Early the next morning, Mo Yuan took a kerosene lamp to the kitchen.
After soaking in the flavors overnight, lifting the lid fills the whole house with the aroma of spiced fermented fish.
Even Mo Yuan couldn't help but take a few breaths of the aroma!
I specially took out a bowl and filled it with some for my family to try.
Then they were placed one by one into the prepared basin.
Mo Yuan still needed to do some preparatory work, mixing wheat flour with cowpea flour to make some fried meatballs.
When paired with fish soup, it will be both delicious and filling!
I also made a jar of chili oil. When the time comes, I'll add some vinegar and chili oil to the fishpond, sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro, and it will be delicious!
Everything was ready, and Gouzi arrived as promised. The two of them loaded the two honeycomb briquette stoves, along with other items, into the car.
The road was packed with cars, and the two brothers set off on their journey under the afterglow of the moonlight!
The destination of this trip was the entrance to the oil mill on the outskirts of the county town.
Mo Yuan had already scouted the location; the factory had quite a few workers and produced soybean oil and cottonseed oil.
Although the factory has a canteen, the canteen chefs are only paid a fixed salary, so their motivation is understandably low.
Whether you put your heart into it or not, the result will be the same, and the food you make will naturally not taste very good!
Moreover, there are many nearby residents living there, so a large number of them either eat at home or bring some dry food from home to cope with the situation.
Some who don't go home either make do with a simple meal or bring dry rations, along with some stir-fried pickled vegetables in a glass jar. Those who are better off will also add two eggs.
These people aren't all unwilling to spend money on food; they generally only have about thirty yuan a month.
However, some people simply didn't want to eat that food, which was almost like pig slop, in the cafeteria anymore.
Mo Yuan's first stop is here, and he'll definitely sell it!
These people all had spare money, and fish soup with pickled fish or meatball soup were rare treats for them.
As long as your homemade food tastes good enough, you won't have to worry about not having customers!
Not far from the oil mill entrance, there's a vacant lot. I don't know where it belongs, but it's all saline-alkali land, and nobody grows crops there; it's just lying there abandoned.
It was a large area, and Mo Yuan was just about to set up his stall there.
Workers coming and going to get off work can see it.
After arriving at their destination, the two quickly began preparations. One was responsible for setting up the stall, tables, and stools, while the other was responsible for starting a fire.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Mo Yuan set up the oil pan and started frying the meatballs. Being busy would also attract the attention of some passersby!
Soon, the aroma of fried meatballs filled the air, attracting many people to come and watch.
There wasn't much of a culture of selling snacks at stalls here, so people were quite curious about Mo Yuan's stall.
The dog then promptly began to shout as Mo Yuan had instructed.
"Come and take a look! Hot and fragrant fish and meatball soup, as well as spiced pickled fish, is tender, flavorful, and suitable for both the elderly and children. Buy some and your family will surely love it!"
Mo Yuan's skillful operation also aroused people's interest; by now, everyone knew what they were selling at their stall.
They pointed and chatted excitedly; in this era of scarce entertainment, this was a rare moment of liveliness for these workers!
Seeing that the crowd had gathered enough, Mo Yuan started cooking. He sautéed scallions and ginger until fragrant, then added hot water and brought it to a boil. He then added the fried small fish. He did the same in another pot, but this time he cooked freshly fried, golden-brown meatballs.
The aroma quickly filled the air, and many onlookers couldn't resist.
Young people, in particular, are highly receptive to new things and have a strong sense of curiosity.
One of them couldn't resist craning his neck and asking, "Hey bro, how much is it? It smells amazing, perfect since I haven't eaten yet!"
Mo Yuan immediately introduced enthusiastically, "Brother, this is fish soup, made by frying live, jumping fish and then cooking them. It smells delicious! This is meatball soup. You can eat and drink it all, and one bowl will fill you up. Meatball soup is one cent a bowl, and fish soup is one and a half cents. If you're worried about not being full, you can add five cents worth of meatballs. I guarantee it will be delicious and filling! Want a bowl to try?"
"Uh, so expensive? A bowl of noodles at a restaurant in the county only costs eight cents. This is way too expensive!"
Mo Yuan wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he explained, "Brother, you can't compare them like that. I know those noodles too. They're just plain noodles, with a couple of leafy greens and a few ounces of noodles. I'm still making a profit of eight cents on them. Mine is different. It's fried in the best soybean oil. You're all oil factory workers, so you know what you're doing. Look at my soybean oil. I bought it from the county supply and marketing cooperative. It costs 85 cents a pound. Frying fish and meatballs uses a lot of oil. I'm selling this at a loss. And the taste is absolutely delicious! Brother, you can tell you have good taste. This is much better than noodles! Why don't you try it?"
The young man opposite him was a bit confused by what Mo Yuan was saying, but he really hadn't eaten breakfast and was starving.
And the fish soup smelled really good, so I gritted my teeth and figured I might as well be fooled this time!
"Alright, give me a bowl of fish soup, and five cents worth of meatballs!"
As he spoke, he pulled out two small bills and handed them over!
The dog deftly took the money and then gestured for the first customer to sit down.
Mo Yuan, after ascertaining whether the other person had any dietary restrictions, quickly ladled out a bowl of fish soup with meatballs, sprinkled it with chopped green onions and cilantro, and...
They delivered it to the young man, and even made a special introduction,
"There's vinegar and chili oil on the table, help yourself. I'm not bragging, just the chili oil alone makes it worth the trip!"
The person opposite tried adding a little vinegar and chili oil, mixed it well, and then took a sip of the soup.
Many people around were watching to see how the first person to try it would react.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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