TTTQF Chapter 74

Fried Dough Sticks and Soy Milk

As soon as the morning bell rings, Pei Che boards the carriage with the food Jiang Miao has prepared for him. Jiang Miao needs to hurry to the shop, so he hitches a ride.

Pei Che looks at the grease-proof paper package in his hand, which contains two large buns cut in half. The buns are spread with meat sauce and have a fried egg sandwiched in between. He tentatively takes a bite and finds it quite tasty.

“What’s this called?” Pei Che has eaten buns before, but not this kind.

Jiang Miao is also eating and, hearing the question, replies, “It’s probably something like a Chinese-style hamburger.” Or Roujiamo?

“The name is rather odd and unattractive,” Pei Che says, shaking his head, then takes another big bite.

"It's delicious, so who cares what it's called," Jiang Miao says casually, more concerned with the food’s flavor than its name.

"How can you be so perfunctory?" Pei Che disagrees. Many of the restaurants he has visited have elegant names for their dishes, which make one want to try them.

“Then let’s just call it steamed buns with eggs,” Jiang Miao says, casually coming up with a simple and straightforward name.

Pei Che chokes and is momentarily speechless, realizing that he can’t change Jiang Miao’s mind on this matter, so he quietly finishes his food.

Once he is done eating, they arrive at the Jiang family shop. When Jiang Miao gets off the carriage, Pei Che lifts the curtain to take a look and finds that the shop, which Jiang Miao has renovated, is quite distinctive and stands out among the surrounding stores.

“Alright, go quickly,” Jiang Miao says, noticing that the carriage isn’t leaving and urging Pei Che to hurry. Then he remembers something and hurriedly advises Pei Che, “Wait, when you return to the Imperial Academy, remember to explain things to your teacher. If he criticizes you, just let him say a few words, and try to maintain a good attitude.”

Pei Che smiles and says lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it well. You go on inside.” He appreciates Jiang Miao’s concerned expression, feeling it is worth his trip. The previous matter has been on his mind and has made it difficult to concentrate on his studies.

Jiang Miao watches Pei Che’s carriage leave and then walks through the side passage to the shop’s back door. As soon as he knocks on the door, it opens.

“Boss, you’re here!”

Jiang Miao looks at Li Ping and finds that he is dressed neatly, not like he has just gotten up. Looking again, he notices smoke rising from the kitchen, indicating that preparations have already begun.

“You’re up early. Next time, you can sleep in a bit longer,” Jiang Miao says with a smile.

“I get up at this time when I’m at home as well,” Li Ping replies with a slightly shy smile. Jiang Miao also notices that among the two employees he has hired, Tang Lin is more outgoing.

While they are talking, another knock comes from outside. Jiang Miao thinks it is Tang Lin, but it turns out to be Aunt Wen.

“Aunt Wen, why are you here so early? It’s fine if you come later next time,” Jiang Miao says quickly, letting her in. He then introduces the two to each other before they all head towards the kitchen.

The kitchen in the courtyard wasn’t very large originally. Jiang Miao has the adjoining small storage room opened up and incorporated into the kitchen, making it much more spacious. He also has two additional stove tops installed to make steaming and boiling more convenient.

Aunt Wen is indeed very efficient. She works neatly and systematically, transforming the previously somewhat chaotic kitchen into a much cleaner space. After tidying up, she takes the vegetables Jiang Miao has bought to the well and begins washing them.

When Zhou Lin arrives, he sees her washing vegetables in the courtyard and initially thinks he has gone to the wrong place. Jiang Miao finds it amusing when he hears this, as Aunt Wen is someone Zhou Lin has recommended to him, but it turns out he has only heard about her and never actually met her.

After a while of busy work, Daniu arrives just before the opening. After a quick breakfast, everyone is ready for the day’s business, and with the extra help, it isn’t as chaotic as yesterday.

Most of the customers are return visitors who have eaten here the day before. They are a bit disappointed to hear that there are no free tea eggs today, but it doesn’t stop them from coming in for a meal.

Manager Zhang and Manager Zhong come again today, but they reverse their orders from yesterday. Seeing each other’s dishes yesterday makes them curious about what the other has.

With a steady stream of customers, the store’s items sell quickly. The used bowls and dishes pile up, and Daniu takes them to the backyard for Aunt Wen to clean.

Jiang Miao stays busy in the kitchen, occasionally checking the number of each dish sold. The lean meat porridge hasn’t sold well yesterday, but today’s sweet porridge is doing better. It seems that there are quite a few people in Liangjing City who enjoy sweet food. What puzzles Jiang Miao most is that those who order sweet porridge also want side dishes. Combining sweet and savory—does that taste good? However, it is the customers’ choice, so he has no say in the matter.

When you are busy, you can't feel the passage of time. When Jiang Miao finds that it is already dawn, it has been several hours since he opened the door for business.

The items in the kitchen have almost sold out. They have prepared about twice as much as the day before, and even so, it is all sold out.

Jiang Miao counts the money he has earned, calculates the profit and loss, and feels relieved. At this rate, aside from rent and costs, he will be making a good amount of money each month.

