TTTQF Chapter 94

Steamed Buns and Cold Noodles

"Boss, recently those hot soups and noodles aren’t selling very well."

One day, the shop assistant, Tang Lin, approaches Jiang Miao with this observation.

Jiang Miao nods and says, “I’ve noticed that too. Recently, the weather has been hot, and eating hot soup noodles early in the morning makes everyone sweat. No one wants to order them anymore. Let’s do this: starting tomorrow, remove the hot soup noodles from the menu and bring them back when the weather cools down.”

"Alright, I’ll let them know. But boss, if we take these off the menu, what should we offer instead?" Tang Lin is very attentive to the shop’s business because their wages are tied to the shop's performance. Although the work is tiring, the earnings are decent. To be honest, others don’t even have the opportunity to earn this much!

Tang Lin is once again grateful that he has chosen this small shop. Although it isn’t as grand as the big restaurants and inns, the money earned here is definitely more than what the assistants at those places make.

Jiang Miao says, "Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you."

Tang Lin goes to inform the others, and Jiang Miao sits at the counter, deep in thought, occasionally scribbling with a charcoal pencil on a piece of paper.

Summer in Liangjing is very hot. With two days still left until June, it is already unbearably warm. Jiang Miao looks around and notices that some customers at the tables are eating buns with soy milk, some are slowly peeling tea eggs, and others are enjoying bowls of tofu pudding with fried dough sticks. The common point of these foods is that they aren’t too hot and still taste fine when they are cold.

It seems that when the weather gets hot, people prefer things that are cool and refreshing.

Suddenly, Jiang Miao’s eyes light up. Isn’t this exactly what cold noodles are? Cold, tangy, and spicy—quite satisfying. However, eating this in the morning might be too stimulating. It would probably be better to sell it at lunchtime.

As for breakfast, what could he offer? Jiang Miao’s gaze shifts to the large steamed buns in the outer steamer. He remembers that one morning he was in a hurry and couldn’t prepare breakfast, so he cut the leftover buns in half, fried an egg, spread some meat sauce, and put them together. It tasted pretty good.

These buns aren’t hot and are convenient to carry. Wrapped in an oil paper bag, they can be eaten on the go. Most importantly, aside from the effort needed to make the meat sauce, the other steps are simple enough for any waiter to handle.

The more Jiang Miao thinks about it, the more he likes the idea. He stands up, goes outside, and asks the waiter, Daniu, to get him a plate of buns. He then takes the buns to the kitchen and prepares a colorful plate: white steamed buns, yellow fried eggs, green cucumber slices, and brown meat sauce. Although the aroma isn’t as strong as other dishes, it looks very attractive.

A regular customer sees the new offering and asks, "Shopkeeper Jiang, what is this?"

"This is called... a 'three-in-one.'" Jiang Miao recalls how Pei Che complained that the name he chose last time sounded unpleasant, so he came up with a new one. Actually, he feels that 'bun with egg' may sound simple and straightforward, but isn’t it also clear and to the point?

"Three-in-One?" The customer gives a puzzled look, examining the dish closely. Then, he seems to understand, "Ah, it really is three-in-one. Steamed bun, fried egg, and cucumber—aren't these three things combined together?"

"Would you like to try it?" Seeing that he is interested, Jiang Miao generously lets him try it.

The customer waves his hands hurriedly, seemingly fearing that if he is a second slower, Jiang Miao will place the strange three-in-one on the plate in front of him.

"Are you sure? This is free just this once. Next time you want it, you'll have to pay," Jiang Miao reminds him.

The customer thinks to himself that only a fool would buy this to eat. Steamed bun, fried egg, and raw cucumber slices combined—how could that be good? If it weren’t for Jiang Miao being the future wife of the heir, the customer would have criticized the dish. Isn’t this just wasting food?

"Does anyone else want to try?" Jiang Miao looks at the other people who are waiting and watching.

The other customers shake their heads. They have mostly finished their meals and aren’t keen on trying something so unusual. Besides, those who can afford to dine in the shop wouldn’t be interested in such a modest offer.

Their reactions make Jiang Miao feel a bit unsure. Is this Chinese-style burger really a flop? He picks up one, takes a bite, and tastes the soft bun, fragrant egg, crispy cucumber, and moderately salty meat sauce with a hint of spiciness. The combination is surprisingly delightful.

Jiang Miao’s confidence is instantly restored. It’s definitely just a matter of not appreciating the dish properly. The food itself is flawless!

Jiang Miao then shares the new dish with the shop’s staff to get their opinions and suggestions before making any adjustments.

After closing the shop, Jiang Miao holds a brief meeting. Besides the shop staff, Pei Mu and Little White are also present. Since they are living in the Jiang residence, there are quite a few people available to look after the children. However, Pei Mu still likes to join Jiang Miao, as he is practicing speaking and enjoys watching others talk.

"Can you all handle this dish?" Jiang Miao asks.

Li Ping, Tang Lin, Jiang Yu, Daniu, and Aunt Wen all nod. They find the taste quite good. Though the combination seems a bit strange, it is unexpectedly delicious!

