Chapter 60 - Two-in-One Lin's Rice Noodle Soup (Bug Fix)...

Hearing this, Lin Chunxing looked at her in surprise: "Sister, do small stalls need names? I see a lot of pancake stalls don't have names."

Lin Chuntao smiled and glanced at them.

“Our little stall certainly won’t just last a few days or months. If business is good in the future, we’ll open a shop. We’ll definitely need a name. We can’t let our customers who like our food not be able to remember the name when they talk about it with others, can we?”

Lin Chunxing suddenly realized and murmured, "Oh, right. So what should we call ourselves?"

The sisters tilted their heads, looking worried, as if they had thought of something but felt none of it was good. Seeing their conflicted expressions, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "How about we keep it simple and direct, and call it Lin's Rice Noodle Soup?"

Pei Ying smiled; it was indeed simple and direct.

Lin Chuntao made the decision, and Lin Chunxing and the others had no objections, so it was settled. After deciding on the name, there was a price list. Lin Chuntao asked Aunt Guizhi for an old wooden board and wrote the price on it.

After setting up the price tags, Lin Chuntao realized that if the food wasn't cooked in time, everyone would be queuing up, and to avoid the situation where someone who arrived first would get their food first, Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to make number tags out of bamboo. This would make it easier for her to remember the numbers and for calling out the orders. Whether business was good or not, Lin Chuntao had Pei Ying make twenty pairs of bamboo tags.

They also organized all the baskets and other items they would need. They ate dinner early today, and only started preparing the dishes for tomorrow after dinner.

Chives tend to rot easily after washing, but I can't wait until tomorrow morning to cook them; I have to prepare the vegetables in advance. So I washed them first and put them in a colander to drain the water. After the water has drained, I cut them into sections.

The tomatoes will have to be chopped tomorrow morning. Lin Chuntao also chopped the minced meat, but she didn't cook it tonight. Lin Chuntao felt that since it was about making money, it was better to keep it fresh.

After completing the preparations for tomorrow, Lin Chuntao went to get the money and counted out 350 coins for Lin Chunxing.

"Take this, just in case."

Lin Chunxing quickly waved her hand in refusal: "Sister, I don't need the money."

Lin Chuntao frowned slightly as she looked at her and said, "This isn't for you to buy snacks. We need to go to the noodle shop tomorrow morning to buy rice noodles. Don't you need to pay? And if we run out of chives and tomatoes later on, we can buy some at the market, wash them, borrow a knife from your brother-in-law, and cut them up so we can continue selling them. Of course we don't need to pay!"

Lin Chunxing then accepted the money.

Lin Chuntao asked, "Are you very nervous?"

Lin Chunxing nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed. Lin Chuntao gently patted her shoulder, "Don't be nervous, I won't be picking mushrooms tomorrow, I'll go with you."

"real?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?"

After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Chunxing was visibly relieved. She ran to get the money pouch she had sewn a few days ago and put the copper coins inside.

Lin Duo'er looked at Lin Chunxing with envy and asked, "Sister, can I go with Second Sister?"

Lin Chuntao thought that in the future, this business would mainly be run by Lin Chunxing. She would have to go into the mountains and couldn't follow her around selling noodles every day. If Lin Chunxing left and Lin Duo'er also left, then Lin Chunhe would be the only one left at home.

Lin Chuntao slowly looked at Lin Chunhe and asked, "Chunhe, do you want to go?"

Lin Chunhe shook her head: "I'm not going." Then she added: "If I go, there will be no one at home. Second sister can go. We'll talk about it if she gets too busy."

Lin Chuntao went into the mountains to pick mushrooms, and Lin Chunxing went to sell rice noodles; they were both making money. At home, they still had to cut pig feed and gather firewood. If she went too, there would be no one left to do those things.

Lin Chuntao looked at her. Of the three younger sisters, Lin Chunhe was the most composed. She didn't talk much, wasn't frivolous, and had a better sense of composure than Lin Chunxing. Now that the old Lin family was gone, she wouldn't be too worried about going out after locking the door. Lin Chuntao said softly, "Our stall will only be set up for half a day. You can come if you want."

Lin Chunhe laughed and nodded when she heard Lin Chuntao's words.

"Then I'll go again later. Duo'er will go with you tomorrow."

*

Before the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Lin Chunxing got up.

Although Lin Chuntao agreed to go, she was still very excited, so much so that she couldn't sleep well.

Because she needed to get up early to stir-fry minced meat, Lin Chuntao asked the system to set an alarm to wake her up 15 minutes before 3 AM. When the system alarm went off, she heard noises outside and quickly woke up and got up. Lin Chunxing had already chopped the tomatoes and lit the stove.

