Chapter 105 Shop Opening

There were already quite a few people sitting in the room. The first to arrive were the businessmen who lived next door. When they arrived, they first chose a seat, prepared the money, and paid when the noodles were served.

When people came in later, they first looked at the layout of the house, then looked at the stove filled with white smoke. Two stoves were burning at the same time. As soon as people got closer, they could feel the vigorous heat.

"What kind of buns do you want?" Tong Huaer asked.

"Aren't there buns with three kinds of fillings? Give me one of each," said the man.

Tong Huaer took a plate with three buns and handed it over, saying, "Find a seat for yourself."

"I want a bowl of the soup noodles they eat." A young man came over and noticed that Tong Huaer had her hands wrapped in cloth. He took a few more glances.

Tong Huaer retracted her hand. The chilblains on her hands were disgusting. Sui Yu told her to wrap her hands with cloth strips and not show them in front of the guests.

"My joints hurt when my hands get wet, so I wrap them with cloth to make it feel better," she explained.

The man looked away.

Zhao Xiaomi cooked a bowl of noodles and handed it to her. Tong Huaer scooped a spoonful of brine over the noodles and put a peeled braised egg into the bowl. She said, "Take the bowl outside. The braised food is in that ceramic pot."

The room houses a steamer and a ceramic pot. The broth in the pot can be reused, but to prevent flavor transfer, only the eggs are cooked. The iron steamer heats water quickly, allowing it to simultaneously cook noodles and steam buns. To ensure that cooking the noodles doesn't interfere with steaming the buns, Zhao Xiaomi has already steamed three pots and six baskets of buns before dinnertime.

The first dozen or so merchants who came finished their meal and were about to leave. As soon as they stood up, Zhao Xiping went to collect the bowls with a bucket. Looking at the bowls without any soup left, he remembered what Sui Yu said about having leftover food to feed the pigs after opening the shop. He thought to himself that there was not enough food for the people, so how could there be any soup left to feed the pigs.

As soon as the seat became available, someone sat down immediately.

"How did the boss lady get it delivered to our door? Send us ten bowls of soup noodles at noon tomorrow." Chen Wu asked.

Zhao Xiaomi pointed to a row of wooden signs hanging on the wall and said, "There are marks on the signs. If you want to make a reservation, you have to pay first. After paying, you can take two wooden signs and leave. Take the signs back and hang one on the door and hold the other in your hand. We'll deliver the meal tomorrow and knock on the door to identify the signs. Once you get the meal, you hand over the other sign. If either of the two signs is missing and the number doesn't match, we won't give you the meal."

"It's quite interesting. Who came up with this idea?" asked the bald old man who came to eat.

Zhao Xiaomi smiled proudly, "Of course it's my third sister-in-law, she's the smartest."

The man waiting for his meal by the stove was curious, so he took out another twenty-six copper coins and handed them over, saying, "I live in this alley. Send me two bowls of braised soup noodles tonight."

Zhao Xiaomi collected the money, and Zhao Xiping took down three wooden signs from the wall. He drew two lines on each of them with a burnt branch, handed two out, and hung the other one back on the wall.

"How far can it be sent?" asked the bald old man.

"We deliver to the three nearby alleys. We can deliver to places further away, but the food may be cold by the time you get there. If you don't mind, you can pay and make a reservation. You need to specify the specific location," Zhao Xiping explained.

The old bald man nodded thoughtfully and said, "This is a good idea, very novel."

He was not the only one who found it novel. Anyone who came to eat soup noodles was willing to spend an extra penny or two to experience the feeling of having food delivered to their door.

The fifty stacks of wooden signs in a row on the wall were quickly distributed. Those who came later could not make reservations and could only come earlier next time.

The bright sun moved from the east to overhead, and then gradually shifted to the west. It was not until the afternoon that the braised dishes in the earthenware pot were empty, and the number of customers coming in and out began to decrease.

Sui Yu went in and called Zhao Xiping to come out to carry the pottery pot. The braising liquid was half burned. The pottery pot was not heavy but hot. The two of them carried it in with a wet rag, and then came out to carry the stove.

Sui Liang scooped out a ladle of water with great tact to put out the remaining fire.

