Chapter 60 Chapter 60-Two-in-one Linji Soup Noodles (Catching Bugs)...
Hearing her words, Lin Chunxing looked at her in surprise: "Sister, does a small stall need a name? I see many pancake stalls don't have names."
Lin Chuntao glanced at them with a smile.
"Our little stall won't last just a few days or months. If business picks up in the future, we'll open a shop. We definitely need a name. We can't let our customers who love our food not be able to remember our name when they talk about it to others, right?"
Lin Chunxing suddenly realized and murmured, "That's right, then what should we call ourselves?"
The sisters tilted their heads with worried expressions, as if they had thought of something, but felt that none of them were good. Lin Chuntao saw their ambivalence and said with a smile, "How about keeping it simple and calling it Lin's Soup Noodles?"
Pei Ying smiled. This was indeed simple and straightforward.
Lin Chuntao made the final decision, and Lin Chunxing and the others had no objections, so it was decided. After the name was decided, there was also a price tag. Lin Chuntao asked Aunt Guizhi for an old wooden board and wrote the price on it.
After finishing the price tags, Lin Chuntao realized that if the food wasn't cooked in time, everyone would have to wait in line. To avoid the situation where someone arrived before her, she took it away first. So, Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to make some numbered bamboo tags for her. This would make it easier for her to remember and call out the numbers. She didn't know if business was good, but she had Pei Ying make twenty pairs of them.
They also sorted out all the things they would need, such as the colander. They had dinner early today and only started preparing the dishes for tomorrow after dinner.
Chives tend to rot easily after being washed, but we can’t wait until tomorrow morning to cook them, so we have to prepare the ingredients in advance. We have to wash them first and put them in a colander to drain the water. After the water has drained, we can cut them into sections.
The tomatoes have to be cut tomorrow morning. Lin Chuntao also chopped out the meat filling, but did not fry it tonight. Lin Chuntao felt that since it was profitable, it would be better to keep it fresh.
After completing the preparations for tomorrow, Lin Chuntao went to get the money and counted out three hundred and fifty coins for Lin Chunxing.
"Take this for an emergency."
Lin Chunxing quickly waved her hand and refused: "Sister, I don't need the money."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly as she looked at her and said, "I'm buying snacks for you. You have to go to the noodle shop tomorrow morning to buy some noodles. Don't you want to pay? And if you run out of leeks and tomatoes later, you can buy some at the market, wash them, borrow a knife from your brother-in-law, and cut them up so you can continue selling them, right? Of course you won't need money."
Only then did Lin Chunxing take the money.
Lin Chuntao asked, "Are you nervous?"
Lin Chunxing nodded, her cheeks slightly red. Lin Chuntao patted her shoulder gently, "Don't be nervous. I won't pick mushrooms tomorrow. I'll go with you."
"real?"
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?"
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Chunxing was obviously relieved. She ran to get the purse she had sewn a few days ago and put the copper coins into it.
Lin Duoer looked at Lin Chunxing with envy, "Sister, can I go with my second sister?"
Lin Chuntao thought that in the future, it would be mainly Lin Chunxing who would do this. She had to go into the mountains and it would be impossible for her to sell noodles every day. If Lin Chunxing left, and if Lin Duoer also left, only Lin Chunhe would be left at home.
Lin Chuntao slowly looked at Lin Chunhe and asked, "Chunhe, do you want to go?"
Lin Chunhe shook her head: "I won't go." Then she added: "If I go, there will be no one at home. My second sister will do it. If she is too busy, we can talk about it later."
Lin Chuntao went into the mountains to pick mushrooms, and Lin Chunxing went to sell noodles. They were both making money. The family also had to cut grass for pigs and collect firewood, so if she went, there would be no one to do it.
Lin Chuntao looked at her. Of the three sisters, Lin Chunhe was actually the most calm, not talkative, not jumpy, and more insensitive than Lin Chunxing. Now that the old Lin family was gone, she wouldn't be afraid to lock the door and go out. Lin Chuntao said softly, "We'll only set up our stall for half a day. You can come if you want."
Lin Chunhe laughed and nodded after hearing what Lin Chuntao said.
"Then I'll go later. Duo'er will go with you tomorrow."
*
Lin Chunxing got up before the Yin hour.
Although Lin Chuntao agreed to go, she was still very excited and could hardly sleep.
Because she had to get up early to fry the minced meat, Lin Chuntao asked the system to set an alarm to wake her up a quarter of an hour before the Yin hour. When the system alarm rang, she heard noises outside the house and quickly woke up. Lin Chunxing had already cut the tomatoes and the stove was lit.