"Alright, it’s unanimously approved. This afternoon, we’ll start preparing the meat sauce, and we’ll launch the new item tomorrow."

"Boss, how much should we set the price for this?" Tang Lin asks.

Jiang Miao thinks for a moment. A steamed bun costs about one wen, an egg also costs around one wen, and cucumbers are cheap, with a basket costing only five or six wen, which can be ignored. The meat sauce costs approximately two wen per large spoonful.

"Let’s set the price at eight wen. Make the buns a bit bigger tomorrow."

"Okay." Tang Lin replies.

Jiang Miao notices that among the staff, Tang Lin has a bit of a supervisory demeanor. He is outgoing, smooth-talking, and adept at business, standing out more than the others. Jiang Miao decides to observe him further. After he gets married, it will not be convenient for him to come here every day. At that time, he will need to promote someone who can manage things in his absence.

"Everyone, don’t rush off just yet. I’d like to get your opinions on something else. We’ve always been a breakfast place, but if I want to sell lunch items, do you think it will work?"

Although the shop only operates in the morning until around nine, the staff also does preparation work during the rest of the day. Jiang Miao wants to gauge their opinions. If everyone feels the time is too tight, he will reconsider.

Li Ping asks, "Boss, are the lunch items stir-fried dishes? If so, we won’t have enough manpower." He only knows a little about cooking, and the others can only cook some home-cooked dishes at most. This would leave Jiang Miao as the sole chef.

"We won’t be making stir-fried dishes, just something else. It’s quite simple, and everyone should be able to handle it," Jiang Miao briefly explains the preparation method for cold noodles.

"I think it will work," Daniu is the first to support the idea. With the hot weather, Jiang Miao has already stopped selling fried buns. They are greasy and not popular in summer. Furthermore, standing under the sun frying buns all day will get people sick.

Daniu always follows Jiang Miao’s instructions without question. Hearing that the shop will start making money from lunch as well, he is immediately pleased.

The others have no objections either. Compared to other employers, Jiang Miao is exceptionally considerate. He always discusses things with them, unlike other employers who are only interested in working them to the bone.

Once they agree, Jiang Miao goes out to buy some ingredients and decides to make cold noodles for them to try at lunch.

The staff gathers around the kitchen, attentively watching every move Jiang Miao makes. They find that although the process seems simple, there are quite a few tricks involved.

"Boss, is this the new food you came up with?" Tang Lin asks.

Jiang Miao smiles, his hands moving non-stop: "How can I have this ability? I heard that this dish was made by our ancestors long ago, and I learned it by chance. In our Da Liang, with its vast land and abundant resources, there are actually many types of food. It’s just that due to travel difficulties, we didn’t know about them."

Everyone nods in agreement. Indeed, in their lifetimes, they have never left Liangjing, so they naturally know little about the cuisine from other places.

Once the cold noodles are prepared, they are thin and translucent, which draws another round of astonishment from the crowd. Jiang Miao quickly prepares the condiments and side dishes, allowing them to add according to their taste.

"It's delicious!" Daniu takes a bite, which includes cold noodles, bean sprouts, shredded tofu, cucumber strips, and other ingredients. The taste is sour, spicy, and refreshing, making him feel completely cooled down.

The others have similar reactions. As Jiang Miao enjoys the long-untried delicacy, he can’t help but reflect. It has been over half a year since he came to this ancient time. Unexpectedly, what he couldn’t achieve in modern times has been nearly realized in the past.

"Brother! What are you eating? Why didn’t you wait for me?" Xiao Shitou runs in with a cloth bag on his back. Recently, Master Yu has been preparing for the autumn imperial exams, so apart from teaching them, he spends all his time reading. Master Yu needs peace, so the small canteen is closed for lunch, and everyone goes home to eat. Xiao Shitou now has a companion to go home with, so his brother no longer needs to pick him up.

"This dish is one serving per person. I’ll make one for you now, just wait," Jiang Miao says. Before he can finish, Xiao Shitou has already washed his hands, grabbed his chopsticks, and sat down next to Pei Mu.

Pei Mu habitually pushes the plate to the center. Jiang Miao hopes they will eat less, so he makes sure the food is shared between the two. They also eat very well and do not make a mess.

Alright then, Jiang Miao shrugs and goes over to prepare another serving, which he places into a nearly empty plate for the two to share.

Seeing that everyone has a good reaction to the cold noodles, Jiang Miao decides to start serving lunch from the beginning of June. The "three-in-one" will still be introduced tomorrow.

The next morning, customers coming and going show interest in the "three-in-one" sign. Some who had seen it yesterday avoid ordering it, but those who haven’t, trusting the Jiang family shop, order one right away.

After it is served, some people feel deceived, while others find it novel. Regardless of their initial thoughts, everyone eventually tries it. This opens a new world for them—who knew that putting vegetables in a steamed bun could be so delicious?

Some people think the price at Jiang’s shop is high and decide to secretly buy the ingredients and make their own. While it looks similar, the taste is vastly different. Those with better sauce-making skills find it quite good, but those with less skill find it somewhat lacking.

However, no matter how others try to replicate it, they can’t match the unique taste of the "three-in-one" from Jiang’s shop.

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