Chapter 25: Gaining Support, First Time Setting Up a Stall
He only ate a few pieces of pig's blood from the stew, because he thought the flavorful cabbage was better than the pig's blood.
Xie Pei, seeing that he seemed to really prefer cabbage, decisively finished off the remaining pig's blood and left some cabbage leaves in the pot for him.
In no time, the two of them devoured the food, and the pot next to them began to steam continuously.
It was almost time, so Zhu Mingyue lifted the lid of the pot.
The plump, white buns are packed together, and when you poke them, they leave a small dent. Their soft and fluffy texture is simply irresistible.
He put the leftover steamed buns from breakfast next to them, and sure enough, there's no harm in comparison.
The steamed buns sold outside look yellowish and hard because they contain mixed flour and are not properly fermented.
Looking at it this way, his steamed buns are definitely a whole level above.
He broke one open with his bare hands, and the meat juices dripped onto his hand, burning him so badly that he quickly threw the bun onto the stove and sucked on his fingers to relieve the pain.
Xie Pei reached out from behind him, picked up the steamed bun, blew on it briefly, and handed it to him.
Zhu Mingyue didn't answer, looking surprised: "Aren't you hot?"
"It's okay, it's not hot."
Zhu Mingyue's gaze shifted to Xie Pei's hands, and she noticed that his palms were covered with a thick layer of calluses, no wonder he wasn't afraid of getting burned.
He waved his hand and said, "You eat first, I'll eat later."
Xie Pei glanced at him, said nothing, and finished the bun in her hand in a few bites.
Zhu Mingyue's hand no longer hurt. She wet it with some cold water, picked up a big steamed bun, blew on it a few times, took a bite, and closed her eyes in bliss.
This is the most authentic and delicious steamed bun, exactly the same taste as the ones he bought outside the school when he was in college. The filling is wrapped up tightly, the meat is firm and springy, and the addition of a little shredded cabbage perfectly balances the greasiness. One bite and the sweet and fresh taste spreads in your mouth, leaving you with an unforgettable aftertaste.
He quickly finished one and was about to eat another when he looked down and found there were only five left in the bowl. Then he looked at Xie Pei, who had just opened his mouth and ate half a bun.
"Do you like these steamed buns?" Zhu Mingyue put down the buns and asked him softly.
Xie Pei nodded, and in an instant another bun was gone. Zhu Mingyue watched in alarm, then composed herself and asked, "So do you think my buns are tastier or the ones you buy outside?"
Asking this question made Zhu Mingyue feel a rare sense of shame. Asking this question seemed no different from asking a child whether they liked their father or mother more.
Xie Pei didn't answer him immediately, but pointed at the bowl with her fingertip: "You're not eating?"
Zhu Mingyue shook his head. It didn't matter whether he ate or not. He was already quite full. Unlike Xie Pei, whose stomach was like a bottomless pit that could hold as much as he wanted.
Upon hearing this, Xie Pei ate the buns he had just put down, and put the remaining four into the cupboard.
“Yours tastes better,” Xie Pei said suddenly as he closed the cabinet door.
Zhu Mingyue: "Really?"
"Hmm." Xie Pei replied calmly. He was telling the truth, without a single lie. The best thing he had ever eaten since he was a child was made by his sister-in-law, who looked younger than him.
Zhu Mingyue rubbed her hands together and chuckled after receiving the affirmation.
Xie Pei looked up: "Just say what's on your mind."
Zhu Mingyue said shyly, "Then I'll be frank. I want to go to town to sell steamed buns. What do you think?"
Fearing Xie Pei would refuse, he quickly added, "Of course, all the money I earn will be used for household expenses; I will never pocket a single penny."
Xie Pei remained silent, his expression still indifferent, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhu Mingyue felt a little embarrassed and cautiously stole glances at him.
"Selling steamed buns requires getting up very early."
Xie Pei's voice suddenly rang out.
Zhu Mingyue quickly replied, "I can get up early!"
"It's a long way to town."
"Don't worry, I can walk."
If you can't even overcome this small difficulty, how will you make money?
Zhu Mingyue thought Xie Pei was going to try to persuade her again, but to her surprise, he uttered two words: "Whatever you want."
Zhu Mingyue was overjoyed: "You mean you agree?"
Xie Pei didn't answer, but went straight to the point: "You're not familiar with the roads in town, so come with me when we set up the stall."
Zhu Mingyue nodded frantically.
He's a man of action; whatever he says one second, he'll do the next.
At the beginning of the next day, he got up. It was pitch black all around, and he couldn't find a candle no matter how hard he looked around.
He walked along the wall out of the bedroom, intending to go to the kitchen table to light the oil lamp.
"hiss!"
He bumped headfirst into a hard object in the darkness and screamed in surprise.
He clearly remembered that there were no obstacles at the kitchen entrance, and that he had just bumped into something.