"Why are you up so early?"
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "I can't sleep."
Lin Chuntao went to wash up first. She said to Lin Chunxing, "Isn't Duo'er going out? Wake her up."
Lin Chunxing responded and went into the house, and soon brought Lin Duoer out.
After washing up, Lin Chuntao quickly fried some minced meat and put it into a clay pot. She also packed all the things she was going to take with her into her backpack.
When they set off, the system had not yet reported the location of the mushrooms, so Lin Chuntao went directly to the county town with them.
When they arrived, Zhang Dayong, Zhao Guang and others had just arrived. The shop assistants started to get up one after another. They had heard yesterday that Lin Chuntao and others were coming to cook soup noodles to sell, so they were happy to see them today.
"Sister-in-law, have you set the price for your noodle soup?"
The person asking the question was Zhang Dayong. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Good morning, Brother Zhang. I've already ordered it. Ten cents a bowl."
Ten cents a bowl. She put lard and minced meat in it. The price was not expensive. Zhang Dayong smiled and said, "Please help me cook a bowl later. I will eat it after I finish cooking."
Lin Chuntao readily agreed and asked with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Zhang, for opening our stall."
Zhao Guang also said, "Please help me cook a bowl of soup."
The guys who just came out were still a little confused, but thinking about the noodles Pei Ying brought that day, they had been craving it for a long time, so they also ordered from there.
Lin Chuntao wrote them all down, a total of eight bowls.
Zhang Dayong and his men were busy slaughtering pigs, and the other guys had nothing to do for the time being, so they could have breakfast first and wait for the food to be cooked.
Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing quickly brought out the stove and pots.
Lin Chunxing lit a fire and boiled water, while Lin Chuntao took a basket to the noodle shop to get noodles. She first took out twenty pounds.
When he came back, the stove was lit, the water was boiled, and the scoops for the vegetables were placed on the tongs. Lin Duoer was wiping the table and stools beside them.
Lin Chuntao put the powder in place and hung the prepared sign on the bamboo frame.
This bamboo rack was made by Pei Ying for use at home. He needed it urgently for the stall, so he had to use it to support it. Lin Chuntao also made some simple hooks on it, with the price tag hung in the front and the opposite sign hung on the side for easy access.
Lin Chuntao washed her hands and tore the flour in the colander into small portions, which were roughly the same as what she grabbed at random.
Lin Chuntao covered the baskets used to hold the vegetables with gauze to keep out some dust.
The guys were about to eat the six bowls, so Lin Chuntao quickly cooked them. After all, they were acquaintances, so Lin Chuntao put more powder in them.
There was a small table set up outside. The morning breeze was cool, so they took their own bowls and chopsticks and sat at the small table to eat.
The shopkeeper who sold noodles originally came to buy mutton patties, but he stopped in front of Lin Chuntao's stall. The butchers were sitting at a small table eating noodles with gusto, and the area was filled with an indescribable rich aroma.
Lin Chuntao greeted him. He swallowed and walked over, looking at their simple little stall. There was a small sign in front of the stall, "Lin's Soup Noodles". There was a price tag hanging on the bamboo rack next to it. A bowl of soup noodles with braised pork filling cost ten cents, an additional portion of meat sauce cost four cents, an additional portion of noodles cost three cents, and an additional portion of vegetables cost two cents. The so-called serving size was also placed next to it.
He peeked at the waiters, who were drinking soup from big bowls.
Chunzi felt refreshed after taking a sip of the soup. He turned around to look at Lin Chuntao, intending to ask what was in it that made it so fragrant. Instead, he saw the shopkeeper selling noodles. He smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, give me a bowl. Madam Lin's noodles are so delicious."
The shopkeeper saw how they were enjoying their meal and said, "Madam, give me a bowl too."
After Lin Chuntao agreed, Lin Chunxing started to scoop the meat filling and started to cook. The noodle shopkeeper saw that they were doing it very simply and felt a little regretful. It cost ten cents, and there seemed to be only a spoonful of meat filling in it. He only sold this noodle for seven cents per pound, but she sold this bowl for ten cents. She was really good at making money.
When the noodles were cooked, Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "Would you like to eat here, boss?"
"Well, help me put it on the table." As he said that, Lin Chuntao brought the bowl of noodles to the table. "Enjoy it."
The guys had finished their meal and not even a drop of soup was left.
The shopkeeper frowned slightly. The food was still very hot after being cooked. He stirred it gently with chopsticks, picked up a little, blew on it, and then put it into his mouth.
