Chapter 547 A Dream of Youth 79
Xie Ning ran in with a few fruits, but was caught by his grandmother and couldn't leave. All that could be heard was the two of them discussing where to set up their stall. They had previously agreed to go to the outer city.
Although the inner city is more populated and wealthier, it is also more troublesome, and stall fees are higher.
But once they left the Vermilion Bird Gate, they found themselves surrounded by stalls and food shops, all offering cheap and delicious food. After strolling around for a while, the two lost interest in selling steamed buns. After all, selling steamed buns wasn't anything special; everyone would definitely be heading for other, better-tasting foods.
When they sold steamed buns in Shangquan Town, they also sold them at the bridgehead, where there were many customers. Their main customers were laborers, since their steamed buns were cheap and delicious.
Xie Ning also tried to think of a solution, but she couldn't come up with any good ideas. Her cooking skills were not good, and the food she made was just edible. In terms of food... perhaps being edible was an advantage?
She can't even be considered a connoisseur of food, since she has never eaten anything that wasn't delicious, which shows how developed the food culture is here.
"How about we add fried rice to the menu?" Xie Yun's fried rice skills are quite good.
Grandma Xie laughed heartily, "Bao'er, how much money can you make selling fried rice? Everyone knows how to make fried rice!"
This is even less special than steamed buns.
Xie Yun paused slightly, as if she was really considering the feasibility. "Mother, everyone can make fried rice, but not everyone can make it well."
"What? Ah Yun really wants to make fried rice?" Grandmother Xie was shocked. Rice is rice, no matter how fancy you make it, it's still just rice. Who would pay for that?
“Mother, think about it. There are a lot of people over there, including waiters and laborers. They certainly won’t eat those delicious but not filling foods. We’ve looked around, and there’s no place that specifically sells meals, just plain rice and water. If we add fried rice, we might actually get some business.”
Grandma Xie also got serious. Fried rice is quick and easy to make. As long as the side dishes are prepared, it can be made in no time. If they put their customers on other waiters, laborers, or even other stall owners, instead of just on the pedestrians on the street, they might actually have some business.
That's what she did back in Shangquan Town. She used to carry her wares around selling them, but once things settled down, she found a place with many potential customers and set up her stall there.
Year after year, her reputation spread, and the helpers, who didn't have much money and just wanted to eat well without spending much, would come to her shop to buy steamed buns. After a while, they became familiar with each other and recommended her to others, and that's how the stall got going.
Finally, the two decided to sell steamed buns, fried rice, and a serving of plum drink. They had pickled a lot of plums this summer, which they originally brought to Beijing to eat, but now they could sell them with rice.
They give it away at the beginning to attract customers, and then start charging them once business picks up.
Xie Ning remained silent. Actually, she said she wanted fried rice because she wanted to eat it tonight.
Although we didn't get to eat fried rice that night, we did get to eat rice porridge, which Xie Qi bought when he came back, since schools like the Imperial Academy and the National Academy were located in the outer city.
Water rice is basically cornmeal cooked with green vegetables like shepherd's purse. It looks ordinary, like a bowl of light vegetable porridge, but you can add some condiments.
According to Xie Qi, the shop has prepared a dozen or twenty kinds of condiments, including roasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, soybeans, as well as boiled eggs and preserved eggs. Xie Ning's favorite is rice with pickled bamboo shoots, topped with a little soy sauce and sesame oil, which is delicious.
"Baby, would you like some fried dough sticks?"
"want!"
The golden-fried dough cakes are mixed with some chopped vegetables, making them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, oily but not greasy.
Xie Qi brought back more than just this one dish; he also brought back various fried skewers and grilled meats, all spicy and flavorful, which, when paired with an icy drink, were simply divine.
The two were eating in the study when a shadow suddenly appeared on the floor. The two, who were enjoying their meal, froze and subconsciously glanced to the side. Xie Wangzhi was standing at the window with a stern face.
His face darkened even more when he saw the table full of oil paper bags.
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