Chapter 130 The Takeaway Team is Taking Shape
In the evening, the shop welcomed another wave of business. People who came back from the fields came around, and many of them came in with their families, ordering a basket of buns or a basket of flatbread, filling their stomachs while sitting or standing, and taking another basket with them when they left.
Gan Da and Gan Er also came back in the dark. They hurriedly stuffed two buns into their mouths and then busied themselves with clearing the table and washing the dishes.
"Boss Sui, I ordered a basket of steamed noodles. The errand boy will come to pick it up tomorrow. I like it with a strong flavor, so remember to add an extra spoonful of broth." An old man with his trouser legs rolled up to his knees came over and said, wiping his mouth.
Sui Yu subconsciously wanted to call Sui Liang to get him the wooden sign, but when she came to her senses, she understood and said, "Is there an errand boy coming to get it? I thought he was going to bring it to you."
"You're not going to deliver it to the fields, but a fellow came to ask, so I agreed." The old man held up his hands and said, "Ten cents. If the work in the fields hadn't exhausted me so much that I couldn't even walk, I wouldn't have spent it."
"I only have fifteen cents. My family's land is far away," an old woman said. "But he's reliable. Let's discuss how he can go to the fields with us tomorrow morning and bring the steamed noodles and braised eggs over at noon."
Sui Yu finally understood now. She remembered what Shopkeeper Long had said last year or the year before. She hadn't heard from him for a long time and had forgotten about his delivery business with Shopkeeper Ali.
"Whose boy?" she asked.
"The clerk in the oil shop was the first one to carry lamp oil and other miscellaneous things around the village. We all know him," said the old lady.
Sui Yu looked at the old man who was about to leave the door and shouted, "Uncle, remember to tell the errand boy to mention it when he comes over. I'm afraid I'll forget about your harsh words."
"Okay."
"Third sister-in-law, the buns are sold out." Zhao Xiaomi leaned over and said, "The new dough hasn't risen yet."
"If anyone comes to buy buns again, tell them they're sold out." Sui Yu walked over and added, "Please help the errand boy on Nanshui Street spread the word. If anyone doesn't buy one and doesn't want to make a second trip, they can pay the errand boy there to pick it up at your door."
"This steamed noodle tastes good." A woman holding her child passed by and praised it, saying, "It would be better if there were bean sprouts. I don't like dried radish."
After she reminded him, Sui Yu remembered that there were bean sprouts to steam with noodles. She gave the child half a braised egg and said, "Next time you come, there will be bean sprouts."
All the customers in the shop had left and it was dark outside, but people still came in and asked if they had any buns.
Sui Yu found a clean place to sit down. The aftereffects of staying up late last night came on. She had no energy left before bedtime. Without greeting the diners, she just let herself stare blankly in a trance.
Mrs. Yin was sweeping the yard outside, Gan Da and Gan Er were squatting by the water tank washing dishes, and Zhao Xiaomi was outside the door promoting the errand boys, not forgetting to bring business to his own family.
Sui Liang followed Zhao Xiping in. Zhao Xiping saw her dozing off on the table. He walked over, squatted down, and said, "Lie down. I'll take you home first."
Sui Yu closed her eyes for a moment and then regained her spirits. She refused and said, "It's okay. Let's go back together later."
"We still have to make and steam buns later, so we'll have to wait for a long time. Sister, you go back first. We'll stay here and leave after we're done." Sui Liang said.
Zhao Xiping didn't bother talking to Sui Yu. He put his arms behind her back, firmly held her legs and carried her on his back.
Sui Yu sighed a few times and could only hug his neck and let him carry her out.
"You guys go ahead and do your work, I'll come over later." Zhao Xiping instructed.
As she walked out of the shop, she bumped into Zhao Xiaomi who was about to enter the house. She saw the two of them clearly and whistled jokingly.
Sui Yu laughed a few times and said, "I'm going to be lazy for once, so I'll slip away tonight."
"Let's go, let's go. We have a lot of people, and it won't matter if you're missing." Zhao Xiaomi waved her hand.
Zhao Xiping sent Sui Yu back home. After she washed up and went to bed, he locked the door and then the main door and went to the food store to watch.
When he arrived, Zhao Xiaomi was kneading dough. He asked her to fry the stuffing while he kneaded the dough.