It was the noodles he was most familiar with, but coated in this simple soup, it became very unfamiliar to him.
He dipped his chopsticks in the soup and tasted it again. The flavor was really well-seasoned...
He was just about to turn around and ask Lin Chuntao what was in it when he saw the workers who had finished eating coming over to pay and had already found out.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, I didn't put any sauce in it last time, so the taste was a little lighter."
"This is so delicious. Which sauce shop did you put this in? Why do I feel like I've never tasted it before?"
"I made it myself, not bought it from a store."
Chunzi and the others looked at Lin Chuntao in surprise, "Mrs. Lin can actually make sauce?"
"I was just figuring it out. Do you prefer today's flavor or last time's?"
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Ah Si next to her immediately responded, "It must be today's. Today's is more fragrant."
Lin Chuntao was very happy to see that they liked it.
"Okay, as long as you like it."
Ah Si said, "My lady, you are busy, we are going to go."
As they talked, several people went into the house together. The remaining shopkeeper sat at the table slurping noodles. He had underestimated the spoonful of insignificant meat sauce.
He said yesterday that the mutton noodle shop needed more than 30 kilograms of mutton noodles every day, and he was afraid that this small stall would need even more in the future.
He hadn't finished eating yet when the people from the shop next door got up to open the door. As soon as the door opened, he smelled a fragrant aroma. Looking closely, he saw the owner of the noodle shop sitting there eating.
The shopkeeper opposite said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Chen, what are you eating? It smells so good."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper Chen said with a smile, "The new Linji Soup Noodles are really delicious. Would you like a bowl, Shopkeeper Liu?"
After this greeting, three or four people gathered around the stall, and Lin Chuntao greeted them with a smile.
"Good morning, shopkeepers! Our stall just opened today. We're selling noodles with braised pork filling, freshly cooked for ten cents a bowl."
Shopkeeper Liu asked with a smile, "What kind of meat?"
"Pork."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, the man frowned. "How can pork noodles be delicious?" He wasn't targeting Lin Chuntao, but pork soup has a bit of flavor, and pork noodles are far less delicious than mutton noodles. That's why there aren't many pork noodles in the entire county. If it were delicious, they wouldn't have waited for Lin Chuntao to make it.
Lin Chuntao didn't get angry when he heard this, she just smiled and said, "The meat filling is fried with my homemade sauce, so it doesn't have any fishy smell anymore."
After she finished speaking, the man looked at the shopkeeper Chen who was asking for noodles. He drank the last mouthful of soup and shoveled all the meat filling at the bottom of the bowl into his mouth. He looked at Lin Chuntao contentedly and said, "Madam Lin, give me an additional portion of noodles and a spoonful of meat sauce tomorrow."
Lin Chuntao agreed with a smile, and the man gave her some copper coins.
Seeing the look on Shopkeeper Chen's face, the man said to Lin Chuntao, "Give me a bowl."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person next to him echoed: "I'll have a bowl too."
The other two looked at it and walked away with their hands behind their backs. Lin Chunxing started to cook. The two shopkeepers were from the shop across the street. They said to Lin Chuntao, "When it's done, just give us a shout and we'll bring you bowls."
After the two of them left, Lin Chunxing weighed the copper coins in her lotus pod, and couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "This isn't a regular customer of ours. It's just their first day selling here, and they're looking for something new."
Lin Chunxing nodded and put away the lotus bud.
One stove to boil water, the other to cook. Lin Chuntao thought about it and felt it was still a bit slow. After cooking the two, she asked Lin Chunxing to watch, and she ran to the grocery store to buy another clay pot. If she was particularly busy, she would boil water on high heat and cook on two fires at the same time.
Time passed little by little, the sky began to brighten, and the market began to become lively. Shops opened and various small vendors came. Ah Si and Ah Liu had already started delivering meat, Pei Ying and his friends started distributing the meat, and Zhang Dayong and his friends started moving to the other two stalls.
"Sister-in-law, the noodles are ready to cook. We'll be done soon."
"Okay."
Lin Chunxing was the one who cooked the noodles this morning. Maybe because Lin Chuntao was there, it was Lin Chuntao who spoke to everyone, and she just focused on her work.
Pei Ying and the others washed their hands and prepared to eat breakfast. Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunxing and Lin Duoer, "What do you want to eat?"
Lin Duoer looked up at Lin Chunxing and said, "I want to eat mutton pie."
Lin Chuntao gave her some money and said, "Go buy them. Buy four."
Lin Duoer took the money from her and ran away.
