Seeing the children eating so happily, Huang's mother couldn't help but reach out and pick up a steamed bun. She took a bite and the sweet taste and rich sauce intertwined in her mouth. She was immediately conquered by this delicious taste.

With a glint of surprise in her eyes, she exclaimed, "This steamed bread with your aunt's sauce is so delicious! Your aunt's sour beans are also good! Really appetizing!" Then, she turned around, picked up a plate of steamed bread that had just come out of the pot, and walked towards Grandma Qiu's house.

After a while, the child who said he would take it home for his father to eat came back panting. He held a large soup bowl in his hand and said to Xu Mengyao with anticipation:

"Sister, my dad said we need another two cents for some steamed bread, with more sauce!"

Xu Mengyao took the soup bowl with a smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She knew that manual laborers tended to have strong tastes, and as long as the workers appreciated the taste, the business would be sustainable.

Huang's father was surprised to see this scene after returning home from get off work. Xu Mengyao took the opportunity to explain:

"Dad, yesterday Wenxia's friends all said that our steamed bread was delicious and wanted to exchange it for their white flour steamed buns. But I thought that we couldn't eat that many steamed buns at home, so it would be better to let them buy them with money. This way, Mom can earn some money at home and you don't have to work so hard."

At this time, Grandma Qiu came out of the main room carrying an empty plate and said to Father Huang with a smile:

"Xiao Huang, you really married a good wife! Her cooking skills are amazing. She can even make steamed bread so delicious. Look, my Xinzi finished the whole plate!"

Huang's mother quickly took the plate and said modestly:

"Auntie, you're too kind. If Xinxin likes it, I'll send it to your house tomorrow."

Aunt Qiu waved her hand and said, "You can't give it away for free. We'll buy food from your family in the future. It just saves me from kneading dough every day. Kneading dough is hard work at my age. I'm lucky you're here."

Turning to Huang's father, he said, "You workers work in three shifts, and it's usually a problem for working parents to feed their children at home. Now that your family can sell some hot meals and it's close by, our village can do business."

Father Huang nodded repeatedly, "Aunt is right."

Back in the house, Father Huang fell into deep thought. He thought for a moment, then said to Xu Mengyao:

"Second girl, that's a good idea. I'll make you a wooden box tomorrow, and you can just put a stool at the door. You can cover it with a quilt to keep it warm."

After hearing what Huang's father said, Huang's mother asked in surprise, "Dad, you don't object?"

Father Huang smiled and shook his head and said:

"Why object? The children will grow up and have more things to spend money on. Besides, when the government housing is built, we can buy it if we have the money. Although the rent is cheaper, it's not our own after all."

"What? Buy a public house?" Huang's mother asked with wide eyes.

Huang's father smiled and asked her, "Do you still want to rent a house for the rest of your life?"

"Of course not. We farmers still need to have our own house." Huang's mother quickly expressed her opinion.

Father Huang patiently explained:

"Aunt Qiu and her husband are now living in the main house with their grandson. The three rooms to the west have been rented out to my co-worker. He lives alone now and plans to bring his family over soon. The mine will only see more and more people coming in. The large expanse of wasteland at the entrance was designated by the government for the future construction of a housing estate for family members."

"Are the buildings like those in the workers' village?" asked Huang's mother.

Huang's father nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. But there won't be such a large area anymore. I guess it will be broken up into smaller residential compounds."

Huang's mother listened and looked expectant: "When can we move in?"

Huang's father smiled and patted her hand, comforting her, "It will be soon. I will be in the next batch. Otherwise, I wouldn't just rent these three rooms to make do. When the house comes, we will have a more spacious place to live."

Huang's mother curiously asked, "Dad, how much is the monthly rent for this house?"

Huang's father laughed heartily and mysteriously took out a grain book from the cabinet and handed it to Huang's mother:

"Rent? The government reimburses our rent for this house! And look at this, our household registration has been transferred. This is our monthly food ration."

He pointed to the figures on the grain register and explained:

"I'm a heavy laborer, so my monthly ration is 55 kilograms. You don't have a job, so your ration is 27 kilograms. Xia's ration is less, but the other three are middle school students, so their rations are larger. Our family gets 194 kilograms of food per month. I'll buy this month's ration tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned to Xu Mengyao beside him, his eyes full of admiration: "Juan'er, you are the smartest among our family members. Help your mother with her calculations in the future."

When Xu Mengyao heard the praise from Huang's father, she smiled. She knew that her plan had received full support from her family, and the big stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.

She had never expected that Huang's father would agree to their noodle business so readily. She had even prepared a lot of excuses for this, but now it seemed that all these preparations were a bit redundant.

Thus, the Huang family's small business of selling steamed bread and steamed buns quietly started.

Almost all the villagers became customers of this stall, especially the workers who lived in the village. Every time they got off work, their steps would involuntarily head towards the Huang family's.

The steaming hot steamed bread and golden flower rolls are the delicacies they look forward to most after get off work. Taking a bite of them, the satisfying feeling seems to dispel the fatigue of the day.

At the entrance to Aunt Qiu's house, a wooden sign stood out. It was handwritten by Xu Mengyao in bright red paint: "Selling Steamed Buns and Flower Rolls." Next to it, a large wooden box sat on a sturdy stool with a backrest. Lifting back the thick cotton quilt revealed a mouth-watering array of pasta.

Especially the flower rolls made by Huang's mother, which were coated with chili oil and dotted with chopped green onions, looked very appetizing. Huang Wenbin could eat three or four of them every time, and his satisfied expression made passers-by want to try them.

Two days later, Huang's father brought his two apprentices home and built a simple stove in the yard along the outer wall of the room where Huang lived, imitating the layout of Aunt Qiu's house. This way, Huang's mother could cook more conveniently.

The coal stove became a powerful tool for steaming noodles. Whenever the flames of the coal stove jumped, the whole yard was filled with the aroma of noodles, attracting passers-by.

As the Huang family's pastry business became increasingly prosperous and the children started school, Xu Mengyao ushered in a new chapter in her life - junior high school life.