Chapter 14 Roujiamo (Part Two) Making money is the best tonic for women...

Before they even reached the dock, Lin Yao could see Wang Shan waiting in front of their stall with a young woman.

Lin Yao and the other two quickened their pace. After they put down their stall items, Wang Shan and the young woman came to greet them.

"Here are fifty steamed buns. Miss Lin, please check if the number is correct." Wang Shan handed over the basket in his hand.

After taking the steamed buns, Lin Yao glanced at the quantity and said with a smile, "I trust the things you sent." She then turned to Lin Cheng and asked him to scoop out two cups of perilla and chrysanthemum tea. "Sir, Madam, have a cup of perilla and chrysanthemum tea to cool off in the summer heat."

"No, no, this drink is for sale." Grandpa Wang waved his hands repeatedly.

Lin Yao smiled and stepped forward, placing two cups of perilla and chrysanthemum drink into their hands. "Don't be so polite with me. It's kind of you and your wife to bring us steamed buns so early. There's plenty of perilla and chrysanthemum drink in the bucket, so these two cups won't make a difference. Please have a taste."

Hearing Lin Yao say this, Grandpa Wang didn't refuse anymore. He took the two cups of perilla and chrysanthemum drink and handed one to the young lady beside him.

The two took a sip, and the sweet taste spread on their tongues, followed by the fragrance of chrysanthemum and the freshness of perilla, instantly dispelling the summer heat and fatigue.

Wang Shan couldn't help but praise, "No wonder all those dockworkers are willing to spend a penny to buy drinks from you. After drinking them, I felt completely refreshed, and the summer heat disappeared instantly."

The young woman beside her nodded shyly.

Lin Yao had noticed her earlier, but hadn't had a chance to look at her closely. Now, taking advantage of a pause in their conversation, she began to observe the young woman. She wore a light blue cloth blouse, of ordinary material, but it was impeccably clean, with small flowers embroidered on the cuffs and collar, indicating that she was a skillful craftswoman. Her appearance was quite different from Old Master Wang's; she had fair skin, curved eyebrows, and exuded a gentle and refined air.

Seeing the two young women sizing each other up, Wang Shan took the initiative to introduce his granddaughter, "Miss Lin, this is my granddaughter, Ayu. She's been with me since she was little, making steamed buns with me. The steamed buns we sell are all made by her and me. Take these that are delivered today, for example; they're all made by Ayu. Why don't you take a good look and give me your opinion on my granddaughter's skills?"

Wang Shan himself couldn't explain what was going on. The young lady Lin in front of him looked even younger than his granddaughter, A Yu. Yet, this young woman was efficient and quick-witted, possessing an invisible charisma that inspired trust in everyone. Wang Shan sincerely hoped that A Yu could learn more from Lin Yao, even just a little bit, so that she would have a skill to rely on when she got married.

He has experienced many ups and downs in his life, and now he has no other wish but to raise his granddaughter safely and find her a good marriage so that her future life will be smooth and without any more troubles.

Lin Yao sincerely praised, "Sister Ayu, these steamed buns you made are all the same size, with a smooth surface. Just smelling them, the aroma is irresistible. They must be delicious."

Wang Xiaoyu's cheeks flushed slightly as he humbly said, "Miss Lin, you flatter me. I've only been working with my grandfather for a few years, so I've become quite skilled through practice. It's Miss Lin who, at such a young age, has come up with so many novel dishes and made the business so successful. My grandfather and I admire her greatly."

Wang Shan nodded in agreement: "That's right, Miss Lin, you're quite capable. My granddaughter has been with this old man since she was little, and she's shy, unlike you who's so adventurous."

Lin Yao waved her hand with a smile and said, "Grandpa, Sister Ayu, please don't say that. I just got lucky and stumbled upon these new ways of eating by accident."

After Lin Yao saw the two off, Lin Cheng had already arranged the items on his stall, and customers began to come to the stall one after another.

Today is the first day the steamed buns are being sold, so we need to set an example first. Lin Yao took a steamed bun from the basket, cut a big slit in it, fried both sides until golden brown, then stuffed it with plenty of braised pork offal and fried egg. She then held it in her hand and began to call out, "Family Reunion Steamed Buns! Don't miss out! One bite and it's incredibly fragrant!"

A young dockworker was drawn over by Lin Yao's voice. His gaze swept over the various foods, finally settling on the steamed bun that had been stretched several times its original size. He asked with a face full of curiosity, "Young lady, is this the Family Reunion Steamed Bun?"

While preparing the food methodically, Lin Yao replied, "Yes! Our family set meal consists of steamed buns filled with braised pork offal and fried eggs, which costs seven coins each. If you don't want the fried eggs, it's only five coins; if you don't want the braised pork offal, it's four coins each."

