Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Braised Lamb Solo...

Lin Qiuran had experienced rising prices before. In winter, the price of vegetables would rise, sometimes even more expensive than meat, but they still ate them. Without greenhouses here, the price increases would only come earlier.

Lin Qiuran could accept this. After all, scarcity makes things valuable. Autumn and winter vegetables are scarce, so naturally they're expensive. But in the past, prices simply increased. In this era, some vegetables could be completely gone in a matter of days.

Vegetable prices have gone up, and it's even harder to go out and do business in the cold autumn and winter. Logically, the price of the vegetables she sells at the stall should also go up.

Small businesses like those selling noodles, buns, and sesame cakes didn't have to worry about this. As long as it wasn't a year of disaster, food prices wouldn't fluctuate much, and Lin Qiuran had no reference to them.

Lin Qiuran sighed. She had never run a small business like this before. If she really wanted to adjust the price, she didn't know how to strike the right balance.

She remembered that in her previous life, the prices of dishes in the restaurant would not increase with the price of vegetables throughout the year. Instead, they would calculate the approximate prices of dishes in spring, summer, autumn and winter and set a more appropriate price. As long as prices did not rise significantly, the prices of dishes would remain unchanged.

Of course, some unscrupulous merchants will still increase prices, and prices will only increase and not decrease.

Lin Qiuran remembered that the prices in this restaurant were originally high. A plate of mixed vegetables cost twenty cents. The price was set like this probably because it was not affected by the cost of the dishes. These factors were taken into consideration before setting the price.

Lin Qiuran was a bit troubled. What should he do? The Xiao family had set the price low from the beginning, relying on taste and price to win. But they had only been selling like this for a month, only twenty days including the rain, and the vegetables were about to run out.

When chili peppers cost four cents per pound, chili peppers stuffed with meat cost twenty cents per pound. After all, this dish still has a large portion of meat. Now it is two cents more expensive. If you want to make the same amount of money as before, you have to increase the price by one or two cents. The price of vegetarian dishes will increase by three or four cents.

Originally, vegetarian dishes were sold at six cents per pound. Adding three or four cents to the price was expensive, not to mention for others. Even Lin Qiuran felt it was expensive. This amount of money could already buy a pound of meat. No matter how delicious the vegetarian dishes were, most people still felt that they were not as good as meat.

The customers would definitely not buy it, and the Xiao family also faced another problem. Although the vegetables were expensive at the beginning of the month, they were still available. After another two weeks, they would probably be out of stock even if they wanted to buy them.

Chili peppers are not easy to preserve, so Lin Qiuran never thought of stockpiling vegetables.

Changing the menu was inevitable, and Lin Qiuran was hesitating whether to raise the price or simply change the menu. Stuffed peppers with meat had always been a good seller, so if he made a hasty change, he didn't know how the new dish would perform.

Otherwise, if we cut the vegetables and only sell peppers stuffed with meat, what will we do with the peppers in the vegetables sold with the braised fish? Should we just sell tofu? It's not impossible, anyway, it's easier to make than peppers stuffed with meat.

Sun was very surprised, "Her father, how come it increased so much in one day?"

Xiao Dashi: "When the weather gets cold, it naturally becomes more expensive."

Lin Qiuran asked, "Besides the hot peppers, what other dishes are there?"

Xiao Dashi said, "The price of vegetables has increased, and the price of cowpeas has also increased."

The cowpeas I bought today were ordered yesterday, so the price hasn't changed. If I buy them again today, the price will have increased.

Lin Qiuran nodded. Fortunately, the cowpeas were dried in advance. At that time, some were bought at two cents per pound, and some were bought at three cents per pound. There were a lot of dried cowpeas at home, which would not affect the braised pork dish much, but what about the pepper stuffed meat and braised fish?

Although chili peppers have become more expensive, tofu has not changed.

Sun sighed, "Oh, why is it so expensive? Vegetables are more expensive than meat."

When I lived in Xiaojia Village, I ate cabbage, radishes, potatoes in winter, and also pickled mustard greens to eat. I never lacked vegetables all winter.

I need to buy vegetables now, but they are still expensive.

Sun was always selling, so she naturally knew that the higher the cost, the less profit. Doing the same work, she used to earn 500 coins a day, but now she can only earn 300 or 400 coins. Who would be happy with that?

Lin Qiuran looked at Sun and Xiao Dashi and said, "Dad, Mom, let's not make the pepper stuffed meat for now. Let's sell mutton instead."

