Chapter 51: Opening Day!

The docks were bustling early in the morning. Cargo ships were moored at the pier, and laborers who had arrived early to work were receiving their tokens from the foreman before starting to load and unload goods from the ships. Fishermen returning from their morning fishing trips sold their fresh catches right there, and others had set up stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables. People from town came early to buy things, creating a constant flow of people.

The roadside was lined with snack stalls selling various foods. Today, in a corner spot, there was a newly opened food stall. The square tables and benches were wiped clean, and a stove was set up in front of the stall with a fire burning. A pot of soup simmered continuously, while a small stove nearby stewed assorted pig offal, its fragrance drifting for more than three li [approximately one mile].

The pig offal was stewed with radishes. Radishes easily absorb water and flavors, but Cao Xiangnan was afraid that stewing them together for too long would make the radish flavor too strong, so he separated the radishes into a separate container.

Cao Xiangnan thought that beef offal would taste even better, but because cows were working animals used for plowing, they were not allowed to be slaughtered casually. Therefore, beef was rarely seen for sale here. Even when beef was occasionally available, the price was very high, so making and selling beef offal here was unrealistic.

It was still early, and at this time most of the people were laborers hurrying from home to work. They would quickly buy a snack from a roadside stall, eat it, and then go to receive their work assignments. Unfortunately, their stall was in a corner, and not many people passed by.

Their stall was set up, but they hadn’t had a single customer yet.

“Oh dear, why isn’t anyone coming? What are we going to do?” Sun Bailian was anxious seeing no one approaching, pacing back and forth, unable to stay still for a moment.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Trust me, someone will come soon,” Cao Xiangnan said, sitting down on a stool beside the stall, glancing at the sky. “Good wine needs no bush.” [idiom meaning quality products will always attract customers] Today was only their first day, and he believed that their stall’s business would become popular.

Foreman Chen had personally come to the pier early in the morning with a servant to buy fish. From afar, he smelled a fragrance. He sniffed and asked the servant behind him, “Little Gui, do you smell something?”

Little Gui shook his head and asked, “Smell what?”

Chen Foreman’s nose twitched. He thought he smelled a meaty fragrance, something he had never smelled at the pier before. His nose was very sensitive to the scent of delicious food, and he could smell fragrant dishes from a distance.

This fragrance…

He made up his mind and followed the scent.

Little Gui, seeing that their foreman wasn’t going to the fish stalls, didn’t know where he was going. He glanced at the fish stalls and had no choice but to follow behind him.

Hmm, this is the scent, getting stronger and stronger.

Standing in front of a food stall, Foreman Chen stared at the steaming pot of food, his eyes practically green with envy.

“Esteemed customer, would you like to try something? Our stall is opening for the first day. We sell pig offal hefen [flat rice noodles]. Plain hefen is two wen [Chinese penny] for a small bowl, three wen for a large bowl, and pig offal hefen is five wen for a large bowl,” Cao Xiangnan said, standing in front of the stall. He was in charge of serving hefen to customers at the stall. He had placed two bowls, one large and one small, on the stall, and he pointed them out to the customer.

“Extra pig offal is two wen per serving, and plain radishes are one wen per serving.”

A sign with prices was propped up in front of the stall, but since not many people here could read, and because it was the stall’s first day, he was afraid that customers wouldn’t understand, so he still needed to explain everything to the customers who came.

This price was decided after everyone discussed it. The people in Fenshui Town lived much better lives than those in the villages. Here, a bowl of food generally cost two or three wen, so their price wasn’t too high.

“What is this?” Foreman Chen asked, pointing to the steaming pot.

“This is our secret recipe pig offal,” Cao Xiangnan said, lifting the lid. A rich fragrance wafted out. He was very confident in the pot of food he had made. He believed that anyone who smelled this fragrance would not be able to resist the taste.

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s the scent. Give me a big bowl,” Foreman Chen said, swallowing saliva as soon as he smelled the aroma. He didn’t care about pig offal or anything else. He never ate this kind of thing, but today he was drawn in by the fragrance and couldn’t stop swallowing.

“We have soup or dry mix. The soup is with broth, and the dry mix is with sauce. Which one do you want?”

“Either one is fine. Whatever is most delicious, make it that way.”

“Alright, coming right up. Please take a seat over there,” Cao Xiangnan said, his smile widening. This deal was done!

Cao Gang, who was standing nearby, was pushed by his wife and quickly came over to lead the customer to a seat. “This way, please.”

“What is this?” Foreman Chen asked, still standing there, looking at a big pot of white stuff.

“This is hefen, made from rice,” Cao Xiangnan explained.

Foreman Chen nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and bumped into Little Gui, who was following him stupidly. Only then did he remember that someone was following him. He turned back and said, “Add another bowl, both large.”