"Why are you up so early?"

Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "I have a little trouble sleeping."

Lin Chuntao went to wash up first, and she said to Lin Chunxing, "Isn't Duo'er going? Wake her up."

Lin Chunxing agreed and went into the house, and soon came out with Lin Duo'er.

After washing up, Lin Chuntao quickly stir-fried the minced meat and put it into an earthenware pot. She then packed all the things she needed to take with her into her backpack.

When they set off, the system did not announce the location of the mushrooms, and Lin Chuntao and the others went directly to the county town.

When they arrived, Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang also arrived. The shop assistants gradually got up. They had heard yesterday that Lin Chuntao and her group were coming to cook and sell soup noodles, and they were delighted to see them today.

"Sister-in-law, have you set a price for your soup noodles?"

The person asking the question was Zhang Dayong. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Good morning, Brother Zhang. It's already ordered. Ten coins a bowl."

Ten coins a bowl, she put lard and minced meat in it, the price wasn't too expensive. Zhang Dayong smiled and said, "Please trouble your sister-in-law to cook me a bowl later, I'll eat it after I'm done with my work."

Lin Chuntao readily agreed and asked with a smile, "Thank you so much, Brother Zhang, for opening our little stall."

Zhao Guang, standing nearby, also said, "I'd like to trouble you and your sister-in-law to cook me a bowl as well."

The guys who had just come out were still a little confused, but remembering the noodles Pei Ying had brought that day, which they had been craving for a long time, they also ordered some.

Lin Chuntao wrote it all down; there were a total of eight bowls.

Zhang Dayong and the others went to busy themselves with slaughtering pigs, while the other workers had nothing to do for the time being and could have breakfast first, so they waited nearby for their food to be cooked.

Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing quickly brought out the stove and pots.

Lin Chunxing started a fire and boiled water, while Lin Chuntao carried a bamboo basket to the noodle shop to get the noodles. She first took twenty catties.

When she returned, the stove was lit, the water was boiling, and the baskets for serving vegetables were placed on the tongs. Lin Duo'er was wiping the table and chairs beside her.

Lin Chuntao put the powder away and hung the prepared sign on the bamboo frame.

Pei Ying had made this bamboo rack for home use, but since they needed it urgently at the stall, they had to use it as a temporary substitute. Lin Chuntao also made some simple hooks on it, with price tags hanging in front and discount tags on the side for easy access.

Lin Chuntao washed her hands and tore the rice flour in the bamboo sieve into portions, grabbing just the right amount at a time.

Lin Chuntao covered all the bamboo baskets used to hold the vegetables with gauze to keep out some of the dust.

The guys were about to eat six bowls, so Lin Chuntao quickly cooked them for them. Since they were acquaintances, Lin Chuntao added extra rice flour.

A small table was set up outside. The morning breeze was cool, and they took their own bowls and chopsticks and sat down at the small table to eat.

The shopkeeper selling rice noodles had originally come to buy mutton pies, but he stopped in front of Lin Chuntao's stall. The butchers were sitting at small tables, enjoying their rice noodles with relish, and the air was filled with an indescribable, rich aroma.

Lin Chuntao greeted him, and he swallowed hard as he walked over, looking at their simple little stall. A small sign in front of the stall read "Lin's Soup Noodles," and a price tag hung on a bamboo rack next to it: 10 coins for a bowl of soup noodles with minced meat filling, 4 coins for an extra portion of meat sauce, 3 coins for an extra portion of noodles, and 2 coins for an extra portion of vegetables. The portion size for each "serving" was also displayed next to it.

He peeked over and saw the men drinking soup from large bowls.

After taking a sip of the soup, Chunzi felt completely refreshed. He turned to look at Lin Chuntao, intending to ask what was in it that smelled so good, but then he saw the shopkeeper selling rice noodles. He said with a smile, "Shopkeeper, have a bowl, Lin's rice noodles are so delicious."

Seeing how much they were enjoying their meal, the shopkeeper said, "Madam, give me a bowl too."

After Lin Chuntao agreed, Lin Chunxing started scooping out the meat filling and began to cook. The noodle shopkeeper looked at how simple their cooking was and felt a little regretful. It cost ten coins, and there seemed to be only one spoonful of meat filling in the bowl. He only sold the noodles for seven coins a pound, but she sold this bowl for ten coins. She was really good at making money.

Once the noodles were cooked, Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "Would you like to eat here, shopkeeper?"

"Okay, could you put this on the table for me?" he said, and Lin Chuntao put the bowl of noodles on the table. "Enjoy your meal."

The men had finished eating; not a drop of soup was left.

