Early in the morning, Lin Weiwei started bustling around in the kitchen. She didn't know how to cook any dishes, but steamed buns and mantou were staples she always carried with her on missions, so she certainly wouldn't forget the recipes. As soon as she opened the boiler lid, a fragrant aroma of steamed buns wafted out.
"It smells so good..."
The aroma wafted into the living room, waking the two sleeping men and drawing them to the kitchen.
Untying the reins of the desolate bun, he grabbed it without washing his hands and took a bite. From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary steamed bun, but when you took a bite, it was soft and fluffy, with a fluffy center. No matter how good the flour is, it needs to be kneaded constantly, and the strength and water ratio must be well controlled, otherwise some parts will be hard and some parts will be too runny. Secondly, the heat is important. Steamed buns cannot be boiled over high heat, but must be simmered over low heat.
Ma Fei saw a basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), picked up his chopsticks, put one in his mouth, and took a small bite. Juice dripped from the corner of his mouth. It was filled with shiitake mushrooms and meat. The shiitake mushrooms were chopped very finely, probably because they were stir-fried with the meat before being added to the filling and steamed.
"It's delicious! I didn't expect you to make it so good. Teach me how!" Ma Fei hugged the steamer and started eating, one bite after another. He only had two left out of the fifteen small buns, and he even burped.
"Forget it, that's all she can make. Her fridge is practically empty. These steamed buns may taste good, but they look just like everyone else's. Why would anyone buy yours?"
The moment he uttered those words, a strange familiarity washed over her… How did he know her refrigerator was empty? It was a casual remark, spoken without any thought. She twisted her head, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and collapsed to the ground.
"I'm dizzy."
"Could you please take him to Uncle Xiao's? I'll do some more things."
Ma Fei nodded hurriedly, grabbed two more steamed buns before leaving, and carried Xiao Se away from home.
Lin Weiwei looked at the last steamed bun in the steamer, pondering what Xiao Se had said. It seemed to make some sense. She glanced at the dragon fruit on the coffee table, then had an idea. She chopped it into juice and mixed it with flour.
When Ma Fei returned, a fresh basket of steamed buns was ready. The two of them packed up the food cart and prepared to push it out to sell.
"Mom, Weiwei and I are going out to sell breakfast. You stay home and rest while we wait for you."
The two of them went one after the other to the nearest construction site. There was a lot of work going on there recently, so there were many workers. And since it was around seven o'clock, it was just in time for them to have lunch. They opened the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. They smelled the red steamed buns and went to buy some.
"Queue up, eight yuan each," Lin Weiwei rolled up her sleeves, put on gloves, and held a paper bag filled with steamed buns.
"Eight yuan! Why don't you just rob us? It's so expensive!"
Their group's budget was at most two yuan, but this girl was asking for an exorbitant price. A palm-sized steamed bun was worth that much; she clearly didn't know how to do business.
"Brothers, calm down, it's just a small business. These are fruit-flavored steamed buns, all handmade. We all came early because it's cold!"
Ma Fei was also sweating. Lin Weiwei's price was far too high. An average person would only need one per person at most. Setting the price so high would mean that no matter how delicious it was, no one would buy it again. Besides, there were so many breakfast shops nearby, making it difficult to do business in the market.
Sure enough, they weren't particularly satisfied with Ma Fei's explanation. Everyone arrives early, and these days, money doesn't grow on trees. They turned around and were about to leave.
"Buy one get one free, one per person only, no extras." Lin Weiwei didn't bow or scrape, acting as if she didn't care whether she wanted it or not. Her steamed buns were nutritious and filling, and she didn't make many.
The buy-one-get-one-free offer appealed to people who love a bargain. The one-per-person limit made it seem incredibly rare and sparked curiosity. And sure enough, after hearing that and smelling the aroma, some people bought one just to try it out, and once they took a bite, they couldn't stop eating it.
"Delicious! I'll have a few more!"
Ma Fei grinned from ear to ear, and was about to take the money when Lin Weiwei snatched it back, glaring at him sternly, "Wait until tomorrow. Once it's sold, it's absolutely not going to be sold again."
this……
"Tomorrow it is, brothers, let's go, we'll come back tomorrow."
Ma Fei gasped. Two steamed buns cost eight yuan, which meant each bun cost four yuan. They sold out completely and even made sure people got there early. He counted the money in his pocket and realized he had made eighty yuan after deducting costs. Not a single grain had been wasted.
"That's amazing! Vivi, how did you do that?"
He earns so much by sheer luck, but there's always leftovers that he wastes, throwing away buckets of trash, and sometimes he even loses money.
"I'll write the recipe and method in your notebook. Remember, this price will remain the same from now on. No matter how much I give you, it's a one-time sale and will never be resold. Breakfast is very important for the workers because sometimes they forget to eat lunch when they're busy, so two big steamed buns for breakfast will never go to waste."
Lin Weiwei yawned. She had made over a hundred steamed buns and was quite tired after not sleeping all night. Ma Fei listened and remembered it well, noting the time and place. For food businesses, only good taste can retain customers, followed by service. They couldn't keep them waiting too long. Grandma could finally rest assured.
On the way back, he went to the market and bought a big bag of flour and some fruit. He made a pure profit of twenty yuan after deducting these, even though it was less than an hour in the morning. He happily followed behind her.
When we arrived at the unfinished building, it was particularly strange today. There was no market set up downstairs, and many people were gathered around watching something we didn't know anything about.
When Ma Fei arrived, he saw the person lying under the white sheet, that aged face—Ah Mo!
"What's wrong? Grandma, say something! It's me, Xiaofei."
Lin Weiwei stepped forward and pulled back the white cloth. She saw a kitchen knife that she had used that morning stuck in the old woman's abdomen. The old woman was sleeping peacefully, and must have been stabbed to death in her sleep. When did this happen? Lin Weiwei had been busy in the kitchen and hadn't heard a sound.
This... is a frame-up.
Ma Fei burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. He was perfectly fine yesterday, and today he had earned so much money. He had wanted to give it to his grandmother to see. He thought Xiao Fei was sensible, capable of earning money and taking care of himself. He shook the old woman's body, but there was still no movement.
Lin Weiwei noticed that her grandmother's mouth was protruding and felt that there was something inside. She went over and pried open her mouth, and there was a note inside.
Ma Fei stared with red eyes, picked up the note, and looked at the handwriting on it. It was Han Han again!
"Long time no see, Ma Fei, did you miss me? Hahaha"
"Ahhhhh..."
He knelt on the ground and roared to the sky. People around him cast sympathetic glances. The mother and son were poor and worked hard from dawn till dusk selling food. Fortunately, the son was filial and helped the old lady with her work. But who had they offended to be so cruelly murdered?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