People gradually stopped in front of the stall, and Lin Yao continued to call out and introduce: "Family Reunion Buns are a new dish we've launched. The buns are filled with crispy fried eggs and flavorful braised pork offal, and then drizzled with our special braising sauce. One bite, and the taste is so rich and delicious! Everyone, come and try one!"

Listening to Lin Yao's description, the young man couldn't help but swallow hard. "Now that you mention it, it really looks delicious. Well... I'll have one then."

Lin Yao moved swiftly, quickly picking up a steamed bun, slicing it open, stuffing in a golden and crispy fried egg, adding a few pieces of oily pork offal, and finally drizzling it with warm braising sauce from the pot before handing it to the young man: "Young man, please take this carefully, be careful it's hot."

The young man couldn't wait and took a big bite. The rich flavors unfolded in his mouth: the crispiness of the fried egg, the savory richness of the braised pork offal, the slight sweetness of the steamed bun, and the aroma of the sauce blended perfectly. His eyes widened in surprise. "It's so delicious! This tastes amazing!"

"Zhang Daniu, what are you eating that looks so delicious?" A young man dressed in a short brown shirt with his trousers rolled up walked over. He looked at the steamed bun with fried egg and braised pork offal in Zhang Daniu's hand and couldn't help but feel curious.

While chewing, Zhang Daniu said, "Li Shan, you've finally arrived! Try this! It's a steamed bun with fried eggs and braised pork offal. I just took a bite, and it tastes amazing! I've never eaten anything so delicious!" As he spoke, he handed the half-eaten steamed bun to Li Ergou.

Li Ergou dodged back, saying disdainfully, "Go away, who would eat something you've bitten? Little lady, give me one too."

Lin Yao smiled and replied, "Okay, please wait a moment, young man." As she spoke, she quickly made another one and handed it over.

Li Ergou took it, took a bite without waiting, and showed the same expression as Zhang Daniu.

Seeing his brother's reaction, Zhang Daniu couldn't help but tease, "How is it? Delicious, right?"

Li Ergou had no time to answer, so he nodded and continued eating his steamed bun with his head down.

Passersby were drawn to the two men's eating habits and stopped in twos and threes in front of the stall to inquire about the prices.

Seven coins for a pancake was no small sum for the hardworking dockworkers. Therefore, most people opted for the option of adding only braised pork offal. After all, like the egg pancake, it only cost four coins, yet offered real meat—a much better deal. As a result, the braised pork offal sold out quickly, almost overnight.

Others, short on cash, opted for just fried eggs, asking, "Young lady, could you please add a spoonful of gravy to the steamed bun?"

Lin Yao smiled and replied, "Of course!"

After saying that, she quickly picked up another steamed bun, sliced ​​it open, and stuffed in a golden, crispy fried egg. Then, she scooped a spoonful of braising liquid from the pot—the liquid was rich in color and had a fragrant aroma of spices—and slowly poured it over the fried egg. The liquid seeped into the fried egg, quickly soaking into the entire steamed bun, filling the air with its aroma. "Sir, here's your steamed bun with braising liquid and fried egg."

Lin Yao had thought that with the new ingredients, it would take until late afternoon to clear out all the stock. However, to her surprise, by just past noon, there was hardly anything left on the stall. Although she and Lin Cheng were exhausted, they couldn't hide their excitement and joy; they had made a good profit today!

"Second Sister, have some steamed buns!" Lin Song patted his belly while gazing longingly at Lin Yao, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. He had been waiting by the stall all morning, the rich aroma filling the air, but he could only watch helplessly, unable to taste a single bite, his heart pounding with longing.

Lin Yao was both amused and exasperated. She took out the last three steamed buns from the basket and quickly made three deluxe steamed buns, even adding extra gravy.

The three sat on the ground, enjoying their meal, completely unaware that a malevolent gaze was fixed on them from not far away.

As soon as he got home, Lin Cheng emptied the bulging money bag from his arms. The copper coins fell onto the table, making a crisp, pleasant sound. Hearing the noise, Lin Yao quickly came over and counted them. "I earned eighty more coins today than yesterday!"

"Wow, so many copper coins!" Lin Song's eyes widened in surprise and excitement, and his little hands couldn't help but rummage through the pile of copper coins.

Lin Yao looked at the copper coins on the table, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes gleaming.

While deftly helping to sort the copper coins, she enthusiastically analyzed, "A pound of braised pork offal can sell for twelve coins, and the cost price of a steamed bun is one and a half coins. If we only stuff the steamed buns with braised pork offal, we can probably make four steamed buns using one pound of braised pork offal. The profit margin for the 'Family Reunion' set meal is even greater. The steamed buns can only hold a limited amount of filling, so it will only take one pound of braised pork offal to make five 'Family Reunion' steamed buns. Calculated this way, we can definitely earn more money than before. The more 'Family Reunion' steamed buns we sell in the future, the higher our profits will be."

Lin Yao thought to herself, "Making money is indeed the best tonic for me. It can ignite my greatest passion no matter where I am."

A note from the author:

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