Eating mutton warms the body in autumn and winter. Since the dishes need to be changed every morning and evening, why do we have to raise the price and cook for an extra half month? It also makes customers think that Xiao's dishes are expensive.

If things start out expensive, people will eat them if they think they taste good, but if they become more expensive later, they will probably not come back.

Some people don't care whether vegetable prices go up or not, they just think you're selling them too high. In other words, the high price of your vegetables has nothing to do with me, but if the prices go up, that's your business.

"As a side dish, I'll choose radish and carrots. There's no price increase for these two, right?"

Xiao Dashi shook his head, "No, these two are quite cheap."

White radish costs two cents per pound, and carrots cost three cents.

Lin Qiuran said, "If you're making braised pork, you can replace the cowpeas with the dried cowpeas we have at home. They're cheap when we harvest them anyway, and although drying them before stewing will weigh less, it won't make a big difference."

Lin Qiuran decided to change the menu. She used to eat out, but the only thing she cared about was whether the price had gone up. If it was too expensive, she wouldn't go. She even complained that some private restaurants would include labor, water, electricity, and even the cost of school district housing for her children in a few years.

Whether a business can be successful depends on whether the customers buy into the products. She has no experience in this, so she will have to take all these into consideration when she opens a shop in the future.

I can make braised fish with tofu and sell it first, or think about whether I can add other dishes to it in the next two days.

The changes brought about by the cold weather are huge. Although it is not winter yet, fewer people go out in each household. Anyone who has nothing to do is busy preparing for winter and rushing to plant mustard greens, pickle vegetables and make preserved food.

Lin Qiuran had an inexplicable feeling that the price of meat would probably increase in winter.

Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Chen from next door came over to ask Lin Qiuran if he wanted to make preserved meat together. Lin Qiuran went over to take a look.

The soil in both yards was turned over and rapeseed was sown. Lin Qiuran thought that Yu'an got cold quickly, but the climate was still warmer than in the north in his previous life. It was located in the south, but not in the south, because the mustard greens planted in the fields were the predecessor of the sauerkraut used to make sauerkraut fish.

Lin Qiuran went to buy some seeds and planted them in his own yard.

Sun and Xiao Dashi planted it. Xiao Dashi planted a whole yard, but he wasn't satisfied. He asked, "Do you want to go back home and plant some? Will it be useful for selling vegetables in the future?"

Just grow enough to eat in your yard. It’s better to buy what you need in the future. If you can buy it, try not to make it yourself.

Lin Qiuran's mood brightened a little. She said, "If you really need it, go buy it. Otherwise, I'll have to ask Aunt Yu to look after it when I return home."

Sun said, "Forget it, her aunt also wants to come to the county town and try."

Lin Qiuran nodded and said that Aunt Yu would definitely not refuse, but since he was going to the county town to do business, it would be too much trouble for her to take care of the dishes at home. Moreover, although Lin Qiuran thought of pickled fish, he felt that this dish would definitely not sell well at the moment.

First, making pickled fish presents the same challenges as preparing chicken or duck. Pickled fish is sliced, and each piece of meat varies in size and location. Giving customers an extra bone or too little fish can easily lead to customer dissatisfaction. Furthermore, sliced ​​fish tends to fall apart when cooked and break during transport. While it's possible to sell it in a shop and serve it ready to eat, it doesn't look as good as a whole fish when sold at a stall.

This is not a good thing. I don’t know when the shop was opened, and every household grows it. We don’t need too much mustard greens, so we can eat it at home first.

Sun nodded and said, "Just plant some in the yard."

Lin Qiuran said, "Mom, let's buy some fish and meat to pickle. They should be relatively cheap right now. Has the price of meat increased much in previous years?"

She wanted to keep doing business, but she had to be prepared to stay at home when it was cold.

Sun said, "I'm not sure about that. In previous years, our family didn't buy much meat."

Lin Qiuran understood. Xiao Xun went hunting for meat, and the extra meat could be sold. The price in the county was rising, but it wouldn't affect the village. She nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The next day, Sun and Xiao Dashi clearly felt that business had improved a lot. The price of vegetables had increased, but the prices at the stall had not changed, which made it seem more cost-effective and cheaper here.

The meat was selling well, but the vegetables were selling even better. While Sun and Xiao Dashi were selling vegetables, they told people they would be changing out the dishes tomorrow. Some customers didn't buy anything, but instead came to ask, "Are you going to make stuffed peppers with meat tomorrow?"

The chili peppers have become two cents more expensive. Instead of making them at home, it’s better to come to the stall. The taste here is better.

