When they got home, He Zifeng put his son in his crib. The little guy was really sleepy and hadn't woken up despite all the noise on the way.
He Zifeng unloaded everything from the car and said to Qiu Yu, "Go back and get some sleep." Running a snack business is profitable, but it's also tiring. People like them set up their stalls before dawn, and then when they come back, they still have to grind the grain into flour, stir-fry the sauce, and knead the dough. They never get a break, and even the strongest person couldn't endure it.
Qiu Yu was also extremely tired at this moment. He had been walking under the blazing sun for two hours and was feeling a little dizzy, but he was reluctant to leave so much work to He Zifeng. He said, "Let's finish this first and then go to sleep."
He Zifeng said, "Good boy, I'll go to sleep in a bit too."
Qiu Yu was also at her limit and couldn't take it anymore, so she agreed to go back to the house. He Zifeng pushed the empty cart out and went to the village to exchange it for some coarse grains, which cost two coins per pound. He bought fifty pounds of each kind.
After buying it, he saw the neighbor who had picked up his cart. He Zifeng said to the neighbor, "Auntie, sell this cart to me." The village wasn't stingy; they could borrow anything they needed, but they preferred to buy it instead.
The neighbor waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about money, just use it."
He Zifeng insisted that if he were to find a carpenter to make one himself, it would take at least several days. Although the neighbor's cart was quite old, it was well-preserved and easy to pull.
The neighbor said, "I hired a fairly famous carpenter to make this cart. The labor cost five hundred coins, not counting the wood. It's not hard to pull. I wasn't planning to sell it, but since you want it, I'll take it for three hundred coins."
He Zifeng agreed, went back to get the money, and even asked the village chief to be a witness to avoid any future conflicts or disputes between the two families.
He Zifeng bought more grain and returned home. Having finished the two most important things, he went to rest. Not wanting to disturb Qiu Yu, he quietly went to bed.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Yu seemed to sense something and immediately turned over and jumped into his arms.
He Zifeng couldn't resist and kissed his own son. Qiu Yu always said that her son loved to act spoiled, but in fact, her son inherited that trait from him.
The family of three was exhausted, and the feeling of comfort they had never experienced before when their heads hit the pillows made them fall asleep quickly.
He Zifeng was roused by a delicious aroma. He had just woken up when Qiu Yu had already prepared the meal.
He Zifeng slept for an hour and felt much better. He felt his fatigue had finally dissipated and got up to eat.
His own little lazy cat son, probably having had enough sleep, sat obediently on his little bed. When he saw He Zifeng coming over, little He Ran automatically opened his arms to be hugged.
He Zifeng held his son in his arms, and the little guy immediately snuggled against him, which stirred a tender feeling in He Zifeng's heart.
After the three finished eating, Xiao Heran ran out to play.
Qiu Yu is going to make chili sauce, and He Zifeng is going out to grind flour. Someone ordered some pancakes from him this time, so he needs to make more than he did yesterday.
After delivering the grain and paying, he started grinding it. The large stone mill was located at the village entrance. Now that it's the off-season for farming, many people chat in small groups, and seeing his large-scale activity, they all ask, "What are you doing making so much flour?"
He Zifeng said, "Let's do some small business."
Uncle Niu, a kind-hearted man from the village, said, "I'll help you push it a couple of times." Otherwise, how long would it take to grind those three bags of grain?
He Zifeng was strong: "Thank you, Uncle Niu, I can do it myself."
The people around were still somewhat indignant: "Your father is really different from others." Everyone in the village knew the hardships of running a small business. Seeing the He family's brick and tile house, their land, and their business, they would still complain to everyone that He Zifeng was unfilial if they gave him ten taels of silver. However, since being beaten by Uncle Fang last time, things had calmed down considerably.
Fang's uncle said that if he hears that He Zifeng is being bullied again, he will beat him up every time he hears it.
He Zifeng worked very quickly, grinding away stroke after stroke as if he never got tired. He would occasionally say a few words to everyone. In the past, He Zifeng didn't like to talk, and the villagers thought he was arrogant because he was from the He family. Now they realized that this was just He Zifeng's personality.
After grinding the flour quickly, I put it on the cart and went home. On the way, I saw Wan Hai.
Although they were just friends, Wan Hai was very shrewd and always acted like the older brother. However, he still held a grudge after being badly beaten by He Zifeng last time. Now, when he saw He Zifeng, he turned and left without saying a word.
