Chapter 104 Chapter 104-Two-in-one business is booming
Lin Chunxing thought about it and agreed. Chai Xingyu and the others made a lot of noise that day, with drums and gongs and opera singing. Given everyone's love of joining in the fun, they might have come to the market in a hurry, bought something, and then ran to join in the fun.
Maybe she took less powder that day because she couldn’t sell it all.
"Okay, let's do it another day."
At the tasting session, Chai Xingyu paid for the ingredients and sauces. Lin Chuntao had already picked out pork belly and tenderloin from Helan, and then went to the mutton shop to buy some lamb tenderloin, shoulder bone meat, and two lamb legs.
She wasn't sure whether the officials would show up to support her in the end. If they didn't, there wouldn't be enough meat to go around. But if they did, they would definitely have to fill the whole table. She also asked them to leave two lamb legs for her so they could get them if they needed them.
Lin Chunxing also went and brought the soup noodles with her.
Before dawn on the 22nd, Lin Chuntao and her friends had already gone to the shop.
The jars of sauce have been placed in the shop, and the price tags and names have all been pasted on them. Next to each jar are several copper spoons for scooping sauce, with scales on them. The customer can scoop in the amount he wants.
Lin Chuntao took a look around and thought everything looked okay.
Because he needed to cook, Chai Xingyu prepared a stove and placed it on one side in front of the shop, and also put a few tables, chairs and stools next to it.
Lin Chuntao went to get the stoves and arranged them in a row. She also had to make stone slab barbecue, roast vegetables, roast potatoes, roast eggplants, etc. today.
The tasting plates are relatively small, just for tasting, but everyone can try the food from several restaurants after entering.
Lin Chuntao had just put everything in place when Qin Suyun arrived with the ingredients and the chef, and the various sauce shop owners also arrived with their people one after another.
Everyone got to know each other, especially the two shop owners of tomato sauce and sweet noodle sauce. Qin Suyun was the one who mainly made the sauces for their dishes. At the same time, Qin Suyun also negotiated the future purchase price with them.
After all, he is his biological son. Guo Jixiang, Chai Songchuan and Chai Jiao also came to support Chai Xingyu.
No one had eaten breakfast yet. The chef brought by Qin Suyun cooked a few bowls of noodles for everyone, including soup noodles with tomato sauce, noodles with sweet noodle sauce and shredded pork, and noodles with sauce soup for Lin Chuntao and the others.
Everyone has tried the soup noodles and liked them as always. Today, they were a little surprised by the new tomato sauce noodles and mixed noodles. It is very common to use tomatoes in dishes, but it takes a lot of tomatoes to make a thick soup. However, after making this into a sauce, only a small amount is needed to cook a bowl of noodles, and it has a strong tomato flavor.
Qin Suyun said: "Local people may not like this so much, but people in the Central Plains can't stand spicy food, it's too bland and tasteless. Maybe many people will like this."
After breakfast, it was bright outside. People from the theater came to set up the stage. Everyone worked very quickly. The sun had just risen and people who were going to the morning market had just left. The place became lively with the beating of gongs and drums and singing of operas, and a lot of people gathered in an instant.
Before the hour of Si, Chai Xingyu borrowed a mask from someone in the opera troupe, put it on, and started shouting.
"The sauce market is opening today, and there's a food tasting event. Uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and younger brothers and sisters passing by, please get a number plate from the front. The lottery will start after 9:00 PM. If you win the lottery, you can enter for free to try the food. No money will be charged!"
After he finished speaking, the onlookers were a little confused. What were they trying to eat?
Before I could ask, I saw Lin Chuntao and Qin Suyun rolling noodles, cutting meat, and washing vegetables over there.
"What are you trying? Did they make it?"
Chai Xingyu said: "That's right."
Sanbao, who was standing in the crowd below, called out, "If you're interested, I'll be collecting number plates here. Everyone, remember your number plate. I'll call you when you're drawn in the lottery. You must bring your number plate with you to come in and try the food. Don't lose it."
The lady was a little bit unconvinced. How could such a thing happen? Free food?
