Chapter 67: Seafood Pho
Several people in the sideline group carried out their preparations in an orderly manner.
The day before the market, Yu Zhile rode his bike to the city to pick up pork.
"Nier, there are too many big bones, is that okay?" Hu Laosan carried out a small basket from the kitchen.
Yu Zhile estimated that the pile of bones weighed more than ten pounds, so he gave him a few more cents.
Hu Laosan found that the number was wrong, so he stuffed it back into her hand, and the two of them argued for a long time.
"Nier, you are half my master now. There is no need to calculate these few cents so clearly." Hu Lao San said casually.
Yu Zhile couldn't persuade him, so he said, "Tomorrow I'll ask the delivery person to give Third Brother Hu a portion of pickled pepper rice noodles. Third Brother Hu can't refuse it."
"Does your stall offer delivery? What are these pickled peppers?" Hu Laosan asked curiously.
Yu Zhile smiled and said, "This is a unique seasoning for Sichuan cuisine. Brother Hu will know once you have tasted it."
"Xiao Yu, has the sideline business group of Haiyu Village been set up?" The waitress interrupted, and then introduced herself, "My name is Hu Lan, you can just call me Sister Lan."
"Yes, tomorrow is the first day to set up a stall at the market. I will sell seafood rice noodles in the morning and pickled pepper rice noodles in the afternoon." Yu Zhile answered with a smile.
Hu Lan suddenly became interested and asked, "How much is a bowl of pickled pepper rice noodles? Is there any extra charge for delivery?"
"A bowl of pickled pepper rice noodles is 30 cents. It comes with minced meat, vegetables, and small seafood. For an extra 5 cents, you can add two meat dishes and one vegetable side dish. Delivery is 5 cents." Yu Zhile introduced the stall's business model in detail.
Hu Lan thought it was interesting, took out fifty cents, and said, "Give me a bowl of noodles for forty-five cents, and send it here at noon."
Then, she complained: "I'm sick of eating the dishes cooked by Hu Laosan every day."
"Okay, you are our first guest, so I'll give you a glass of lemonade." Yu Zhile took the money and said with a smile.
Hu Lan was pleasantly surprised and said, "Hey, your sideline group is really interesting. You give away gifts when you buy. And this lemonade is also a new thing. Is it delicious?"
"You'll know once you try it." Yu Zhile kept it a secret.
Hu Lan had no interest in getting to the bottom of the matter, so she started chatting with her about family matters.
"Okay, once you start talking, you can't stop. Tell Xiao Yu to go back and prepare well." Hu Lao San interrupted.
Hu Lan rolled her eyes at him and didn't continue chatting.
Yu Zhile said goodbye to the two and happened to run into Mr. Chen at the door of the hotel.
Old Chen was still wearing his coarse cloth clothes and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Ni'er, is your sideline group going to set up a stall?" he asked when he saw Yu Zhile carrying a small basket.
Last time, Chen Zhao chatted with him and mentioned the idea of setting up a sideline business group. He strongly supported it and praised the village cadres for their foresight.
Yu Zhile responded, "Yes, tomorrow at the market, from 7am to 6pm."
"Okay, okay, okay, Xiao Zhao, will you come tomorrow?" Old Chen asked cheerfully. He liked this cheerful and talkative young friend with the same surname very much.
Yu Zhile explained: "Xiao Zhao didn't join the sideline group, but given his personality, he will definitely not be absent tomorrow."
"I wish your sideline business group will develop better and better and prosper every day." Mr. Chen congratulated.
Yu Zhile smiled and said, "Thank you for your advice."
When I returned to the courtyard, everyone from the sideline group was there.
"Opened!" Yu Zhile took out the money given by Hu Lan like a magic trick.
The brand new banknotes shine brightly in the sun.
"Ah!" Zhang Wenxin came back to his senses and exclaimed, "I sold a bowl before I even set up the stall? Is this true?"
Yu Zhile smiled and said, "A bowl of pickled pepper rice noodles for 45 cents delivered to a state-owned restaurant."
"That's great! Lele is so awesome!" Zhang Wenxin rushed forward and hugged Yu Zhile.
Yu Zhile looked at Ge Tai and the three Zhang sisters and said, "We are really amazing."
She could see that everyone was feeling very nervous these days.
These fifty cents came just in time, like a magic needle that stabilizes the sea, making everyone more motivated.
When it was getting dark, the village's fishing team returned with a full load.
There were not many types of seafood this time. Yu Zhile picked the fresh ones, including shrimp, squid, clams and abalone, and picked a small pot of each.
After the seafood was moved back to the yard, she asked everyone to go home and rest and gather at Yu's house on time tomorrow.
She turned on a low fire, stewed the bone soup first, and then soaked four kilograms of rice and fifteen kilograms of rice noodles.
Before daybreak, three candle lights moved towards the Yu family courtyard from different directions.
When the four of them met at the path, candles had already been lit at Yu's house.
Afterwards, the four of them took their positions.
Ge Tai and Zhang Wenxin were responsible for grinding the rice slurry, the three sisters were steaming the rice skin in front of the stove, and Yu Haiguang and Chen Zhao helped Yu Zhile prepare vegetarian dishes.
At five o'clock sharp, everything was ready and the Haiyu Village sideline group set off.
Tables and chairs were stacked on the new ox cart, the stove and side dishes were tied to the back of the cart with ropes, and the bone soup, river noodles and rice noodles were pushed on a cart.
The group walked slowly towards Haidong Town, from dusk to dawn, and finally arrived at the gathering point.
At the same time, sideline groups from other villages drove ox carts from all directions, unloaded tables, chairs and goods, and gradually gathered into a large market.
"Steamed buns, sesame cakes, soy milk, vegetarian noodles, rice porridge, and tofu pudding."
