Just as Meng Zhao was skewering the food, she heard a familiar voice calling her from behind. Turning around, she saw her parents coming over together. Meng Zhao quickly asked Gu Shi to come and take the skewers from her hands.
"Mom and Dad, you're out at the night market too!"
After nodding to Gu Shi, Shen Qing, and the others, the two pulled Meng Zhao aside. Xu Yunrong said, "Yes, the county is bustling with activity today, so we naturally came out to take a look. We knew you had a stall here, so we came to see you. How's it going?"
Meng Zhao chuckled twice, "Everything couldn't be smoother. There are so many people today, business is exceptionally good."
Seeing his daughter happy, Meng Dashan smiled too, "Good, as long as business is good, I can't let my daughter work for nothing."
Meng Zhao picked out a few skewers from the stall according to her parents' tastes and handed them to them, saying, "Mom and Dad, these are all your favorites. Try them and see how the braised dishes are today."
The two took the food and tasted it one by one. Meng Dashan said, "It's delicious, even better than last time. My daughter is just like me; everything she makes tastes good."
Xu Yunrong rolled her eyes and pinched him. "Stop being so shameless. Just because I praised you a few times doesn't mean you think you're a great cook. My daughter's cooking is much better than yours."
Meng Dashan wasn't angry even after being pinched. Meng Zhao looked at his cheerful expression and couldn't understand why the people in the street thought Meng Dashan was fierce, when he was clearly very kind.
Seeing that everything was going smoothly for Meng Zhao, Xu Yunrong heard that there was a riddle game ahead and wanted to go check it out. Before the two left, Meng Zhao took out a box of braised beef from the cart and fed them each two slices.
"This is the braised beef I made. Remember to come back and take some home after you're done shopping." Xu Yunrong and Meng Dashan both love to drink, and the braised beef Meng Zhao made is an excellent accompaniment to their drinks.
Two days ago, Meng Dashan brought her some beef. She made some into skewers and the rest into braised beef for them to drink with their drinks.
After the two agreed, they turned and left. Meng Zhao wanted to put the food box back, but the burly man next to her spoke up, "Young lady, what's that? Sell me some."
Meng Zhao did not agree. "I'm sorry, brother, this is for my parents, not for sale."
The burly man looked disappointed and said regretfully, "Young lady, your braised beef is indeed delicious, but the portion is too small. It's not even enough to fill a tooth gap, and I'm not satisfied with what I'm eating."
When Meng Zhao looked, she realized that while she was talking to her parents, this person had already eaten forty or fifty skewers at his stall, and he still hadn't stopped.
Since he was a big customer, Meng Zhao used her chopsticks to pick out two slices of braised beef from the food box and handed them to the man.
"These two pieces are a gift for you; please try them."
The burly man took it and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, his eyes widened. "Delicious, young lady. I'm not lying to you. I've traveled all over the country for many years and have probably eaten hundreds of pounds of braised beef. But this bite from you is the most delicious I've ever had."
To receive the title of "best" from a foodie is an extremely high honor, and Meng Zhao was overjoyed. "I'm glad you like it. I'm also planning to open a braised meat shop. If you like it, please come and support me often."
The burly man was overjoyed. "Really? Where is it? I definitely have to go there."
Meng Zhao was stunned for a moment, then stamped her feet in regret. It was a real blunder; she should have finalized the location of the braised meat shop earlier, as it would have been an excellent opportunity for promotion.
The person in front of her not only had a big appetite but also seemed to have plenty of money. He would definitely be a loyal customer of her shop in the future. Meng Zhao sighed inwardly and said, "I'm sorry, brother, I haven't decided on the exact location of my braised meat shop yet. But I'll be setting up my stall here for the next few days. Once I've decided, I'll definitely let you know if you come over."
The burly man laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll be waiting."
Before leaving, the man asked for more than twenty skewers, saying he wanted to take them home for his family to try. Meng Zhao wrapped the skewers he wanted in lotus leaves and handed them over, saying, "If they get cold when you get home, you can just put the lotus leaf wrappings in a pot and steam them."
After seeing off this big customer, Meng Zhao quickly took some more skewers from the basin. Only when the stall was fully stocked could it attract customers.
"Skewering the ingredients with these bamboo sticks is a novel way to eat them," a melodious voice said.
Meng Zhao looked up at the speaker, a beautiful woman with a gentle smile. She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a fine silk embroidered short jacket that made her complexion as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her voice was warm and gentle.
"Madam, would you like to try some? My skewers are not only prepared in a novel way, but they also taste delicious."
The man chuckled and pointed to a few items. Meng Zhao picked out each one she chose, heated them up, and handed them over.
Song Wanyin took the skewers from Meng Zhao, picked out a convenient beef ball, and was about to put it in her mouth when the maid next to her gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Miss, it's not appropriate to eat on the street. Let Shanhu take it back for you to eat later."
You have to hold these skewers in your hands to eat them, and you have to lean forward slightly and open your mouth wide while eating, otherwise you might accidentally get your clothes and mouth dirty. As a lady from a respectable family, how could she do such things in the street?
Song Wanyin changed the direction of the hand holding the beef ball and put it into the mouth of the maid who was talking next to her.
Coral was forced to bite into a dumpling, and quickly looked around, hoping to swallow it before anyone could see. But after chewing it a few times, she finally appreciated the dumpling's deliciousness.
These beef balls were soft, bouncy, and very chewy, with a rich beef flavor and a hint of savory bone broth. They didn't seem like the kind of food you'd find at a street stall, and she nodded repeatedly as she ate them.
Song Wanyin couldn't resist either and started tasting it herself. Although it's against the rules to eat on the street, who could resist eating these freshly cooked, fragrant skewers at home?
After a few bites, she was indeed very satisfied and ordered a few more skewers. The little maid initially wanted to help her mistress avoid ordering more, but once she got into the mood, she didn't care anymore and just wanted to eat a couple more skewers.
When they finally stopped eating, they counted and realized they had unknowingly eaten nearly thirty skewers. They looked at each other and smiled, finding it hard to believe, since they had eaten dinner before coming out.
Looking at the mouthwatering skewers on the stall, Song Wanyin thought of her husband who was probably still working hard somewhere, so she picked out a few more skewers and asked the stall owner to pack them up and take them back for him to try.
As time went by, the market became more and more crowded, and Meng Zhao's stall business got better and better. Only then did she realize that she had brought too little stuff.
She hadn't expected business to be so good today. The people browsing the night market seemed to be spending their own money without any remorse.
Some children passing by were intrigued by the skewers on her stall and pestered their parents to buy them. Even those who seemed to have modest means would stop and buy two or three skewers for their children.
Some families have many children, and each child buys two skewers, which cost more than ten coins. Before the market even closes, Meng Zhao's more than a thousand skewers are almost sold out.
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