This was rather embarrassing, but He Zifeng didn't care at all. When he returned, the whole courtyard smelled of soy sauce. Qiu Yu bought fifty catties of soy sauce this time, and Uncle Que gave them ten catties. All sixty catties of soy sauce were stir-fried and piled into small jars. Qiu Yu said, "Soy sauce that has been fried in oil won't spoil so easily; it should last at least two days."
After they returned, the two quickly kneaded the dough again.
Qiu Yu wanted to make one hundred dough balls, but He Zifeng said he would make one hundred and fifty.
In the end, they listened to He Zifeng. After a busy day, they ate a simple bowl of noodles in the evening before starting to count the money.
I still have a little over 1,100 cash in capital, but after buying grain, oil, and a cart, what I sell tomorrow will be pure profit.
Qiu Yu's eyes lit up with joy: "I thought selling things wouldn't make money!" She broke even in just one day.
Everyone in the village says that being a small vendor is just enough to make a living, and if you're unlucky, you might even lose money. Everyone says that, and they all believe it to be true.
Now that I've done it myself, I realize I've been fooled by others all along.
He Zifeng said, "If they don't say that, and everyone does it, how can we make any money?" He laughed and said, "If we keep going like this, we can save five hundred coins every day, and it will be enough to build a house in two months."
Qiu Yu nodded heavily.
The next day, Xiao Heran got up early, and he was not as groggy as on the first day. He even helped He Zifeng and the others carry their things.
The family set off early in the morning.
I left the village quite early, but the road between the village and the county is difficult to travel. When I arrived here, the other food vendors had already set up their stalls.
He left most of his cooking equipment elsewhere yesterday, and the cart only contained sauces. The large iron pot and the dough for the flatbread were much lighter.
As soon as I set up my stall, someone came over and said, "Were you thinking of not setting up your stall today? Come on, give me three pancakes." The person who spoke was a regular customer from yesterday. He bought one and took it home, and his family shared it, and it was gone in no time.
He Zifeng started making pancakes.
The person quickly bought three tickets and left happily with them.
Then He Zifeng and Qiu Yu immediately started making pancakes, as there were forty pancakes that the people from the escort agency had ordered.
He Zifeng's pancake-making skills are getting better and better. He knows exactly when to make the outer layer flaky and when to flip it without burning it. He's quite adept at it. This kind of pancake really tests your skills. If you put in too much oil, it will be greasy after a few bites. If you put in too little oil, it will easily burn. You have to master the heat.
Each pancake, when brushed with the secret sauce, releases an irresistible aroma.
This place has never been quiet. Occasionally, a couple of unfamiliar faces will buy one or two tickets.
Forty pancakes, stacked up to a foot and a half high. It looked quite impressive. This time, we didn't cut them for them, making it easier to count.
Soon, the middle-aged bodyguard Brother Liu from yesterday arrived, accompanied by Little Li and Little Mustache. They carried him, padded with oiled paper from front to back. Brother Liu readily paid the remaining 120 coins. He said, "We prefer strong flavors, could we buy some chili sauce?"
Upon hearing this, He Zifeng found a clean small bowl, scooped out half a bowl, and said, "Here, it's free. Bring the bowl back to us tomorrow."
This chili sauce is the soul of the savory pancake; look how much red oil it's covered in! It smells amazing.
Back at the escort agency, the staff cooked porridge early in the morning; it was rare for them all to be together when they weren't out on a mission. Their cravings had been whetted yesterday, and they were all eagerly awaiting breakfast.
After quickly buying them, everyone eagerly took one, one for each other. They didn't hold back at all, rolling them up and taking a big bite. Chewing them carefully revealed the natural sweetness of the grains. Eating just the flatbread was a bit dry, so they added a sip of thin porridge. Even the young people who didn't usually like breakfast were eating with gusto.
Middle-aged people don't have such good appetites, but they still eat one and a half tablespoons. As for the young people, they eat at least two tables a day, their stomachs seeming bottomless. They eat quickly and voraciously, and when they get more, there's none left.
Actually, they were almost full, but they weren't quite satisfied. Some sharp-eyed people noticed that Brother Liu wasn't eating his perfectly good pancakes, but instead started eating steamed buns, even spreading sauce on them with his chopsticks, eating each bite with great concentration.
"Brother Liu, what are you eating?"
"It smells strangely good."
Brother Liu said, "This is the sauce I got from the owner of the savory pancake stall. I found it tastes good with steamed buns too."
