Chapter 18 New
Su Ruojin was busy washing the outer walls and comforting her mother until about one o'clock in the afternoon. She then sat down on a small stool to take a break. Under normal circumstances, she should have had lunch and rested by now, and started preparing things for tomorrow's stall. But now, the main force of the breakfast stall, Shu Tong, was probably just on duty at the Bingmasi Patrol Office, and she didn't know when he would come back.
Mother Dong asked: "Second Madam, then tomorrow morning..."
"Go." Su Ruojin said in a loud voice.
All the household items on the breakfast stall were confiscated by the patrol officers. What can she use to set up the stall? Mother Dong looked worried.
Su Ruojin snorted coldly, "Even if I have to carry a basket, I will occupy the spot at the alley entrance."
"Second Lady, do you mean someone wants to take our stall?"
A small breakfast stall can earn fifty taels in a month and a half, which is five times the salary of an eighth-rank doctor of the Five Classics. Who wouldn't be jealous when seeing this?
"Is it true? We can check it out tomorrow morning."
No matter whether they are trying to steal her business openly or secretly being jealous, Su Ruojin will not give up her newly risen days.
“But…” All the tools for making breakfast were taken away, and Mother Dong didn’t know how she could set up the stall tomorrow morning.
Su Ruojin looked calm, "Don't panic, mom, just listen to me."
Although the little master is small, he is still the master. Mother Dong now has a backbone and is not so flustered. "So what should we do now?"
"Let the dough rise first," said Su Ruojin, "just like usual." As she spoke, she put on her hat and scarf as if she was going out.
Mother Dong was shocked, "Second Madam, what are you doing..." Are you going to the yamen to pick up Shu Tong?
Mother Dong guessed wrong.
Su Ruojin said calmly, "I'm going to the Imperial College to find my father."
Mother Dong was delighted, "Yes, let the adults find some connections, maybe our family will be back soon." She turned around happily, "Why didn't I think of that!" The adults are officials after all, so there will be no problem if he goes.
Su Ruojin didn't explain much, and turned around to ask Su Dalang to go with her to the Imperial College. When Cheng Yingzhen heard that her daughter was going to look for her husband, she agreed, "But you two are too young, how about letting Mother Dong go?"
Mother Dong wanted to stay at home to prepare the ingredients, so Su Ruojin persuaded her mother to take Su Dalang out to find Su Yanli.
In the Bingmasi Yamen, Shu Tong stood in front of the desk of Guan Gou (an official in charge of documents and books in various departments, with an eighth rank) with an empty stomach, bowing his head and begging them to return the mule cart and other things to him, because these were the Su family's livelihood. Without these household items, they would not be able to set up a stall tomorrow.
The man just stared at his colleagues and chatted and laughed as if the book didn't exist.
Shu Tong was so angry that he cursed in his heart, "You bastards, except for your descendants who never leave your house to study, if any of your children went to study at the Imperial College, he would definitely ask the adults to treat these bastards 'well'."
Even after waiting until the sun went down, Shu Tong still hadn't gotten any work for setting up a stall. The supervisor on duty reminded him in a strange tone, "The case of hitting the wall is over. Come back tomorrow morning to record your statement."
Shutong: ...
When someone stopped him on his way home, he was treated like a murderer. Shu Tong was so angry that he wanted to curse.
"Hey, I'm glad I didn't put you in jail, and you still dare to disobey?" Guan Gou snorted coldly, "If you don't come tomorrow morning, the mule and other belongings will be confiscated."
Shutong: ...
Shu Tong wanted to beat the man up, but that was how things were done in the government office. There were hundreds and thousands of innocent people implicated. What could a small servant like him do? He went home dejected.
After the moon set, another ordinary and normal morning arrived in the city of Bianjing. Amid the howling cold wind, people slowly began to walk in the streets and alleys, hunching their bodies and shrinking their necks, working hard for their livelihoods in the severe cold.
Near Xiqiao Lane, various breakfast stalls have already been set up. The aroma of steaming food fills the air, attracting people who have been hungry all night. They follow the aroma of their favorite food and go to different stalls to buy their favorite food.
Unlike the past, there are two more stalls at the entrance of the alley today, one selling fried dough sticks and soy milk, and the other selling xiaolongbao and siomai. I wonder how they taste?
Seeing the customer hesitate, the stall owner immediately greeted him with a smile and offered a discount: "Two fried dough sticks for five cents, a cup of soy milk for two cents, and two cups for three cents."
No matter how it tastes, it’s cheaper than the previous one.
Although these early risers are court officials and are wealthy, senior civil servants are a minority after all, and most are ordinary civil servants. With 365 days in a year, saving a penny every day adds up to a lot of money.
Some people were tempted and moved to the cheap fried dough sticks stall.
The steamed buns were not to be outdone, shouting: "Take a look, pay a little, buy three get one free, buy one basket get two free..." This thing is small, if you want to eat enough, male customers usually buy at least one basket at a time, and one basket costs 18 wen, which is not a low price! Get two free at once, which means the price of the steamed buns drops from three wen to two wen each, and a basket of six saves six wen.
Oh my god, six cents can buy another set of fried dough sticks and soy milk, so it’s another big price promotion, and people who are looking for bargains are flocking to it.
At the end of the Yin hour, Su Ji’s breakfast stall arrived on time.
Shu Tong looked at the two breakfast stalls surrounded by the crowd and asked worriedly, "Second Madam, what should we do?"
"If they can yell, we can yell too!" Su Ruojin said calmly, "Uncle Shutong, do you want me to help you yell?"
Of course not.
Shu Tong took a deep breath, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted to the people passing by, "Don't miss it if you pass by. Su Ji has new products today. Delicious pot stickers, delicious pan-fried dumplings, and steaming hot spicy soup. I guarantee that everyone will have an unforgettable experience after trying them..."
New arrival? Isn't that the wrong word?
Passersby stopped in their tracks out of curiosity. A fresh, spicy smell filled the air, making their mouths water unconsciously.
One customer ran directly to the wooden barrel, saw the thick yet clear soup-like paste inside and asked, "What is this?"
"Sir, this is spicy soup. Drink a cup and I guarantee you'll feel warmed up right away."
In the mornings of severe winter, everyone who goes out will shiver with cold. Everyone hunches their shoulders and backs, wishing they could hide in their clothes. Upon hearing that it can warm people up immediately, the young man reaches out for a cup.
"Sir, you are the first customer of Hu La Tang, so I won't charge you for it. It's free for you." Su Ruojin said with a smile, "Would you like some Sheng Jian or pot stickers?"
"One ounce?" It was the first time for the customer to buy breakfast by weight. "How many?"
"Four shengjian (a type of fried dough stick) are six cents, and five guotie (a type of potsticker) are also six cents."
"Hey!" The young man seemed to have discovered something. "What's this called Shengjian? It's about the same size as a steamed dumpling. Six coins for four, doesn't that mean one and a half coins each? And they're fried in oil, isn't that even more cost-effective?"
"You are right, sir. That's it."
The young man was in a hurry to get on duty, and before he could think straight, he asked why the steamed dumplings were so expensive in the past. Since they were cheap and delicious, he quickly ordered one portion of each of the three things. He was a foodie, and whenever there was new food, he would be the first to buy it. If it tasted good, he would buy it again, but if it didn't, sorry, there would be no next time.
(End of this chapter)
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