Feeling pleased, Jiang Miao takes out the reserved coins, puts the remaining money into a bag, and hides it in his room. It’s important to be cautious; although Li Ping seems honest, they haven’t known each other long, and there is no guarantee he won’t have bad ideas.

He takes the reserved coins to the morning market to buy all the ingredients needed for the next day, then returns to the shop and begins the long preparation work.

In the evening, Jiang Miao tells everyone that he will come to the shop later the next day, asking them to open the shop themselves after getting ready. They have no objections, as it is his shop, and he can come whenever he wants.

There is, of course, a reason for Jiang Miao's later arrival.

Early the next morning, he goes to the address Old Man Ding had previously mentioned and finds his house. He had planned to ask Old Man Ding about tofu pudding and soy milk, but since Old Man Ding hasn’t been at his usual stall these days, Jiang Miao decides to visit his home.

"Young man, who are you looking for?" When the door is knocked on, the person inside comes out to open it and finds a young man he doesn’t recognize, looking a bit puzzled.

Jiang Miao smiles and asks, "Auntie, is this Uncle Ding's home? My name is Jiang Miao; I used to work with him at the stall.”

Before Jiang Miao can continue introducing himself, the old woman’s face lights up with realization: “So you’re Little Jiang! Please come in. My family often talks about you, saying that your casual remark gave us a new source of income and our products are selling really well.”

"Uncle Ding is polite. Your tofu pudding is really good,” Jiang Miao says. “But since business is doing well, why hasn’t Uncle Ding been setting up his stall these days?”

The old woman’s face shows some worry as she replies, “Ah, he’s been unlucky. After finishing up at the stall that day, he steps into a pit on the road and twists his ankle. He’s been staying at home these days.”

Jiang Miao quickly expresses his concern: “Is Uncle Ding alright? I didn’t know about this and came empty-handed.” He feels a little embarrassed.

The old woman smiles and says, “He can get out of bed now, and he should be fine soon. It’s good that you came to visit. Please, come in and sit down.”

Jiang Miao follows her inside and sees Old Man Ding sitting in the courtyard enjoying the sunlight. At the end of March, the sunlight is gentle and doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

When Old Man Ding sees Jiang Miao, his previously lackluster spirits perk up instantly.

“Little Jiang, what brings you here! Old woman, quickly get Little Jiang some sweet water to drink!”

“Uncle Ding, there’s no need to be so polite. I came today to ask if you could help me get some tofu pudding and soy milk from your daughter. But since you’re having trouble moving around, I can wait a bit longer,” Jiang Miao says. Actually, he also wants some dried tofu. He has previously bought dried tofu from nearby vendors, but it is tough and doesn’t taste good.

"What's the inconvenience? It’s no trouble at all. I’ll have the old woman go to her house and let her know. How much do you need? I’ll have her send it over tomorrow.”

“Well, since you’re offering, I won’t say any more. I’d like a bucket each of tofu pudding and soy milk every day, and ten pounds of dried tofu to start.”

This is a big business. Old Man Ding is thrilled. He eagerly agrees to the order and promises to take care of it. Jiang Miao tells him the location of the Jiang family shop so he can deliver the goods there.

After Jiang Miao leaves, Old Man Ding sighs with emotion. It has been quite a journey since Jiang Miao worked with him at the stall, and now he even has his own shop. He has always thought highly of Little Jiang.

The next day, sure enough, a donkey cart arrives with the goods and unloads them at the Jiang family shop. Although the dried tofu isn’t needed immediately, the tofu pudding and soy milk are hot and fresh. Jiang Miao places these items in the most prominent position and asks Tang Lin to mention them to customers.

Jiang Miao observes the customers and notices that more of them prefer sweet tofu pudding over savory. He wonders if there would be a preference for sweet or savory tofu pudding if they were to offer both options.

The tofu pudding is excellent, but the soy milk seems less popular. It is basically just a bowl of water, and few customers are interested in ordering it.

Jiang Miao thinks for a moment, then kneads some dough and makes fried dough sticks, which he fries in a pot of oil. Fried dough sticks have also not sold well these past few days, primarily because Jiang Miao hasn’t featured them prominently. They are oil-intensive, and if they don’t sell well, it would be quite a waste. With the soy milk now available, it is time for the fried dough sticks to make a comeback.

One by one, the golden and crispy fried dough sticks are placed on a tray and brought to the front hall. As soon as the guests smell the aroma, some express interest in buying them.

Jiang Miao says, “Would you like to also try a bowl of soy milk? I’ve heard that eating fried dough sticks is even more delicious with soy milk.”

The customer is skeptical, having never seen fried dough sticks before, so he isn’t sure where Jiang Miao got this idea from. After checking the price on the nearby sign and finding that the combination isn’t expensive, he decides to give it a try.

The fried dough sticks are crispy and crumble with each bite, tasting delicious. After a few bites, the customer tries the soy milk and finds that it balances out the greasiness of the fried dough sticks, leaving a sweet and pleasant aftertaste.

Seeing how much the first customer enjoys the combination, other customers also begin to order it. Within fifteen minutes, the entire tray of fried dough sticks is sold out.

Jiang Miao returns to the kitchen and begins kneading dough and frying more fried dough sticks…

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