The housing management office's contract isn't something you can just sign on a whim. The rubber shoe factory is a large state-owned enterprise, and the inefficiency of such state-owned enterprises is well-known. The factory said they need to go through the procedures, and the earliest the contract can be signed is Friday morning.
In other words, before they could get the house, Shu Hui and Deng Fangping still had to set up a stall to sell roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
Around 10 a.m., the two pushed their cart to the entrance of the Municipal Hospital. People flocked to buy roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and they worked non-stop for more than two hours before finally having a moment to rest.
I had barely caught my breath when business came knocking again.
"How much is one?" a nonchalant young man asked.
Shu Hui wiped her hands. "Three cents each!"
The young man glanced at the meat, then at the garlic cloves, and exclaimed, "Give me two roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers)!"
Shu Hui deftly cut the meat for him, and the young man watched her work while asking her questions, such as what kind of meat she used, how she made the pancakes so crispy, and how she braised the eggs.
Shu Hui is a rural woman with little education, but she understands that even with the same pork hock and seasonings, different people can make it taste different! The reason there's a queue for their roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) isn't because she and Deng Fangping are particularly capable, provide excellent service, or are very clean; it's all because of Chu Yu's secret recipe!
How to select pork, how to control the cooking time of the meat, and how long to boil the eggs—these seemingly insignificant details determine the taste of their roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)!
Did I tell you everything? Did I tell you to follow the trend and sell roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)? To get a piece of the pie too? Isn't that just making things difficult for yourself?
Shu Hui is honest, but she's not stupid!
Shu Hui picked up a cleaver and began chopping pork with a "clack, clack, clack." The young man, thinking she hadn't heard him, turned to Deng Fangping and asked:
"Sister, your roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) smells so good! My grandma is getting old, and I want to learn how to make it for her at home. I wonder how you braise the meat?"
Deng Fangping was not as easily fooled as Shu Hui; she had a stern face and her tone was not friendly:
"You're so filial! Your grandma wants to eat roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), so you learn to make roujiamo. What if your grandma wants to eat apples someday? Are you going to plant fruit trees for her? Your grandma wants to drink milk, so are you going to go and get her two dairy cows? I've never seen anyone as filial as you in my entire life!"
The young man was a little embarrassed by her retort. He took the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and left without looking back.
He went to a big tree at the entrance of the next alley and handed one of the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) to the man wearing a straw hat.
"We agreed that I would eat the rest of the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)."
The man took off his straw hat, revealing himself to be the ruggedly handsome Shu Jiandang.
At Liao Xiumei's urging, Shu Jiandang spent several days wandering around Deyang but couldn't find Shu Aiguo's stall. It wasn't until this morning, when he was using the toilet by the roadside, that he overheard the men in the toilet talking about how good the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) stall near the Municipal Hospital was.
Shu Jiandang came over to try his luck, and to his surprise, he actually stumbled upon it.
"Did you tell me the recipe?"
The young man shook his head, somewhat annoyed. "Not only did he not say anything, he also scolded me!"
Fortunately, Shu Jiandang didn't expect him to find out. He waved the thug away and stared intently at the roujiamo in his hand.
Shu Jiandang had never heard of this snack before. He opened the packaging and found that the so-called roujiamo was just a flatbread with meat inside.
People in the countryside have eaten plenty of meat sandwiches. The flatbread is cut in half, and cooked meat and vegetables are stuffed inside. After finishing one half of the flatbread, you can eat the other half. It's so delicious!
Every year during the river construction season, the men of Shanguan Village wouldn't be able to go home for more than half a month. Their families would prepare flatbread or pancakes for them. River construction was hard work, and they couldn't be picky about food; they'd just cut the flatbread in half and stuff it with the pickled vegetables they brought from home. It smelled good, but to the rural people, this stuff was nothing special. How could it be so popular?
He counted, and Shu Hui could sell dozens of roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers) per hour. During lunchtime, there was even a queue!
Even if you only make a dime per roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), you can still earn dozens of yuan a day!
This business is quite profitable!
The enticing aroma of roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) wafted through the air, and Shu Jiandang, unable to resist the temptation, peeled off the outer packaging and stuffed it into his mouth.
Shu Jiandang didn't want to admit it, but Shu Hui's roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was really delicious. The meat was fatty but not greasy, and the bread crumbled when you bit into it. Paired with braised eggs and garlic, Shu Jiandang could eat ten in one sitting!
After finishing the meat sandwich, Shu Jiandang finally understood why it was so profitable. However, since he had eaten it all, he couldn't take it home for Liao Xiumei to study the recipe.
He then stopped an elderly woman by the roadside and asked her to buy him a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
The old lady's surname is Ma. She is a long-time resident of the neighborhood. After retiring, she had nothing to do, so she did odd jobs at the neighborhood office.
After Shu Hui and Deng Fangping, two people from out of town, came to set up a stall, Aunt Ma responded to the national call and did not drive the individual vendors away, but simply registered their information.
Shu Hui was an honest person, but Deng Fangping was a social butterfly. Every time she saw Aunt Ma, she would give her grandson a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). Over time, Aunt Ma became familiar with them.
Knowing that Shu Hui and Deng Fangping were from Rongtai County, and that the man who asked her to buy roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) also spoke with a Rongtai County accent, Aunt Ma became suspicious.
"A man just gave me five coins and told me to buy a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)! He said he only wanted one roujiamo and would give me the remaining two mao (0.2 yuan)."
Shu Hui was taken aback. "Auntie, what did that person look like?"
Aunt Ma described him as having strong features, a sturdy appearance, and a decent height, with a somewhat serious look.
The more Deng Fangping listened, the more familiar it sounded. "This person...doesn't he look like Shu Jiandang?"
Upon hearing her elder brother's name, Shu Hui was momentarily stunned.
She had no grudges against Shu Jiandang. Before she got married, Shu Jiandang treated her, his younger sister, quite well. It was only after Zhou Jian'an wanted to divorce her that Shu Jiandang and Liao Xiumei's attitudes changed.
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