Chapter 34 Business is booming
His home was close to the market but far from the city gate, and the west gate was windy and dusty compared to the city. Sui Yu decisively gave up his stall at the west gate and the next day he led his camel to set up a stall outside the closed wine shop.
Zhao Xiping followed, worried about a potential dispute if he were to occupy someone else's territory. But Sui Yu was already beaming, so he could only swallow his words. He walked around a bit, asking around, and then returned to move Sui Yu's stall to the side, so it was now nestled between the liquor store and the nearby oil shop.
"I've inquired. The owner of the oil shop is kind and easy to talk to, but the owner of the wine shop is vicious. If someone comes to cause trouble, you should hide aside and move over after the person leaves," said Zhao Xiping.
Sui Yu nodded and said, "Take the camel back and come pick me up in the evening."
Zhao Xiping went to lead the camel. He had a premonition that he would send it back to pick it up when it came. This was the first thing he did today, and it would happen every day from now on.
"Brother Liang, light a big fire." Sui Yu ordered. In this dry and cold weather, the steaming hot water pipe is the most popular.
There are many shops on this street, and you can buy oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea on this street. This also means that there are many people passing by, and they all have money in their hands.
"I'm selling radish buns, three cents each. The skin is thin, the filling is thick and chewy, and the filling is made with lard, so it's delicious. Auntie, would you like to buy one to try? My buns are delicious." Whenever someone passed by and glanced over here, Sui Yu would call them to stop.
"Mixed with lard?" The woman stopped and turned to take a look in the stuffing bowl. Sure enough, there was lard, so she immediately took out money to buy three.
Someone else came over, and Sui Yu took a look at the child who was looking at him eagerly.
"Uncle, is this your grandson? Buy a bun for the child to warm his stomach. Although my buns have vegetarian fillings, they are dipped in a lot of animal oil." As he said that, Sui Yu broke open a bun to show it to people. When the skin opened, the radish grains inside rolled out. The radish soaked in oil was steamed in the dough. Each grain was crystal clear. The steamed juice soaked the dough, making it look very greasy.
The woman who hadn't left yet pinched a handful of radish and fed it to her mouth. It was just the right amount of salty and not mushy. She took out more money and said, "Give me five more. I'll send them to the fields at noon and I won't cook anymore."
"I'll set up a stall here every day from now on. My sister-in-law comes to buy from me because she enjoys the food," Sui Yu said with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an old man with a wrinkled face coming over with his grandson. She broke off a bun and handed it to the child, saying, "It's about the same size as my brother. I like it the moment I see it."
After eating a mouthful of food, the dissatisfaction on the old man's face mostly disappeared. He said in a muffled voice: "Give my youngest son two. Six cents, right?"
The smile on Sui Yu's face froze. She turned her hand and stuffed the half-eaten bun she had prepared for herself back into the child's mouth, apologizing, "It's my fault for being short-sighted. Now I'll remember this. I'll recognize you next time you come."
The woman who hadn't gone far laughed. She looked back, bought something, and went back to tell the people in the alley about this joke, saying, "That girl sold two buns and gave away most of them. In just one sentence, the two buns were no longer profitable."
"Selling buns? A newly opened shop?" someone asked.
"No, it's a stall outside the liquor store. The buns taste pretty good. The dough is chewy and the filling is neither soft nor mushy. Oh, and the radish filling is mixed with lard."
After she said this, Sui Yu attracted many more customers. She had originally worried that business would be slow the first day, but before noon, she had sold three pots of buns. Considering that people who do heavy work need to eat something to keep them going at night, porridge must be accompanied by dry food, so buns are bound to sell well in the evening.
There were few people on the street at noon. Sui Yu said a few words to Sui Liang, then she ran out of the street and headed home quickly.
The door was open. Sui Yu rushed in and bumped into Zhao Xiping chewing on a cold bun. She nodded at him, not caring about what to mock. She hurriedly said, "Boss, business is good today, so we're short on noodles. Please give me another bowl of noodles and send it to me when it's ready in the afternoon. Also, you've seen me stir-fry stuffing, so please cut me five more radishes to stir-fry."
Zhao Xiping was reluctant. He declined, saying, "I have something to do this afternoon. We don't have much firewood at home. You..."
"We have no shortage of firewood. There's a huge pile outside the door." Sui Yu clasped her hands together and begged him. Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, she took his arm and swung it, saying coquettishly, "Please, please agree to me quickly. The money is right in front of me, I can't refuse it. Please agree, agree, agree..."
Zhao Xiping couldn't stand her anymore, so he pushed her out and said impatiently, "Okay, okay, I'll do it for you."
