Chapter Fifty: Braised Yellow Cucumber

  The sun is slowly rising, and more and more people are gathering around the stall. People are like this, the stranger things are, the more they attract a crowd.

  The few large pots of steamed buns that had been brought were almost gone, and the number of bowls and chopsticks that Jihui and Chen Tianfa needed to wash was increasing, but the two people didn't have a trace of dissatisfaction because of this. On the contrary, they became more and more energetic, and even the sweat on their heads didn't have time to be wiped away.

  "Boss, hurry up with the tofu brain we ordered! We're in a rush!" Someone was getting impatient. Chen Tianwang smiled and said, "Please wait a bit, our bowls are not many, but I'll wash them immediately and serve you."

  After hearing the explanation, he had no choice but to sit down reluctantly. What can you do when someone is your boss? He could only wait a little longer.

  Xi Mei returned after strolling around, saw the bustling crowd at her own stall and was overjoyed, then secretly ran to Chen Tianwang's back and tugged on his clothes.

  "Second Uncle, how much money did we make?" Chen Tianwang was busy and didn't even lift his head, "Good girl, Second Uncle is busy now and has no time to play with you, take this and go find your sister in the back."

  Speechless, staring at the buns in her hands, okay, it's annoying to recruit people, but just now I saw that there were a lot of copper coins in the money bag, tsk tsk, at this rate, she will become a small rich woman soon.

  Cough, cough, this little girl didn't think that at four years old who would give you money, at most it's just a few copper coins to play with, becoming a rich lady is not possible, but becoming the daughter of a rich lady is still possible, Xi Mei stared at the bun in her hand, unaware of this point.

  "Hmm, why do I feel hungry again? But the buns from our own house are really delicious. Not to mention the thin skin and generous filling, they also look good. The Zhao family is a honest one, the fillings inside are 100% five-flower pork, paired with some of their home-grown scallions."

  Farmers don't have the saying of "cutting corners" when it comes to food, they are big and skilled in their craft. Take a bite, and inside is full of oil, this is most welcomed by these men who do physical labor, haven't you seen how they devour baozi like wolves?

  Just as he was lost in thought, a loud and rude voice interrupted him, "Boss, give me five more buns."

  "I also want five buns." Another big man at another table chimed in, and Xue Shi lowered his head to take a look, saying embarrassedly, "This is really embarrassing, we didn't bring many when we came, they'll be sold out soon. How about giving some of you mantou instead?"

  Aren't there three inside? Xi Mei was puzzled for a moment, then immediately understood what Ba Niang meant. With only three, it wouldn't be good to give them to anyone. The people who came were all tall and strong, don't let a few buns hurt the harmony, this way no one would get upset.

  "Hey, I'm telling you, it's really something. You're running a business and there's no reason not to sell?" One of them was unhappy, thinking that he had finally found a store that suited his taste, but before he could even enjoy it, it was gone. This is really disappointing. Thinking about his wife at home, she doesn't have skills like this.

  It just so happens that this man's surname is Feng, his name is Tiezhu, and he is the town's catcher. He has been married for over a decade, and his wife is his childhood sweetheart. The couple currently has a son and a daughter, and their daily life is quite lively, but life always seems to have some imperfections.

  His wife, everything else is fine, she's straightforward and generous, willing to help others, has a good relationship with people, but when it comes to cooking, it's really not going well, the rice is either too wet or too dry, the stir-fry is sometimes salty and sometimes bland, and sometimes even burnt twice.

  The two children witnessed their mother's power, and the old father-in-law's family had a hard time eating. He was so anxious that he couldn't eat, but if he didn't eat, he would be hungry. Alas, his worries were killing him, but his daughter-in-law was unaware of it and kept giving him some strange things to eat, making their days even more difficult.

  It's not easy to finally have a good meal today, and then he comes along and doesn't even get enough, isn't this intentionally making him uncomfortable?

  The more I think about it, the worse my complexion becomes. I don't know if I'm angry at my own miserable experience or annoyed that I haven't eaten well.

