Chapter 8: A Successful Start with Pancake and Skewers
Baxian Town, as the starting point of the Nantong Canal, is a bustling town.
From the dock to the town entrance, a distance of less than two miles, both sides of the road are lined with all kinds of stalls.
The Liu family's pancake stall is located near the entrance of town.
Business is neither good nor bad.
Because there are too many people selling food at stalls around here.
There were vendors selling steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and meat pies, as well as dumplings and noodles—dumplings before boarding and noodles upon arrival, these two foods were quite popular.
But making a living from this pancake stall is still better than farming.
Beiyang County is mountainous with little arable land, so each person is allocated a limited amount of land.
If it weren't for the bandits who wiped out all the local landlords twenty years ago, the villagers would have even less land.
Liu Yi arrived at the stall just in time for lunch, but there were only two customers there.
Liu Yi was already used to this.
At this moment, no boats were docking, there were no out-of-town diners, and there were many food stalls nearby. His parents could sell about a hundred pancakes a day and earn thirty or forty coins.
You won't get rich, but life is relatively stable.
After seeing the two guests off, Liu's mother asked Liu Yi, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Liu Yi said, "I've already eaten."
"Dry or runny?" Although she asked this, before Liu Yi could answer, Liu's mother lifted the cotton quilt on the winnowing basket and took out a steaming hot pancake from the basket.
Liu Yi smiled and took the flatbread: "We definitely eat dry food in the morning. The men in the family have to work in the fields. How can they not eat their fill? My father steamed some spinach buns."
Upon hearing this, Liu's mother rolled her eyes: "How can cornbread taste as good as our homemade flatbread? Eat up."
"You're such a worrywart. I named you Yi because I hoped you'd be able to afford candy every day. But look at you, you've ended up only eating porridge."
"Mother, only dinner is porridge."
Liu Yi smiled and corrected him.
However, before Liu's mother could glare at him, he turned around and asked her to take the pottery jar out of the basket.
"Mother, thanks to this earthenware pot, the Ye family will soon be able to eat dry rice every day and also have meat from time to time."
"Is this filled with gold?" Liu's mother asked with a doubtful look as she held the heavy earthenware jar.
Upon hearing this, Liu's father couldn't help but smile.
Liu Yi laughed: "You'll see when you open it."
Aroused by her curiosity, Liu's mother placed the earthenware jar next to the winnowing basket, removed the lid, and was immediately enveloped by a rich, numbing, and spicy aroma.
She exclaimed in surprise and peered into the earthenware jar.
What she saw was bright red chili oil, with white sesame seeds floating on the surface. Underneath the chili oil were soft, overcooked spinach and other food that she couldn't identify.
"What is this?" She looked at Liu Yi in surprise.
With a mysterious look, Liu Yi broke open the flatbread in his hand and took out long chopsticks that he had specially made that morning from his basket.
He added a piece of spinach and a large skewer of orchid to the pancake, then cut the pancake in half and handed it to Liu's father and mother.
"Dad, Mom, try it and see how it tastes."
The chili oil has soaked into the pancake, its bright red color and rich aroma making it exceptionally tempting.
Liu's mother swallowed and brought the pancake to her mouth.
The flatbread had been kept in the winnowing basket for a while, and the surface was no longer burnt, leaving only a slightly soft and chewy texture.
She took a bite, and the chewy and fragrant pancake, mixed with the spicy spinach and orchid skewers, and of course, the rich sesame sauce, exploded in her mouth, making it incredibly satisfying and addictive.
Moreover, the large skewers had been cooked for quite a while, and they were soaked in sauce. When she bit into them, they were not only soft and chewy, but also burst with juice.
The unique texture amazed her, and she couldn't help but take another big bite.
tasty!
It's so delicious!
She pointed to the large skewers in the pancake and asked somewhat unclearly, "What's that?"
"This is called Orchid Skewers, and it's made by deep-frying firm tofu."
Liu Yi explained.
"Tofu?" Liu's mother asked in surprise.
Mr. Liu was also quite surprised.
This thing is tofu?
Liu Yi simply smiled and nodded. After they both swallowed the skewers of pastry, she slowly added, "These were made by Ye Li."
One sentence stunned Liu's father and mother once again.
Fortunately, neither of them had any food in their mouths at the moment, otherwise they would definitely have choked.
Liu Yi quickly explained the whole story, and then asked, "Mom, is it feasible for us to sell pancakes with skewers?"
"Of course!"
Liu's mother replied without hesitation.
Mr. Liu asked, "How do you want to sell it?"
"Three tofu puffs for one penny. Large skewers are one penny each. Spinach is cheap, one penny for a large chopstick."
This price was set by Ye Li.
This time, he fried the tofu puffs in soybean oil, reducing the cost per pound by one cent.
In addition, firewood was free, and the two-cent labor cost was negligible.
The final cost per pound was five and three cents.
Ye Li sold Ye Liang tofu puffs for eleven coins per catty.
However, to ensure that the Ye family can also make a profit, the selling price cannot be low.
After all, seasonings are expensive; soybean oil and sesame paste are both high-quality ingredients.
To achieve a rich and creamy flavor, you'll need to add more oil and sesame paste.
Three for one coin, sixty for twenty coins.
