Chapter 19 Consideration
As soon as a cup of spicy soup was served, I took a sip. Wow, the taste... is so spicy, fragrant, smooth and... In a moment, I took a sip left and right, and in an instant, the cup was empty.
The taste was so good that the young man exclaimed, "Give me another cup."
Hu La Tang is a traditional soup common for breakfast in northern China. It is made with pepper, chili, beef cubes, bone broth, starch, and black fungus.
There were no chili peppers in the Dayin Dynasty, but there were Sichuan prickly ash, cornel, pepper, ginger, etc., all of which were native to China. Of course, there was no beef in Su Ruojin's Hu La Tang. She used lean pork, which was a modified version of Hu La Tang.
But even if it is an improved version, the egg liquid in the thickened soup is as beautiful as whitebait, which arouses people's appetite. Drinking a cup of it in the cold winter can warm the soles of your legs. On a cold winter day when men use white wine to keep warm, having a bowl of spicy soup is simply a real enjoyment.
The young man was like a living signboard. He ordered three cups in a row before he was satisfied, which attracted the people behind him to follow suit, "Give me a bowl..."
“I want one too…”
…
The simple breakfast stall was soon surrounded by crowds.
Su Yanli, who had been standing in the corner silently watching the stall, breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and looked up at the sky. It was time for him to go to the Imperial College for duty.
Merging into the crowd, Su Yanli walked forward while looking calmly at the newly appeared fried dough sticks and steamed buns stall at the entrance of the alley, his eyes as cold as the weather.
Yesterday afternoon, his two children found the Imperial College. It was winter and the two children's faces were covered with sweat. One can imagine how much hardship his two children had to endure to get to the Imperial College.
At that moment, his heart ached, and he thought something had happened to his wife or his little son who was less than two months old. He never thought that someone was causing trouble at the doorstep, implicated Shu Tong and the family members who were setting up the stall.
From childhood to adulthood, Su Yanli has suffered a lot and knows the fickleness of human nature and the treacherous nature of the world. He knows how to avoid it, but he is not good at dealing with it.
His daughter told him what had happened, and he thought he would have to ask someone to get the confiscated household items back.
The daughter shook her head: "It takes time to ask someone for help, and I have to repay the favor. Compared with the loss of my family and things, it's not worth it."
Su Yanli really didn't expect his daughter to come all the way here to buy another house: "Are you worried that Dad can't find anyone to help?"
The daughter shook her head again, not knowing how to answer: "The mule cart can wait, but the iron boiler can't wait. Dad, you come with me to buy it."
Su Yanli is a scholar who has been beaten by society. He has experienced the pain of being unable to make a hero fall for a penny. His wife is in confinement after giving birth. If his daughter had not come up with the idea of selling breakfast, the Su family would probably still be struggling to make ends meet.
So he was not pedantic, nor did he think his daughter was fooling around. He immediately asked for leave and took the children to the blacksmith shop to buy an iron stove and other things. Not only that, his daughter had reserved a frying pan at some point, and it was this plain and shallow pan that was used to fry the new pot stickers and pan-fried dumplings that were served today.
The sun rises and its rays shine upon the bustling streets.
In the capital, it was almost impossible for an eighth-rank official like him who was not good at socializing to ask someone to get his household items out of the Bingmasi Yamen right away. It would definitely take two or three days, or even longer.
Those villains who are trying to steal business will seize this opportunity to take over the business. By the time Su Ji gets what he wants and sets up a stall to squeeze in, the situation will probably not be the same as it is now.
Su Yanli really didn't expect that his daughter knew how to make choices at such a young age. The money spent yesterday was worth it. If he wanted to steal his daughter's business, he would raise his chin slightly and look forward with a clear mind. He also had to see if the Su family agreed.
That's right, after being plotted against, Su Ruojin didn't worry about when she could get her things back, or what would happen if she couldn't get them back, because she found out that the purpose of these people was to make her worry. As long as they delayed Su Ji from setting up the stall for a few days, they would take over.
People come and go, and as long as they have breakfast to eat, who will remember that there used to be a stall? As for the loss of seven or eight taels when buying things, as long as the stall is still there and is recognized by people, they can earn another seven or eight taels, or even seventy or eighty taels.
Fortunately, his father said nothing yesterday and took her to buy all the household items. Today, in addition to fried dough sticks, soy milk, steamed buns and steamed buns, Su Ji also has new food.
Because there are more breakfast varieties, business is more popular than before!
Su Ruojin was busy until almost ten o'clock before closing the stall. She stood by the stall, looking coldly at the fried dough sticks and steamed buns stalls not far away, and the pile of dough left on their chopping boards. This was why she was in a hurry to set up the stall today. Only at the same time could customers compare whose products tasted better.
Do these two companies think that by buying Su Ji’s fried dough sticks and xiaolongbao and doing some research, they can make something with a similar taste?
If there weren't the sharp contrast now, most people would probably feel that they were similar.
But in this dynasty where the technology of pasta fermentation had only just been passed down from the rich and aristocratic families, let alone knowing how to add sugar to enhance the flavor and salt to increase the chewiness when kneading the dough, these were not things that could be learned by just buying a few fried dough sticks or steamed dumplings.
The two breakfast stall owners who were trying to steal his business glared at Su Ji with anger on their faces, their eyes spitting fire. All their things had been confiscated, so why did they set up a stall again? They also bought a set of iron pots and stoves, which should have cost at least seven or eight taels, and how could they bear to leave that set at the Bingmasi Yamen?
For ordinary small business owners, if their tools for making a living - iron pots and stoves - were confiscated by the government, their first reaction would be to ask someone or beg the people in the government to get them back. Who would buy a new set without blinking an eye?
Su Ruojin was very happy to see them getting so angry, and asked Mother Dong with a smile, "Which family has anything to do with Granny Xu?"
"The one that sells fried dough sticks on the east side." Mother Dong said, "The one who fries the dough sticks is the kitchen lady of the Xu family."
Not hiding anything at all, very good!
Su Ruojin looked towards the shop selling steamed dumplings. Mother Dong shook her head and said, "I haven't seen it."
"I can guess a little."
Shu Yiyi heard it and came over quickly, "Who?"
"It should be related to the patrol officer of the Military Affairs Department in charge of these alleys. It's either his wife or one of his relatives." He became jealous when he saw the booming breakfast stall of the Su family. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he forced the escaped people to Guihua Lane? And how could the incident happen at the door when Shutong was returning home?
These insidious and cunning villains.
Mother Dong and Shu Tong were both very worried and asked, "Now that their business is not doing well, will they resort to more sinister means?"
Su Ruojin said calmly: "It shouldn't happen before the New Year."
Mother Dong asked, "Why are you so sure, Madam?"
She smiled slightly, "Because further north is the Imperial Street, many high-ranking officials pass by Xiqiao Lane to buy breakfast in the morning. The two new dishes have attracted many people to buy. Some people must have asked about our Su Ji, and they must know that my father is also a doctor of the Five Classics in the Imperial Academy. If there are children and grandchildren studying in the family, they will always take care of us."
Mother Dong is still worried: "What if someone doesn't care?"
(End of this chapter)
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