Mrs. Sun smiled and said, "Tomorrow we won't be making stuffed peppers with meat. We'll be switching to new dishes to give everyone a new taste. Also, peppers are expensive right now, and it's not easy for my daughter-in-law to make them all by herself. But I don't want to raise the price to take advantage of everyone, so please be understanding. Mutton is great when it's cold, so come and try my daughter-in-law's mutton tomorrow; it's delicious too."

"What about the braised pork and fish?"

Sun said, "We'll still make these two for now, but if vegetable prices go up, we'll have to change some of the side dishes."

When Sun said this, she felt a little nervous, and was afraid that customers would simply not come in the future. However, most people understood that the dishes were expensive and they were just not made anymore, and there was no price increase. As long as the taste was good and affordable, they would buy something else.

There are also a few who think that the stall’s products are not cheap to begin with, and now that the vegetables have been changed, they are not sure how good they are, so they will definitely not buy here in the future.

Seeing that business was good today and that the dishes were sold out two quarters of an hour earlier than usual, the two of them did not go home directly, but stayed for a while to tell the customers that they would change the dishes tomorrow.

It would be great if business continued to be good.

The two of them stayed until noon, then went home for lunch. In the afternoon, Xiao Dashi went to buy radishes and carrots, 40 kilograms each. He also ordered mutton from the butcher for tomorrow, agreeing to pick it up early in the morning. A total of 40 kilograms of meat, including belly and shank cuts, was ordered.

Mutton is expensive, and just buying the meat costs a hundred bucks.

Xiao Dashi was really distressed. If he couldn't sell it, it would be a complete loss for him. It cost one hundred yuan, especially since he had spent a lot of money these days, including eight hundred yuan on cowpeas.

The braised pork sells well, but I don’t know about the mutton. If it can’t be sold, the loss will be huge, because besides mutton, there are other side dishes, tomatoes, and some spices, which also cost money.

Lin Qiuran actually wasn't sure whether it would sell well. If the selling price was set at fifty cents per catty, buying one catty of braised lamb would allow him to buy five catties of pork to cook at home.

It is said that eating mutton can warm the body and keep out the cold, but how many people rely on eating mutton to keep out the cold? They still rely on warming themselves by the fire and dressing themselves.

Whether it succeeds or not, we have to try it tomorrow.

The next morning, while the alley was still dark, Xiao Dashi brought back the mutton.

Sun got up immediately and boiled two pots of water, then washed and cut the mutton and the side dishes into pieces. This was a laborious process; the water was cold in the cold weather, so she had to add warm water. The radish still had some mud, so she had to wash it once, peel it, and then wash it twice more.

Sitting with the head down for a long time will cause back pain. The two of them are old and it is not easy for them to do this, but they usually don't tell Lin Qiuran about it.

After Sun finished all these and prepared breakfast, she called Lin Qiuran to get up.

It seemed especially cold today; you could hear the wind at night. Ever since the weather turned cold, getting up had been a struggle, because it was cold outside, but warm inside. Plus, with her growing belly, Lin Qiuran wasn't used to sleeping properly, worried about pressing on her tummy, and sometimes woke up in the middle of the night.

Seeing her like this, Sun felt a little distressed, "I'll watch the fire for a while, you come back and sleep for a while..."

Lin Qiuran took a break and felt less sleepy. "It's okay, I'm just sleepy. I bought everything. I'll go cook."

Sun nodded, "It's all washed and cut."

Lin Qiuran put on his clothes and went outside to take a look. The mutton was being blanched in the pot. It was still dark outside, but the fire in the kitchen stove was warm.

Ginger slices and green onion knots were put into the pot, and the other side dishes were also neatly arranged.

Lin Qiuran smiled at Sun and said, "Mom, you can go back to your room and rest. I'll take care of it here."

Sun got up early and had been busy for most of the day, so Lin Qiuran did what he could do himself.

Sun said, "I'm lighting a fire here. It's warm here, and I can talk to you."

She could also watch and learn. Even if she couldn't cook for others, she could cook for Lin Qiuran when her belly got bigger and she was in confinement after the baby was born.

Lin Qiuran nodded, this was naturally better.

There is a lot of mutton, and I also want to make pot stewed mutton. I don’t have that many pots at home, and it’s troublesome. Lin Qiuran combined the two methods of braising and pot stewing, using the pot as a big pot to stew the meat.

Nowadays, there is rice wine, which adds a fermented flavor, and tomatoes, which can neutralize the mutton's strong smell.