Could it be that these grown men are being kindhearted?
“Really free?”
Sanbao said, "It's really free."
The old lady gritted her teeth and said, "I, I, I! Give me one."
Seeing that Sanbao didn't have much paper in his hand, the people next to him hurriedly scrambled for it.
Sanbao was squeezed by someone and jogged back, letting the people behind him line up to get the item.
The food tasting hadn't started yet, and those who had received numbers and lined up went about their own business. Many of them were going to the market to buy vegetables. After these people entered the market, it didn't take long before the news of the food tasting spread throughout the market, and many people who hadn't received numbers rushed over.
There were so many people gathered here that there were many restaurants in the county town, and they all arranged people to collect numbers.
There were even some people who, upon learning that the sauce for Lin Chuntao's noodle soup would go on sale today, came directly without caring about whether to try it or not.
As soon as I walked in, I asked, "What kind of sauce is in Lin Ji's noodle soup?"
Zhang Qingqing looked at the middle-aged man who rushed in and was frightened, thinking that he was looking for trouble.
After hearing the question, she hurriedly led the person to the side of the sauce jar, "Sir, this is Lin's spicy sauce." As she opened the lid, the aroma of the red sauce wafted into the air.
"Can I have a taste?"
Zhang Qingqing nodded: "Okay, please wait a moment." As she spoke, she closed the lid of the jar of sauce, then took down a small jar from the shelf above, took out a small bamboo stick, and scooped a small spoonful for each of the two people.
"The bamboo strips are clean, so you two can enjoy them without worry."
The middle-aged man took a bite. The sauce tasted good on its own, but the sauce had to be salty. If it wasn't salty, it wouldn't be easy to preserve. He pursed his lips. This taste was definitely the sauce in the noodle soup.
He had asked Lin Chuntao before, and Lin Chuntao said at that time that she made less at home, and would sell more in the future. At that time, he thought Lin Chuntao was trying to fool him. She used the sauce to make noodle soup herself. If she sold the sauce, everyone could sell noodle soup. Wouldn't it affect her business?
I didn't expect it to be true.
Now that the sauce is on sale, they can also serve noodle soup in their store.
The chef had tasted it before and said that as long as there was sauce, the taste would be similar.
After tasting it, he glanced at the chef behind him, who nodded vigorously, "Boss, this is it!"
The middle-aged man asked, "How much do we want to buy?"
The cook said, "The jar we brought today can hold fifty kilograms."
After saying that, the middle-aged man asked Zhang Qingqing, "How much is one pound?"
"Eighteen cents a pound." She quoted the retail price. If the other party didn't bargain, she would definitely not automatically lower the price. But the man didn't even mention the price reduction. He said directly: "Pack us fifty pounds."
Just as she finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing took the jar and was about to fill it when Lin Chuntao and Chai Xingyu came in from outside.
Chai Xingyu looked at the man and said hurriedly, "Morning, Shopkeeper Wang!"
Wang Huaizhi looked at Chai Xingyu, then saw Lin Chuntao next to him, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Chai, Shopkeeper Lin, business is booming!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Wang, for your kind words. We'll have a food tasting soon. If you have time, Shopkeeper Wang, please stay for a cup of tea."
Wang Huaizhi had to go back and figure out how to make noodle soup.
"No, no, let's get together some other time. I can't leave the shop. I hope the two shopkeepers are doing a booming business!"
Zhang Qingqing packed up the sauce, a total of fifty kilograms, and earned nine hundred coins.
The man surnamed Wang also gave Chai Xingyu and Lin Chuntao each a lucky red envelope worth 88 wen.
The two men held the red envelope and looked at Wang Huaizhi and his cook who seemed to be being chased by ghosts.
Chai Xingyu and Lin Chuntao said, "Sister, is the price of our sauce too cheap?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "No, our sauce tastes just right. It's just that Shopkeeper Wang must be in a hurry to take the sauce back to think about the dishes."
Chai Xingyu said, "He shouldn't be thinking about soup noodles, right?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "It should be soup noodles."
