They were poor, and their children needed money for school, but they would never dare to take such a lucrative business.
Cheng Yue had anticipated this turn of events and calmly said, "If you don't want this stall, then we'll just have to close it down. Anyway, I can't manage it all. It's such a pity that no one wants so much money."
The family looked at each other, and finally Wu made the decision, "We'll take it, but not for free. No matter how much money you earn in the future, your brother and sister-in-law will give you half a share."
According to my daughter, if they don't take over, the stall will have to close down. That's a lot of hard-earned money. Who would turn down money?
But asking for it for free is definitely out of the question; wouldn't that be taking advantage of my daughter? After thinking it over, this was the only solution.
Cheng Yang grinned, "That works, I think it's a good idea."
"Yes, let's do it this way!" Madam Liu beamed. This way, she wouldn't be taking her sister-in-law's things for nothing, and she would also make money. It couldn't be more perfect.
If this business were given to someone else, Cheng Yue wouldn't mind taking half a share of the profits, but this is her family who have given her everything. What kind of talk is this?
"Why should we, as a family, be so calculating? If you all live well, I can focus on my other businesses. I can't accept this money."
If you feel bad about it, once you've earned some money, just buy some cloth for the three siblings every year to make them clothes.
Seeing that Liu was about to say something, Cheng Yue, fearing that the argument would drag on for too long, had no choice but to interrupt:
"Let's leave it at that for now. Brother, sister-in-law, I brought some things. I'll teach you how to do it in a bit. The sooner you get started and set up your stall, the sooner I can go and make big money with peace of mind."
After Cheng Yue finished speaking, she stood up and went to the oxcart to get her things. Liu Shi kept her words to herself, thinking, "Fine, I won't say it. I'll send the money to my sister-in-law when I earn it. How can she refuse?"
Cheng Yue had prepared all the seasonings in advance, and they were kept in a small earthenware jar, waiting for her to come today to teach Liu Shi how to make the braising sauce.
To prevent spoilage, the earthenware jar only contains about a week's worth of seasoning. She will provide it regularly in the future, and when she goes to the county town, she can bring it home for the Wu family.
Cheng Yue taught Cheng Yang and Liu to make he luo noodles in the kitchen, while Cheng's father and Wu joined in the fun. The Chen sisters, Chen Tong and Chen Ning, followed Cheng Feng and Chen Lin out to cut grass.
The cow is now the family's treasure. We can go without food, but if the cow doesn't eat, the children will feel sorry for it.
Liu was used to cooking, and after Cheng Yue made it once, she understood immediately that it was no different from stir-frying. The good taste was mainly due to the seasonings.
Cheng Yue had prepared all of this, so it was very easy to make. Liu Shi only had to cook it once before she could do it right away.
Liu thought to herself, her sister-in-law really wasn't lying to her; it really wasn't complicated.
After the broth was ready, Cheng Yue started teaching the two how to make he luo noodles. The noodles were even simpler to make; all you had to do was get the water-to-flour ratio right.
This was no problem for Liu, but Cheng Yang was flustered and felt he couldn't help much.
Seeing her older brother looking dejected, Cheng Yue comforted him, "It's okay, brother. There are plenty of ways we can help you. You can help wipe the table and wash the dishes."
Cheng Yang: "..." I feel even more useless now.
"But I don't know how to wash dishes..."
Wu grabbed Cheng Yang's ear and said, "If you can't brush, can't you learn? Your wife makes both the sauce and the noodles, and you don't appreciate her, yet you want to slack off?"
"Ouch, Mom, be gentle! Didn't you say I'd break every dish I washed and that you wouldn't let me wash the dishes?"
Ms. Wu released her grip, as if she had said she had acted impulsively.
Having experienced the strength of Wu's hand, and seeing Cheng Yang's ears turn red to the point of bleeding, Cheng Yue thought to herself that her mother was completely unaware of her own power.
"It's alright, the noodle stall uses wooden bowls, so they're not afraid of breaking."
The noodle stall has all the tools already in place, so they will definitely be handed over to my brother and sister-in-law, except for the big iron pot at home.
As they were talking, Liu finished kneading the dough, and the next step was to use a noodle press to make noodles.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Yang exclaimed, "I can do this!"
Liu chuckled and stepped aside, saying, "Then you can come."
Cheng Yang perked up and, under Cheng Yue's guidance, pressed the dough quickly and well. Cheng Yue praised him, "Not bad."
"The dishwashing job..."
Cheng Yue thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid the two of you won't be able to handle it. Big brother, you'll be pressing the dough, and sister-in-law will be kneading, scooping, and making the sauce. Let Xiao Feng go with you."
There were four of them when they set up their stall. When there were many customers, Chen Lin would help her press the dough. The customers were all waiting, and if they were slow, it wouldn't work at all.
Mr. Cheng said, "Then you should all go together. It'll be a good opportunity for Xiaofeng to meet more people."
Cheng Feng rarely goes out, and is even more introverted than his father, Cheng Yang. He only goes to the fields, so going to set up a stall with him is a good opportunity for him to get some experience.
Madam Liu frowned and said, "Then there's no one left in the house?"
Although there are no valuables at home, I always feel uneasy when no one is around.
Wu waved her hand dismissively and said, "I went to set up my stall early this morning and will be back after noon. It won't take much time. Just ask Aunt Zhang to keep an eye on things. What could possibly happen?"
Liu thought about it and realized that made sense. It was just a matter of helping out among neighbors; at worst, she could just give them something.
With that settled, Liu focused on making noodles.
The most important thing when cooking noodles is the cooking time. If you cook them for too long, they will become soft and mushy; if you cook them for too short a time, they will be undercooked.
Liu had only cooked noodles a few times at home, and it took her three or four attempts to get them to a passable standard.
However, she is not someone who gets discouraged easily. On the contrary, she becomes more courageous with each setback. If she can't learn this, then she won't be able to handle the overwhelming wealth.
Cheng Yue liked Liu's personality and encouraged her, "Sister-in-law, you've done very well. Just do it two more times and you'll be good to go. Practice makes perfect."
Liu was delighted by the praise, thinking, "My little sister is right, I can definitely do it."
Cheng Yue looked outside and saw that the sun was already setting. Her siblings were feeding the cows in the yard and she didn't know when they had returned.
"It's getting late, we need to head back now. Brother and sister-in-law, you can come with me to my stall tomorrow morning so we can get familiar with it."
The location is at the town's dock; you should arrive around 7:00 AM.
Cheng Yang and Liu Shi stopped what they were doing and quickly agreed, feeling both excited and apprehensive.
Cheng Yang washed his hands and said loudly, "Little sister, I'll see you off!"
"Brother, no need to see us off. The two villages aren't far apart. We'll get there in no time with the oxcart."
In this peaceful and prosperous era, what could possibly happen? Cheng Yue pleaded with Cheng Yang until he finally stopped talking about sending it.
Sending her back would mean Cheng Yang would have to walk back himself, which would be too much trouble.
"If you're not going to deliver it, then you're fine. Hurry back and don't delay. Pack the meat up."
At noon, only a small piece of meat was used to make the pies. Wu took out the rest and threw it directly onto the oxcart, urging them to hurry up.
Cheng Yue also wanted to go back early, so she didn't refuse, got on the oxcart, waved, and left.
Only when they could no longer see the group's backs did Cheng's father and the others turn around and go into the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com