"Shepherd's purse and fresh meat wontons."
As the sun gradually rose, more and more people wearing blue work clothes appeared and shouts were heard.
As soon as Yu Zhile and others set up their stalls, the people at the stalls on the east side came up to say hello.
She looked up and saw that it was an old acquaintance.
"Nier, are you setting up your stall so soon?" The eldest brother from Datao Village greeted her warmly.
Yu Zhile smiled and replied, "Just in time for the trip."
"Wow, the preparations are really sufficient." The eldest brother saw the people in the stall and the side dishes in front of the stove and exclaimed, "But the price is not low."
Including Chen Zhao who came to join in the fun, there were seven people in total, which was very rare in the market. Other food stalls had at most three people.
The wooden board in front of the stall lists the types of food served for breakfast and lunch, as well as their prices.
Breakfast - seafood rice noodles for 30 cents a bowl; lunch - pickled pepper rice noodles for 30 cents a bowl. Note: you can add two meat dishes and one vegetable dish for an additional 5 cents.
"Each portion contains meat and vegetables, and is good value for money," said Yu Zhile.
The eldest brother wanted to say something when someone came to the stall and he hurried over to greet them.
The stalls in other directions were all from villages that had newly applied for sideline business groups after the market was restructured. They were setting up stalls for the first time and stared at Yu Zhile and others curiously.
"Boss, give me a bowl of seafood rice noodles for fifty cents." Chen Zhao sat down on the bench, slapped fifty cents on the table, and began to act.
He accidentally used too much force and his palms felt slightly hot, but he maintained a domineering expression on his face.
Yu Zhile burst out laughing, but still lit a fire to cook rice noodles for him.
Open the lid of the wooden barrel of bone soup, and the fragrant and delicious aroma quietly spreads around.
"Wenxin, kill an abalone." Yu Zhile said as he scooped a full spoonful of pale white soup into the small clay pot.
Next, she added clams, shrimp, baby squid and minced meat.
The soup was bubbling and the aroma was invading the air in every corner of the market at a faster rate.
The bone soup with the addition of seafood became more delicious and tasty, gradually attracting workers who got up early to go out for food.
People stopped in front of the stall to watch quietly and discussed in low voices with those they knew.
Most people think that three cents for a bowl of rice noodles is a bit expensive, but they are also tempted by the aroma and salivate, feeling conflicted.
Yu Zhile ignored the crowd and added rice noodles and various vegetarian dishes, and finally seasoned them.
The bowl of Quan Jia Fu rice noodles was so full that it was almost overflowing, and Ge Tai steadily brought it to Chen Zhao.
"It's so delicious." Chen Zhao took a deep breath and drank a sip of the soup first.
The soup was delicious and rich, and immediately captured his taste buds.
The shrimp meat is sweet and fresh, the abalone is plump, the squid is refreshing and chewy, and the main ingredient, the rice noodles, combines the flavors of all the ingredients and have a chewy, springy and smooth texture.
Chen Zhao ate in a gentle and natural manner, with an expression of enjoyment and satisfaction on his face.
When he doesn't speak, his temperament is completely different from usual, and he gives people a sense of trustworthiness.
The balance among the onlookers gradually tilted to one side.
"People in front, please make way." A nonchalant voice cut through the crowd and sat down opposite Chen Zhao.
He looked at the wooden board, pointed directly at Chen Zhao who was eating happily, and said, "Give me one of the same ones."
"Okay, fifty cents." Yu Zhile raised his standard smile.
When the young man saw her, his eyes widened and he stared at her smiling face blankly.
"Comrade, fifty cents." Zhang Wenxin repeated her words.
Huo Tianhe came back to his senses, his ears turned slightly red, and he took out a stack of money reluctantly, took out a dollar and handed it to Yu Zhile.
"Okay, wait a moment." Yu Zhile returned fifty cents to him.
Huo Tianhe took the money, held it tightly, and nodded.
His childhood friend is the secretary in charge of the application for the sideline business group in the commune, and he will be notified in advance every time there is a new food stall.
But, my childhood friend didn’t tell me that the person in charge of the sideline business group in Haiyu Village is so beautiful!
As he thought about it, his ears became redder and redder, and he couldn't help but steal another glance at Yu Zhile.
"This is the son of the cannery director." Someone knew Huo Tianhe and introduced him to the people around him in a low voice.
The man suddenly realized: "It's that Mr. Huo who eats all over Hai County. I heard that he said that the stalls that don't taste good won't last more than a month."
"Yes, let's wait for him to taste it before we see if he wants to eat it."
The others pricked up their ears and also planned to wait and see Huo Tianhe's attitude.
Soon, Huo Tianhe’s rice noodles were served on the table, and he couldn’t wait to taste it.
"Hmm, delicious." He scooped the soup and the rice noodles into his mouth, his eyes shining.
He ate one mouthful after another anxiously, not caring about the heat, and ate until he was sweating profusely.
"How is it? Delicious, right?" Chen Zhao said proudly.
Huo Tianhe nodded in agreement.
"Come again at noon, the pickled pepper rice noodles are also super delicious." Chen Zhao recommended enthusiastically.
"A bowl of seafood rice noodles costs 30 cents. Each bowl has minced meat, squid, clams, shrimps, and vegetarian dishes! For an extra 5 cents, you can choose two meat dishes and one vegetarian dish." Zhang Wenxin shouted, "Our soup base is bone soup that has been simmered for several hours. The seafood is very fresh. If you have a lunch box, you can take it away."
Those who were still hesitating gradually came over to order food, and Chen Zhao gave up his seat.
Yu Zhile and Zhang Wenxin started cooking immediately, each responsible for three small clay pots.
Ge Tai took the opportunity to loudly introduce the delivery service, which aroused everyone's interest.
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