After deducting four coins for seasonings and eleven coins for the goods, the Ye family could earn five coins for every pound they sold.
As for firewood and labor, in the Ye family's view, as long as they didn't have to spend money, the time and effort they put in wouldn't be considered a cost.
"Hmm...not bad."
After pondering it over, Liu's mother felt it was feasible.
Her family's flatbreads weren't made with pure white flour; they contained cornmeal, and in addition to soybean oil and salt, they also added a bit of the Liu family's secret five-spice blend.
One weighs three ounces and costs two coins.
For just one more coin, diners can transform an ordinary pancake into a delicacy, which isn't expensive.
Liu's mother had no objection, and Liu's father also thought it was feasible.
Liu Yi then stood in front of the stall and started calling out his wares.
"Skewered pancakes! Delicious red oil pancakes with skewers! Free samples available. Whether you buy or not is fine, just come and take a look! Free samples, free samples!"
He didn't hesitate at all, and shouted openly and frankly.
The message they shouted was also extremely catchy—"Free tasting"—these four words were incredibly attractive.
Passersby and those setting up stalls nearby were all drawn to his shouts and looked toward his pancake stall.
A middle-aged man driving a mule cart, who had already walked past the stall, turned back upon hearing the shouts.
In addition, four or five passersby gathered around.
Liu Yi recognized the middle-aged man; he was the owner of the Zhu family's oil mill in town.
He greeted him with a smile: "Boss Zhu, why don't you try my new red oil pancake with skewers? Look at the color, it's delicious. Free to try, no money required."
Zhu Xing had indeed seen what was inside the pottery jar.
The presentation was indeed tempting.
His stomach, which had just eaten breakfast, seemed to be hungry again. He nodded: "Okay, I'll try it."
"Mr. Zhu, the free tasting was originally limited to spinach, but you are the first to try it, so please try some tofu puffs."
Liu Yi smiled and picked up a tofu puff from the earthenware jar.
Zhu Xing reached out, pinched a corner, examined it carefully with wide eyes, and then put it in his mouth and chewed.
Without the flatbread as an obstacle, the juicy and spicy flavor is even more intense.
Of course, there's also the soft and chewy texture of the tofu puffs themselves.
The rich flavors and unique texture made Zhu Xing's eyes widen immediately. So spicy!
But it's so delicious!
Before he could even swallow, he eagerly asked, "How much does this cost?"
"They're sold together with the flatbread, three for one coin. There are also larger skewers of orchids for one coin each. In addition, a large chopstick of spinach is one coin."
Liu Yi quickly explained the price and added, "Boss Zhu, although the tofu puffs are made of tofu, they are deep-fried, and as you can see, the seasonings are all made with the realest ingredients."
Even at this price, we don't make any profit.
Zhu Xing owns an oil mill, so he can tell whether the seasonings in this earthenware jar are mostly oil or water.
Liu Yi did not deceive him.
Furthermore, the lingering spicy flavor in his mouth, like a kitten's claws, really made him hungry.
"Give me a pancake, and a few of these tofu fillings," he said.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yi smiled and agreed.
Liu's mother and father, standing to the side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, it's sold.
Although they are confident in their tofu puffs, they can only feel at ease when customers actually pay for them.
Liu Yi put three tofu puffs and a large skewer of orchid-shaped noodles on Zhu Xing's plate.
Seeing the pancake soaked in chili oil, Zhu Xing felt even hungrier: "Give me another pancake, and besides tofu, I want spinach too."
"Yes!" Liu Yi replied loudly, pleased with himself.
Two skewers sandwiched in a pancake, one costs four coins, the other five.
A resounding success!
When Mr. and Mrs. Liu were trying the pancake with skewers earlier, no one paid much attention. Now, everyone around is staring at the pancake stall. The pancakes, soaked in red oil and plump with tofu puffs, look so tempting.
Zhu Xing took the pancake, took a bite, and a large gash appeared in the pancake.
His mouth was bulging, but he nodded as he chewed, his face full of satisfaction.
This scene was like a hook, making several people's Adam's apples bob, unable to suppress the cravings in their stomachs.
Two of the people next to Zhu Xing spoke up before Liu Yi finished his work: "Boss, give me a pancake too."
This made Liu Yi's smile even wider.
It went so smoothly!
The Jiang family.
Jiang Mai sat at the dining table, her gaze sweeping over the stir-fried tofu with garlic sprouts and the corn and soybean cakes, before finally settling on the willow basket on the stove.
Two willow baskets, one full to the brim, the other more than half empty.
Business is a little better today than yesterday; we've already sold thirteen pounds of tofu.
"Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."
Seeing that he was sitting still, Ye Li urged him on.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mai suppressed her worries, picked up her chopsticks with one hand and the pancake with the other.
He didn't know if the tofu puffs would sell. If they didn't, he and Ya-ge wouldn't need their wages tomorrow.
And it's so strange.
He was worried to death, but the person in front of him remained calm and gentle towards him and Ya Ge'er.
He glanced at Ye Li and saw her eating a bite of pancake and a bite of tofu with relish, and his eyebrows immediately furrowed.
Just then, Ye Liang's voice rang out from the doorway: "Li Ge'er? Are you home?"
His eyes lit up, and he quickly put down his chopsticks and ran out of the kitchen.
Did the tofu puffs actually sell out?
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