Lin Yan gradually got the hang of it, and his movements in frying the tofu became faster and faster. With his husband's help, he became even more adept at it.
He asked the chef to make the frying pan a little bigger, with firewood burning in the middle, which was just right for frying tofu. He put the fried tofu in the side where it was less likely to be burned. This way, he could fry more tofu when there were fewer people and put it aside, so that he could heat it up when customers came to buy it.
*
Uncle Qian is a well-known foodie in this area, and he usually likes to wander around looking for something to eat. Today, as soon as he arrived at the West Street intersection, he smelled an overbearing aroma, and he hurried towards the source of the fragrance.
When we got there, we saw a young man selling something, and there were several people queuing to buy it. There were also a few people around holding lotus leaves with tofu-like food in their hands, eating and praising it as they ate.
He hurriedly took a few quick steps and lined up behind them. He peeked in as he stood in line, and saw that there was indeed tofu in the pot, fried on both sides until golden brown, then brushed with some unknown sauce, and finally sprinkled with some chopped green onions and something else, but he couldn't see clearly.
Finally, it was Uncle Qian's turn. He asked, "Little brother, what is this food? It looks quite tempting."
Lin Yan hurriedly said, "Old man, this is fragrant tofu. Would you like to try some?"
"Give me one, how much is this?"
Lin Yan asked Zhao Shiyun to cut another piece of tofu for him. This plate was almost sold out and it was not yet noon. There would be more people eating at noon, so it should sell better.
"Old man, this tofu is three cents for a small portion and five cents for a large portion. Do you want a large or small portion?"
"Give me a big one."
"Okay." Lin Yan nodded.
Uncle Qian was very curious. He watched Lin Yan frying tofu while chatting with him, "Hey, what kind of sauce are you using?"
"This is homemade chili sauce, it's delicious." Lin Yan responded without raising his head.
"What about this?" Uncle Qian asked about the last thing Lin Yan scattered.
Lin Yan smiled and was not afraid of being asked. He would be able to tell the difference when he ate it later anyway: "This is sauerkraut." After saying that, he handed Uncle Qian the fragrant tofu he had ordered.
Uncle Qian took it, put a piece in his mouth, and his eyes lit up instantly. "Not bad, not bad. Give me another one, no, three. I want to take it back to my wife and grandson to try."
Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, then quickly resumed frying the tofu and brushing it with sauce. Seeing that Uncle Qian had bought a lot, he gave him a bowl to put it in. "Old man, it's more convenient for you to put it in a bowl. Just bring it back to me when you have time."
"Okay, I live nearby and will bring it back to you later."
Uncle Qian took the fragrant tofu home. When his wife saw him coming back, she glared at him and asked, "Where did you steal it from again?"
Uncle Qian said embarrassedly, "Why did you eat it secretly? Look, I brought it back for you to eat. Come and try it. This is something I just discovered today. It's delicious."
Qian took it and looked at it. It was just a bowl of tofu, but it smelled quite fragrant. She found chopsticks, picked up a piece, tasted it, and nodded, "It's really good."
"Old woman, please find a bowl to pour it in. This bowl belongs to the boss, and I need to return it later."
The little grandson at home smelled the food and came over: "Grandpa, what delicious food did you buy again?"
Uncle Qian smiled and picked up his grandson. "Grandpa bought some fragrant tofu. Wait until your grandma serves the rice before you eat it."
"Yeah!" The little grandson nodded obediently.
At the dinner table, he ate without even looking up. He usually thought tofu was bland and tasteless, but in the blink of an eye, he had eaten three or four pieces. Uncle Qian patted him on the back and said, "Eat slowly. Grandpa will go buy more after you finish."
The little grandson raised his head and wiped his mouth: "Grandpa, it's delicious. I want to eat more."
Uncle Qian picked up a handful of greens and mixed them with fragrant tofu with chopsticks and put it into his grandson's bowl, "Eat some greens." This grandson usually hated greens the most.
The little grandson stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it in big mouthfuls. "Grandpa, the vegetables are not so bad now."
Seeing her grandson eating so happily, Mrs. Qian smiled and said to Uncle Qian, "This sauce must be delicious. The mixed vegetables are also delicious."
Uncle Qian's mind became active. "I wonder if the boss will sell this sauce. I'll ask him when I return the bowl."
*
At noon, dock workers and nearby laborers looking for a bite to eat flocked to West Street. West Street had a wide variety of cheap options, including wontons, noodles, sesame cakes, steamed buns, and meat buns, making it a popular spot for those working away from home.
Today I also saw a newly opened stall selling fragrant tofu. People who were attracted by the aroma bought some without hesitation.
Lin Yan suggested: "Brother, you can put this tofu in steamed buns, it will taste good too."
The man happened to have a steamed bun in his hand, and upon hearing what he said, he broke the bun in half and put a piece of fragrant tofu in it. After taking a bite, the bun really became delicious.
Seeing that Lin Yan had started to get busy, Zhou Chunlan hurried over to help. In between her work, she kept looking at her stall and would come over if she saw anyone else.
*
Finally, the crowd gradually thinned out. Lin Yan wiped the sweat from his head. Zhao Shiyun quickly handed him a bowl of water and said, "Drink some water."
Lin Yan took it and drank it in big gulps, then handed it back: "Another bowl."
Zhou Chunlan went to the wonton stall and bought three bowls of wontons. She brought one over and said, "Brother Yan, you must be starving. Come over and have a bowl of wontons."
The owner of the wonton stall followed behind, also holding two bowls in his hands, "Big sister, put them here for you."
"Okay, I'll return the bowl to you after you finish eating."
The boss waved his hand and went back to continue selling wontons.
Lin Yan was truly starving. He sat down to rest for a moment, then scooped up a wonton and began to eat. There was still one plate of tofu left. They had brought five plates this morning, and they had used two and a half plates of fried tofu and sold one and a half plates of raw tofu. If they sold more later, they'd probably sell it all.
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