Chapter 103 Love Blinds and Deafens
There's more than just braised tofu; there's also soybeans and radishes. Soybeans and radishes aren't worth much, but adding them can raise the price. When Sui Yu set up her stall again, she added a stove and a clay pot specifically for the braised broth and the braised tofu, soybeans, and radishes.
The ten merchants from before came again. Snowflakes were floating in the sky. They walked on the snow with their clothes gathered up and their necks hunched. One by one, they gathered around the stove to warm themselves by the fire.
"Nanshi, your entire shop is in such a cold weather, and there is no shelter from the wind and snow. Who would be willing to come out and freeze?"
"The shop rent is too high." Sui Yu put more firewood into the stove. She first took away the steamer to boil water and cook noodles.
Ten men were standing around the stove, too close to each other. Sui Yu could smell their odor, which was so foul and smelly that it almost made her nauseous.
"Xiaomi, come and cook the noodles." She staggered over.
Zhao Xiaomi walked over just as the water in the pot was boiling. The steam rising from the pot was tinged with the stench of sweat. She subconsciously pinched her nose, then leaned over and sneezed, muffled and mumbling, "It's too cold. Don't let me catch a cold."
"It's time to rent a shop, even for a few months." Someone else said.
"Where can I find a shop that can be rented out for a few months?" Sui Yu asked.
"There's one in Minxiang where we live. The caravans have left, and many houses are empty. Don't you know Lao Tu? He has a house on the road."
Sui Yu was a little moved.
"Now that your stall has moved over there, we don't have to walk through two or three alleys to get here. I can eat at your place three times a day."
"How many merchants are there in that area?" Sui Yu asked.
"There are always sixty or seventy people."
Sui Yu took the bowl of noodles and scooped up the broth. The broth was a bit salty, and one spoonful of noodle soup and one bowl of broth were just right. On the noodles, he placed a peeled braised egg, a two-finger-long braised tofu, two pieces of soft and tasty radish, and then spread out plump cooked soybeans, and finally sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions. It was done.
"Twelve cents a bowl, and give the copper coin to my younger brother." Sui Yu handed the bowl over. She picked up another bowl of noodles on the table, continued to pour the brine, and scooped eggs, tofu, radish, and soybeans.
A bowl full of soup, with rich side dishes, beautiful colors, eggs and tofu, it was indeed better than the soup noodles they cooked themselves. These merchants were satisfied and became more and more eager to encourage Sui Yu to move to Minxiang to sell food.
The steamer was moved onto the pot, and Zhao Xiaomi washed her hands and continued to knead the dough. Now she and Sui Yu not only had to make dumplings, but also had to roll out the noodles and cut them into long strips. Fortunately, Sui Liang came to help with the fire, so they didn't have to worry about three stoves.
Ten men were squatting by the stove eating soup noodles. A few passers-by saw them and came over to take a look. Most of them thought it was too cold, so they bought a dozen buns and left.
Most of the people who buy soup noodles are from shops on the street. Those who have waiters send their waiters to buy them, and then take the noodles to the shop to eat after they are cooked. Those who don’t have waiters ask Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi to bring them to them when they are free.
Near noon, the snow stopped and people who were sleeping in at home came out. The birds in the snow were startled and took off. The snow particles raised by the bird claws flew everywhere, and it was like a snowstorm again. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi worked together to pull open the steaming cloth to cover the dough and stuffing on the table.
"No wonder my wife said you guys like to be clean. Bring me a basket of steamed buns and I'll take them home. I won't be going out for the next few days." A man in a sheepskin coat walked over to the stove to warm himself. Seeing that Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi were both wearing several layers of clothing, he asked in surprise, "Aren't you cold?"
Sui Yu shook his head, "With three stoves burning, fire and steam, we're not really cold."
"It's quite a waste of firewood."
"There's someone at home who can collect firewood, so we don't have to worry about wasting firewood." Sui Yu smiled.
Thirty buns were transferred from the steamer to a basin. Sui Yu handed over the basin and said, "Ninety cents. Would you like a few braised eggs? We have added braised soup noodles today, with eggs, tofu, radish and soybeans." As he spoke, Sui Yu stirred the braised soup, and the tempting aroma turned into white mist and rose into the air, quickly dispersing in the cold wind.