"After this day, there will definitely be a lot of noodle soup stalls in our county. That's normal."
After the fifty kilograms of sauce were sold, the entire jar was sold out. Chai Xingyu asked Lin Chuntao with a cold hiss, "When will our next batch of sauce be delivered?"
Lin Chuntao said, "It's drying now. It will be available the day after tomorrow."
After steaming the beans last time, Lin Chuntao took a day off and then continued to make them. This time, she brought in more than a thousand kilograms of beans. It should be no problem to sell them in three to five days, right?
It's impossible to buy sauce every day. Just like the 50 kilograms of sauce I just mentioned, it will take several days for me to come back to buy it for the second time no matter how hard I try.
Before the hour of Si, Lin Chuntao, Qin Suyun and the others had already started cooking. The aroma of soup, noodles, meat and vegetables soon filled the entire street. The onlookers kept snorting, inhaling the aroma.
After the time passed, the troupe started the show and the people arranged by Chai Xingyu began to introduce the sauces in the shop today.
After the introduction, he said, "Everyone can try each sauce used in the dishes today. If you like the taste, you can go to the store and buy a pound or two to take home. The whole family can enjoy the delicious taste."
The activity was quite interesting. The first person whose number was called was a young woman. She brought her daughter who was six or seven years old with her. The mother and daughter were invited in together.
The stone barbecue and twice-cooked pork made by Lin Chuntao are both red and have a charming aroma!
The pancake-wrapped roast duck and noodle soup made by Qin Suyun also looked extremely appetizing, especially the hanging roast duck, which was golden and looked so delicious.
The woman looked at the smiling Qin Suyun and Lin Chuntao and asked in a low voice, "Can I try everything?"
Lin Chuntao said: "Of course."
Then Lin Chuntao and the others took small plates and put the food in them. The woman and her daughter tasted them one by one. The portions were not big, just one or two bites.
Women can remain calm after tasting it, but children are different.
The child's eyes widened after eating the delicious food. He exclaimed that it was delicious and wanted more, but was a little embarrassed.
The lucky draw was still going on over there. Many people were watching the mother and daughter tasting the food outside. Looking at their expressions and smelling the aroma of the food, they were so greedy that they couldn't help it.
There were too many people, and it was impossible for everyone to be selected. So some people didn't expect to be selected and directly approached Lin Chuntao and the others and asked, "Madam, what kind of sauce are you using?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Lin's spicy sauce."
"I'm going in to buy some. This sauce smells so good."
After he finished speaking, many people who heard it rushed into the shop in a hurry.
On the first day of opening, Lin Chuntao's sauce sold particularly well. Tasting it only let many people know that the sauce can be used in cooking, such as stir-frying and grilling meat, but many people were craving the soup noodles. After buying the sauce, they would buy some noodles and make it themselves at home.
The sales of other sauces are also good, and many people like the chopped pepper and egg fried rice. People who moved south prefer another kind of bean paste, which is not spicy but quite fragrant and can be mixed directly into rice.
After a busy day, the tasting ended in the evening.
The business was good at the opening, and Chai Xingyu had a smile on his face. Guo Jixiang and the others initially thought that this would just be a temporary event, but they didn't expect that Lin Chuntao and Qin Suyun had prepared some delicious dishes. Those officials who originally didn't come to join in the fun finally couldn't help but come over to take a look, and then had a meal before leaving.
After the tasting, Lin Chuntao and the others went back.
Chai Xingyu counted the goods. They sold more than 400 kilograms of Lin Chuntao's sauce today, and a lot of other sauces were also sold. It was a good start.
Almost no one came to the Chai family's soy sauce factory today. Chai Laosan also came to see what Chai Xingyu had done, and felt a little depressed.
I came to see Chai Songchuan in the evening.
Chai Songchuan said: "This is only the first day. Everyone likes to watch the fun. They are waiting for two days, and then all the guests will return."
But three days later, Chai Xingyu's shop became more lively, and some people did return to Chai's Sauce Factory, but it was still very deserted compared to before.