Gan Da Gan looked at him helplessly, and went out to find a job. He couldn't sit idle while the master was busy.
Mrs. Yin did the same. She went out for a walk and sent her two sons to fetch water. She took a sorghum brush and cleaned the water tank from inside to outside.
After the dough was kneaded and the fillings were fried, Sui Liang ran out and called out, "Grandma Yin, come in and make dumplings."
"Hey, I'll be right there." Mrs. Yin responded and washed her hands carefully to avoid being disliked by the host.
When the night fell silent and everyone who had worked all day fell asleep, Zhao Xiping and his group locked the shop and headed home. At this time, there was not even a ghost in sight on the road.
"I can't keep going like this. I'm busy the moment I open my eyes, and I don't go home until dark. I earn money, but I don't have time to spend it." Zhao Xiaomi pounded her arms. She kneaded dough during the day and dreamed of making dumplings at night. Her arms were thick from exhaustion. She hurried a few steps to catch up with Zhao Xiping and negotiated with him, "Third brother, talk to my third sister-in-law about hiring a couple of assistants."
"In the food business, earning money is hard work. Hiring two assistants, you pay them wages, and they also learn the cooking methods." Zhao Xiping helped out in the shop from time to time and knew a little about business. He patted his sister on the shoulder and said, "If you're tired, let Yin Po take over for a day, and you can go out for a walk or take a nap at home."
"Is it going to be like this forever?" Zhao Xiaomi was in pain. She felt like she was farming again. She thought about the many acres of land that had not been planted. She was digging the soil in the fields day after day, doing the same work every day. She felt that there was no hope in life.
When Mrs. Yin heard this, she thought to herself, what's wrong with living like this? Even if she didn't get paid, she still felt that there was hope for the future.
Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "It's up to your sister-in-law to decide what to do."
"That's why I asked you to talk to her."
"She has her own ideas. If you're tired, just take a rest." Zhao Xiping said impatiently, "Why don't you go back and stay for a while?"
Zhao Xiaomi didn't say anything, and she didn't say she wanted to go back.
After that, they walked in quietly. The black pig in the backyard heard the noise and began to grunt. Gan Da carried two buckets of slop to cook pig food. Gan Er followed Zhao Xiping to the kitchen and said, "Master, Xiao Hei encountered a boar in the field today. It is expected to give birth to piglets by the end of this year."
"Oh, I finally got it."
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Gan Er turned around and went to the back room.
In the backyard, Zhao Xiaomi pulled Sui Liang tightly and warned him, "Don't tell your sister what happened tonight."
Sui Liang pretended to be deaf and pretended not to hear.
"Hey, don't you feel tired?" Zhao Xiaomi asked.
Sui Liang shook his head. How could this be considered tiring?
"Don't tell my third sister-in-law?" Zhao Xiaomi begged.
Sui Liang remained silent again.
"Okay, whether you say it or not, I didn't say anything excessive anyway." Zhao Xiaomi turned and left.
Sui Liang imitated her hum, raised his head high and went back to the front yard.
Sui Yu found out about this early the next morning. Zhao Xiping didn't even mention Sui Liang's complaint.
When Sui Yu had some free time, he found Zhao Xiaomi and said, "I forgot. From now on, you should take a day off every five days. You can sleep, or make some new clothes and go out for a walk."
Zhao Xiaomi glared at Sui Liang, but seeing that he was still smiling, she didn't bother to teach him a lesson. She hurriedly explained, "Don't think too much, Third Sister-in-law. I just mentioned it casually. I just thought of it last night and said it casually."
Sui Yu hugged her and said with a smile, "Why are you panicking? I don't blame you. It was indeed my negligence. You are different from me, Liang Ge'er, and Yin Po and her son. Your ability to endure is not as good as ours. Working for me is probably the hardest and most tiring time of your life in the past sixteen and a half years."
Zhao Xiaomi felt a little guilty now. She rubbed her fingertips helplessly and said, "I didn't find it bitter. It was quite interesting."
"That's good. From now on, you can take a day off every five days." Sui Yu said again.
Zhao Xiaomi looked towards Sui Liang and whispered, "Third sister-in-law, you and Liang Ge'er should take a break too."
"Okay." Sui Yu agreed. She winked and said, "By the end of the year, we'll probably be able to relax a little."
