Chapter 32: The Snack Stall’s Grand Opening

The next day, Li Hehua and Cao Simei went out to sell pastries, bringing the little one along with them.

The little boy stayed quiet, squatting beside the basket and watching Li Hehua sell her pastries. Many familiar customers praised her, “Your child is so well-behaved.”

Li Hehua smiled wryly. If she had the choice, she’d actually prefer the child to be more mischievous instead of so quiet.

Since her snack stall was opening the next day and she planned to sell pastries there as well, Li Hehua informed her regular customers that the location would be changing and took the opportunity to mention the snack stall’s grand opening.

Many loyal customers promised to visit and show support.

About half an hour into selling, someone unexpected showed up—Gu Zhijin, the private tutor they hadn’t seen for many days.

Since his last visit with the elderly lady who usually came to buy pastries, it had only been the elderly woman returning. Li Hehua guessed that today must be a school holiday, giving the teacher time to stroll through the market himself.

She greeted him, “Master Gu, you’ve come to buy pastries in person today?”

Gu Zhijin nodded with a smile. “That’s right. School is closed today, so I had some free time.”

Li Hehua suddenly remembered the double-skin milk she had brought in the basket. “Perfect timing. I made some double-skin milk for my child yesterday and prepared an extra bowl for yours. Since you’re here, you can take it back with you.” She took the container from her basket.

Gu Zhijin had never heard of “double-skin milk” before but assumed it must be one of her specialty treats. Every unique dish she made turned out to be delicious—so much so that even an adult like him found it addictive. No wonder his nephew was so fond of her food. He accepted the container gratefully. “Thank you so much. And could I trouble you to pack the usual pastries for me again?”

Li Hehua nodded and crouched down to skillfully wrap the pastries in oiled paper.

At that moment, Gu Zhijin noticed the small child squatting beside the basket. “Is this child yours?”

Li Hehua nodded while continuing to pack. “Yes, this is my son, Shulin. He doesn’t talk much. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Gu Zhijin said kindly. “Every child has their own temperament. Quiet children are rare and precious in their own way.”

Li Hehua smiled, gently tapping the child’s cheek. Shulin looked up at her with wide eyes, silently asking, “Mama, what are you doing?”

Her smile widened at the look in his eyes.

Watching the sweet moment between mother and child, Gu Zhijin also smiled. She must be a wonderful mother, he thought.

Li Hehua handed over the pastries. “Here you go, Master Gu. Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m moving the pastry stall starting tomorrow. It’ll be at the entrance of Yangliu Alley. From now on, you can find me there.”

“Why the sudden move?” he asked in surprise.

“I’m opening a snack stall at the alley entrance. Since I’ll be there anyway, I thought I’d sell the pastries there too.”

The words snack stall immediately caught Gu Zhijin’s attention. He became very interested. If her pastries were that good, her cooking surely would be as well. In fact, he had secretly hoped she would someday switch to selling meals instead. His nephew had become so obsessed with her pastries that he barely ate proper meals. This change was a blessing!

“What kind of food will you be selling?” he asked with great interest.

Li Hehua listed them out: “I’ll be selling fried rice, fried noodles, noodle soup, stir-fried dishes, dumplings, as well as baozi and mantou. Everything is filling.”

Gu Zhijin’s eyes lit up. Finally! The little rascal will eat properly again—and so could he. “I’m sure your food will be amazing. I’ll definitely come by tomorrow to try it.”

Li Hehua smiled. “Then I’ll look forward to your visit.”

……

After selling the pastries, Li Hehua first bought ingredients for the next day’s pastries, then returned home to prepare for the snack stall’s opening.

Since she had a lot to buy and couldn’t manage everything alone with a child in tow, she went to ask Xie Saozi for help. Xie Saozi immediately dropped what she was doing and joined her.

They started with flour—Li Hehua bought three large sacks and arranged with the grain store owner to deliver more every three days. Seeing the volume she needed, the owner was happy to oblige and promised timely deliveries.

Next were meat and vegetables. With Xie Saozi’s help, they bought everything quickly and at good prices from familiar stalls. Back home, Li Hehua handed Xie Saozi an apron, and the two got to work.

“Saozi, make two types of dumpling filling—one with just chives and one with pork and chives. A basin of each. Then we’ll make some bun fillings, both meat and vegetarian.”

“Got it,” said Xie Saozi, sitting down to clean the vegetables.

Li Hehua mixed a large batch of dough—enough for dumpling skins, steamed buns, and noodles. She started with dumpling wrappers, rolling each piece into neat circles. Meanwhile, Xie Saozi finely chopped and seasoned the fillings under Li Hehua’s guidance.

With everything prepped, they worked quickly into the night. By the time they were done, it was late and most people had already eaten dinner and gone to bed.

Li Hehua cooked three bowls of noodles using freshly made dough. “You’ve worked hard today. Let’s have noodles for dinner. After that, you can go home and rest.”

Xie Saozi thought to herself: I’ve really met a kind employer. Light work, good pay, and even dinner made with white flour? I must do my best and keep this job as long as I can.

