Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 36: Abysmal Popularity

The sun set in the west, finally taking the day’s scorching heat with it. A gentle breeze swept through, bringing with it a refreshing coolness.

Wisps of smoke curled up from the chimneys in the compound as the aroma of dinner began to fill the air from many of the homes.

But the scent of the Su family’s cold skin noodles overpowered the usual smell of cooking. Everyone stared at the thin, translucent noodles.

They were soft as silk, yet perfectly chewy, and the aroma was absolutely intoxicating.

The delicious taste was like the gummy candies children loved, and paired with the fresh vegetables, it left an unforgettable aftertaste.

Su’s mother was busy mixing the seasonings, Second Brother Gu was in charge of tossing the noodles, and Mr. Su was responsible for washing the bowls.

Gu Jiaojiao’s clear, bright voice called for everyone to form a line. Su Shuochi sat with a cardboard box on his lap, in charge of taking money and making change.

He had been shy about it at first, but seeing his wife standing so bravely among the crowd, he grew calm and composed.

Business was booming from the moment they opened. The hardworking customers were so focused on getting their noodles that no one recognized the Su family.

The satisfied customers chattered about how delicious the cold skin noodles were all the way home.

This, in turn, attracted a wave of students, and one of them, with sharp eyes, spotted Gu Jiaojiao.

"Hey, look! Isn’t that Gu Jiaojiao selling cold skin noodles? Did she drop out of school?"

"You haven’t heard? The Sheng Family took out a newspaper ad to disown her. Without them, she’s so poor she has to run a street stall just to get by."

"Well, well. What’s a fake heiress doing in school anyway? I heard she married a cripple. They probably can’t even afford to eat."

"Serves her right. She used to be so high and mighty, always looking down on us. Now I’d like to see her talk her way out of this."

"Come on, let’s go have a look." One student led the way, and the group pushed past the people in line to get to the front.

"Excuse me. You’ll need to go to the back of the line. We don’t allow anyone to cut," Gu Jiaojiao said, not recognizing her old classmates.

"Well, well. Still pretending you don’t know us, Gu Jiaojiao? Are you too embarrassed to be seen running a street stall?"

A girl of about seventeen or eighteen shouted, gloating.

"We’re not stealing or robbing anything. What’s there to be embarrassed about? Do you live by the sea? Why are you so nosy?"

Gu Jiaojiao genuinely didn’t recognize them. She was thrilled about how well business was going, so when someone came looking for trouble, she fired right back.

"Who wants to be nosy about you? I just can’t stand seeing someone so high-and-mighty fall so low as to become a street vendor."

"What business is it of yours if I run a stall? Haven’t you ever heard that there’s no such thing as a dishonorable profession?"

"You—You’re unbelievable! You’ve sunk this low and you’re still trying to argue. Just hurry up and give each of us a bowl of noodles."

Su Shuochi had sharp hearing and heard every word they said. He quietly reminded Gu Jiaojiao that they were her classmates.

Gu Jiaojiao felt a flicker of embarrassment. "Classmates have to get in line, too. Enough of this nonsense. I don’t like people who try to pull strings."

"That’s right! So what if you’re classmates? Get to the back of the line!" an older woman in the queue yelled.

She had already eaten one bowl and had come back with a bowl from home, queuing up again to buy one for her children to try.

Being seventeen and eighteen-year-old girls, after all, they were too embarrassed to stay after being yelled at by the woman and left.

Before they left, they shot Gu Jiaojiao a harsh glare, their expressions full of mockery.

Gu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at her mocking former classmates.

’The old Gu Jiaojiao’s social skills must have been terrible. Everyone who met her wanted to kick her while she was down,’ she sighed to herself.

Unwilling to let it go, the girls went to the school gate and started spreading the word that Gu Jiaojiao had fallen so low she was now a street vendor.

The students who heard the news sighed with emotion. Most of the other girls were gloating, but the boys felt a pang of sympathy.

