Chapter 29 New Crystal Powder Product +1
The idea of becoming a supplier, while potentially very profitable, is fraught with difficulties in practice.
The first problem was that all the noodle stalls in town made their own flour and noodles, which was inexpensive, had a consistent taste, and a stable customer base, so there was no need for them to spend extra money to buy flour from other vendors. Therefore, the first thing Lin Yao had to do was to take her own crystal flour to town to sell for a while, introduce this new product to the market, and stir up the peaceful noodle market in Qingquan Town.
However, it wouldn't be safe for Lin Yao to go to town alone to sell rice noodles, as she wouldn't be able to manage the work. The siblings discussed it and decided to ask someone to help. "Brother Dazhuang's family has always been very kind to us. Why don't you ask your sister-in-law to come with me?"
This suggestion was exactly what Lin Cheng wanted to say. "That's exactly what I was thinking. We should also repay Brother Dazhuang's family. But how should we calculate the wages?"
“We’ll set up a stall in town this time. It’s a long way and we have a lot of things to sell, so let’s make ten coins a day.” After thinking for a moment, Lin Yao continued, “At the dock, we’ll ask Aunt Li if she’d be willing to set up another stove to sell crystal powder. If she’s willing, we’ll let Aunt Li run the business at the dock, as a way of thanking her for speaking up for us so many times before.”
Having made up her mind, Lin Yao led Lin Cheng and Lin Song to Liu Dazhuang's house. Just then, Liu Dazhuang was sitting in front of his house cleaning the wild rabbit he had just hunted.
"Brother Dazhuang!" Lin Cheng called out. Liu Dazhuang saw that it was the three siblings, picked up the rabbit he had prepared, pushed open the half-closed door, and said, "Come in and sit down."
After entering the house, Lin Yao asked, "Brother Dazhuang, is your wife home?"
Before Liu Dazhuang could answer, Liang's voice came from the kitchen: "Looking for me? I'm coming out right now!" Both the original owner and Lin Yao liked this sister-in-law. She was feisty, decisive, quick-witted, and protective of her own. Being by her side made one feel very safe.
After putting away the washed pots and pans, Madam Liang came out of the kitchen and said, "What does A-Yao want with me? Did your aunt bully you again?"
After sitting down, Madam Liang continued, "Speaking of which, if I hadn't happened to be visiting my parents with Da Bao that day, I would have given that heartless bastard a good scolding for you!"
Seeing her indignant expression, Lin Yao was both amused and exasperated. "It's not about that. Brother Dazhuang helped us a lot that day. We came here today to ask you to help out at our stall. We don't want you to work for nothing. Ten coins a day, lunch included."
Upon hearing this, Madam Liang was taken aback. "This... how can this be? Helping out is fine, but ten coins a day is really too much. A day's hard labor at the docks only earns thirty coins. Your business has just started, and making money is not easy. You can't be so extravagant!"
Lin Yao was deeply moved by her words. "My stall will be set up in town, which is a long way and tiring. My brother needs to stay at the dock to look after the stall. I really can't manage to go to town alone. If my sister-in-law doesn't agree, I'll have to ask someone else for help. My sister-in-law is the person I trust most in the village. With her help, my brother and I can rest assured."
"Ah Yao has really grown up. What you said makes sense." Madam Liang patted Lin Yao's hand. "Then I won't refuse! I certainly won't let you down." Lin Yao briefly explained the meeting place and time to Madam Liang, and then went up the mountain with Lin Cheng and Lin Song.
Lin Yao was confident she could open up the market for crystal powder, so she went up the mountain for two reasons: first, to dig up more sweet potatoes, and second, because her konjac at home was almost used up, and she needed to dig some back to make konjac snacks. Konjac snacks are easy to carry, and she could also take some to town to sell.
Back home, Lin Cheng peeled the soybeans, while Lin Yao harnessed the donkey to the stone mill and then went to fry them. The hot and sour noodles she had for lunch today lacked the flavor of the fried soybeans, so she had soaked a large bowl of soybeans before leaving.
Lin Yao glanced at the soybeans in the bowl; they had grown larger than when she first put them in. Soaked soybeans are easier to fry until crispy. She took the soaked soybeans out, drained the water, and wiped away the excess water with a clean cloth.
Next, she heated the oil in the pan and added the soybeans to stir-fry. The first stir-fry only needed low heat; Lin Yao gently stirred the soybeans to prevent the skins from peeling off, as the crispy, thin skin of the fried soybeans would enhance the texture. Seeing that the soybeans had begun to float to the surface, Lin Yao added some firewood to the stove and turned up the heat to let the soybeans release some oil.
After frying, Lin Yao scooped out the soybeans to drain the oil, leaving a little oil in the pan. She added garlic powder, poured in the fried soybeans again, and sprinkled in a handful of salt for seasoning. The secret recipe for crispy fried soybeans was now ready.
After a busy day, Lin Yao felt sore and aching that she couldn't straighten up. Fortunately, the task of pulling the millstone had now been handed over to the little gray donkey, so Lin Cheng could free up his hands to help her; otherwise, she really didn't know how long she would have to keep working.
After a good night's sleep, Lin Yao felt refreshed and rejuvenated. It's so good to be young! If she had to do this much work before, she definitely wouldn't have recovered in less than a week.
After having breakfast, Lin Yao prepared a hot and sour sauce in the kitchen, keeping the cilantro and wild scallions separate. Firstly, because the cilantro and wild scallions would look unappetizing if soaked for too long; secondly, because she was worried that some people might not like scallions or cilantro.