He stretched out his hands to touch it, but the thing remained motionless and hard. Something was wrong; it felt like a person. Confused, he mustered his courage and squeezed it hard.
A dull groan reached Zhu Mingyue's ears, and before he could react, his wrist was gripped tightly.
Zhu Mingyue broke free from his restraints and asked nervously, "Xie Pei? Is that you?" If it wasn't him, he would have to call for help; a thief breaking into the house would be terrible.
No one answered. After a rustling sound, a dim light swept into the entire kitchen.
Zhu Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Xie Pei's face and laughed, "You scared me to death! I thought I'd run into a thief."
But as he spoke, he couldn't laugh anymore, because he noticed that Xie Pei's face was ashen, and could be described as extremely ugly.
Zhu Mingyue felt guilty. He recalled the place he had touched earlier, which seemed to be someone's chest. Not only did he touch it, but he also couldn't resist trying to pinch it.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment, and Zhu Mingyue was so embarrassed that she couldn't lift her head. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you. I didn't know it was you."
"You only touch other people?" Xie Pei frowned and retorted.
"No, no!" Zhu Mingyue shook her head. "I didn't know you were a person. No, I didn't know I bumped into a person."
In his eagerness to explain, he became somewhat incoherent, making more and more mistakes, and finally simply shut up.
How could he explain that he really didn't want to grope her? Xie Pei's chest was rock hard, not easy to squeeze at all! If he wanted to squeeze someone, he would definitely choose a muscular man first.
It's unclear whether Xie Pei listened to his explanation or not, but Xie Pei didn't cause him any trouble. Although the two didn't exchange a single word, they remained at peace.
On her first day setting up her stall, Zhu Mingyue decided to play it safe and start by making fifty steamed buns to test the waters.
Even if this is just a trial run, they've gone all out, using up all the flour they had at home.
In the end, twenty-four meat buns and thirty vegetarian buns were produced. To enhance the flavor, lard was mixed into the filling of the vegetarian buns.
He also reheated the four leftover buns from yesterday's lunch, and after the two of them ate them, they set off with two buckets of buns.
The buns were packed in a wooden bucket, wrapped tightly in a white cloth, and Xie Pei contributed a tattered cotton quilt to keep them warm.
Xie Pei wasn't lying to him; the town was indeed far away.
The two set off from their house in the dark, and by the time they reached the town it was already broad daylight. Zhu Mingyue's legs were sore that she plopped down on a stone bench, too lazy to move.
He didn't want to leave, so he tried to persuade Xie Pei not to leave either: "I think this place is nice, there are quite a lot of people, why don't we sell here!"
Xie Pei originally wanted to take him to the busiest street in town, but seeing that he was too tired to walk any further, he didn't insist. He lifted the blanket and placed the wooden bucket on the ground.
Neither of them had ever done business before; one sat and the other stood guarding the wooden barrel, looking like idiots.
The road was bustling with people, and some did stop in front of the two, but they were all attracted by Zhu Mingyue's appearance at first glance. When they got closer and found that he was a man, they all left with regret.
Zhu Mingyue: ...
Is his face more appealing than steamed buns? Why are you all staring at his face? Can't you take a look at the plump, white steamed buns in the bucket in front of him?!
Seeing that the steamed buns were getting cold quickly after being put down, he suddenly stood up and decided to go all out!
"Selling steamed buns! Plump, white steamed buns! A variety of big steamed buns with meat and vegetables!"
Zhu Mingyue shouted a few times at the crowd. At first, she was a little hesitant, but later she opened her chest and shouted more enthusiastically.
Sure enough, his shout worked. A mother and son walked up to their stall, pointed at the steamed buns, and asked how much they cost.
"Meat buns are three coins, vegetarian buns are two coins," Zhu Mingyue replied with a smile.
"So expensive?" The woman hesitated after hearing the price.
"It's not expensive. You can ask around and see if other places are charging this price. My meat buns are a penny more expensive, but I use real pork."
Just as Zhu Mingyue finished explaining, the child hiding behind the woman sucked on his fingers and said in a childish voice, "Mom, I want to eat meat buns!" As he spoke, long strands of saliva stuck to his clothes.
The woman must have loved the child very much. Although she genuinely felt the buns were expensive, she still reluctantly ordered one meat bun and one vegetable bun.
Zhu Mingyue received five coins and picked up one item from each of the two buckets, handing them to the child.
The child couldn't resist such temptation and stretched out his head to bite. His mother stopped him with lightning speed.
The woman took the bun, thanked him, and hurriedly left with her child.
After everyone left, Zhu Mingyue stuffed five coins into Xie Pei's hand, turned around and continued hawking.
The second customer was a young man who, having grown accustomed to steamed buns, didn't find them expensive. Upon hearing that they had meat filling, he expressed interest in buying one to try.
The third was a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar, who also ordered a vegetarian bun and a meat bun.
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