Bo Bo Chicken, a skewer of Bo Bo Chicken for just one cent.
Lin Shaocheng took a string of lotus root slices from the plate. The aroma lingered in his nose as the lotus root slices were dipped in sauce.
One bite, and the first sensation is numbness, like an electric shock to the lips, followed by spiciness, which shocks his tongue, which rarely eats spicy food, and then a lingering sweetness, carrying the freshness of chicken soup.
Taking a sip of warm water made the pain on his tongue even more pronounced. Lin Shaocheng said, "This is a bit too spicy for a Beijinger."
Li Guorong picked up a slice of lotus root, crunched it down, and said, "It's not spicy."
Lin Shaocheng picked up another fried potato. The aroma of the sugar and oil mixture tempted him to eat it quickly. One bite revealed a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior, with a spicy, salty, and savory flavor, along with a hint of sweet and sour.
"This is just right."
Li Guorong held the bowl of Bo Bo Chicken, took out a skewer of chicken, and said, "Try it again, it's not spicy at all."
Lin Shaocheng frowned and then relaxed, eating a skewer of chicken. "It's still spicy. How about this, you take the meat out and let the kids at the door and the neighbors try it, and ask them if it's a bit spicy."
The two men, carrying a bowl of vegetarian skewers and wolf-tooth potatoes, opened the door. Several children were pressed against the doorway, drool dripping from their mouths.
As soon as the door opened, the child was so frightened that he hid behind. Several adults quickly blocked their child, revealing awkward smiles.
Most people renting in the suburbs of Beijing come from families with average means. Many are either students who have moved to the city with their families or have recently been hired to work in factories, where their earnings support several family members.
The man selling donkey rolls said, "Brother, your wife's skills are amazing; the whole alley smells wonderful."
Li Guorong touched his hair with both hands and quickly said, "I just moved here not long ago. This time I'm making some hometown flavors for everyone to try. There are no meat dishes, so please don't mind."
The bowl was filled with chili oil, and the potatoes were fried and smelled so good. These days, it's hard for anyone to get a bite of meat, so no one would complain about something oily like this. Several children, hearing that there was food, poked their heads out and stared curiously.
Lin Shaocheng said, "My wife wants to do this business. Please give me your opinions. I said it's too spicy, but she insists it's not spicy."
Li Guorong shot her a glare, telling her not to embarrass her.
Lin Shaocheng distributed the pot-boiled chicken to the adults. Several children reached out for it, but Lin Shaocheng refused, saying, "This is too spicy. You can have it after your parents and grandparents finish eating."
An older woman took a bite and exclaimed, "Ouch, this stings my mouth!"
The man selling donkey rolls scoffed, "That makes your mouth numb. Then you take a bite of seaweed. It tastes pretty good, just a bit spicy."
Several neighbors gasped for breath as the spiciness flared up, while the children drooled and watched longingly. The group then tasted a few more pieces of fried potato, finding the mild spiciness and caramelized flavor just right. They fed the remaining potatoes to the children, whose sensitive tongues caused them to gasp for even the slightest hint of spiciness.
The spiciness was so addictive that you couldn't stop eating it. In no time, the potatoes were completely devoured, leaving only a little bit of powder in the plate to prove its existence. Several adults were holding pot-boiled chicken in their hands.
This is something I'm planning to make for my kids when we get home. If they don't get to eat it, they might cry all night.
Several shy people came in carrying their own peanuts and melon seeds, and the donkey roll maker also took out a donkey roll and placed it in their hands.
Several families secretly took a lot of skewers and didn't come out again after going home. Li Guorong kept his eyes on them and his mind on them, remembering which family was honest and which family was good at taking advantage of others.
Lin Shaocheng asked, "How does it taste? Is there anything that needs to be improved?"
Brother Donkey Roll said, "The taste is pretty good, but this chicken is too spicy. The spiciness level is about half."
The remaining people nodded in agreement.
Li Guorong pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you all. I'll treat you to a meal when I open my business."
The group quickly declined, saying, "We can't accept this oil and salt; we'll definitely be there to support you when the store opens."
Li Guorong returned to the house and leaned his head against Lin Shaocheng's chest, saying, "This pot of ingredients was wasted."
Lin Shaocheng patted Li Guorong on the back, "Just add a little water."
Li Guorong rolled his eyes and bumped his head against Lin Shaocheng's chest repeatedly. "How could you do that? It changes the taste."
"How many people in Beijing have ever eaten authentic Bo Bo Chicken? If the flavor is a little milder, you can make more money."
Li Guorong broke free from Lin Shaocheng's embrace, stood up, and the dim light made her small figure appear taller. "The most important thing in doing business is conscience."
Lin Shaocheng smiled and said, "My wife will definitely succeed."
Li Guorong suddenly thought, "If I add more broth, the spiciness will be reduced, but the taste won't change."
Lin Shaocheng clapped his hands, "My wife is a conscientious and capable businesswoman."
Li Guorong chuckled and went back into the kitchen, energetically preparing a new pot of chicken soup base.
Lin Shaocheng sat in the main room, feeling as if he had forgotten something—a package. He got up and went to the tricycle, taking out a large package.
"Guorong, a package has been sent from Chongchuan's hometown."
Li Guorong had just finished preparing the new broth and put the skewers in when he hurriedly came out, his eyes shining as he stared at the large bag on the ground, his hands moving so fast they were blurry.
The package contained three pieces of cured pork as long as an adult man's arm, about ten sausages, and several jars of fried chili oil that were neatly packaged.