Little Gui also smelled the fragrance as he approached. He was very happy that the foreman hadn’t forgotten about him. He liked going out with Foreman Chen the most. Foreman Chen loved to eat and was generous. Going out with him always meant a treat.

“Alright, please sit down for a moment, coming right up,” Cao Xiangnan said, his smile blossoming. He skillfully picked up the hefen, put it in a bowl, dipped it in clear soup, took it out, put it back in the bowl, added the well-cooked broth, and then spooned on the radish and pig offal, filling the bowl to the brim.

If business was slow to start, then so be it, but once it started, it immediately brought a generous customer. Judging by his clothes, the customer was well-off and probably didn’t lack these few copper coins. It seemed that his opening day had brought him a generous customer, and he had to hold on tight to this kind of wealthy customer.

Cao Xiangnan put two bowls of pig offal hefen on a tray, along with two servings of plain radish, and said to Cao Gang, “Gang-ge, remember to tell those two customers that the plain radish is free, no charge.”

Cao Gang, who was standing beside him, took the tray over, placed it on the table, and said, “Esteemed customers, please enjoy.” He repeated what Cao Xiangnan had told him to say.

“Okay, alright,” Foreman Chen said, very satisfied that the stall owner was giving away two servings of free food.

The area around the stall was swept clean, and the tables and benches were wiped clean. The bowls and chopsticks used to serve the food were also clean and free of grease. Most importantly, this bowl of food emitted a strong fragrance. Foreman Chen lowered his head to smell it and said, “Hmm, so fragrant.”

He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, nodded, and then took two bites, three bites…

Little Gui also swallowed a mouthful of saliva, picked up his chopsticks, and put a mouthful of hefen into his mouth. After that, his chopsticks never stopped.

Another laborer walked over, drawn by the smell. Cao Xiangnan had served his first customer and was already skilled with the second, introducing their food. However, this customer was not as generous as the previous ones, only ordering a large bowl of plain hefen.

Cao Xiangnan saw that the customer was dressed like a laborer working at the docks. He had an idea, and he whispered a sentence to Cao Gang. They decided that for the next three days, they would give a free serving of plain radish to every customer, while supplies lasted. The main purpose of this was to attract a group of regular customers who would come back to patronize their business in the future.

“Our stall is newly opened today. For the first three days, we will give a free serving of plain radish to every customer, while supplies last,” the taciturn Cao Gang said, simply repeating what Cao Xiangnan had told him to say. He would repeat this sentence to every customer who came later.

Receiving the free radish, this laborer clasped his fist in front of his chest towards the stall owner standing there to show his gratitude.

Radishes were not valuable items. When they were cheap, two could be bought for one wen. But because the radish was given away for free, people felt good when they received it, especially when the radish tasted very good. People would only feel that they had made a profit.

Foreman Chen ate a bowl of pig offal hefen in big mouthfuls, even drinking the soup in the bowl. He also ate the free serving of radish, leaving only a little soup. The taste of the radish was not inferior to the pig offal. It was the first time he had discovered that pig offal could be so delicious.

“Hmm, delicious.” He patted his bulging stomach. If he wasn’t really full, he would have wanted another bowl. Foreman Chen still wanted another serving. He took out ten copper coins, put them on the table, stood up, and left with his servant.

“Esteemed customer, please come again,” Cao Gang, who was standing beside him, went over to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, putting them in a wooden tray behind him.

Because they considered that the docks were crowded and Sun Bailian was a ge’er [a male who can bear children], they decided to let Sun Bailian be responsible for washing the dishes in the back. Only when there were too many customers and they couldn’t handle them all would they ask him to serve customers. Sun Bailian had no objections to this arrangement.

Sun Bailian couldn’t help but laugh when he saw his husband speaking to customers with a wooden face. Didn’t he know his husband’s personality? He usually didn’t say a few words all day, but now he had said a day’s worth of words in just one morning.

It seemed that after serving a few more customers, his husband’s problem of being taciturn would be cured.

After making the first sale, their stall gradually attracted customers. Business wasn’t too good for anyone in the morning. But compared to other food stalls, their business was not bad.

The plain radish was said to be free, but those who didn’t lack that one wen in their pocket were naturally willing to spend one copper coin to buy a large serving to satisfy their cravings. It wasn’t that they hadn’t eaten radishes before, but they had never eaten radishes that tasted so good.

What they didn’t know was that customers who had eaten hefen at their stall and also received a free serving of radish were telling everyone around them how delicious the food at that stall was.

“…That stall is giving away radish for the next three days. I’m telling you, the taste of that radish is really too good. You’ve definitely never eaten such delicious radish before.” It was really cooked with meat, and even the radish had a meaty flavor.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

This spread from one person to another, and soon many people knew that there was a newly opened stall serving hefen made from rice, and a large bowl cost only two or three wen. For the first three days, those who ate there would also receive a free serving of plain radish.