Zhao Xiaomi didn't understand the hidden meaning, thinking that it was the New Year and she would definitely have some free time.
"Boss, two baskets of steamed noodles." A man dressed as a waiter ran in quickly, carrying a wooden barrel in his hand.
Sui Yu responded, and she and Zhao Xiaomi got up to get busy.
I bought bean sprouts today, so the dried radish was substituted. The stove was burning high, the steam dried up, and I poured oil into the pot. I smashed a few cloves of garlic and tossed them in for seasoning. I then added half a pot of bean sprouts, stir-fried them, and added noodles. I drizzled the marinade over them, mixed them well, and sprinkled salt on them to taste. Sui Yu picked up the noodles and placed them in the newly bought four-layer steamer, flattened them, and steamed them in the pot.
"You have an iron wok here, and the food cooked in it is indeed more fragrant than that cooked in a clay pot. No wonder the shops nearby couldn't take away your business." The clerk said.
Sui Yu smiled. Iron is very hard to come by now, otherwise she would like to make another iron pot.
Another errand boy came in and asked, "Is this the Sui family shop?"
Before the host could speak, the waiter who had arrived earlier appeared and said, "You're right, brother. How many orders have you taken?"
"Three orders, one basket of steamed dumplings, half a basket of buns, and one basket of steamed noodles. Add an extra spoonful of marinade to the steamed noodles. Uncle Wu said he told me last night."
Sui Yu nodded.
Zhao Xiaomi came over, holding the buns, and said, "Where should I put them for you? We can't take our steamers out."
"I know, I know." The waiter handed over the barrel.
Zhao Xiaomi took a quick look and saw a sieve in the bucket with hot white smoke coming out. She picked up the three sieves and saw a wooden frame standing in the water.
Sui Yu looked over and said, "Okay, you're quite good at thinking of a plan."
The waiter chuckled and said, "Put the buns on the bottom layer, the steamed dumplings on the second layer, and the steamed noodles on the top."
Fifteen buns were stacked together on a sieve, and then a basket of steamed dumplings was added. The steamed noodles were also cooked, so Sui Yu helped to put them on the sieve and handed them over, saying, "Forty-five wen for buns, forty wen for steamed dumplings, and sixty wen for steamed noodles, for a total of one hundred and forty-five wen."
The waiter handed him the copper coins that had been counted long ago. He took the wooden barrel, closed the lid, and walked out steadily.
Another waiter stepped forward and lifted the lid of the bucket. A mist of water rose up, and the sieve was covered with a layer of water droplets. Sui Yu spread the steamed noodles on it, and the waiter quickly put a wooden rack in, so that another sieve could be stacked.
As soon as the second guy left, another one came in with two baskets of buns, carrying a basket on his shoulder.
Next, Zhao Xiaomi stared at the door expectantly, waiting to see which other employees would come in. She then said to Sui Yu, "Third sister-in-law, I suddenly feel that being in the shop is quite interesting. I can meet a lot of people."
Sui Yu also felt that listening to merchants chatting and telling anecdotes from the road, or farmers talking about farming, or grandmas and sisters-in-law laughing and gossiping about neighbors, was like listening to an opera in a theater.
At noon, Zhao Xiping led six thousand households over. Sui Yu gave him face and went to entertain him with a warm smile, "This is the seat I specially reserved for you, please take a seat, sirs."
The six captains stared at Zhao Xiping with interest. Captain Gu asked, "Captain Zhao, do you know what delicious food this shop has? Please order."
"All the food is delicious." Zhao Xiping smiled like a rotten persimmon. He took the braised egg handed to him by Sui Liang and said, "Everyone, please take a seat. I'll go help the owner."
The people present burst into laughter and quickly motioned for him to help.
The braised bird was chopped into several pieces and placed on a plate and served on the table. Zhao Xiping did this himself. Sui Yu was busy pulling and cooking noodles. Someone was watching her from the side, but she lowered her eyes and didn't look at the man.
Zhao Xiping was also a little embarrassed. He brought a basket of steamed dumplings to the table and said, "Eat first. There will be braised pork soup noodles later. Only my wife can make this delicious one."
"Aren't you the shop owner now?" Gu Qianhu joked.
Sui Yu looked up and couldn't stop smiling.
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