There was plenty of steamed buns at the escort agency; they had hired a cook who steamed buns every day, and there were always some available whenever the steamer was opened. Hearing this, he quickly went to find some buns, and after taking a bite, his eyes lit up. The sauce was absolutely amazing, with chili oil on top; even ordinary steamed buns became incredibly delicious after being dipped in it.
"Let's buy some of this sauce."
"It can taste good even when mixed with rice."
"Mixed noodles are fine too."
As the young people pondered how to cook the food, the older folks couldn't help but laugh and say, "All you ever do is eat."
Brother Liu also liked this. After finishing his steamed bun, he wiped his mouth and noticed that the chili sauce bowl was spotless, even cleaner than if it had been scrubbed. He then said, "I'll go buy some."
Then he carried a small jar outside.
He Zifeng's savory pancakes are authentic; those who bought them yesterday all came back to buy them again. Even those who hadn't bought them before made a special trip to try them.
They were incredibly busy, running their business flexibly. They not only sold whole pancakes, but also sold them to poor scholars from the county who came alone to study, whose appetites couldn't handle a single pancake. The three-coin ones were half a pancake, and the two-coin ones were a slice cut off from the three-coin price.
I saw many people buying two coins' worth of pancakes here, and then going to the place where they fried dough sticks to buy a bowl of tofu pudding, which cost them three coins and filled them up.
Qiu Yu was busy brushing on sauce, cutting pancakes, and rolling out dough. The sun was already high in the sky, and usually by this time, the early morning customers would have left, but there were still ten people in line, and some were even clamoring to buy three pancakes.
Qiu Yu asked, "How much is left?"
He Zifeng opened the box where they stored the dough pieces, counted that there were still twenty-two left, and then started baking them again. If they could wait, they would have enough to sell.
There weren't many left, and it was only for those who paid first. If you didn't pay, there wouldn't be any left, so many people readily paid.
The person next to them exclaimed, "Is it really that delicious?"
"Of course, I bought two pancakes yesterday. My two younger brothers said it wasn't enough. They asked me to buy more today." These pancakes are plentiful and affordable, and they taste good whether eaten hot or cold, so they are naturally popular.
Upon hearing this, several passersby were tempted.
Just as He Zifeng said, "There are only six pancakes left, who wants them?"
The passersby said, "Give me one."
"I want two."
"I want one too."
"I'll take the rest."
All 150 pancakes were completely devoured.
They brought flour, but with the sun about to rise, and considering they had been heading home under the midday sun when they packed up yesterday, He Zifeng refused to do it again. He just wanted to sell all the pancakes as soon as possible and go home. After all, this was a long-term business for him, and he couldn't afford to exhaust himself like this.
Just as they were packing up after selling out, Brother Liu, the bodyguard, arrived and said, "Here's your bowl back. We'll order another forty pancakes tomorrow. Also, there's something else. We brothers all love your chili oil sauce. Could you sell some?"
They were lucky; Qiu Yu had cooked an extra batch yesterday. He Zifeng mentally calculated the cost and said, "Thirty coins per pound. It will last about seven days, and if sealed in jars and stored in a cool place, it can last another two or three days."
"Give me a pound, I'll bring my own jar." After saying that, He Zifeng borrowed a scale, weighed the jar first, and then filled it with sauce. It was his first time doing it, so he didn't get it right and the total came to thirty-five coins.
Brother Liu paid the money and happily went home with the jar in his arms.
Seeing this, others also bought some sauce. People in the county loved soy sauce, which was why the He family's sauce shop sold so well. However, this was the first time they had seen pre-seasoned, cooked sauce. Seeing that people were buying, they started buying some too. A bowl cost about ten coins, and in no time, He Zifeng had sold more than ten servings. He returned all the bowls he had brought with him, and the other party said they would return them to them the next day.
On the way back, He Zifeng said to Qiu Yu, "Let's sell these 150 pancakes every day from now on." That way it won't be too tiring. Including the sauce and pancakes sold today, we'll have earned a tael of silver. Even after accounting for costs, we can still make six or seven hundred coins.
Qiu Yu readily agreed.
They walked for a long time before finally arriving home. Qiuyu went to buy soy sauce, while He Zifeng worked at home, putting his son in his crib to sleep. Then they saw a figure moving outside.
He Zifeng immediately went out. The figure, not expecting to be discovered, hurriedly ran away, but he was no match for He Zifeng and was caught in no time. This man was Liangzi, a local hoodlum. He hadn't known He Zifeng much and didn't realize how intimidating He Zifeng's aura was. He then asked nervously, "Second Brother He, why are you arresting me?" He tried his best to appear natural.
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