"Then don't forget it." Sui Yu was still thinking about the stall, and was afraid that Sui Liang could not handle it, so she shouted and ran away in a hurry.
"What are you doing? What's so urgent?" asked people on the road.
Sui Yu didn't bother to answer, he just mumbled a few words and ran away.
Zhao Xiping glanced outside, then went inside and closed the door. He didn't want to eat the cold buns anymore, so he washed his hands and went back inside to prepare the dough. However, when he saw the dark hole on the stove, his heart skipped a beat. He and she had forgotten that there was only one steamer in the house.
Zhao Xiping stood at the door and thought for a while. He first took out a basin to knead the dough. While the dough was fermenting, he dug out five radishes, washed them and cut them into small pieces. After finishing all these, the dough was not yet fermented, so he picked up a shoulder pole with two baskets on it and went to an acquaintance's house to buy four more baskets of radishes.
There was no time to bury the radish in the sand pit, so he went into the kitchen, lifted the lid and saw that the thin dough had risen. He washed his hands and mixed the dry noodles, then kneaded the dry and wet noodles together into a smooth dough, covered it with the lid and continued to ferment.
Zhao Xiping picked up the chopped radish, took the oil jar and the salt jar and went out. There was no pot at home, so he had to take it to the street to fry it.
"Captain Zhao, where are you going? What are you carrying?" asked a passerby.
"Radish." Zhao Xiping said with a wooden face.
"Where are you going with the carrots?"
"On the street."
After a few words, he strode away the person who asked him the question. When he met someone again, he still used the same two sentences to fool them.
When he arrived, Sui Yu was doing a booming business. Her stall was surrounded by people, and people were blocking the way. He slowed down, took a few steps, and then stopped. Standing not far away, he could tell from the sound of her voice that she was in a very good mood. Her voice was strong and rising at the end, like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, full of energy and vigor.
After seeing off another wave of customers, Sui Yu took a big sip of water from her bowl to moisten her throat. Turning her head, she saw the man approaching. She smiled at him, "Wow, what a coincidence! How did you know my bun stall was almost sold out?"
Zhao Xiping's gaze moved to the steamer, then moved up and stared at her. Sui Yu instantly understood that there was no pot at home.
"Here's the radish for you. Here's the oil can and the salt can. Fry it first. I'll go back and get you a basin of noodles." Zhao Xiping put the things down and asked, "Is anyone here to cause trouble?"
"No, go back quickly." Sui Yu moved the steamer basket away from the steamer. She scooped the water from the bottom of the pot with a bowl and instructed, "Bring half a bucket of water."
"good."
The water at the bottom of the pot boiled dry. Sui Yu scooped two spoonfuls of lard and knocked it against the bottom. When no one was around, she quickly poured some soybean oil around the pot. The lard melted, mixing with the soybean oil and creating an alluring aroma. Sui Yu put the oil can on the ground, picked up the basin, and poured in the radishes. Seeing a shovel in the basin, she said with satisfaction, "You're so thoughtful. You even remembered to bring a shovel."
Someone followed the aroma and came over. When he got closer, he looked and his face fell in disappointment. "Stewed radish?"
"We have buns, fried in lard." Sui Yu opened the lid of the steamer and said, "They're still hot. Want to buy two and try them?"
“The fragrance just now…”
"It's just frying radish with lard. These have the same stuffing as the one in the pot." Sui Yu picked up a bun with chopsticks and handed it over, saying, "Try it. Eat first and pay later. If it doesn't taste good, I won't charge you."
"Really?" The man became interested.
Sui Yu nodded. He was wearing fine cloth clothes, so he was definitely not a poor man. As long as the food was not difficult to swallow, she believed that he would not hold on to the three cents and not give it to her.
The man smiled, took a bite of the bun, and said, "You're quite interesting. The buns taste pretty good. Give me five more. Do you have anything to put them in?"
"No, wait a moment." Sui Yu added salt to the pot, stirred it a few times, and said, "Brother Liang, cover the fire."
She went over to help someone with the buns and said, "It's a small business. If I prepare the plates or the straw covers, I won't make any money. Please forgive me, if you don't plan to take any home, you can eat them here before leaving. Six buns isn't a lot. My husband can eat eight or nine at a time."
"Then he has a big appetite." The man obeyed her, paid the bill and stood aside to eat.
"He's big and strong." Sui Yu picked up the basin and shoveled the stuffing. Just as she was worrying about the lack of water in the pot, she saw the person who brought water and noodles coming. She added, "He's also very strong and a good worker."