After all, Gu Jiaojiao was the unattainable girl of their dreams.

Sheng Xinglian had been getting intimate with Song Zijin in the woods at noon and had lost track of time, making her late for class.

She was kept after school for half an hour by the teacher and was in a foul mood when she came out and heard the explosive news.

She grabbed a female student and asked, "Where did you see her stall? That’s illegal profiteering. You could report her for it."

’These stupid classmates are all talk,’ she thought. ’A bunch of ignorant bumpkins. I guess I’ll have to give them a little reminder.’

"What’s that supposed to mean? Gu Jiaojiao lived with your family for eighteen years. You’d get attached to a cat or a dog in that time, wouldn’t you?"

"But your Sheng Family married her off to a cripple. Hmph! My family would never do something so heartless," a male student who had a crush on Gu Jiaojiao retorted angrily.

"Yeah! I heard Gu Jiaojiao risked her life to save your mother just yesterday, and now you want to go and ruin her business?"

"Gu Jiaojiao has it bad enough already. Show some decency."

"If you feel so sorry for her, why don’t you take her home and worship her!" a girl who had a crush on the boy snapped back.

"Are you crazy?" the boy yelled, before hopping on his roadster and speeding away.

Seeing how heartless and ungrateful Sheng Xinglian was, the other boys all shot her a harsh glare before leaving.

The other girls were reluctantly dragged away by their friends.

Sheng Xinglian was left staring hatefully at their retreating backs. She wanted to run over to Gu Jiaojiao’s stall and curse her out.

But she had already skipped lunch at home. If she missed dinner too, her mother would surely worry.

’I’m in no rush to deal with Gu Jiaojiao,’ she thought. ’That boy already has a problem with me. My image is supposed to be kind and gentle; I can’t cause another scene.’ So Sheng Xinglian turned to her little lackey.

"Xiao Yu... I really didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just worried Jiaojiao will get into big trouble and drag my father down with her."

’But you’ve already disowned her. How could she implicate him?’ Xiao Yu wanted to say.

But her parents favored her brothers over her, and she never had enough to eat at home. She was hoping to get something out of Sheng Xinglian.

"Ms. Lian’er, you don’t have to worry. Your father is so forward-thinking! He cut ties with Gu Jiaojiao long ago, so no matter what trouble she gets into, it can’t affect your father."

Sheng Xinglian: ...

’It’s exhausting talking to an idiot!’

"Xiao Yu, you don’t understand. I’m actually very worried about Jiaojiao. If she gets arrested, how will she ever be able to go to college?"

"You’re just too kind, Ms. Lian’er." ’It would be better if she couldn’t get into college anyway,’ Xiao Yu thought.

Xiao Yu couldn’t figure out what Sheng Xinglian was getting at, so she didn’t dare say anything more.

One was exhausted from talking without achieving her goal, the other was answering with extreme caution. The two of them parted unhappily.

Night fell, and the Su family had sold out of cold skin noodles. Su’s mother had originally planned for them to eat any leftovers for dinner.

Everyone was thrilled. No one spoke on the way; they just hurried home.

The moment they walked through the Su family’s door, they saw the Gu Family was already up and sitting in the living room. Second Brother Gu couldn’t help but exclaim.

"Grandpa! Mom, Dad! We sold over two hundred bowls this afternoon! My god, at thirty cents a bowl, two hundred bowls is sixty yuan!"

"Did you really sell that many?" Mrs. Gu asked, unable to believe it.

"Mom, it’s about right. Second Brother is amazing! He was so busy, but he still managed to keep count."

"Jiaojiao, let’s just count the money and we’ll know for sure," Su Shuochi said, emptying the cardboard box onto the table.

A mountain of small bills and coins piled up on the table.

"Heh heh, go ahead and count, everyone. My wife and I will go make dinner," Mr. Su said, his face wreathed in smiles. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Dad, Aunt Gu and I have already made dinner," Su Qinchun said.

"In that case, let’s eat first and count the money later! HAHA..."