"Seventh Sister, what delicious food have you made for us?"
Liu Tong heard his voice before he saw him.
Lu Qiqi laughed, "Uncle Liu, wait for me to show you my skills!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Tong's previous distress at not finding work vanished instantly, and he laughed, "Alright, I'll be waiting to try your cooking!"
When Lu Qiqi saw that everyone had returned, she took the cooked noodles out of the cold water and put them into a bowl with seasonings. She added sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, shredded pork, a spoonful of chili oil, and finally poured on some pork bone broth.
The chili oil, enhanced by the pork bone broth, exudes a wonderful aroma.
"Everyone, come and have a taste!" Lu Qiqi clapped her hands and immediately called out, "Everyone, come and have a taste!"
Liu Tong was the first to pick up his chopsticks, first tasting a mouthful of noodles, then drinking a sip of soup.
Everyone stared at Liu Tong, unable to tell from his expression whether it was good or bad, or whether it tasted good or not; their hearts were hanging in mid-air.
Madam Lu was an impatient person; she couldn't wait for Liu Tong to finish eating before speaking. "How was it? Was it delicious?"
When Lu Qiqi was asked this question, she became a little nervous. The ingredients here were a bit lacking, and she couldn't guarantee that they would suit Liu Tong's taste.
After tasting it, Liu Tong exclaimed, "It must be... incredibly delicious!"
When everyone heard Liu Tong say it was delicious, their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down. Even Lu Qiqi felt that her tense mood only relaxed after hearing Liu Tong say it was delicious.
As soon as Liu Tong finished saying it was delicious, he quickly covered the bowl, afraid that someone might do the same.
Seeing that Liu Tong was quite old but still so possessive of his food, Lu Qiqi couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Don't worry, everyone, there's enough for everyone."
After saying that, he continued to season and add noodles for everyone.
Xi Bao is still too young to eat spicy food, and Grandma Zhou is too old to eat spicy food either, so Lu Qiqi used pork bone broth with shredded meat and two small tender cabbage hearts.
The newly planted cabbages in the space have also sprouted, tender and only as tall as an index finger. When placed in noodle soup, they look like two coiled dragons.
The whole family enjoyed spicy noodles.
This was the first time Lu Dahai had ever tasted such delicious noodles. They were fragrant, numbing, and spicy. He said, "Qiqi, these noodles are so delicious! Did you say you were setting up a stall yesterday because you wanted to sell these noodles?"
Lu Qiqi was too embarrassed to say that she had only made the spicy noodles on a whim today, but to her surprise, everyone liked them very much, and she was very happy.
Lu Qiqi said, "I ate a bowl of meat soup noodles on the street today. There was no minced meat at all, and it wasn't very tasty. I thought I could make it myself, so I bought the ingredients and came back to make it. I didn't expect everyone to be so supportive. Maybe I can try selling spicy noodles."
On Wednesday, after finishing her bowl of soup noodles, she heard Lu Qiqi say this and hurriedly shook her head like a rattle-drum, saying, "I'm not just flattering you, Sister Lu's noodles are just as delicious as the best."
Fearing people wouldn't believe him, he turned the bowl upside down and said, "Look, I've even licked the bowl clean!"
Everyone laughed when they saw how busy Wednesday was, almost ready to make a declaration of his ambition.
Lu Qiqi was also amused by him and thought he was a little clown.
Lu remembered that Lu Qiqi had put so much meat in the spicy noodles. She had poured half a pot of oil into the chili oil before. She wondered how much a bowl of it would sell for. If she sold it too cheaply, she would feel like she was losing money. If she sold it too expensively, no one would want it.
"Qiqi," said Madam Lu, "how much are you planning to sell a bowl of this spicy noodle dish for?"
Lu Qiqi considered the market price. A bowl of meat soup noodles cost five coins, and there wasn't much meat in it. Since she was preparing so many ingredients, the price would definitely have to go up. She said, "Spicy noodles with meat, two large coins a bowl. No meat, one large coin a bowl." (Ten coins equal one large coin)
When Lu Qiqi said this, everyone gasped. Normally a bowl of noodles costs three or five coins, but now this spicy noodle costs two coins. Would anyone buy it?
After considering for a moment, Ms. Li asked, "Wouldn't it be a bit expensive?"
Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "Third Aunt, do you think my spicy noodles are delicious?"
Li answered honestly, "It's delicious. This is the first time I've ever had such fragrant, chewy, and smooth noodles."
Lu Qiqi added, "Look how delicious these noodles are, and you can even eat meat in them. Is two coins really that expensive?"
Li was a little confused by Lu Qiqi's rambling, and she said, "Oh, it's not expensive anymore?"
Li's appearance amused Lu, who said, "Little sister, how could someone as clever as you be so easily confused by Seventh Sister's words!"
Lu Dahai also thought it was a bit expensive. No matter how much Lu Qiqi talked about it, how could he be willing to spend money to buy it if he hadn't even tasted it?
Lu Dahai asked, "How can we ensure that someone will buy it?"
Lu Qiqi shook her head and said, "No one who makes food can guarantee that everyone will like it, but how do we know no one will buy it if we don't make it? Besides, scarcity creates opportunities. If people hear that we're selling it at this price, they'll come and see even if they don't buy it. That way, more people will come, and someone will always want to be the first to try it."
Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's business acumen, Liu Tong couldn't help but agree, "That's right. Rare goods are always in demand. In restaurants, customers will order any new dishes they hear about to try."
Hearing Chef Liu Tong say this, Lu Dahai stopped hesitating and said, "Okay, go ahead and do it. Just let me know if you need any help, and I'll have your second brother and third aunt help you."
Lu Qiqi gave a sweet "yes" and then said, "Let's go the day after tomorrow. I heard from the butcher that it's market day."
Liu Tongdao asked, "The refugees just finished looting and vandalizing; is there anyone willing to go there?"
When Lu Dahai heard that there were refugees causing damage, he was shocked. After Liu Tong told him what he had heard that day, he immediately disagreed with Lu Qiqi going into business. "It's too dangerous, Qiqi. You should stay home and help your third aunt and the others with the housework."
Lu Qiqi didn't take it seriously. She said, "It costs a lot of money to enter the city now. The refugees who went to rob and smash things won't go to rob if they can afford it. Don't worry, Uncle. Can an ordinary person beat me?"
Lu Dahai was silent for a moment. He knew that his niece was capable and that he couldn't stop her from making a decision. He said, "Be careful in everything. I'll go with you the day after tomorrow!"
Lu Qiqi knew Lu Dahai well enough to know he was just worried about her. She said, "I want to go with Uncle Liu and the other two."
He then said to Liu Tong, "Uncle Liu, I'll season the noodles while you knead and cook them. After we sell all the noodles, we'll split the wages. Is that alright?"
Liu Tong was surprised that Lu Qiqi wanted to take him and his apprentice with her to make money. He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Sure, we haven't found any jobs anyway. Maybe we can make something of ourselves by selling spicy noodles with you!"
Once the matter was settled, Madam Lu immediately said, "We can't put so much meat in the meat when we sell it to others, otherwise we won't make any money and we'll end up buying meat for others to eat."
Everyone laughed when they heard this, even Xibao's eyes curved into crescent moons with laughter.
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