Pei Ying, Zhang Dayong, and Zhao Guang took some noodles and ate them at the table next to them. Zhang Dayong took a bite and said with a smile, "This noodles tastes better than last time. Did your sister-in-law add something new to it?"
Pei Ying said, "She was thinking about making sauce a few days ago."
Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang were both very surprised. "Sister-in-law can make sauce?" Zhang Dayong looked into the bowl and saw no large pieces of chili peel. He whispered, "This is not chopped pepper sauce."
People in Yizhou love to eat chili peppers. Every household grows some. When the peppers turn red, they chop some and put them in a jar to make sauce. It has more flavor than fresh peppers, but it is not much more delicious. To buy the really delicious sauce, you have to go to a sauce shop.
Pei Ying doesn't understand much about sauce, unlike Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang.
The two looked at the bowl of noodles and could hardly tell that there was sauce in it, but they could tell from the taste that it was more fragrant than before because there was more sauce, and the sauce must be delicious.
Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang looked at each other, and then looked at Pei Ying together.
Pei Ying smiled and said, "The new sauce is still covered. I will tell the two brothers when it is ready."
Zhang Dayong smiled and said, "Please save two cans for us when the time comes, and we will give money to my sister-in-law."
Pei Ying nodded and Zhang Dayong smiled.
They get along well, but he can't use his wife's work as a favor for free.
Just like his chili oil, which was originally made for him by his wife. Pei Ying said he wanted it. After he fried a jar last time, Pei Ying gave him money. This time, Pei Ying asked for it again, and he went back to talk to his wife. Without saying a word, she fried another jar for him and happily helped him pack it.
If he refused to accept Pei Ying's money to save face, it would happen once or twice and there would never be a third time. His wife would not only resent him, but also Pei Ying.
Pei Ying and Zhang Dayong finished their meal quickly and went about their business. They used their own bowls and took them back to the yard to wash them, which saved them the trouble.
Lin Duoer ran to buy some mutton patties. The three sisters ate one each, and Lin Chuntao wrapped the other one and put it in her backpack to take back for Chunhe.
After they finished eating the cakes, the sun rose. The various food stalls in the market were already steaming hot, and the fragrance was everywhere. The woman selling sweet water diagonally opposite looked at her frequently. When her eyes met, Lin Chuntao smiled slightly, and the woman also smiled embarrassedly.
Seeing that more and more people came to the market and all kinds of shouting were heard everywhere, Lin Chuntao also shouted.
"This newly opened braised pork noodle soup shop is worth a look if you're passing by. It's made with our own unique sauce and costs ten cents a bowl! Freshly cooked, no cheating!"
Lin Chuntao shouted twice in a row. The people who were walking by the stall and queuing to buy meat were Chunzi and Pei Ying. When they heard her shouting, they felt it was interesting and turned their heads to look over.
Lin Chuntao looked at the passerby in front of her and said, "Our unique braised pork noodle soup, ten cents a bowl, would you like to try one?"
"Will this bowl fill you up?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If you like, you can add more flour. It only costs three cents to add an extra portion of flour."
Lin Chuntao was cooking a pot of soup, the red soup bubbling and bubbling, the aroma filling the air. The man swallowed and said, "Give me a bowl, and add some noodles. This pot is all right?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, sir, yours is thirteen cents."
The man took out the money and Lin Chuntao took down the first pair of cards from the bamboo rack next to him and handed it to him: "Sir, this is your number card, the first one. Please sit here and I will cook it and bring it to you."
The man held the number plate, not knowing what it meant. Lin Chuntao explained, "To prevent those who come later from eating first, we will cook according to the order of the plates, ensuring that those who come first get to eat first!"
After hearing what she said, the man sat down at the table somewhat awkwardly. Lin Chuntao quickly added some flour into the pot, cooked it for a while, and then poured it over to the man.
The onlookers were surprised to hear this. How could such a small stall even have a queue? This showed that they were very confident in their cooking skills. Even mutton noodle shops didn't need it, and they still didn't believe it. How could it be better than mutton noodle?
"Give me a bowl to try, too."
As he spoke, he took out ten coins and handed them over. Lin Chuntao collected the money and gave the number plate. Lin Chunxing looked at the people in front of the stall in a daze. Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Hurry up and cook it. It will be too late."
Lin Chunxing nodded and started cooking.
In just a short while, Lin Chuntao took out seven number plates. Everyone sat at the small table. There was only one table, and eight people sat at a time. The newcomer saw that there were chairs but no seats, so he asked, "Boss, you have no place to eat?"
