Chapter 56 : Setting up a stall

“If he insists on going, then let him. He can help out with some work there.”

Mother Xiao laughed at him for being such a tag-along, following his young wife around every day at his age.

But Xiao Hechuan didn’t care. Right now, he just wanted to be with his young wife all day. As for everything else, it didn’t matter.

The group arrived in town early and headed straight to their stall to get ready. As soon as Xiao Yi got there, he helped arrange the chairs and benches, then checked the tarp to see if the four corners needed to be reinforced to prevent any trouble.

There was a new snack stall on the street. Other vendors had already heard about it, but since it hadn’t opened for a few days after being set up, no one knew what kind of food it was selling.

By the time the Xiao family arrived with their ox cart, most of the snack stalls on the street were already open for business. Steam rose from the cooking, and the air was filled with delicious aromas.

Since business hadn’t started yet, several other stall owners came over after hearing about the newcomers, curious about what kind of food the Xiao family was going to sell.

The owners of He’s Noodle Stall and Xie’s Wonton Stall, the most popular stalls at the corner of the street, were especially dismissive.

They thought: ‘Who sets up shop in such a remote spot? Passersby are usually in a rush, and people looking for food won’t bother coming this far. It’d be a miracle if they got any business at all.’

They assumed the new stall was just another noodle or wonton place. They’d been in the business for years, no way anyone could steal their customers.

Still, just in case, they came over to ask.

“Hey, what kind of business are you doing? Can four tables even fit that many people?”

A man in his thirties, a handkerchief draped over his shoulder, asked lazily with his arms crossed, his tone full of contempt.

After all, his stall only had three tables, and even on his best days, they were never all full.

Jiang Sui heard the voice and looked up. Sharp as ever, she recognized the man right away, it was the owner of He’s Noodle Stall.

When she had strolled down this street before, she’d made a point to memorize every stall owner. It wasn’t hard to recognize him, and she knew exactly why he was here, to scope out the competition.

But Jiang Sui wasn’t afraid to tell him what she was selling. After all, her idea was unique so what if she told them?

“Have you heard of hot and sour noodles? If you’re curious, Boss He, you can try a bowl once we open. You’ll find out for yourself.”

She kept working while chatting with him.

Boss He’s expression froze for a moment when she recognized him right away, but he quickly put on his usual sneer.

“Hot and sour noodles? Never heard of them. I’ve only heard of noodles and wontons. What kind of nonsense dish is that? Can it even taste good?”

“Well, you’ll know whether it tastes good or not after you try it. Why so much talk? If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have dared to set up a stall here.”

Jiang Sui knew very well, when doing business, especially in front of competitors, you couldn’t show weakness. You had to be firm, even hard to read.

Hearing that, Boss He gave her a good once-over. Though she looked young, this little girl clearly had guts and confidence.

“Are you the boss here?”

He was a bit skeptical. After all, there were two strikingly handsome men present and a capable-looking older woman. It didn’t seem likely that a young girl would be in charge.

Seeing the situation, Mother Xiao stepped forward and smiled: “I’m the boss here. This is my daughter-in-law. Our family name is Xiao. We’ll be neighbors doing business on this street from now on, so we wanted to introduce ourselves.”

Mother Xiao carried herself with presence and spoke politely but with confidence. More and more people began to gather around, all curious business owners from the same street.

Out in public, Mother Xiao made it a point to shield Jiang Sui and stand in front of her, so that if anything happened in the future, it would naturally be directed at her instead.

They had already agreed that, to outsiders, Mother Xiao would be the official boss of the stall.

The stove was already lit and the water had come to a boil, so they tossed in the big pork bones to start simmering the soup.

There wasn’t much meat on the bones. In ancient times, people preferred pork belly, fatty and lean, full of oil. They thought lean meat was too dry and lacking in flavor, while pure fat was too greasy to eat directly, so it was mostly used to make lard.

But common folks didn’t eat lard often. A pound of lard cost fifteen cents, and not much could be rendered from the fat. If you used it in every meal, it would get expensive fast. That’s why lard and pure lean meat were priced about the same.

Pork belly, however, cost twenty cents a pound. That’s why people rarely bought meat, it was too expensive. In big families, a single pound only got each person a few small bites. For example, the Xiao family needed at least two pounds of meat for one proper meal.

Big bones weren’t considered valuable. Back then, people didn’t know about the nutritional value of bone broth. A pound cost just ten cents.

But a few ribs could make several pots of broth, making them cost-effective.

As the thick bone broth began to simmer, the aroma was incredibly enticing, and the other stall owners lingered nearby, waiting to try a taste.

Boss He was the first to speak up and asked Jiang Sui to make him a bowl of hot and sour noodles.

Mother Xiao had prepared a wooden board with the prices listed: A plain bowl of noodles: 5 cents, Noodles with meat: 8 cents, Mixed noodles (with toppings): 6 cents, Mixed noodles with meat: 9 cents  

The higher price was justified, thanks to the added cost of ingredients like peanut butter.

Jiang Sui’s meat sauce was made from a mix of chopped fatty and lean pork. It was more affordable to buy the two types separately. Since customers loved rich, oily meat, she made sure to include more fat. The sauce was stir-fried with her special five-spice bean paste. It wasn’t just great with noodles, even spread on steamed buns or sesame flatbreads, it was addictive.

Most noodles and wontons sold on the market used mainly fatty meat but they weren’t stir-fried, so the result was often greasy and cloying. People who didn’t like too much fat could even feel nauseous eating it.

But Jiang Sui stir-fried the sauce over high heat, rendering the fat and giving it a slight grilled aroma. This way, it didn’t feel greasy at all when eaten.

Boss He, quite generous, ordered a bowl of hot and sour noodles and a mix of sweet potato skins. At that point, all the people seated at the table were fellow food stall owners from the street.

The sweet potato noodles had been soaking since early morning. Mother Xiao cooked them with ease, while Jiang Sui handled plating and serving.

Bowl after bowl of piping-hot, appetizing hot and sour noodles were brought out to the table.

They looked incredible, even though no one had seen this dish before, just the sight made their mouths water. On top of the noodles was the fragrant meat sauce, pickled radish cubes, crispy peanuts, and freshly blanched greens.

Everyone grabbed their chopsticks and dug in and after the first bite, they were stunned.

The noodles had a springy, chewy texture. The spicy, sour bone broth was deeply flavorful. The peanuts were crisp, the radish added a refreshing crunch, and the leafy greens balanced it all out.

The flavor felt like opening a door to a whole new world.

They’d never tasted anything like it before. It left them wanting more, unable to stop eating, and completely speechless as they ate.