The shopkeeper frowned slightly. The food was still very hot from being cooked. He gently stirred it with his chopsticks, picked up a little bit, blew on it, and then fed it into his mouth.

It was the rice noodles he was most familiar with, but coated in this simple broth, it became utterly unfamiliar to him.

He dipped his chopsticks in the broth and tasted it; the seasoning was truly perfect…

He was about to turn around and ask Lin Chuntao what was in the food when he saw the workers who had finished eating go over to pay and had already found out.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, we didn't add any sauce last time, so the flavor was a bit mild."

"This is so delicious! Which sauce shop did you use, my wife? I don't think I've ever tasted this before."

"I made it myself, I didn't buy it from a shop."

Chunzi and the others looked at Lin Chuntao in surprise, "Lady Lin can actually make sauce?"

"I just figured it out myself. Do you guys prefer today's flavor or last time's?"

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, A Si next to her immediately interjected, "It must be today's, today's is even more fragrant."

Lin Chuntao was very happy to see that they liked it.

"Okay, I'm glad you like it."

Ah Si said, "Wife, you're busy, we're going."

As they spoke, the group went into the house together, leaving the shopkeeper sitting at the table slurping noodles. He had underestimated that unassuming spoonful of meat sauce.

He said yesterday that the mutton rice noodle shop needs more than 30 jin every day, and he thinks this little stall will probably need even more in the future.

He hadn't finished eating when the people from the shop across the street got up and opened their doors. As soon as the doors opened, they smelled the aroma, and upon closer inspection, they saw the owner of the rice noodle shop sitting there eating.

The shopkeeper across from him laughed and said, "Shopkeeper Chen, what are you eating? It smells delicious."

Upon hearing this, Manager Chen smiled and said, "The newly opened Lin's Rice Noodles is really delicious. Manager Liu, would you like a bowl?"

At this greeting, three or four people gathered around the stall, and Lin Chuntao greeted them with a smile.

"Good morning, shopkeepers! Our stall just opened today. We have braised pork filling in soup noodles, ten coins a bowl, freshly cooked."

Manager Liu asked with a smile, "What kind of meat?"

"Pork."

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, the man frowned. "Pork noodles can taste good?" It wasn't that he was targeting Lin Chuntao, but pork soup would have a certain flavor, and noodles cooked with it wouldn't be as fresh as mutton. That's why there weren't many places selling pork noodles in the whole county. If it were delicious, there would be no need for Lin Chuntao to make it.

Lin Chuntao wasn't annoyed by his words, and just smiled and said, "The minced meat was stir-fried with my own homemade sauce, so it doesn't have a gamey smell anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, the man looked at Chen, the rice noodle shopkeeper. After finishing the last sip of soup, he shoveled the minced meat at the bottom of the bowl into his mouth and looked at Lin Chuntao with satisfaction, saying, "Madam Lin, tomorrow add a serving of rice noodles to my bowl, and add a spoonful of meat sauce."

Lin Chuntao smiled and agreed, and the man took out a copper coin for her.

Seeing Chen's appearance, the man said to Lin Chuntao, "Give me a bowl."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone next to him chimed in, "I'll have a bowl too."

The other two glanced at it and left with their hands behind their backs. Lin Chunxing started cooking. The two shopkeepers, who worked at the shop across the street, said to Lin Chuntao, "Let us know when it's done, and we'll bring you bowls."

After the two left, Lin Chunxing weighed the copper coin inside the lotus bud, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "This can't be considered one of our regular customers. It's just their first day selling here, and they're just looking for something new."

Lin Chunxing nodded and put the lotus bud away.

With one stove boiling water and the other cooking, Lin Chuntao thought it was still a bit slow. After cooking the water for the two shopkeepers, she asked Lin Chunxing to watch over the pot while she ran to the general store and bought another earthenware pot. If they were particularly busy, they could boil the water over a high flame and then cook it on both stoves at the same time.

Time passed slowly, and dawn broke. The market began to bustle with activity. Shops opened their doors, and various vendors arrived. Ah Si and Ah Liu started delivering meat, Pei Ying and her group began distributing meat, and Zhang Dayong and his group began moving meat to the other two stalls.

"Sister-in-law, the noodles are ready to cook. We'll be done in a minute."

Okay.

Lin Chunxing was in charge of cooking the rice noodles all morning. Perhaps because Lin Chuntao was there, it was Lin Chuntao who spoke to people, while she just focused on her work.

After Pei Ying and the others finished their work and washed their hands, they prepared to have breakfast. Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunxing and Lin Duo'er, "What would you like to eat?"