Lin Chuntao was about to speak when Helan came and happened to hear this. He looked at the people sitting at Lin Chuntao's small table and said loudly, "Madam Lin, if there are not enough tables, please bring out this one in my room."
Lin Chuntao smiled and thanked him, then turned around and said to the man, "There's room. Sir, would you like a bowl?"
"Give me a bowl."
After collecting the money and giving the sign, Lin Chuntao went into the house to move the table, and Helan helped her carry the table out.
"Is your business doing well?"
Helan's eyes were filled with joy. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's try it on the first day. We'll have to wait and see if it's good."
Helan smiled and said, "Based on my wife's craftsmanship, it won't be bad."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper He, for your kind words!"
Helan helped her set up the table, looked at her stall, and said with a smile: "It's your first day here. If you need anything in my room, you can use it first."
Lin Chuntao nodded and thanked him. "Have you had breakfast? I'll make you a bowl."
"I've already eaten at home. I'm so busy, I'll take care of the guests first."
Lin Chunxing was busy cooking these bowls, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. There were a lot of people rushing to the early market, and a lot of people were crowded in at once. Lin Chuntao and her friends didn't have enough time with two fires, and the customers kept urging them, so Lin Chuntao borrowed the stove from Manager He's house and cooked with three fires at the same time.
There were many onlookers at first, but when they saw the person who had just finished eating, with his mouth full of gluttony and even the bottom of the bowl cleaned up, praising his meal endlessly, they couldn't help but want a bowl too.
There is no chili skin in the red soup, and the meat filling is delicious when you put it in your mouth and chew it. You can hardly taste the pork flavor. Many people who have eaten it want to buy a pound of meat from the meat stall next door, and then buy a pound of vermicelli. After returning home, they will chop it up and cook it themselves, and then eat two big bowls.
Ten cents for a bowl is a lot, but it's so delicious that I can eat another bowl. It's just that I don't have enough money, and spending twenty cents on breakfast is a bit too expensive.
People lined up to eat, and Lin Chuntao and her team's 20 kilograms of noodles were sold out before lunch.
There was still some meat sauce left, so Lin Chuntao went to get another five pounds of flour. After cooking it, some people came to ask for more, but the flour could not be cooked without the meat sauce.
"I'm sorry, Auntie. This is our first time making this and I'm not sure how much we can sell. We didn't make enough meat sauce and it's all sold out. I'll make more tomorrow."
Lin Chuntao overestimated the amount of meat sauce she made. She thought it would be good enough if she could sell 20 kilograms of noodles, but she didn't expect that 25 kilograms was not enough.
The meat at the butcher stall next door was almost sold out, and Helan and the others were packing up and preparing to close the stall.
Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing each cleaned the bamboo rack while the other washed the dishes, and they finished almost the same job as Pei Ying and the others.
He carried the meat he had cut earlier on his back, went to buy tomatoes and leeks, and then carried them all home.
Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing were both extremely busy this morning. If business continued to be this good, they wouldn't be able to handle it all by themselves. Lin Duoer was too young to even wash dishes, so Lin Chuntao and the others could only let her wipe the table and scoop a bucket of water. She couldn't help with anything else.
All the money collected today was in Lin Chunxing's purse. It was heavy in her hand. She had never held so much money before.
Pei Ying didn't expect that their business would be so good. There was a long line of people eating noodles, and they couldn't even cook enough.
"How many kilograms of noodles did you sell today?" Pei Ying asked curiously. Lin Chuntao looked up at him and smiled, "Guess."
"Twenty-five."
Lin Chuntao: "...so accurate, you guessed it right at once."
Pei Ying smiled helplessly. Lin Chuntao went to get 20 kilograms of noodles for the first time. When she came back, she told him that it was a bit heavy, so she said she would take a bite. She was so busy that she forgot about it.
Today, Lin Chunhe was farming at home alone. She fried a melon and egg pancake in the morning and ate it. Then she let the chicks and the old hen out of the chicken coop, threw a small bundle of pig grass to the piglets, locked the door, put on her backpack and took the sickle, and then went to call Lin Qingqing and the others to go cut pig grass together.
"Chun He, is this your second sister?"
"She and Duo'er both followed my sister to the county town." Lin Chunhe only said that they were going to the county town, but did not say what they were going to do. Lin Qingqing and Lin Chunxing were of similar age and had a better relationship. Lin Chunxing's selling of soup noodles was a big deal, so it would be better for her to tell her little sisters herself. If she told them, it would be bad in case Lin Qingqing thought too much.
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