Meng really loved the buns made by Chen Zhou.

The two even began chatting while setting up their stalls.

Wang Meng said, “Boss, I think you should open a proper shop.”

Chen Zhou looked puzzled. “But didn’t you just say this is a perfectly standard little stall? Why are you now suggesting I open a store?”

“Sometimes I spill buns in my car,” Wang Meng frowned slightly, recalling some unpleasant experiences. “If you open a shop, I can sit down and eat.”

“Then spill them inside my shop, huh...” Chen Zhou smiled.

The urban management officer before him shattered Chen Zhou’s previous stereotypes about the profession.

This man was clearly a very warm-hearted comrade.

Chen Zhou was willing to break from their purely professional relationship and discussed something more personal:

“So you lied to that girl just now—you ate the buns in the car?”

“You heard that? Well... it’s not exactly a lie...” Wang Meng sighed.

“I like spicy food; she can’t handle even a bit of spice. I love buns; she insists on drinking coffee...”

“Relationships where you can’t share meals don’t last long.”

“Hm~ true enough.”

As a married man with a child already in kindergarten, Chen Zhou found Wang Meng’s analysis quite sound.

“Enough about that, boss,” Wang Meng said seriously. “Let me get to the point.”

“Go ahead, sir.”

“I’m no leader,” Wang Meng clicked his tongue. “When I’m off work, just call me by my name.”

Chen Zhou nodded.

“Alright, Officer Wang.”

Knowing there was no way out, Chen Zhou let Wang Meng continue talking about his matter:

“Our unit’s leaders have gone a bit crazy recently. They want everyone to shoot micro-videos. I think your little stall is great, so I want to use it as a feature.”

As the old saying goes, the tail wags the dog.

Chen Zhou was still just a small street vendor; he hadn’t dreamed of attracting the attention of urban management.

He politely declined:

“It’s not quite suitable. I’ve only been open a week.”

Seeing Chen Zhou’s hesitation, Wang Meng didn’t push.

He understood—Chen Zhou’s stall wasn’t in a key inspection area, and filming a video there might cause trouble.

“Alright, Chen, I originally wanted to use your stall as a good example. Then I could show other vendors how to do it right and maybe help them out.”

“Because just telling them doesn’t work—they don’t know what it should look like.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many people get checked repeatedly for incomplete permits. When they run into us, sometimes even customers get chased away.”

“Wait a moment.” Chen Zhou held out his hand, stopping Wang Meng who was about to leave.

Wang Meng immediately said earnestly:

“Hold on! Don’t give me anything—I bought the buns myself. Don’t worry, I’ll keep coming here. I’m not threatening you.”

Chen Zhou smiled. “Officer Wang, feel free to film whatever you want here. I’ll cooperate anytime.”

Wang Meng was a bit stunned.

“Didn’t you just say you were willing?”

“I changed my mind.”

Chen Zhou knew full well that he had only managed to navigate the whole process so smoothly because of his intelligence and business savvy.

Not everyone had access to the system.

Being chased by urban management was no fun.

He was happy to help in a small way.

Hearing Chen Zhou’s willingness to cooperate, Wang Meng brightened up. “Then I won’t disturb your business for now. Let’s exchange WeChat and keep in touch!”

“Okay, Officer Wang.”

...

The street gradually cleared.

The incessant cicada chorus became the main soundtrack of the road.

With the last bun sold, Chen Zhou officially ended his vending for the day.

In the past three days, thanks to improved skills, Chen Zhou had been able to increase his bun production.

Thanks to the patrons’ approval, he could always sell over two hundred buns before heading home.

Chen Zhou had to admire himself.

“Professional techniques really make a difference—quality and quantity guaranteed.”

At that moment, he earned another 185 positive reputation points.

If there was no urgent need to upgrade skills, he could save them to break through the level 3 milestone at 700 points.

Chen Zhou recently reflected on this.

The reputation points system in the intelligence network was like pouring water into a cup.

The system’s level was the cup’s capacity; the reputation points were the water.

Once you filled the current cup, you’d move on to a larger one.

“No need to rush; take it slow and it will fill naturally.”

Chen Zhou reminded himself that only by cooking well could the flow continue uninterrupted.

After returning home and taking a shower, Chen Zhou’s mind unexpectedly drifted back to the urban management officer he had met today.

Though they joked at first, Wang Meng’s suggestion to open a store had genuinely caught Chen Zhou’s attention.

Vending was low cost for Chen Zhou.

But from a customer’s perspective, if they wanted to try a few bites, they had to eat while walking.

Opening a small shop would let people sit and enjoy at leisure.

It would be warm in winter and cool in summer, and they wouldn’t have to worry about wind or rain.

Moreover, Chen Zhou’s home kitchen was already feeling cramped.

Especially the fridge used for pickles was taking up much space needed for his vending supplies.

It seemed opening a shop should be gradually put on the agenda.

“Besides saving reputation points, I need to save some money.”

After showering, Chen Zhou entered the bedroom.

Ms. Lin was on the bed, holding Tao Tao and reading a picture book to her.

Chen Zhou quietly squeezed in between them from the foot of the bed.

Tao Tao happily pounced on him like a small mountain, then pointed at the illustrations and said:

“This is Daddy Bear, and this is Mommy Bear.”

Chen Zhou couldn’t help but interrupt:

“Then you must be the naughty little bear up there.”

“No, no, that’s the little cub,” the little girl quickly waved her hand, correcting him. Then she begged her mother to read the story again, this time with Daddy listening too.

Ms. Lin began reading the story once more, lulling Chen Zhou toward sleep.

Perhaps it was the comfort of being with family.

Before falling asleep, Chen Zhou glanced at the system countdown.

“Tomorrow morning, the intelligence updates again.”