He Zifeng started making pancakes as soon as he arrived at his stall. His customers were all impatient. Many didn't want to wait and wanted to grab them and go.
He Zifeng first baked the pancakes. Because they were cheap, he only brushed a little oil on the pan, so they weren't greasy. The pancakes made from whole grain flour were chewy and became more fragrant the more you chewed them.
If you like this kind of food, you can't buy it from other people.
Qiu Yu, who was standing nearby, was worried that he hadn't eaten yet, so she laid out the braised pork offal, cut a little of each, mixed it with chili sauce, sprinkled some diced radish on top, wrapped it in a pancake, and then put the pancake in He Zifeng's mouth.
He Zifeng turned to the side and took a bite. The pancake was very fragrant, and the pork belly and heart inside were very tender. The braised meat was also coated with juice, and the diced radish helped to cut through the richness. Even He Zifeng, who eats pancakes every day, had a look of amazement in his eyes. After swallowing the bite, he said, "Delicious."
This braised food and the flatbread are a perfect match.
Qiu Yu only had this idea. After hearing He Zifeng's words, he also took a bite, biting into the spot where He Zifeng had just bitten, and thought it was good. He hadn't eaten breakfast either, and ate it bite by bite.
He Zifeng hadn't had enough, so he asked Qiuyu to roll another one for him.
Qiu Yu skillfully rolled out the pancakes for He Zifeng again. He Zifeng, having eaten his favorite food so early in the morning, was full of energy and continued working. Soon, the pancakes were piled high, but He Zifeng still didn't stop.
As soon as a regular customer arrived, he asked, "Do you have meat today?" He could smell it from a distance, and only when he got closer did he realize it was from the savory pancake stall.
Qiu Yu used a small knife to cut off a piece of pig's stomach for him to try.
The regular customer took the trembling pig stomach and put it directly into his mouth. It was both mushy and had the unique chewiness of pig stomach. After taking one bite, he wanted to keep eating.
Those who can afford to buy breakfast are people who are not short of money and are naturally willing to spend on food. He had never felt this way even when eating meat before, and said, "Even small restaurants can't make this taste. How much do you charge for it?"
Qiu Yu is quite talented in business, but it was overlooked before. After doing a few business deals, he found his way and is now even developing new products. He said, "Wrapped pancakes are six coins each, and those with meat are ten coins each."
Upon hearing this, a regular customer asked, "How much meat?"
Qiu Yu said, "About seven or eight pieces!" The pieces were small, almost like minced meat. The taste would definitely be better than eating the savory pancake alone. Pork offal doesn't cost much, but it uses a lot of seasonings, and after boiling, the portion shrinks considerably. This is the only way to make a profit.
The regular customer said, "Okay, roll one up for me." Then he watched as Qiu Yu took a small curved knife, used chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, cut off some pieces, chopped it a little more, sprinkled chili sauce in a small bowl, mixed it well, poured it onto the pancake, and added a handful of diced radish. Then she rolled it up in parchment paper and handed it over.
The regular customer was so eager that he immediately started eating. After one bite, his eyes were full of admiration, and he didn't even have time to praise him before taking the second bite.
The offal inside was all delicious, with no fishy smell at all. It's just that there wasn't enough filling, so it wasn't very satisfying. He said, "Give me another one with meat inside, and I'll pay an extra ten coins to add meat to the pancake."
"Okay." Qiu Yu readily agreed after receiving the money.
Soon, the area was surrounded by people who could smell the aroma and wanted to buy some to try.
He Zifeng had been making pancakes when the inn's waiter squeezed in and said, "Excuse me, thirty pancakes." Seeing so many people gathered around, his heart skipped a beat. He'd assumed they were all waiting to buy pancakes; if there was a queue, how long would it take to get thirty?
But once they got closer, they felt reassured. There were many people just there for the fun of it, but few actually buying. He Zifeng's pancakes were already piled high, at least forty or fifty at a glance, so there was no need to wait.
He Zifeng said, "Why so many?" He used to buy ten or fifteen at a time, but now it has doubled all at once.
The waiter's attention was also drawn to the braised pork rolls, and he swallowed hard. Just then, He Zifeng asked him, "Our customers haven't eaten anything else since they ate your rolls. A few of our customers are leaving town today and are planning to buy some rolls as provisions." His rolls never get hard, and they're good whether eaten hot or cold.
It's more convenient than steamed buns, and I've never had this kind of pancake anywhere else. The guests at the inn were business travelers from out of town, and since they were leaving, they didn't know if they would ever come back, so they wanted to buy a few more to enjoy on the road.
He Zifeng gave him thirty-one sheets, and the other one was for the waiter. Now, if they buy thirty sheets, they get an extra one free. The waiter was quite happy; he also loved the pancakes here, but he couldn't bear to buy them. Now that the free one was available, he could finally enjoy it, which was great. Hearing that they only give the extra one if you buy thirty, he planned to recommend their savory pancakes to customers who were unsure what to eat in the future!
The waiter left with thirty-one pancakes, leaving only a dozen or so. People were always buying meat rolls from Qiuyu's side. The braised meat rolls were even more fragrant, with a meaty flavor, and only cost ten coins; everyone loved them.