People who smelled the scent came over.
"Give me a bowl. How much is it?"
"It's twelve cents a bowl. If you bring your own bowl, it's eleven cents a bowl," said Sui Yu.
"It's a bit expensive." The woman carrying the basket to buy meat exclaimed, "Forget it, forget it, let me try it first, it smells delicious. I'll go back and get some bowls, and you can make me two bowls. I won't cook at noon, I'll freeze to death."
Sui Yu answered, picking up the steamer basket that was still warming in the pot and asked, "Who else wants to buy buns? I've only got four baskets of lard and radish buns and dried vegetable and egg buns. I'll have to wait a while for the next one."
"Give me half a basket and two braised eggs."
Sui Yu took the basin and picked up the buns. This job had to be done by her. She was good at collecting money and settling accounts.
"If I buy five buns, can you give me a bowl of braised soup for free?" a man asked loudly.
Sui Yu subtly used the lid of the pot to block it to prevent his saliva from spraying on the buns.
"I can't give you the braised soup for free. If you buy a braised egg, I'll give you a spoonful of the soup," she said.
"Four cents is enough for me to buy two eggs. I'm a regular customer, so don't be so stingy. I'm also a steamed bun maker." The man grumbled. He handed over the bowl firmly and said, "Give me a bowl of soup. I'll come back to take care of your business next time."
Sui Yu sighed. The argument in the street had ruined her impression of Zhao Xiaomi, so she asked Zhao Xiaomi to scoop him two spoonfuls of braised soup.
"Can you give it to him and give it to me too?" The other woman holding the bowl asked, "Girl, give me two spoonfuls of soup."
"You should buy five buns too." Sui Yu said.
"Okay." The woman took the money quickly. Five buns cost fifteen cents, and a bowl of soup noodles cost eleven cents. She got an extra bowl of soup, which she could take home and add some water to eat for two meals. In the end, she got a bargain.
Zhao Xiaomi angrily poured soup for her, and the spoon made a loud noise as it hit the edge of the bowl.
"Little girl, you broke my bowl. I want compensation from you." The woman sneered.
Zhao Xiaomi opened her mouth to retort, but Sui Yu held her back and said, "You collect the money, and I'll cook the noodles."
The man who wanted soup left, and the woman who was waiting smiled and said, "You have a good temper."
"Harmony brings wealth. It's not worth quarreling over a spoon of soup. I rarely meet such a person in a day." Sui Yu stretched out the spoon to fish at the bottom of the pot. She wanted to fish out soybeans. When the spoon came out of the water, there was a piece of radish in it. She didn't shake it off and poured it all into the bowl.
The person who got the bowl of soup noodles was happy to see that she had more dishes than others, even if it was just some worthless radish cubes.
After a busy period, the buns were sold out, there were fewer people on the street, and the business at the stall became quiet. Sui Yu started to cook noodles for his family.
"Xiaomi, don't be so rude to customers from now on. It's just a few spoonfuls of soup. They don't know it, and you don't know it either. How much is it worth?"
Zhao Xiaomi felt aggrieved. She muttered, "I just can't stand their taking advantage of others."
"How are you taking advantage? Aren't you buying our buns?" Sui Yu said to her from a different angle: "If you were buying vegetables and saw a stall owner arguing with a customer, would you have a good impression of that stall owner?"
Zhao Xiaomi thought about it and she would probably think that the stall owner was fierce and had a bad temper.
"People who spend money usually don't think from the perspective of those who make money. Not to mention, there aren't many people who would be so shameless as to take advantage of others on the street. Just be patient for a while and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble." Sui Yu handed over the cooked noodles and said, "Don't do this again in the future."
Zhao Xiaomi nodded.
Sui Yu turned around and continued to scoop up the noodles. She looked out at the street. Isn't the woodcutter hungry? He hasn't come yet.
The three of them squatted by the stove and ate noodles before Zhao Xiping came over carrying a bundle of dry firewood. Sui Yu started cooking noodles as soon as he saw him.
"Boss Sui, are you cold?" Zhao Xiping asked.
Sui Yu stretched out her hand for him to touch. Her hand was warm, but his hand was a little cold.