"I'll do it." Zhao Xiping came out with a wooden shovel and shoveled a pile of ashes into the bamboo basket.

This place is like their second home. Half of their belongings have been moved here, including pots and pans, wooden shovels and bamboo baskets, buckets and water tanks... The buckets and water tanks in their home cannot be moved away, and these two items are newly bought.

"The door is closed. We are not accepting guests for the time being." Sui Yu poked his head out and said.

The room was a mess. The dishes were still soaking in the wooden basin and had not been washed. There was soup on the table and wet footprints all over the floor. All of these needed to be cleaned up.

Zhao Xiaomi cooked five bowls of soup noodles and brought them to the table. Tong Huaer scooped out all the braised dishes from the ceramic pot, and then they began to eat.

The radish was stewed until it was almost melted, leaving no trace of radish in the mouth. The soybeans were cooked until they burst, melting on the tip of the tongue. They were soft, smooth, and flavorful, without the raw taste of bean porridge. Sui Liang stood up and used a spoon to scoop up the soybeans. When he had enough, he scooped them all into his mouth, puffing his cheeks and chewing them bit by bit, enjoying the meal.

Sui Yu waited until he swallowed it, then tapped him with his chopsticks and warned him, "Don't eat like that anymore. Everyone likes to eat delicious food. If you eat it all, what will we eat?"

"It's okay, he's not a stranger." Tong Huaer said.

"Yes, it will be the same when we eat it next time." said Zhao Xiaomi.

Sui Yu remained silent. Sui Liang sat down and admitted his mistake, saying, "I won't do this again."

Sui Yu then said "hmm".

The five people shared the remaining braised dishes. Zhao Xiaomi scooped out the noodle soup from the pot to wash the dishes. She and Tong Huaer washed the dishes, and Zhao Xiping was responsible for cleaning the ash in the stove.

Sui Yu took Sui Liang to count the money. She taught him how to count and asked him to count out loud.

The bowls and chopsticks were washed with water in the noodle soup to remove the oil, and the oily water was poured into the泔水袋. Zhao Xiping picked up the shoulder pole, hooked up the basket of firewood ash and the泔水袋 at the same time. He opened the door and went out to walk back. There were pigs, sheep and camels waiting to be fed at home.

"Oh my goodness! We've made over 2,600 coins in just half a day!" Sui Yu grinned happily. She gathered the copper coins in the cash box and said happily, "Including the evening's money, even if the guests only buy buns, we can still make three taels of silver in a day."

"Many people have made reservations for home delivery of meals tonight and tomorrow at noon," said Zhao Xiaomi.

Sui Yu turned around to count the wooden signs. The signs were written by her and the markings were most familiar to her. There were twenty-seven orders tonight, and a total of sixty-four bowls of soup noodles had to be delivered.

"It's a lot. Let's start kneading and rolling the dough." Sui Yu hung up the wooden sign and instructed, "Tong Hua'er, you'll be responsible for peeling and chopping the radishes. Liang Ge'er, put on Xiaomi's sheepskin coat and go out and buy five pounds of tofu."

As for the broth, Sui Yu had prepared plenty. He poured the braised eggs from the jar into the ceramic pot, and the broth into the ceramic pot for the braised dishes. He didn't have to worry about the braised eggs and dishes for dinner. All he had to do now was roll out the noodles and deliver them to the guests as soon as possible.

After Zhao Xiping finished feeding the pigs at home, seeing that it was still early, he took a bow and arrow and went out with four camels. The camels ran far into the wilderness, and he stayed where he was, drawing his bow to shoot birds on the branches and hares in the snow.

Half an hour passed in a flash. Zhao Xiping pinched a handful of snow to wipe his fingers. He blew a loud whistle while holding his fingers. The camels that were turning over the snow and grazing in the snow came over when they heard the sound. He blew another short whistle to urge them on. The two big camels and the little camel came running over.

Zhao Xiping picked up four wild birds of different sizes and a gray rabbit. When the camel came closer, he turned over and rode on the camel to take them back.

The camel was locked in the pen, and the prey was placed in a basket and weighed down with a wooden board to prevent it from being eaten by the cat owner. Zhao Xiping locked the door and went to knock on the door next door.