On the fourth day after the sauce shop opened, Chai Xingyu came to Lin Chuntao to get the second batch of sauce.
There were several more soup noodle shops in the market, but Lin Chunxing's shop was doing well. People who liked pickled vegetables came, and people who liked braised eggs also frequented it. Lin Chunxing's expectation that the stall's business would be squeezed out and unprofitable did not come true.
She can still sell thirty to forty kilograms of noodles every day.
Lin Chuntao became even busier. The sauce had been selling well, so she had to continue making it. Now people in every village were busy with the autumn harvest, picking beans and breaking corn, and were very busy.
After Lin Shuilian finished her confinement, her health had recovered well, so Lin Chuntao asked her to come and help pick beans and pepper stems.
On the 28th, Lin Qingqing ran away from home.
Lin Chuntao heard the news from a woman in the village, who said that Lin Qingqing had eloped with someone, and Wang had a big fight with the woman.
Wang and Lin Chuntao had an unpleasant quarrel because of something that happened before, so they had little contact with each other afterwards.
It was Lin Changhua who came to ask Lin Chuntao and the others: "Chuntao, has Qingqing been playing with you recently? Have you heard where she is going? Do you know where she is?"
Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunxing, and Lin Chunxing also shook her head.
"No, we haven't played together for a long time since we last divided the tree. Why did she suddenly..."
Lin Changhua took a deep breath and said without explaining the reason, "Chun Tao, Qing Qing doesn't know anything. If you have any news about her, you must tell me or ask her to come home."
Lin Chuntao agreed, and thinking of Lin Qingqing, she said to Lin Chunxing, "You guys cook, I'm going to go to Grandma's house."
Lin Chunxing also wanted to go, so the task of making dinner was left to Pei Ying.
When I went to Lin Chuntao, I found out that Lin Qingqing's aunt had heard from somewhere that Wang wanted to marry Qingqing to his family's Wang Quan, so she brought a matchmaker and some gifts to propose marriage.
Wang was angry at the time and wanted to scare Lin Qingqing. After she calmed down, she didn't really want to marry Lin Qingqing to Wang Quan, so she kept silent and pretended that this had never happened.
Who would have thought that when Lin Qingqing's aunt found out, she happily brought the matchmaker and Dong Xi to propose marriage.
Lin Qingqing was so angry that she fainted. The old lady of the Lin family told the aunt of the Wang family that this was not true.
The Wang family's aunt-in-law directly retorted to the old lady.
"Auntie, what my sister-in-law said herself, could it be false?"
"Marriage is always decided by parents. Qingqing is our niece, and as her aunt, I will definitely treat her as my own daughter."
They said she treated her like their own daughter, but Lin Qingqing rolled her eyes and fainted, without the aunt from the Wang family saying a word.
The old lady took Lin Qingqing to have an acupuncture treatment, and she kept crying after she woke up.
When taking Lin Qingqing to see a doctor, the old lady asked Wang to take charge. Wang accepted her sister-in-law's things and agreed to the marriage.
After Lin Qingqing was brought back by the old lady, she cried continuously when she heard the news and said she would not marry.
The old lady asked Wang to send the betrothal gifts back to the Wang family, but Wang remained silent and did nothing. The next day, Lin Qingqing was gone.
Then Li Honghua came to Wang's place to show off and asked Lin Qingqing if she was going to have a wedding?
Lin Qingqing disappeared at this moment. Looking at Li Honghua's expression, Wang Shi realized that it was Li Honghua who reported the matter to her parents' home.
Wang and Li Honghua fought and tore each other apart. Wang was so angry that she hit Li Honghua on the head with a stone, causing blood to flow. The two families were in chaos.
After listening to what Chen Dongniang said, Lin Chuntao frowned.
Chen Dongniang said: "My Lord, everything is fine. If something happened to Qingqing, it would really be..."
Lin Chunxing was listening nearby and her face turned pale.
After leaving Muramasa's house, Lin Chunxing and Lin Chuntao said, "Sister, let's go look for Qingqing?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. If she didn't care, she wouldn't have to ask. But if she wanted to find her, she had to have a direction first. They could tell which direction Lin Qingqing went so that they could follow her.