Li Hehua was also pleased. Xie Saozi is quick and skilled. The dumplings and buns look great and taste good. I can rely on her long-term, saving me the trouble of finding someone else.

……

Early the next morning, Li Hehua got up and woke her little one. “Sweetheart, wake up~ Mama’s going to open the stall today.”

He opened his sleepy eyes and rubbed them with his little hands. Li Hehua gently pulled his hands away and bounced him in her arms to wake him up.

He soon fully woke and hugged her neck tightly. “Alright, little one, let’s get you ready to help Mama start her business today.”

She dressed him, washed his face, and was feeding him breakfast when Cao Simei arrived with Dahe and Daya. Dahe pushed a small cart behind them.

“Sis, we brought your cart!”

They wheeled it into the courtyard. Li Hehua inspected it and was very satisfied. “Great, now we can transport everything to the alley.”

She, along with Cao Simei, Dahe, and Daya, loaded up the cart with tables, chairs, pots, pans, and cooking ingredients. By the time they finished setting up the stall at the alley entrance, the market was bustling with people.

New stalls always drew attention in town. Curious onlookers gathered. Li Hehua hung a wooden menu board in the most visible spot and stepped forward to greet the crowd.

“Hello, everyone. Today is the grand opening of my snack stall! We’re selling fried rice, fried noodles, sauced noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, and mantou. Every meal comes with a complimentary bowl of vegetable soup. Please come and try!”

People were intrigued—this stall was unlike others, with such variety and unique offerings. They murmured among themselves but didn’t buy anything yet.

Cao Simei, Dahe, and Daya were anxious. Li Hehua chuckled and signaled them to calm down. “It’s still early—people don’t usually eat this soon. We’ll worry if no one comes at lunchtime.”

She set out the pastries on an adjacent table. “Sister, let’s sell pastries first while we wait for the lunch rush.”

Pastries sold well, and many regulars stopped by to greet Li Hehua and ask about the new stall. She patiently explained everything. Several promised to come back later for a proper meal, putting a smile on Cao Simei’s face.

Sure enough, once it was mealtime, customers began sitting down and placing orders.

Li Hehua nudged Dahe. “Go greet the customers, show them the menu, and take their orders. Then come back and tell me.”

Though nervous, Dahe was quick to act. While he took orders, Li Hehua ladled out complimentary vegetable soup for the guests.

Dahe returned, “Aunt Hehua, they want one veggie fried rice, one veggie fried noodles, and two bowls of dumplings—one meat, one vegetarian, fifteen pieces each.”

“Got it,” she replied. “Take these soup bowls to the customers and let them know it’s complimentary. Be careful not to spill.”

He ran off to serve them while Li Hehua started cooking. The rice, made the night before, was ready to fry. Her expert hands quickly produced fragrant dishes that made mouths water.

As the aroma filled the air, bystanders couldn’t help commenting:

“I thought it’d be average, but it smells amazing!”

“Looks delicious! I’m definitely trying this later.”

“That was fast—her skills are top-notch!”

Li Hehua smiled, continuing to cook. Dahe brought the first fried rice dish to the customer, who took one bite and immediately devoured more. The other diners eagerly awaited their meals after seeing his reaction.

Just then, a familiar figure approached—it was Gu Zhijin again.

Li Hehua called out, “Master Gu, here for lunch?”

He smiled. “Yes, I caught the scent from far away and couldn’t resist.”

“Please have a seat and take a look at the menu. Let me know what you’d like.”

He ordered beef fried noodles and a bowl of meat dumplings to go, for his child.

Li Hehua nodded. “Coming right up.”

She then turned to her son at her side. “Sweetheart, are you hungry? Everyone else is eating. Mama will make something for you too, okay?”

The little one had clung to her leg all morning, refusing to sit elsewhere. But this time, he wasn’t holding her leg. Instead, he was staring intently across the street.

Li Hehua followed his gaze—and saw Zhang Tieshan standing quietly in the distance.

She was startled. Why is he here? Then she thought: he must be worried about Shulin.

Maybe he could get Shulin to eat.

After finishing Gu Zhijin’s noodles, she wiped her hands on her apron and picked up Shulin, walking over to Zhang Tieshan.

He said nothing, simply watching her and the child.

Li Hehua broke the silence. “You’re here?” She immediately regretted it. What kind of awkward greeting was that?

Surprisingly, Zhang Tieshan responded with a soft “Mm.”

Li Hehua blinked, unsure what to say next, so she simply said, “You’re here to see Shulin, right? Go sit down at the stall. He hasn’t eaten yet. If you eat with him, maybe he’ll be willing to eat too.”

Zhang Tieshan didn’t object. He took Shulin from her arms, and the little one quietly stayed in his embrace.

Relieved, Li Hehua led them to a table. “Wait here. I’ll make you both some dumplings.”

Zhang Tieshan nodded silently.

She had only intended to get Shulin to eat, but Zhang Tieshan was probably hungry too. So she might as well feed them both.