CHAPTER 50: SELLING MOONCAKES

He watched his daughter bustling about with that same amused expression that had become familiar lately, half-proud, and half-exasperated.

"Papa!" Huaijin called, waving a small price board at him. "Look! I made the price list all by myself! Isn’t it beautiful?"

Yuanfeng smiled, taking a slow sip of tea. "Mn. It’s very creative. You even added sparkles with glue."

"Of course! A proper business always needs a good presentation!" She puffed her tiny chest out proudly before setting the board beside her baskets of mooncakes.

Each pastry was neatly wrapped in clear paper with ribbons tied at the top.

The neat handwriting labels read things like:

’Lotus Paste with Salted Egg’- 5 yuan,

’Red Bean & Walnut Delight’ - 3 yuan

’Snow Skin Custard Mini’ - 2 yuan (limited!)

Her father bent slightly to inspect them, his sharp eyes softening with pride. "You’ve done quite the job, Huaijin."

"Of course!" she chirped. "I have to make enough money so you won’t need to work so hard, Papa! Then you can rest at home and eat snacks every day!"

The corners of Yuanfeng’s mouth twitched.

’So that’s her grand plan, huh?’

It was both adorable and heartbreaking. His little girl, so small yet already worrying about "household income."

He reached over and poked her forehead gently. "Silly. Do you really think I’d stop working if you made money?"

Huaijin frowned. "Eh? Why not?"

"Because then who would help you bake the mooncakes?"

That made her pause. She blinked up at him, then giggled. "Okay! You can work for me instead! I’ll pay you in desserts!"

He chuckled quietly. "A tempting offer."

As the fair began to bustle with people, the small girl stood behind her stall, calling out sweetly to passersby."Fresh mooncakes here! Handmade with love! Only today! Special festival discount!"

Her clear childish voice carried far, drawing smiles from the crowd. People found it hard to resist such an enthusiastic and cute little vendor.

Some adults bought from her just to encourage her, while others genuinely enjoyed the taste of her sweets.

"Wow, this is delicious!" said one high school girl, taking a bite of the snow-skin mooncake. "Did you really make this yourself?"

Huaijin nodded proudly. "Yup! I made the dough, and Papa helped me cook the fillings! We even made the patterns together!"

Yuanfeng, still leaning nearby, smiled faintly as if confirming her words without needing to speak. His silent presence made the small stall seem even warmer.

Within an hour, most of her treats had sold out. The small money pouch tied to her waist began to bulge with coins and folded bills. Huaijin was absolutely glowing with excitement.

"Papa, we’re rich!" she whispered dramatically, showing him her pouch as though she’d uncovered a dragon’s treasure hoard.

"Oh?" he asked teasingly. "And how do you plan to use all that fortune, Miss Chi?"

"I’ll save it all! For your medical bills when you get old!"

That nearly made Yuanfeng choke on his tea. "...I’m not that fragile, Huaijin."

"Just in case!" she said seriously. "I need to protect you from everything bad! Even the future!"

The sincerity in her tiny voice made something stir deep inside him. He smiled again, softer this time. "Then I’ll be in your care, little boss."

While the father-daughter duo shared their small success, not far from them, chaos was brewing at the main stage where the dance competition was being held.

Yunying and Liang Lingzhi were both competitors, both dazzling in matching dresses, both clearly unwilling to lose. They exchanged fake smiles, their eyes gleaming like knives.

Huaijin, having taken a short break, held a skewer of candied fruit as she watched from the crowd. She tilted her head and muttered under her breath, "Break a leg. Literally."

She didn’t mean to curse them, well, maybe just a little.

As the music began, Yunying performed with exaggerated grace while Liang Lingzhi twirled fiercely beside her, both trying to outshine each other.

The tension was so thick that even the audience could feel it. And then— thud!

The crowd gasped. Huaijin’s mouth curved mischievously. "Oho..."

Yuanfeng gave her a sidelong look. "You seem to be enjoying this a little too much."

"I’m just... appreciating the drama!" she said innocently.

When the performance ended, the judges praised both girls but clearly favored another student entirely, leaving both Yunying and Lingzhi fuming.

Huaijin nearly burst out laughing at their stiff smiles of disappointment.

With her business nearly done for the day, Huaijin packed her empty boxes and carefully counted her earnings under the lantern light. "Papa, look! I earned fifty-three yuan!"

"Impressive," Yuanfeng said, pretending to be astonished. "So, Miss Chi, what are you going to do with your first business profit?"

"Hmm..." She tapped her chin. "Buy you a new pair of socks?"

He blinked. "...Socks?"

"Because you said last time your socks always disappear after laundry!"

"..." He sighed, half amused, half speechless. "You do have a good memory."

"Of course! Because I’m smart like you!" she chirped, flashing a proud smile.

The moon hung high above, its silver light reflecting in Huaijin’s wide eyes. Around them, the sounds of laughter, fireworks, and festival music blended together.

For a moment, it felt like time itself had slowed down, wrapping the two of them in a quiet, perfect bubble of warmth and happiness.

Yuanfeng crouched beside his daughter, helping her tie up the last of the boxes. "Did you have fun today?"

Huaijin nodded, yawning softly. "Mn... I did. But I’ll make even more next time. Maybe moon-shaped cookies too..."

Her voice trailed off, her eyelids fluttering sleepily.

He smiled faintly, lifting her into his arms as she leaned against his shoulder. "Rest now, little one. You’ve worked hard today."

As he walked home under the soft moonlight, the faint scent of baked dough and osmanthus still lingered on her hair.

For the first time in a long while, Yuanfeng allowed himself to believe, just for tonight, that maybe, in this life, things could stay peaceful like this.