Tomatoes can act as fruit to a certain extent, making the lamb even softer and more flavorful. The remaining broth is used to cook carrots and radishes, both cut into large pieces. The longer they cook, the more the lamb's flavor is absorbed into the radish, which melts into the broth. When you take a bite, you can't tell whether it's the radish's own juice or the lamb broth that flows into your mouth.

The carrots tasted good, too. Lin Qiuran planned to continue selling vegetables at six cents per pound. He also made more vegetables than meat, so customers usually ordered half a pound of meat and a pound of vegetables.

If it can be sold, selling mutton is more profitable because it still sells for twice the list price. Mutton is more difficult to prepare, has a strong mutton smell, and is expensive, so double the price is not excessive.

Making braised pork can earn more than 500 coins a day. Lin Qiuran calculated that if he sold all the mutton today, he could earn 800 coins. Adding the vegetables, he could make one or two taels of silver.

But you have to sell them all, otherwise you will lose money.

There was a cold wind outside, but the fire was burning in the kitchen, so I didn't feel cold.

Lin Qiuran glanced outside. It was really cold today; it would have been nice to have some warmth during the day. The pot had been kept covered, allowing it to simmer, but the steam rising from the edge felt like a fairyland; just being there made him feel warm.

Seeing this kind of picture, Lin Qiuran would rather drink soy milk than eat buns.

The weather is cold, and warmth is the most attractive. There are people in the county who are willing to spend money on food, and people have to be willing to pay for it.

It's cold, eating mutton warms the body, drinking alcohol also warms the body, but Lin Qiuran always feels like something is missing.

Lin Qiuran said, "Mom, let me steam some more buns."

Her family has always been selling vegetables, not staple foods. There are also buns sold on the street, and even sesame cakes are not in short supply.

When customers come to the street, they either go to a restaurant or buy something from one shop or another and take it home to eat.

Lin Qiuran stood up and glanced at the rice wine in the wooden barrel. It was brewed with her homemade koji, and it had a stronger, sweeter flavor. "Eating mutton is always good with steamed buns," she said. "If they could move the pot over, they could heat it up while they're selling it, but it's no use. If they waited too long, the food would get cold." If they made some steamed buns and placed them next to each other, covered with a quilt, they'd probably cool more slowly.

It can be considered a new dish. When you open it, there will be white steam, and it can also play a special effect.

Lin Qiuran thought, if she saw something steaming hot while walking down the street, she would want to eat it. The fermented rice steamed buns had a hint of wine, and they tasted good too. A bite of mutton, a bite of steamed bun, and a sip of wine—what a perfect combination.

Sun nodded, and Lin Qiuran said she would go find some dough to make it steamed. Sun was better at making the dough than Lin Qiuran, so Lin Qiuran looked at the proportions and added the fermented rice wine.

The rice wine was useful, but there was too much fermented glutinous rice to eat at home. Sun Shi didn't say anything when she saw this. She had tasted rice wine before, and fermented glutinous rice tasted sweet, so it would definitely taste good in steamed buns. When she couldn't knead it anymore, Lin Qiuran came over and kneaded it a few more times, making the steamed buns smoother.

The steamed buns made are about the same size as those sold in the bun shop. They are well-fermented and small. One pound of flour costs five or six cents, and can make ten steamed buns. When the time comes, each bun costs one cent. It is not very profitable, as the main purpose is to sell mutton.

Sun always steamed the mutton after it had risen, but Lin Qiuran would rise it twice, making it even bigger. After the mutton was stewed, it was directly added to the pot where the radish was cooked. When the radish was cooked, the steamed buns were also ready.

As soon as the lid of the pot was opened, the kitchen was filled with white steam. Xiao Dashi and Sun loaded the things into the car. Lin Qiuran took a quilt to cover the steamed buns. The quilt she brought as a dowry had never been used before and was clean.

Sun thought this was a real pity and decided to make another one for Lin Qiuran when she made some money.

It was still dark, but the two were ready to go out. Lin Qiuran couldn't help but tell her, "Mom, if it's hard to sell, come back and stand by the pot. It's warm. You can give people the steamed buns to try, and there are also radishes."

They didn't make many steamed buns, just ten pounds of flour. Lin Qiuran was a little tired today. In the past, when she cooked, she just had to wait for the pot and watch the fire. Today, she and Sun also kneaded the steamed buns.

Seeing that Sun was also a little tired, she planned to take a break and go over to take over.

Sun: "Don't worry, go back to the house."

After saying that, the two of them pushed the cart away.

The weather was really cold today, and the two of them pushed the cart out. It was still dark, only three quarters past noon.

Most of the people on the street are here to have breakfast, go to work, do odd jobs, or get up early to check on the shops. They are all in a hurry.