Zhao Xiping blocked the air vent with firewood. He sat by the stove and watched Sui Liang's little face turn red from being roasted. If it weren't for his lively eyes, he would have thought the child had a fever.
"I'll go back later and bring the mat roll over to block the wind. If you're not careful while being blown by the wind and warmed by the fire, you'll catch a cold," he said.
Sui Yu thought about it and decided it was feasible. She took the bowl over and squatted down to talk about the idea the merchants had proposed that morning: "I'm worried that if we move over here, we'll lose our customers. Besides, renting a shop is easy, but renting a shop requires adding tables and chairs, which costs money. When the shop is warm with a fire burning, people who come to eat may sit for a long time, leaving no place for those who come later."
Zhao Xiping didn't understand business matters and couldn't offer her any advice. He slurped his soup noodles and pondered, "Are you planning to keep running this stall forever?"
"The rent for setting up a stall is low." Sui Yu's first consideration was money.
"But if you want to open a shop in the future, apart from rent, you'll have to worry about tables and chairs, and customers having to wait for a long time." Zhao Xiping took a sip of his soup and said, "Let's go check out the location first. If you can rent it, then rent it. It's too cold in the morning and evening. Don't let them get sick."
Zhao Xiaomi watched with great interest and suddenly burst out laughing.
The sparrows that landed on the snow were startled by the laughter and flew up to the branches.
Zhao Xiping and Sui Yu looked at her. What was she laughing at for no reason?
Zhao Xiaomi made a few mischievous clicks of the tongue.
"Let's talk it over nicely." Zhao Xiping became impatient.
Zhao Xiaomi tsk- ...
Sui Yu grabbed a clump of snow and threw it at her. She suppressed her smile and said angrily, "Nonsense! You're the only one who knows more."
Zhao Xiaomi ran off, laughing heartily. "My third brother is such a fool! All the money he lost is in your hands. If he had money, he would definitely say, 'Don't worry about the rent, I'll pay it.'"
Zhao Xiping thought about it and realized that he really had this plan. He originally wanted to say that the rent should be paid from his salary.
"Don't listen to her. What does she, an unmarried little girl, know?" Sui Yu concealed her smile. She glared at Zhao Xiaomi warningly, which made Zhao Xiaomi laugh again.
"Brother Liang, she bullied me, help me beat her up." Sui Yu pinched a snowball and threw it over.
Zhao Xiaomi grabbed the thin snow on the ground and threw it over.
Sui Liang became interested. He ran to the wall, scooped up the snow, and threw it over with all his strength.
The snow in the northwest is dry, like sand, which cannot be gathered together. It will scatter when thrown into the air. When the wind blows, it will fall on people with crackling sounds, but it doesn't hurt.
Snowball was not strong enough, and Sui Yu and Sui Liang were unable to gain the upper hand in a two-on-one fight. The three of them were getting further and further away.
Zhao Xiping peeked over and scooped out some noodle soup from the pot to wash the bowls and chopsticks piled in a bucket.
The dishes were washed, clean water was added to the steamer, the table was wiped clean and covered with a steaming cloth, the scattered firewood was gathered together, and the stall had just been tidied up when the three people who had been fighting came running back.
"You all bully me." Zhao Xiping gritted his teeth.
Zhao Xiaomi was stunned for a moment, then she reacted and laughed so hard she squatted on the ground, unable to get up. "Third brother, believe me, my third sister-in-law and I are not in the same group. I didn't mean that."
Sui Yu glared at her, and she turned the tables: "Weren't you the one who winked at me? Don't play innocent."
Zhao Xiping looked at Sui Liang, who was even more confused than him. He had no idea what they were talking about. He was now even more unsure of who was telling the truth between Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi.
Sui Yu laughed enough and said, "Go back and carry the mat rolls to block the wind. Once we're done here, come with me to Minxiang. There are many landlords who rent out houses there, and they should be more willing to spend money. If there is a suitable house at a suitable price, we can rent it for a few months."
Zhao Xiaomi immediately became excited. She seemed to have caught Sui Yu's tail and said excitedly: "Look, what did I say? My third sister-in-law already has an idea in her mind."
Zhao Xiping is annoyed with her, but she knows nothing.
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