Lin Duo'er looked up at Lin Chunxing and said, "I want to eat mutton pies."

Lin Chuntao took out the money and gave it to her, "Go buy them, buy four."

Lin Duo'er took the money from her and ran away.

Pei Ying, Zhang Dayong, and Zhao Guang ate their noodles at the nearby table. After taking a bite, Zhang Dayong laughed and said, "These noodles taste better than last time. Did your sister-in-law add something new to them?"

Pei Ying said, "She was thinking about making sauce a few days ago."

Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang were both quite surprised. "Sister-in-law can make sauce?" Zhang Dayong looked at the bowl and saw no large pieces of chili skin. He said in a low voice, "This is not chopped chili sauce."

People in Yizhou love to eat chili peppers, and every household grows some. When the chili peppers turn red, they chop some up, put them in jars, and ferment them into sauce. It has a bit more flavor than fresh chili peppers, but it's not that much tastier. For truly delicious sauce, you have to buy it from a sauce shop.

Pei Ying doesn't know much about sauce, unlike Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang.

The two looked at the bowl of noodles and could hardly tell that there was sauce in it, but they could taste it. This time it was more fragrant than before because of the extra sauce, and that sauce must be delicious.

Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang exchanged a glance, then looked at Pei Ying together.

Pei Ying laughed and said, "The new sauce is still covered up. I'll tell my two older brothers when it's ready."

Zhang Dayong laughed and said, "Please save two cans for us, and we'll give the money to your sister-in-law."

Pei Ying nodded, and Zhang Dayong smiled.

They get along well, but I can't use my wife's cooking as a favor for nothing.

Just like his chili oil, which was originally made for him by his wife. Pei Ying said he wanted some, and after he made a jar last time, Pei Ying gave him the money. This time, when Pei Ying mentioned it again, he went back and told his wife, and without saying a word, she made another jar for him and happily helped him pack it up.

If he tries to save face and refuses Pei Ying's money, there won't be a third time, and his wife will not only resent him but also Pei Ying.

Pei Ying and Zhang Dayong finished eating quickly and went about their business. They used their own bowls and took them back to the yard to wash them, which saved them the trouble.

Lin Duo'er ran off and bought some mutton pies. The three sisters each ate one, while Lin Chuntao wrapped up the other one and put it in her basket to take back to Chunhe.

After they finished eating the pancakes, the sun rose, and the various food stalls in the market were already steaming and the aroma was everywhere. The woman selling sweet water diagonally across from them kept glancing over. When they met each other's eyes, Lin Chuntao smiled slightly, and the woman smiled shyly in return.

Seeing the market getting busier and all sorts of shouts filling the air, Lin Chuntao also called out.

"Newly opened braised pork noodle soup, come and take a look if you're passing by! Made with our unique sauce, only ten coins a bowl! Freshly cooked to order, no deception!"

Lin Chuntao called out twice. Chunzi and Pei Ying, who were walking past the stall and queuing to buy meat, were intrigued by her call and turned to look.

Lin Chuntao greeted the passersby, "Our signature braised pork noodle soup, ten coins a bowl. Would you like to try a bowl, sir?"

"Is this bowl enough to fill you up?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If you like, sir, you can add more powder. It will only cost three coins to add an extra portion of powder."

Lin Chuntao was cooking a pot of soup, the bright red broth bubbling and simmering, its aroma filling the air. The man swallowed hard and said, "One bowl, and an extra serving of noodles, is this pot alright?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Alright, sir, yours is thirteen coins."

The man took out his money and came over. Lin Chuntao took the first number plate from the bamboo rack next to her and handed it to him: "Sir, this is your number plate. It's the first one. Please sit here. I'll cook it and bring it to you."

The man holding the number plate seemed unsure of its meaning, so Lin Chuntao explained, "To prevent those who arrive later from eating first, we will cook according to the order of the number plates, ensuring that those who arrive first get to eat first!"

Hearing her words, the man sat down at the table somewhat awkwardly. Lin Chuntao quickly added a portion of noodles to the pot, cooked it for a while, and then poured it over to him.

The onlookers found it rather novel. This little stall even had a queue? They thought the vendor was very confident in his skills. He didn't even need a mutton noodle shop. They didn't believe he could make something better than mutton noodles.

"Give me a bowl to try too."

As she spoke, she took out ten coins and handed them over. Lin Chuntao took the money and gave her a number. Lin Chunxing stared blankly at the people in front of the stall. Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Hurry up and cook, or we won't be able to cook them all."

Lin Chunxing nodded hurriedly and started cooking.

In no time, Lin Chuntao brought out seven number plates. Everyone sat down at the small table. There was only one table, and eight people could sit at a time. The newcomers saw that there were still chairs but no seats, so they asked, "Manager, is there no room to eat here?"

