On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Shiyun got up at 3:00 am to grind beans. There were many things to prepare today, so he had to grind three buckets of beans. Lin Yan also got up half an hour later. He had to prepare some side dishes in advance to avoid panic when opening the business.
Lin Yan deftly chopped a head of pickled mustard greens from the jar, reserving some for the fragrant tofu and sautéing the rest in hot oil and chili peppers. He then scooped out the dried radish he'd soaked the previous night, diced it, and sautéed it with the chili peppers.
This is the condiment for making salty tofu pudding. Keep it on hand. If customers can’t get used to it and it doesn’t sell well, just stop selling it later.
After frying the necessary ingredients, Lin Yan started steaming the pumpkin. Since it was still early, he also made the pumpkin pancakes. Oh, and he also needed to knead the dough for steamed buns.
Lin Yan worked methodically, and Yu Ge'er Li Yuemei also came in to help, and soon everything was almost ready. Li Yuemei saw that Lin Yan didn't need any help, so she hurried to the tofu shop to help prepare soy milk and tofu pudding.
A bucket of soy milk and tofu pudding was prepared, and Lin Yan prepared ten plates of tofu. After Zhao Shiyun finished his own work, he loaded the necessary things onto the donkey cart one by one.
Fortunately, I moved some of it to the shop yesterday, otherwise it really wouldn’t fit.
Zhao Qiming was selling tofu at home, and everyone else followed him to town. The donkey cart was full, so Zhou Chunlan was not picked up. Lin Yan had already told Ah Mo yesterday that Zhou Chunlan planned to go to town alone today.
When they arrived in town, it was almost noon, and they hurriedly got out of the car to unload their things. "Brother Yan, you put the food on the table first, and we'll take care of the rest."
"Got it, ah."
A few days ago, Lin Yan had Zhao Shiyun build a simple cart with a hole in it. One of the carts held a frying pan and the other held a steamer. There were charcoal fires underneath. The frying pan was for frying pumpkin pancakes, and the steamer held steamed buns and soy milk.
Lin Yan laid out the food, and Zhao Shiyun asked him to cover it up first. He then took a string of firecrackers and set them off. The sound of firecrackers echoed through the streets, and early risers, curious about the newly opened shop, gathered around.
The sign had been put up yesterday. Someone who could read began to read, "Zhao Ji Dou Xiang Zhai..." Then he shouted, "Boss, what do you sell in your shop?"
Lin Yan was standing at the door frying pumpkin pancakes. Hearing this, he smiled and replied, "Hey, big brother, we have breakfast and lunch in our shop. For breakfast, we have soy milk and tofu pudding, pumpkin pancakes, and steamed buns. Would you like one?"
The man came closer to take a look, and Lin Yan flipped over the pumpkin pie. The pumpkin pie was golden in color and looked very appetizing.
"How do you sell it?"
"A steamed bun and pumpkin cake are one penny each, a bowl of soy milk is one penny, and adding sugar is two pennies. A bowl of tofu pudding is three pennies."
"Then give me a pumpkin pancake, a bowl of sweetened soy milk, and a bowl of tofu pudding." After saying that, he walked into the store and sat down.
"Okay." Lin Yan was overjoyed to see a customer arrive right after the opening. He quickly put the food the man had ordered on his plate. Li Yuemei was about to go to the kitchen to make soy milk for the customer when she asked, "Do you want salty or sweet tofu pudding?"
"Oh? What's the difference?"
"This sweet tofu pudding is made with sugar syrup, and the salty tofu pudding is made with pickled cabbage and dried radish."
The man ordered sweetened soy milk, so he thought the tofu pudding should be salty, so he replied, "Salty tofu pudding."
Li Yuemei came to the kitchen. Yu Ge'er had already heard the conversation outside and had prepared the soy milk and tofu pudding. Li Yuemei hurriedly brought them to them.
Some of the people watching outside who hadn't eaten breakfast yet, saw that some people inside had already eaten and looked quite happy, so they quickly said, "Boss, I want a pumpkin pie and a bowl of sweet tofu pudding."
"Hey, right away." The pumpkin pancakes were already made at home and just needed to be heated up. "The steamed buns and pumpkin pancakes are outside, and the soy milk and tofu pudding are inside. Please sit inside." Lin Yan wrapped the pumpkin pancake in oil paper and handed it to the customer.
Li Yuemei went into the kitchen and asked Yu Ge'er to go to the front hall to greet people, while she stayed in the kitchen to make soy milk. The soy milk was still warm and placed in a large bucket. If someone wanted a bowl, they could just make a bowl. If it was cold, she would scoop it into a large bowl and put it in a steamer to heat it up.
The first customer finished the pumpkin pie in just a few bites, still wanting more. He took another sip of sweet soy milk and praised, "Boss, your soy milk is great, smooth and rich. The pumpkin pie is also good, not too sweet or greasy."
When the others heard this, they also said, "I want two pumpkin pie to take away."
"A pumpkin cake, a steamed bun, and a bowl of sweet soy milk. Eat here."
"Brother, is the salty tofu pudding delicious?" Someone who was hesitant asked directly.
The big brother stirred the tofu pudding with a spoon and took a bite. The tofu pudding was smooth and tender and slid into his mouth at once. The sauerkraut was sour and refreshing, the dried radish was crisp and a little spicy.
"Yes, it's my first time eating salty tofu pudding. I thought I wouldn't be able to get used to it, but it's actually quite delicious." The big brother said to the person who asked him.
Lin Yan was frying pumpkin pancakes while selling steamed buns. He used one pumpkin to make about forty pumpkin pancakes and thirty steamed buns. In just a short while, he had sold seven or eight of them.
While the place was still relatively quiet, Lin Yan asked Zhao Shiyun to come watch over while he went to the kitchen to cut the tofu into small pieces, preparing to make the fragrant tofu at the same time. The fried pumpkin cakes were placed in a basket lined with oil paper nearby. They wouldn't get cold for a while, so if they did, he could just reheat them.
At 7:00 PM, more people started arriving, and Lin Yan began to get busy. Zhao Shiyun was helping sell and pack the steamed buns, while Yu Ge'er was in the front room, clearing away the dishes. Li Yuemei was in the kitchen, making soy milk and tofu pudding.
After the morning snack crowd had passed, Zhou Chunlan arrived, calculated the time, and packed ten pumpkin pancakes and a large bowl of soy milk to take to West Street. The vendors on West Street had asked her to carry these items. They wanted to help Yan Ge'er with his business since it was his first day, but they also had to manage the stall themselves, and they didn't want to cause trouble for Yan Ge'er if they came to buy something, so they asked Zhou Chunlan to help carry them.
Lin Yan didn't intend to take the money, and Zhou Chunlan didn't rush to give him the money because she saw that he was busy. She planned to give it to him after closing the stall.
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