Sun and Xiao Dashi went back to their original stall. The lady selling buns was setting up a stall next to them. She only sold buns, and it was a good thing for her to set up a stall next to the Xiao family, so her business was better than before.

After buying vegetables at Xiao's, most people would buy one or two when they saw her steaming hot buns. Xiao's family sells vegetables, and hers sells rice, which is perfect.

They could talk while setting up the stall together. If there were some leftover vegetables, Sun and Xiao Dashi would share them with the people around them. Since they were both older, those who were stronger around would help move things. The cart had wooden barrels and a small table for the vegetables. When they arrived, they would park the cart, unload the table first, and then put the two large barrels on the table to avoid making a mess.

Every day a young man selling sesame cakes helps out, and others occasionally lend a hand.

Sun felt bad and picked up a steamed bun with her chopsticks and gave it to him. "Eat one first, thank you."

The young man didn't want it at first, but seeing the round and plump bun, he couldn't help but take it. The woman selling buns next to him was stunned and asked, "Why do you still make buns at home?"

Sun smiled and said, "I'll make some and sell them. Do you want to try some?"

Aunt Zhao waved her hand and said, "I don't need that. I'm a bun maker, so I've definitely eaten steamed buns before."

Aunt Zhao's tone was not very good, but Sun didn't think much about it. If it was steamed buns today, it would not be appropriate to put them here. But they only sold steamed buns, and Aunt Zhao didn't sell steamed buns, so what was inappropriate about it.

Sun set up her stall. A young man selling sesame cakes next to her was baking some while chewing on a steamed bun. He took a bite and couldn't help but say, "Auntie! Your steamed bun is really delicious. Why does it taste a bit like alcohol and is sweet?"

Everyone knows that sugar is expensive, so sweet things are definitely better than white steamed buns. Although this steamed bun is not big, it is very soft and has a sweet aroma of wine.

The young man acted so surprised that passersby looked over.

Sun smiled, quickly opened the two buckets, and showed the steamed buns to everyone.

A bowl of plump, slightly yellow steamed buns, still steaming, showed they were freshly steamed. Two buckets of vegetables, still fragrant. The wind was strong today, and the aroma of braised lamb wafted far away.

Sun said, "These are steamed buns made with fermented rice wine at home. Everyone, come and take a look. We've also added a new dish today: braised lamb. Eating lamb in cold weather is good for your health!"

Sun was shouting like this, and Xiao Dashi followed suit. The young man selling sesame cakes finished his steamed buns in a few bites, looked at the mutton soaking in the red soup, and wanted to buy some. He asked, "Auntie, how much are they?"

Sun said, "The steamed buns are one cent each, and the mutton is fifty-one catties. Mutton is expensive today, twenty-five per catty, and it will lose weight when cooked, but it tastes very good. The vegetables are cheap, six cents per catty."

After hearing this, the young man said, "... Auntie, please give me five steamed buns and a pound of vegetables."

Sun showed an embarrassed smile on her face, "Young man, each person can only buy two steamed buns at most, otherwise others will not be able to buy any."

A total of nearly 30 kilograms of meat and more than 70 kilograms of vegetables were cooked, but there were only 100 steamed buns in total, which were not enough to sell.

"Then two steamed buns and a pound of vegetables. These steamed buns are really delicious. It just so happens that I haven't had breakfast." When I go out, I always bring a bowl, a bowl of radish. At this time, I feel lucky when I see a little bit of meat in it.

Passersby saw the hustle and bustle here and came over to ask the price.

It's understandable that mutton is more expensive. Someone tried the vegetarian dishes and said, "The mutton is quite flavorful. How about one pound of meat, two pounds of vegetables, and four steamed buns?"

Sun nodded and said that if someone bought a lot, there was no need to sell them two per person. She could just pack them all up and collected sixty-six coins from just one customer.

The Xiao family's stall was constantly crowded with customers, as it was too cold today. People say it's best to eat mutton when it's cold, so the first mutton I had this year was bought from the Xiao family's stall.

Although it's expensive, it tastes really good. Someone couldn't resist eating a piece right after buying it. It was soft and tender, not smelling of mutton, and extremely fragrant. "Your daughter-in-law's cooking skills are really good!"

Sun smiled and said, "Come often in the future!"

Steamed buns sell out the fastest. Today, the Xiao family sold steamed buns, so fewer people went to the bun stall next door to buy buns.

Mrs. Zhao was anxious and couldn't help but said, "Sister Sun, you sell steamed buns, so there are fewer people coming to buy buns from me!"

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