Just as Lin Chuntao was about to speak, Helan arrived and happened to hear what she said. He then looked at the small table around which Lin Chuntao and her companions were seated and said loudly, "Madam Lin, if there aren't enough tables, bring out this one from my room."

Lin Chuntao smiled and thanked him, then turned to the man and said, "There's a seat available, sir, would you like a bowl?"

"Give me a bowl."

After receiving the money and the sign, Lin Chuntao went inside to move a table, and Helan helped her carry the table out.

"Your business is doing well!"

Helan's eyes were filled with joy, and Lin Chuntao said with a smile, "Let's all try it out on the first day. We'll have to wait and see if it's good or not."

Helan smiled and said, "With your skills, my wife's cooking can't be bad."

"Thank you for your kind words, Manager He!"

Helan helped her set up the table, looked at her stall, and said with a smile, "It's your first day here. If you need anything, just use what I have in my room."

Lin Chuntao nodded and thanked her, "Have you had breakfast yet? I'll cook you a bowl."

"I've already eaten at home. I'm so busy, I should take care of the guests first."

Lin Chunxing busied herself cooking these bowls, her forehead beaded with sweat. The early market was crowded with people, and Lin Chuntao and her companions couldn't keep up with the demand with their two fires. The customers kept urging them to hurry, so Lin Chuntao borrowed a stove from Manager He's house, and they cooked with three fires at once.

At first, there were many onlookers, but when they saw the person who had just finished eating, with a glistening mouth and not a single drop left in the bowl, praising the meal highly, they couldn't resist wanting a bowl themselves.

The bright red broth had hardly any chili pepper skin, and the minced meat was so fragrant that you could hardly taste any pork. Many people who had tried it thought about buying a pound of meat from the butcher's stall next door, along with a pound of rice noodles, to chop and cook at home, and then devour two big bowls of it.

The portion of the food was quite large at ten coins, but it was so delicious that I could easily eat another bowl. The only problem was that I didn't have enough money; spending twenty coins on breakfast was a bit too expensive.

People lined up to eat, and Lin Chuntao and her group's twenty jin of noodles were sold out before lunchtime.

There was still some meat sauce left, so Lin Chuntao went to get another five catties of rice noodles. After these were cooked, people would come and ask, but without meat sauce, the rice noodles couldn't be cooked.

"I'm sorry, Auntie. This is our first time making this, so we don't know how much we can sell. We didn't make enough meat sauce, and it's already sold out. I'll make more tomorrow."

Lin Chuntao made too much meat sauce, thinking that she would be lucky to sell 20 jin of noodles, but she didn't expect that even 25 jin wouldn't be enough to sell.

The meat at the meat stall next door was almost sold out, and Helan and the others were packing up to close up shop.

Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing each took turns tidying up the bamboo rack and washing the dishes, finishing around the same time as Pei Ying and the others.

I carried the meat I had already cut on my back, and then went to buy tomatoes and chives before carrying them all home.

Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing were extremely busy that morning. If business continued to be this good, one person simply couldn't handle it all. Lin Duo'er was too young; she was careless even when washing dishes. Lin Chuntao and the others could only ask her to wipe the table or scoop water. She couldn't help with anything else.

The money collected today was all in Lin Chunxing's purse. She held it, feeling its weight; she had never held so much money before.

Pei Ying hadn't expected their business to be so good; people were lining up to eat the noodles, and they simply couldn't cook them all.

"How many kilograms of noodles did you sell today?" Pei Ying asked curiously. Lin Chuntao looked up at him and smiled, "Guess."

"Twenty-five."

Lin Chuntao: "...So accurate, you guessed it right away."

Pei Ying smiled helplessly. Lin Chuntao had gone to get twenty catties of powder the first time, and when she came back, she told him that it was a bit heavy, so she had mentioned it once, but she had forgotten about it in her busy schedule.

Today, Lin Chunhe was home alone planting. In the morning, she fried a shredded melon and egg pancake and ate it. Then she let the chicks and the old hen out of the coop, threw a small bundle of pig feed to the piglets, locked the door, put on her basket and took her sickle before calling Lin Qingqing and the others to go cut pig feed together.

"Chunhe, where's your second sister?"

"She and Duo'er went to the county town with my sister." Lin Chunhe only said they went to the county town, without saying what they were going to do. Lin Qingqing and Lin Chunxing are about the same age and are closer. Lin Chunxing going to sell soup noodles is a big deal. It's better for her to tell her own friend. If she tells Lin Qingqing, it might cause her to overthink it.