"Mom, are you sure you can manage on your own?" Tingting looked at Song Xia riding the tricycle with concern, especially since there were so many things on it.
“Sure, no problem.” Song Xia kicked off and waved her hand behind her.
Ye Tingting called out from behind, "Mom, I'll come find you after I finish my homework."
Song Xia gave another OK sign. After Xia Ru's biological mother arrived, she went home the next day, rested for a few days, and finally decided to set up a stall to earn money before the courtyard renovation was completed.
The tricycle belonged to the old man downstairs and was not in use. Her father changed the tires and repainted it. Even the barbecue grill was welded together with the old man downstairs. The only new tools for the stall were the ingredients and seasonings, so the cost was very low.
The location was chosen beforehand. Compared to when we first came to scout it out, there's now an additional food stall selling fruit, a fried skewer stall, and two grocery stores.
The vegetable vendor recognized her immediately: "Young lady, I thought you weren't coming! Come on, set up your stall next to mine. There are more and more stalls opening lately, and there won't be any spots left if you wait."
"Oh, thank you, ma'am." Song Xia readily agreed and, after starting the fire, grilled a sausage for the vegetable vendor as the first thing she did.
"I'm so sorry," the old lady said with a smile as she took the food. After taking the first bite, she nodded repeatedly, "Delicious, young lady, I didn't know you were such a good cook."
Song Xia smiled and lowered her head: "It's all for making a living."
Just then, a mother brought her son home from school. When they saw the golden-brown grilled sausages, both mother and son were reluctant to leave. The groceries vendor called out to Song Xia, "These grilled sausages are delicious. You won't regret buying a couple to try."
Song Xia's stall only sells beef skewers, grilled sausages, and grilled dried tofu. The prices are clearly written on the sign. Compared to some expensive beef skewers, the grilled sausages and grilled dried tofu are very affordable. Moreover, the color and taste are indeed good. Although I need to go back to eat soon, a grilled sausage won't delay me.
"Then give me two."
"Okay, do you want it spicy?"
"One spicy and one ketchup." As she spoke, the woman paid, and seeing that the vegetable vendor's vegetables looked fresh, she bought some more.
The vegetable vendor was grinning from ear to ear; she hadn't expected to sell a whole bag of vegetables so easily. She wished she could have a few more like that.
To her surprise, although it was Song Xia's first day, business was booming. After dinner, more people came out for a walk in the neighborhood, and some children couldn't resist the temptation of the grilled sausages. Since they were inexpensive, half of the parents would buy them for her.
But since they had already eaten, the children usually couldn't finish the grilled sausages. When the adults took them, they were amazed by the taste, so much so that some parents took the initiative to buy some beef skewers after their walk.
Although the beef skewers are relatively expensive, Song Xia's skewers are quite honest and especially delicious. Some people buy a handful and still want more, so they stand in front of the stall eating and waiting.
People love to join in the fun, and seeing how lively her stall was, even more people were willing to come over. So, her kebab business didn't stop all night, and even the vegetable vendor next door had to close up shop earlier than usual because most of her vegetables were already sold out.
Since she started her stall, apart from the last holiday, the vegetable vendor has never had such good business. Today, she was right to help this girl reserve a spot.
There were two eggplants and a few small potatoes left in her hand, which she figured would be hard to sell anyway, so the vegetable vendor gave them to Song Xia: "They're not worth much, you can just roast them and eat them. I'm too lazy to sell them. Little sister, I'll come back tomorrow to save you a spot!"
"Oh, thank you then." Song Xia actually grilled some on the spot, and the last person to buy beef skewers asked her expectantly if she would sell them.
"I'm not selling these. Auntie just gave them to me. It wouldn't be right for me to sell them. If you want some, I'll give you two potatoes later." Song Xia said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Just then, her daughter Tingting arrived.
"Mom, how's business today?" Ye Tingting ran over, and when she arrived, she didn't even look at the remaining ingredients. She was panting heavily, her hands supporting her legs.
"Not bad. Once we've grilled these, we can pack up and head home."
"Are you already closing up shop?" Ye Tingting was surprised. She thought it would be at least until 10 o'clock, since there would be a wave of people coming back from their night shifts and evening self-study sessions at that time.
"Everything I prepared is sold out. Come back tomorrow."
"Sold out?" Ye Tingting's mouth dropped open. "So much stuff!"
The customer waiting for the skewers explained, "Little sister, it's mainly because your mom's skewers are so delicious. I've come here twice tonight. Luckily, I came down early, because a few more people came after me, so they'll have to wait until tomorrow to eat them."
"They've already got repeat customers on the very first day?"
"The food is delicious, everyone wants to buy it." A customer asked Song Xia, "Sister, do you have any new varieties tomorrow? Your grilling is so good, if you bring more varieties, business will definitely be better. If you could sell some wine and set up two small tables in the back, that would be even better."
Song Xia laughed upon hearing this: "Are you suggesting I rent a shop? I can't manage it all by myself right now, we'll talk about it later."
"If you opened a shop with your skills, I would definitely invite my friends to patronize it every week."
Song Xia then took out a business card: "The barbecue restaurant is closed, but the private kitchen is under renovation and will be open in about two months. If you're interested when you go to the suburbs, you can give it a try. My cooking skills are just as good as my barbecue skills."
The man took it curiously, looked at the address, and nodded solemnly: "Okay, when I go there to play, I'll definitely try your cooking, big sister."
Ye Tingting never expected that her mother, who was just selling kebabs, could actually advertise her future private kitchen. She counted that quite a few customers had already said they would support her after the opening.
As they were talking, the skewers were grilled and the small potatoes were cooked. Only the eggplant was still a little undercooked. The man wasn't greedy and was satisfied with the two free small potatoes.
"Try it." Song Xia gave the rest to her daughter, and took one for herself to eat.
Ye Tingting had never eaten roasted potatoes before and found it very novel: "I didn't expect it to be like this, it tastes even better than stir-fried potatoes."
"If you like potatoes, Mom will plant more potatoes in the vegetable garden in the yard next year."
"Yeah, I'll dig it myself then."
"Whatever you like." As the mother and daughter were talking, someone else came up to ask if they still had any kebabs for sale. When they heard that they were sold out, someone insisted on buying her two eggplants.
In the end, she didn't sell them. She took one eggplant back to her parents and gave the other to the two people who insisted on buying them for free.
"Sister, I'll definitely come to patronize your business tomorrow."
"I hope you're not disappointed that I didn't buy anything today." Song Xia said with a smile as she packed up her stall and went home with her daughter, Tingting.
The city streets were still brightly lit, but there were not many pedestrians on the road. Ye Tingting sat in the back, watching the lights move slowly. She would remember this moment for the rest of her life. No matter how luxurious the car behind her was, she always felt that this was the happiest day of her life.
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