"Let's go find Jiaye and see if he knows anything."
In fact, the family has already asked him once today, but Lin Jiaye just doesn’t know anything.
When Lin Chuntao and the others called him out for questioning, Lin Jiaye avoided her gaze. Lin Chuntao looked at him and knew that he might know something.
"Do you know where Qingqing went?"
Lin Jiaye pondered for a while before saying, "She went to the county town, saying she was looking for work."
Lin Chuntao: "...did she say anything else to you?"
Lin Jiaye shook his head, and after a while he said, "She said she would never come back to marry."
Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, and Lin Jiaye asked, "Sister Chuntao, are you going to look for Qingqing?"
"No, just asking."
Lin Chuntao felt that even if they went to look for them, it would be their business and she didn't want to have anything to do with this family.
After a simple dinner, Lin Chuntao borrowed the small mule cart from Aunt Guizhi's house and called Pei Yingyi to go to the county town.
They walked around and searched many places, but couldn't find Lin Qingqing. It was already dark, and Lin Chuntao and the others had no way to continue looking, so they had to go home.
Lin Chunxing was silent all night and only spoke when she was almost home.
"Sister, will Qingqing be okay?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "It's definitely okay."
But for a girl of Lin Qingqing's age to run to the county town, she might be in danger if she didn't know how dangerous people are and met bad people.
Besides, she was in the county town. What would she eat when she was hungry? If she were in the countryside, it would be better. There would be food in the fields. She could eat a few tomatoes or something to fill her stomach.
If she doesn't have money in the county town, what will she eat and where will she live?
Lin Chuntao's heart was still hanging.
*
This evening, Zhang Qingqing returned to her rented house after finishing work in the shop. It was already dark when she reached the house, and she bumped into Lin Qingqing at the corner.
Her shoulder was hurt from the collision, and just as she was about to speak, Lin Qingqing fell in front of her.
It happened that several children from the same yard were playing outside. Zhang Qingqing called them for help and they carried her back together.
Zhang Qingqing thought something had happened to Lin Qingqing.
He said to the woman in the same yard, "She must have fainted from hunger."
"Miss Qingqing, do you have corn porridge? Feed her some. She'll feel better soon after she has something in her stomach."
Zhang Qingqing nodded. It happened that she had cooked rice porridge in the morning. Zhang Qingqing lit a fire and put it on to warm it up. She first fed Lin Qingqing some, then gave her some water, and then she scooped a bowl for herself to eat.
Lin Qingqing didn't wake up until more than half an hour later. She was frightened to find herself in a dark room. However, she heard a lot of talking in the yard, so she rolled out of bed. Zhang Qingqing heard the noise and quickly rushed into the room with a torch.
Lin Qingqing was a little flustered when she saw the unfamiliar face. Zhang Qingqing was the first to speak: "Girl, are you awake?"
"We bumped into each other at the corner just now, and you fainted. I just fed you a little millet porridge. How are you now?"
When Lin Qingqing saw Zhang Qingqing's kind face, she realized that she had met a good person.
“Thank you, sister!”
Zhang Qingqing asked, "Are you hungry now? I left some porridge for you."
Lin Qingqing felt a little embarrassed, but she was really hungry. Zhang Qingqing also saw her embarrassment and quickly took a bowl and served it to her.
Zhang Qingqing looked at Lin Qingqing who was drinking porridge. She was only thirteen or fourteen years old, but such a big girl fainted from hunger. Something must have happened, right?
"Sister, is your home in the county town?" Zhang Qingqing wanted to say that she would send her back after dinner, but Lin Qingqing shook her head. She did not tell her where her home was. She just said that she came to the county town to find a job. She did not bring any money with her today and did not find any work.
Zhang Qingqing frowned slightly and asked, "So you don't have anywhere to stay at night, right?"
Lin Qingqing lowered her head and hummed softly.
Zhang Qingqing could help her, but she was also a little afraid of getting into trouble. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Sister, why did you come to the city to find a job? Are you short of money or..."