He Zifeng continued making pancakes. Since the introduction of braised food, the pancakes were selling even faster. The security escort agency hadn't even come to pick them up yet, and they'd already sold eighty.
Soon the flatbreads were stacked up again, and then Brother Liu from the escort agency came over. A roughneck like him, he couldn't live without meat. His eyes lit up at the sight of meat. Qiu Yu cut him a piece of pig's heart, and after tasting it, he was astonished: "Mixed ingredients, so delicious!" It was even better than pork. He would add some raw garlic when mixing the seasoning, making it an absolute must-have with braised dishes.
Brother Liu from the escort agency watched as Qiu Yu kept cutting and wrapping pancakes for others. He felt a pang of heartache; such delicious food, if paired with a couple of ounces of wine, would be an unparalleled life. Brother Liu even became possessive of his favorite food.
"Don't sell the rest. Name your price, I'll buy them all."
As soon as Brother Liu finished speaking, the others protested, "What do you mean? Don't you have any sense of first come, first served? We were here first."
"If you buy everything, what will we eat?"
“Qiuyu won’t listen to him. Roll up two sheets for me, and add ten coins’ worth of braised meat to one of them.” Ever since the first old customer pioneered the method of adding extra meat, everyone has followed suit and kept it.
Qiu Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother Liu, I was just trying it out today, I didn't make that many. How about tomorrow?"
Brother Liu said, "Alright then, give me three rolls plus ten coins' worth of meat. I'll take the remaining forty rolls with me."
"Okay!" Qiu Yu readily agreed.
He Zifeng made so many pancakes, but it still wasn't enough to go around. Luckily, he increased the quantity and made three hundred portions of dough today.
The others asked Qiu Yu, "How much would you sell this for?"
"Fifty coins for half a catty," Qiu Yu said.
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed, "One hundred coins a pound? That's really not cheap!"
Qiu Yu said, "There are many Chinese medicinal herbs and spices in this. The cost is quite high. Besides, it won't weigh much after cooking. Fifty coins will be enough for a large plate."
Everyone agreed that this made sense; with so many good ingredients, no wonder it tasted so good.
They all urged Qiuyu, "Can you order some? I want half a jin."
"I'll have half a jin too."
"I want a pound of pork intestines."
While Liu was waiting for the pancakes to be made, he also got anxious. There were many brothers in his escort agency, and they wanted to order five catties from Qiu Yu. As they spoke, he started to take out his money.
Qiu Yu said, "I've roughly remembered it, but I can't take the money first. I haven't bought the ingredients yet. I don't know how much I can make. We'll arrive here around 5 a.m. tomorrow. Those who want braised food should come early."
The diners nearby envied those who were rich and powerful. He now loved eating this rolled pancake, which cost ten coins each and he couldn't eat it often. He was afraid that he would become so fond of it that he would stop making rolled pancakes, which would be a great loss for poor diners like them: "If you sell out of braised food in the morning, do you still have rolled pancakes?"
Qiu Yu was taken aback by the question, as he hadn't even considered it. When someone brought it up, he said, "I'll set aside the amount for making the wraps." Everyone was relieved.
The diners around loved to join in the fun and lingered there, reluctant to leave.
The chili sauce usually sells quite well, and today we even got a nice bottle, but the wraps stole the show, and sales of the chili sauce were just so-so. Soon the braised food sold out, and someone suggested buying the braising liquid to make noodles.
Qiu Yu sold the pork offal (100 coins) and seasoning (50 coins) for a total of 350 coins, making a net profit of 200 coins. He didn't skimp on the broth and gave it all to him.
The shy diners nearby were envious. The braised food was so delicious, and the braising liquid was a real gem—perfect for stewing tofu or adding noodles. Why hadn't they said that earlier and let someone else beat them to it?
He secretly resolved that he would ask Qiuyu for some braising sauce tomorrow.
Brother Liu took the pancakes and left. Plus, there were so many people today. People who couldn't buy them before were now getting a chance and buying two or three at a time, so the pancakes sold out quickly.
Fifty bottles of chili sauce have been sold: "Your chili sauce is delicious. It tastes good no matter what you make."
"I love to eat it too. When we don't have any vegetables at home, I like to scoop a spoonful and mix it with noodles. My mom said I was wasting food, so she hid it away. I still haven't found it. Isn't the point of buying it to eat it?"
"Bring me two bottles. These little bottles are quite nice. I can use them to store some seasonings when I'm done."
"I'll take two bottles too."
They closed their stall a little late today, but all three hundred pancakes were sold out. Qiu Yu's braised food was a huge success, giving him immense confidence. He went to five butcher shops to buy pig offal, and the butchers were happy to give it to him for five coins each, but they would also give him a pair of pig kidneys or a bone for free. Qiu Yu bought a hundred catties in one go, and also went to the pharmacy to get some spices, rock sugar, and other seasonings. He was ready to make a big splash.
He Zifeng was very happy to see Qiu Yu along the way and asked, "Aren't you tired?"
“What’s so tiring about making money? We couldn’t even earn it before,” Qiu Yu said. “Ranran’s education will definitely cost more and more money, so let’s earn more. There’s no time to be frugal.”
“Okay,” He Zifeng replied.
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