Li Guorong couldn't help but salivate. How long had it been since she had eaten authentic Chongchuan cured pork, as well as this chili sauce and chili oil?
At the bottom of the package was a letter. Li Guorong opened the letter and read it carefully under the light, tears wetting the letter.
Lin Shaocheng stepped forward and gently patted Li Guorong's shoulder, asking, "What did your family say?"
Li Guorong's eyes were somewhat dim, lacking their usual vitality. "My mother told me to listen to my mother-in-law. If she knew I had two fights with her, she would definitely beat me."
She pouted, which made her look somewhat childish.
Lin Shaocheng chuckled, "Then we won't tell them."
Li Guorong was worried. Her family was always so poor, and now there were no jobs available even if she went to the city to work. She lay on the table and sighed deeply.
Lin Shaocheng felt a pang of sympathy and stroked her long hair, saying, "Let's go back to Chongchuan for the New Year."
Li Guorong looked up in astonishment, "Are you serious?"
Lin Shaocheng planned to go to Chongchuan early and then return to his maternal grandmother's house after the New Year. Since the factory would not be operating in the winter, Li Xiangxi could take his shifts.
Li Guorong was conflicted again, "But what about my stall?"
Lin Shaocheng advised, "Isn't the point of making money to go home for the New Year? Factories close for the New Year, and universities and primary schools also close, so you can only make money from the neighbors."
Li Guorong then remembered that the factory also celebrated the Lunar New Year, and so did the students. She could go home, but she wouldn't earn money during those few days of the Lunar New Year.
In her past life, she frequented rural markets, where every day before and during the Lunar New Year was packed with people, and tickets were ridiculously expensive. She rarely returned to her hometown.
This life is different. She has chosen different people and is now a millionaire. She wants to go home.
Li Guorong perked up and pulled Lin Shaocheng into the yard to see the new tricycle, which had a small stove, a small iron pot, and honeycomb briquettes on it. There was also a waterproof tarpaulin next to it. "Honey, you're amazing! You've prepared everything so well."
Lin Shaocheng hugged Li Guorong from behind. His body was warm, and he wrapped Li Guorong tightly in his arms. "The weather is really cold. Are you sure you want to go?"
Li Guorong is now really tempted to hit Lin Shaocheng. She has prepared everything and is just one step away from taking the next 99 steps, but he has shaken her confidence again.
She wasn't like those lazy, good-for-nothing people in the Lin family who relied on Lin Shaocheng for everything; she was capable of supporting herself.
Lin Shaocheng vaguely sensed his wife's anger and quickly let go of her hand. "I'll go boil some water so we can soak our feet tonight."
It was still dark when a warm towel was placed on Li Guorong's face, its warmth dispelling her sleepiness. She opened her eyes.
Lin Shaocheng's eyes were gentle, like drifting clouds. He said, "Baby, get up. Didn't you say you wanted to run the morning market, the afternoon market, and the evening market?"
Li Guorong, still half asleep, got up, put on a special apron, and was led by Lin Shaocheng onto a tricycle. When he regained consciousness, they were already at the factory gate, this time at the machinery factory and the steel factory.
Textile and light industrial factories have a large female workforce who prefer clothing. Most of them can cook, and they are more likely to choose dresses and skirts.
Steel mills and machine factories have more male workers who are wealthy, mostly bachelors, and spend money lavishly. Most of them are not very good at cooking and spend more money on food.
After careful consideration, Li Guorong decided to set up a stall at the factory here. As soon as the tricycle stopped, several other stall owners stared intently at the two of them. The competition at the factory gate was fierce, not to mention the steamed buns, mantou, douzhi, youtiao, and roasted sweet potatoes.
With the economy just opening up, there will never be a shortage of quick-witted and hardworking people.
Lin Shaocheng parked the car and placed the stove at the intersection. They arrived late and couldn't find a spot close to the entrance, so they chose a spot closer to the intersection.
Li Guorong set up the pot, added oil, and began frying potatoes. The collision and mixing of starch and oil created a unique aroma that whetted people's appetites. Especially for people who are generally short of oil these days, fried foods are usually only eaten during the Chinese New Year, making Li Guorong's stall even more attractive.
Wang Gang is a steel factory worker, and his parents are also factory workers. His three older sisters are already married. As the only son in a family of three workers, he gets whatever he wants.
He never eats at home in the morning because his parents' cooking skills are too bad. Today, he was debating whether to have steamed buns or fried dough sticks when a strange aroma attracted him.
Wang Gang looked up and saw a new stall with oil sizzling in the pan. When he got to the stall, he was greatly disappointed. It was just fried potatoes. What was so special about that?
The pungent aroma wafting from the side made him stop in his tracks. He pointed at the pot-boiled chicken and asked, "What is this? How much does it cost?"
Li Guorong stopped what he was doing. “This vegetarian skewer is 5 cents, and the meat skewer is 15 cents. The chicken, beef, pork and ham sausages here cost 20 cents a skewer. This is authentic Chongchuan Bobo Chicken. The chili peppers are all mailed from Chongchuan.”
Wang Gang's eyes widened. "You're really ripping people off. A steamed bun is only 20 cents, and this tiny skewer is 20 cents too."
Li Guorong quickly smiled apologetically, "How much meat is in these buns? They're all vegetables. Mine is pure meat. Besides, my spices are much harder to make than buns. So, brother, since you're my first customer, I'll give you a 40% discount, okay?"
Doing business is all about the opening. If the opening is bad, things might not go smoothly afterwards. Li Guorong's smile remained unchanged, but he gripped his chopsticks with much more strength.
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