With everything prepared, the three siblings set off early. When they arrived at the dock, Aunt Li's stall had just finished packing up. "Young Lady Lin, Cheng-ge, Song-ge, you're here so early today!"
Lin Yao nodded, "There's a lot of work to do today, so we need to come early to finish!"
After setting up her stall, Lin Yao cooked a bowl of hot and sour noodles. The pungent aroma of the noodles wafted onto Aunt Li's stall on the morning breeze. Aunt Li sniffed and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
Lin Yao was carrying hot and sour noodles to Aunt Li's stall when she overheard this conversation and smiled. She placed the noodles on Aunt Li's table and said, "Auntie, these are hot and sour noodles, please try them."
Aunt Li put down the rag in her hand and said, "No, no, I can't just eat the food from your stall for free."
Lin Yao pushed the bowl forward and said, "Auntie, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'd like to cooperate with you in selling these hot and sour noodles. Why don't you try them and see if we can make this business work?"
Back when Grandpa Wang and Miss Lin were selling steamed buns together, Aunt Li had been very envious. Now that such a great opportunity was before her, she naturally wouldn't miss it. She said, "Everyone at the docks praises Miss Lin's food. Since you've said so, I'll have to try some!"
Aunt Li picked up a mouthful of crystal noodles with her chopsticks. Their watery, translucent appearance was something she had never seen before. She put the noodles in her mouth, and was immediately and unexpectedly assaulted by a spicy kick—far more stimulating than the smell. Yet, this spiciness made it impossible not to eat more and more.
"Delicious! A bowl of this on a winter's day would warm you right up. People who work at the docks in this freezing weather would definitely love this!" Aunt Li praised generously.
Lin Yao's reluctance to give up the dock market also stemmed from this consideration. Autumn had already arrived, and winter was not far off. In winter, dock workers preferred hot food, and Aunt Li's stall would undoubtedly be more popular than in summer. Aunt Li had been selling porridge at this dock for most of her life and had a large number of regular customers. With Aunt Li personally promoting their products to customers, they had no worries about finding a market for their crystal noodles.
Lin Yao opened the cloth bag in her hand, revealing two large bundles of crystal powder. She said, "This is a new type of vermicelli we just made, called crystal powder. I'm the only one in the entire Qingquan Town who can make it. However, our stall is too small, and if we add another pot, we might not be able to handle the workload. Would you be willing to sell this crystal powder, ma'am?"
"I'm willing, but the price..." Aunt Li was also worried that the price of these unique vermicelli was too high and she couldn't afford it.
“The prices aren’t high. A bundle of crystal noodles costs twenty-five coins, enough to make at least ten bowls. The spicy sauce for hot and sour noodles costs five coins per bamboo tube, enough to make about twenty bowls. And these secret-recipe crispy soybeans are fifteen coins per bamboo tube, enough to make about twenty bowls as well. You can also just take the crystal noodles and add other toppings; the taste is excellent too,” Lin Yao said.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Li felt much relieved. "I love the taste of yours! I'll take two bundles of crystal noodles, a tube of sour sauce, and crispy soybeans!" With that, she counted out seventy coins from her purse and handed them to Lin Yao. Lin Yao took the money, gave her the crystal noodles, and gave her some instructions on how to make them before returning to her own stall.
At the stall, Wang Xiaoyu was preparing the ingredients she would need later.
"Xiaoyu, come here for a moment." Lin Yao pulled her aside and said, "You saw the noodles I made just now, right? They're called crystal noodles. My brother and I figured them out at home yesterday. These days, I'm going to go sell hot and sour noodles with the sister-in-law from the same village."
Seeing that her expression was normal, Lin Yao continued, "I was worried about you going to town alone, and I couldn't leave you alone at the dock. So I found a strong-willed sister-in-law to accompany me. You can stay at the stall here at the dock for now. Once the crystal powder starts selling well, I'll come back and teach you."
Wang Xiaoyu was deeply moved. As her apprentice, she would learn whatever her master was willing to teach. Even the dishes her master didn't want to teach weren't considered secrets. Her master was telling her these things because he valued her, and she would certainly not let him down. She said, "Master, go to town with peace of mind. I'll take care of things here!"
At the dock, Liang and Liu Dazhuang were already waiting with an iron pot and a few tables and chairs. This was also the reason why Lin Yao asked her for help. Her own pots were not enough, and she didn't have many tables and chairs. Combining the two families' belongings would be just right.
Lin Yao put the crystal powder and seasonings into her basket and ran to meet up with Liang. They loaded the things onto the donkey cart and led the donkey towards the town.
We were delayed at the pier today, and when we arrived in town, many vendors had already taken their spots.
Even the stalls in town operated on a first-come, first-served basis. The Great Yan Dynasty had "Street Offices" in its major cities specifically to manage these small vendors.
The street officials erected "marking trees" on both sides of the main street as boundaries. Stalls could be set up freely on both sides of the street outside the marking trees, but setting up stalls in the center of the street inside the marking trees was strictly prohibited. Anyone who crossed the marking trees would be punished with seventy strokes of the cane.
Lin Yao and Liang Shi found a spot surrounded by noodle stalls and set up their stall. Liang Shi boiled water nearby, while Lin Yao began to call out, "Crystal noodles! Crystal noodles! The only crystal noodles at Lin's food stall! Don't miss it if you're passing by!"
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Author's note: ①②③④ are quoted from Baidu.
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