  Xue's family saw this and hurriedly put on a smiling face, "This is really sorry, I'll give you a few steamed buns, with some pickled vegetables from our own home?"

  It's come to this, and even if it's frustrating, there's no way around it. Feng Tiejun responded gloomily, "Well, that's how it is. Hurry up, I'm in a rush." His expression was rather like that of a petty tyrant who had been put in his place.

  "Alright, alright, I'm coming right away." Xue Shi replied loudly.

  Zhao also didn't fall behind, quickly taking out several steamed buns from the just-extinguished steamer and picking out many salty dishes from the ceramic pot, placing them separately on several plates, calling to Ruihao to send them over.

  A few people reluctantly picked up the steamed buns and started eating the salted vegetables, but in a moment, several people's movements accelerated, with Feng Tiejun being particularly noticeable. Xi Mei was giggling behind Chen Tianfa, discussing with Xi Ju and others how this person was like he hadn't eaten for several days.

  A mouthful of steamed buns and a mouthful of salted vegetables, from time to time lowering their heads to slurp down a few mouthfuls of tofu pudding. Without saying anything else, even the siblings themselves felt that these people were freeloaders.

  Chen Tianfa whispered to Zhao: "Hey, I really didn't expect that the people in town would be so eager for even a salty dish. If we had known earlier, we could have just sold pickles."

  Sister Xi is delighted to think that this is of course a rare thing, her mother dare not say anything else, the craftsmanship is absolutely one of the best, don't look at this pickled cucumber as simple, actually inside it's quite complicated.

  Wash the freshly picked small cucumbers clean, cut off both ends, sprinkle a layer of salt on their surface, and then use your hands to rub them soft one by one.

  This is not the end, put these softened small cucumbers on a clean thing, and then press heavy objects on top to let the water flow out. After about one day, when the water has flowed out, pick them up.

  Mince garlic and ginger, add white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper powder, chili oil and cooled boiled water to make a marinade.

  Finally, cut the drained and cleaned small cucumber into strips or slightly thicker slices, pour them into the prepared pickling sauce and marinate for one to two days before eating.

  That's why there are now salty, fresh and delicious pickled cucumbers. But what the adults mean is that they don't want to spend money, it's a pity, but this is business, if you don't make any profit, you can't sustain it in the long run.

  Finally, after they all ate their fill and settled the bill, they found out that these side dishes were actually complimentary. They all praised them for being good at doing business. Xi He also had a pleased expression on her face. The three sisters chattered non-stop.

  The sun had already risen to the top, and the west market was bustling with people coming and going. Erzi, who had just been sent out on an errand by his young master, was slightly surprised to see Chen's family, weren't they somewhere else? How did they end up here again? After thinking for half a day without coming up with any answers, he returned to the mansion to report back.

  But Zhao's wife looked at the remaining tofu brain and happily said to Er Sao: "I really didn't expect it, this thing is still not finished eating, and there are still many people who want to eat it. The buns, mantou, and pickles are all gone, we should go home too?"

  Xue nodded in agreement, "Who would have thought, huh? This thing is so popular. We didn't prepare enough today, but if we prepare more tomorrow, it'll definitely sell out."

  "Right, we can sell them all." Ruihao also responded with excitement, "This time, our young generals have made a great effort. Since it's still early, why don't we take a stroll?" Xue suggested.

  From ancient times to the present, shopping has always been a topic that women never tire of. The Chen brothers looked at each other and could only smile helplessly.

  "Mother, I want to eat candy." Jihe spoke first.

  "Mom, I want to eat Chunwei Zhai's pastries." Ruihao also reported loudly.

  "Alright, I'll buy everything for you." Zhao and Xue nodded in agreement. "However, we should eat something now. We're selling things, but we don't even have anything to eat ourselves. Ruihao, go take a look around nearby and just buy whatever is convenient to bring back for us to fill our stomachs."

  "Got it, mom." Ruihao had already run far away with the money, and the sound of copper coins colliding in the purse was truly exciting.

  The little girl involuntarily raised her head and hummed, today's weather is fine and sunny, everywhere is beautiful...