Wang Wei was a very cunning man. He did not stay in the military camp, but instead hid among the dockworkers under an assumed name.
He continued to serve the Third Prince, using his position as a porter to receive and transmit messages.
Hua Ruyu dared not alert Wang Wei, and was only observing his every move while sending messages to the other brothers, waiting for them to arrive so they could deal with Wang Wei together.
The next morning, before dawn, Li Youran had already finished washing up, put on an apron, and started preparing to make steamed buns.
Unexpectedly, Li Dazhu got up even earlier and had already started rolling out dough.
"People who eat breakfast get up early, so those who sell breakfast have to get up even earlier." Li Dazhu said to Li Youran, who was preparing the filling, while rolling out the dough. "Selling breakfast and making tofu are both hard work, requiring people to get up very early, around midnight."
"The early bird catches the worm; the harder you work, the more money you can earn." Li Youran smiled and said, "Dad told me about your past when you sold steamed buns."
When the topic turned to selling steamed buns in the past, Li Dazhu became very talkative, talking non-stop. He talked about his father, his mother, and the first time he sold steamed buns on his own.
"Father, so many years have passed, you and Second Uncle..."
"Don't mention that bastard, that kid's character is terrible." Li Dazhu straightened up, rubbed his back, and said, "They're all born of the same parents, how come they're so different?"
“It’s a small business, and we’re just trying to make a quick buck. We can’t sell stale buns to customers, but your second uncle always sneaks buns for Hua Hua when he meets people of all ages.” Li Dazhu shook his head again as he said this.
We're all from the same root, why are you so cruel to each other? He even wanted to secretly sell his own daughter. A brother like that is better off without.
He had hoped to mend the rift between his father and second uncle. But things didn't seem so simple. Li Youran didn't know the specifics and didn't say anything more.
As they spoke, the rice porridge in the pot had already cooked until it burst open, and the bone broth had turned white from simmering.
"Daughter, pick up a steamer of buns with each kind of filling and start steaming them." Li Dazhu estimated that it was already dawn and began to steam the buns.
"Father, little sister." Zhao Lanzhi had planned to get up early to help make dumplings, but she ended up sleeping until dawn.
"Sister-in-law, could you chop some cabbage for me and put it in the bone broth?" As she spoke, Li Youran had already made a steamed bun, with exactly eighteen pleats, no more, no less, very beautiful.
"I put the glass noodles in too." Seeing the soaked glass noodles on the table, Zhao Lanzhi knew that Li Youran was planning to make glass noodle and cabbage soup.
"This bone broth looks delicious," Zhao Lanzhi said, then poured in the bright green cabbage and a bowl of glass noodles, instantly making the broth thicker.
The meat buns come in two varieties: one with cabbage, glass noodles, and meat; another with radish, glass noodles, and meat; and a few large buns made entirely of meat. The vegetarian buns come in two varieties: one with cabbage, egg, and glass noodles; and another with radish, egg, and glass noodles.
Li Youran opened the shop door and pulled out two tables, placing them at the entrance.
"Selling steamed buns! Hot, fluffy steamed buns~ We have meat and vegetarian options, including big meat and egg buns~"
Li Youran's voice was clear and pleasant to hear; her shout attracted many people.
"Young lady, how much are your steamed buns?"
"Uncle, look at my buns. They have thin skins and lots of filling. One bite and you'll find them juicy. Vegetarian buns are two coins, meat buns are three coins, and meat and egg buns are five coins."
As Li Youran spoke, she broke open a meat bun, revealing a generous amount of bright red meat filling that was almost overflowing.
"Uncle, please have a taste, it's free." Li Youran gave one half of the bun that had been broken in half to the uncle who had come to inquire about the price, and the other half to the young man who had come over with him.
Upon hearing that it was free, the uncle took the half-eaten bun without hesitation and began to eat it heartily.
The young man glanced shyly at Li Youran, but still took the bun and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Young lady, these buns are really good, thin skin and big filling." The uncle licked his lips with lingering satisfaction and said, "Give me four cabbage and pork buns."
Li Youran quickly wrapped four cabbage and pork buns in lotus leaves and handed them to the uncle.
"Uncle, I also have millet porridge and a savory soup with cabbage and vermicelli made from bone broth." Li Youran took the twelve copper coins and recommended his family's soups.
However, the uncle was in a hurry and didn't stay for the soup; he left with the steamed buns.
"Give me a bowl of bone broth, two cabbage and pork buns, and three radish and pork buns." The buns Li Youran made were huge; the young man stuffed half of one into his mouth and almost choked.
Li Youran shouted loudly towards the backyard, "One bowl of salty bone broth!" Immediately afterward, Zhao Lanzhi brought over a bowl of steaming hot salty bone broth.
"Little sister, go and greet the customers in the front, leave the rest to me." Zhao Lanzhi lit the stove in the shop and then took two small pots and sat on them. One pot contained salty bone broth, and the other contained millet porridge.
"A bowl of bone broth costs two or three copper coins. Today is the first day I'm buying, so I'll give you a discount of one copper coin." Li Youran said with a smile, "That'll be sixteen copper coins in total. I wish you a smooth and successful day."
After the first wave of customers arrived, business took off, and people came in droves.
"Girl, why don't you have any tofu filling in these buns?"
"Grandpa, this is my first day selling, so I'm not fully prepared. Come back tomorrow, and I guarantee I'll have tofu-filled buns." Li Youran greeted him warmly, "Or you could try the three-delicacy vegetarian buns first, with cabbage, egg, and vermicelli, or radish, egg, and vermicelli."
Throughout the morning, several people inquired about tofu-filled buns.
Tofu-filled buns are cheap; they only cost one cent each in the market. It seems she wasn't prepared enough and hadn't considered low-income consumers.
The steamed buns sold out quickly, but not many bone broth and millet porridge were sold; most of the pots were left uneaten.
Each basket contains thirty buns. Today, we made ten baskets of buns, seven with meat and three with vegetables, which sold for 810 coins. In addition, we sold five bowls of bone broth and three bowls of millet porridge for 16 coins, for a total of 826 coins.
The meat cost 120 coins, the vegetables cost 65 coins, and with the flour, the total cost was about 270 coins.
"I earned nearly six hundred copper coins from ten baskets of steamed buns. If I prepare more tomorrow, I can earn a tael of silver!" Zhao Lanzhi said happily. "I never thought that selling steamed buns would be more profitable than selling pancakes."
"The main reason is that there are a lot of people passing by on this street, and most of them are laborers. It's not a problem for each person to eat five or six buns," Li Dazhu said, puffing on his pipe. "Prepare ten more baskets of buns tomorrow, and that shouldn't be a problem either."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