Qin Dashun heard the knock on the door and immediately sat up and opened it. "Are you leaving now?"

Zhao Xiping nodded and said, "Let's go, it's getting dark."

This was something I had agreed with Qin Dashun before. He would help with the delivery. He would be paid one cent per bowl, and the amount would depend on how many bowls he delivered.

When Zhao Xiping and Qin Dashun arrived, Sui Yu began to boil water and cook noodles. She fished the noodles out, poured the braising liquid over them, and topped them with the braised vegetables and eggs before placing the bowls in a food container. A food container holds three bowls, but she only bought four, enough for two people to take out.

Sui Yu carefully placed the six bowls of soup noodles into the wooden food box and closed the lid, instructing, "Brother Qin, please hold it firmly so the soup doesn't spill. If the box falls over and the soup spills, remember to bring it back and make a new one. Also, check the marks on the wooden sign carefully to make sure you don't give too much or too little."

"I know. You've told me this two or three times before." Qin Dashun took the lunch box with steady arms and said, "I'm going out."

Before he even left the house, he saw someone peeking out the door and said loudly, "Eating, huh? This is it."

Sui Yu walked out upon hearing the sound, and left the task of cooking noodles and collecting money to Zhao Xiaomi and Tong Huaer, while she went out to greet the guests.

"I heard that a new food store has opened here and can deliver food to your door. Is it you?" asked the woman who came in.

"We are, but we're only delivering to three nearby alleys right now. The farthest we deliver is Nanshui Street. If we deliver any further, the food will get cold." Sui Yu led the people inside and said, "It's warm inside, so you can sit inside. A bowl of braised noodles is twelve cents. If you bring your own bowl, eleven cents. Door-to-door delivery is thirteen cents."

As they were talking, Zhao Xiping strode back with a lunch box. Sui Yu turned around and asked, "So soon?"

Zhao Xiping shook his head and smiled, saying, "The two orders I just delivered are just across the street. It's just a matter of crossing the road."

"Third brother, I've cooked three more bowls. You can serve them." Zhao Xiaomi called out, then turned and said, "Auntie and sister-in-law, please wait a moment. I'll cook them for you."

There was a place to sit, the room wasn't cold, and the new guests weren't in a hurry.

The merchant next door, who smelled the aroma of the brine, called out across the wall, "Nanshi, send over two bowls of brine soup noodles and six bean sprout and tofu buns."

"Shall I go and take it?" Tong Huaer felt that Zhao Xiaomi could handle it alone at the moment.

Sui Yu waved his hand and said, "When they come back, they can go and send it off. We just need to guard the shop."

She didn't plan to let the woman do the delivery work. People's hearts are hidden, and who knows if there are any bad intentions among these people. In winter, everyone is at home, there are few people on the road, and the wind is strong. If something happens, no one will respond even if you call for help.

Two bowls of braised soup noodles were cooked, and Tong Huaer brought them to the table. Seeing that the light in the room was dim, she lit the oil lamp and brought it over.

Another guest came over, the oil shop owner and Hu Shang. Sui Yu ushered them in and said to Tong Huaer, "These two have been very kind to us in the past. Give them an extra braised egg."

The oil shop owner walked over to the stove to warm himself and said, "It's still good to have a shop. I have a place to eat, it's warm, and I don't have to worry about bad business."

As he was speaking, Qin Dashun came back with a food box. He threw the wooden sign he had taken back into the basket, then took two more and said, "Xiao Mi, cook four bowls."

"Okay, sit aside and warm up first."

"Cook six bowls, Brother Qin, and send two bowls to the next door. They also want six buns. You send them over first and collect the money at the same time." Sui Yu ordered.

Tong Huaer immediately picked up six bean sprout and tofu buns and put them on a plate and handed them over.

Qin Dashun ran away. Hu Shang was puzzled when he saw this and asked, "What's this for? Delivering food to your door?"

Sui Yu nodded, "We can also deliver to Nanshui Street. Would you like to order food?"

"Can it be delivered anywhere?" asked the oil shop owner.

Sui Yu smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, it's too cold. Currently, we only do delivery business nearby."

The conditions in all aspects are not mature yet, so she dare not take big steps.