Lin Qingqing wanted to tell the truth, but she was a little scared and hesitated whether to say it or not. But after thinking for a moment, she said, "My family forced me to get married, so I ran away."
Zhang Qingqing: “…”
"Who are you marrying?" Zhang Qingqing asked curiously. Lin Qingqing said, "My eldest cousin is a fool."
Zhang Qingqing looked at Lin Qingqing's clothes and guessed that her family must be from the countryside. After thinking for a while, she said, "Stay with me for tonight. Tomorrow I'll help you see if our shop needs any more help."
Lin Qingqing widened her eyes. She met a good man today. Not only did he take her in, but he also wanted to help her find a job tomorrow.
"Sister, can I ask what you do for a living?"
Zhang Qingqing said, "Selling sauces."
Lin Qingqing nodded slightly, "I have a cousin who makes delicious sauce."
That night, Zhang Qingqing took Lin Qingqing in.
After dawn, Zhang Qingqing took Lin Qingqing to the shop and found Chai Xingyu.
The moment she saw Chai Xingyu, Lin Qingqing was stunned. She had seen Chai Xingyu in the village before, when he was with Pei Ying.
But she was afraid that her family would find out, so she didn't recognize the person.
Chai Xingyu asked about the situation and then asked Lin Qingqing to stay and do the work.
Wang and Lin Changhua have been looking for Lin Qingqing, but they haven't found her after two or three days.
Lin Chunxing did not go home in time after closing her stall. They also looked for Lin Qingqing in the county town, but couldn't find her after searching many places. Lin Chuntao passed by Chai Xingyu's shop and went in to take a look.
There weren't many people around at the moment. Sanbao and Zhang Qingqing were sitting and chatting while they were cleaning up.
Sanbao sat facing the door and saw Lin Chuntao as soon as she entered the room.
"Sister Chuntao!"
When Sanbao's voice came out, Lin Qingqing stood up and tripped over the chair behind her.
When she turned around and saw Lin Chunxing and Lin Chuntao entering the house, her eyes were filled with panic, fearing that there were other people behind them.
Zhang Qingqing turned around and saw Lin Chuntao and went to greet her: "Sister Chuntao, why are you here? Have you had lunch?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I just came in to take a look when I was passing by, and then I went home. Have you eaten?"
Zhang Qingqing: "We ate it."
After they finished talking, Lin Qingqing, who was standing behind them, slowly came forward. She didn't know why, but she always felt that Lin Chuntao and the others were looking for her.
"Sister Chuntao, Chunxing, brother-in-law."
Lin Chuntao looked at her and she seemed to be fine and intact.
"Are you working here?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Lin Qingqing nodded and said, "I met Sister Qingqing, and she asked the shopkeeper for me, so I stayed here to work."
Zhang Qingqing was shocked when she heard their conversation.
"Sister Chuntao, do you know each other?"
Lin Qingqing said: "Sister Qingqing, this is the cousin I told you about who makes delicious sauce."
Zhang Qingqing smiled, fate is so wonderful.
I learned that Lin Qingqing has been staying with Zhang Qingqing these days, eating and living together.
Zhang Qingqing doesn't have much money either, and she hasn't received her salary for this month yet.
Lin Chuntao gave Lin Qingqing five hundred coins and said, "Pay me back after you get your wages. If your parents ask about it in the future, we won't know anything about it."
Lin Qingqing nodded, her nose felt sore, and tears fell.
"Thank you, Sister Chuntao."
"Why are you being so polite to me? It's too dangerous for you to run away like this! There are many ways to avoid getting married. You don't have to put yourself in danger."
"Sister, I have no choice. If I had a choice, I wouldn't run away."
Hearing Lin Qingqing's words, Lin Chunxing whispered a few words in Lin Qingqing's ear, and Lin Qingqing widened her eyes.
"Will this work?"
Lin Chunxing said, "It will definitely work. Don't your uncle and your grandmother love your cousin very much? You have to do it quickly, otherwise when they find out you've made money, they'll be even less willing to cancel the engagement."
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