Zhao Xiping glanced at her, put down the basin, picked up the bucket and poured water into the pot. When he saw that it was almost done, he picked up the steamer and put it on.
"Is there enough firewood? If not, I'll go back and get more." He glanced at the ground and said, "You knead the dough first, I'll go back and get you some firewood."
After the person left, the man eating the buns commented: "He is a good-natured person. You are blessed."
Sui Yu acted as if he had just heard a joke and said, "You're the first person to say he has a good temper."
The man smiled and shook his head. He never made a mistake when judging people. He took the last bun and said, "Let's go. You are busy."
"Hey, take care." Sui Yu pinched a big lump of dough and brought it to the chopping board to knead it. The dough had been kneaded smooth by Zhao Xiping. She rubbed it a few times and then pinched the dough into pieces to wrap the filling.
By the time Zhao Xiping brought the firewood, half a basket of buns was already in the steamer. He told Sui Liang to rest for a bit while he sat down and started to light the fire, listening intently to Sui Yu's calls for business, or glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He was shorter than she, and looking up from below, he couldn't see her expression, but he could imagine it through her voice.
After the last pot of buns was sold, Zhao Xiping went back to lead the camel, and then carried the miscellaneous items to take the people and the cat home.
After the sun sets in the evening, the temperature drops sharply. People walk in the alley, and the wind blows back and forth in the alley like a sharp sword piercing through the chest. However, even in such a cold day, many people still huddle in the alley.
"Haven't you cooked yet?" Sui Yu greeted people with his neck hunched.
"The pot is boiling. I heard you're not setting up a stall at the West City Gate anymore?"
Sui Yu nodded and said, "It's cold now, fewer people are coming into the city, and business is bad. So we moved to Nanshui Street, where business is still good."
"That's a lot of money to make." Someone said jealously, "I'll set up a stall with you tomorrow."
"Sure, why not? Just go when you have time. As long as you don't mind the money." Sui Yu agreed. Seeing that the feet in front of her moved faster, she also hurried to catch up.
"Sui Yu, tell me the truth, how much money can you make in a day selling buns?" Mrs. Xiang refused to be fooled.
Zhao Xiping immediately looked over with a pair of sharp eyes. He asked mercilessly: "You are her ancestor and you want her to tell you the truth?"
The woman whose face was slapped froze and she yelled, "How dare you talk like that? She's a convicted slave, and I'm an innocent person. I can't be called her ancestor."
Sui Yu didn't react after hearing this, but Zhao Xiping got angry first. He stopped his camel and strode over with a murderous look on his face. This frightened Xiang Pozi so much that she lost her voice and went straight into the house, closing the door and never showing her head again.
"What are you doing? Captain Zhao, we don't do things recklessly."
"We're all neighbors living in the same alley. Mrs. Xiang's son is even your brother."
The onlookers now turned around and started to try to stop the fight. Zhao Xiping was just pretending to scare the old woman, and when he was stopped, he went back.
Sui Yu stared at the man leading the camel as if he were a hero. As soon as he entered the room, she approached him and said, "You were so manly and domineering just now. You were able to protect me like this. I feel that I didn't marry the wrong person. Oh, I like you even more."
Zhao Xiping walked around her to unload the basket and said, "You misunderstood. I just find them annoying. I carry a basin and a bundle of firewood, and I ask everyone I know, one by one. If I lose my temper, they'll be quiet for a few days. Otherwise, they'll pester me every day."
"You don't have to explain, I understand." Sui Yu smiled.
Zhao Xiping carried the steamer into the kitchen and said, "Cook."
"Okay."
Sui Yu went into the house and put on more clothes, "Brother Liang, you should also put on one more layer, so you don't catch a cold."
"What do you want to eat tonight? Let me think. Yes, there is still some noodles left. I will make you some dumplings." Sui Yu was in a good mood and had the energy to prepare food. She asked Zhao Xiping to roll out the noodles while she went to get some sauerkraut, planning to cook a pot of dumplings stuffed with sauerkraut and eggs in the evening.
This long dinner did not disappoint Zhao Xiping. After Sui Yu and Sui Liang were full, he ate all the thick and thin dishes in the pot.
Sui Yu walked over to him, squatted down beside him, and said in a friendly tone, "If there aren't enough steamed buns to sell tomorrow, could you..."
"Sure." Zhao Xiping had expected this to happen. "If there's not enough stuffing later, just ask your brother to come back. I'll know when I see him and prepare it at home and send it to you."
Sui Yu was so happy that she hugged him tightly, leaned her head over, and said in a sweet voice, "Captain Zhao, you are so kind."
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