“Is this brat itching for a beating? What does everyone say?”

“I think he’s doing it on purpose. We all know that Ping ger’s food is delicious, does he really need to describe it?”

“Full of bad ideas! Second Uncle, you need to discipline this youngest one of yours, he seems to be asking for trouble.”

“When do you start selling the roujiamo?”

“Why does this braised food smell so good? There are other shops in town, but none have this enticing aroma.”

“Hurry up and sell it, I came here hungry just to eat a roujiamo.”

Everyone was talking at once. Some people passing by noticed the bustle of the shop and curiously took a look. When the rich scent wafted into their noses, they couldn’t help but stare inside, not daring to blink, lost in the moment.

“Is this a braised food shop? Looks like it’s having a grand opening today!” They looked up at the sign: “Chen’s Roujiamo? What’s a roujiamo?” mumbled to themselves as they moved toward the shop, craning their necks for a better look.

“What are you doing? Can’t you see everyone is waiting in line? Don’t cut in, go to the back.”

“Hey, brother, you’re new here, right? I can tell by your dazed look. Go to the back of the line and wait patiently.”

“How do you sell these? I have to line up, right? Sorry, I was just curious, since it smells too good.” He chuckled and moved to the back of the line.

“Five wen for a roujiamo. Don’t worry, it’s worth it, Ping ger’s skills are top-notch! You’ll want more after you try it.”

The first batch of bread came out, and the line had already grown long enough to block the street. Father Chen quickly split the line into two, with him and his youngest son manning the counter.

The shop was not big, with a stove and an oven set up. There was a long counter at the door, with a small opening, and a stove. There was a steamer on the stove, which contained warm steamed buns. There were about a hundred of them, and the door was completely blocked. People inside couldn’t get out, and people outside couldn’t get in.

Shrimp paste, red fermented tofu, and five-spice tea eggs were neatly arranged on the counter against the wall, out of the way.

Though the shop was small, it felt spacious enough since there weren’t many other items cluttering it.

Chen Yuping was in the back, managing the roasting oven and stove, while Chen Yuanqiu stood at the front watching the counter. Father Chen occasionally helped his elder son with the fire and would come to the front to serve when things got busy.

The braised meat was taken out of the pot, steaming hot, with a rich aroma filling the air. Chen Yuanqiu swiftly chopped the meat, stuffed it into the bread, and drizzled a spoonful of sauce over it. Just like that, a fragrant, warm roujiamo was ready.

“You have to eat it while it’s hot, that’s when the flavor hits. Start from the sides and be careful of the juice spilling out.”

One bite, and it was pure deliciousness!

“I want two more, give me two more!”

“What do you think you’re doing? You’ve already walked away, if you want more, go to the back of the line.”

“Right, go to the back. One is enough to satisfy you.”

“I want three, plus two tea eggs.”

“I’ll take five.”

“Buying so many? I want two too—no, three!”

Seeing someone in front munching on their roujiamo while queuing, it was clear to everyone in line that the sandwiches were just too delicious! One was too few, two were barely enough, at least three or four or five should be bought, or else they’d have to queue again and might not even get any.

Soon, Chen Yuanqiu and Father Chen noticed that no one was asking for just one or two, most were asking for at least three, with some even wanting four or five.

Originally, there were people who only wanted one or two, but seeing the lively scene and smelling the rich aroma made them drool. Their brains couldn’t control their mouths, and when they spoke, it was also three sandwiches. After paying, they walked a few steps away with their sandwiches, feeling dazed until they snapped back to reality, glancing back at Chen’s shop, and shivering at how incredible it was! It was simply terrifying! They had planned to spend just five wen to taste something, but ended up spending fifteen! They had intended to buy two buns for three wen to fill their stomachs.

Of course, they would still come back early the next morning.

The reason? It was simply delicious!

By midday, nearly eighty pounds of braised meat had sold out completely.

The Chen family of three was exhausted, drenched in sweat—four words wouldn’t even be enough to describe it.

“No more braised meat, no more roujiamos. Only red fermented tofu, buns, and five-spice tea eggs left. Buns without shrimp paste and tofu are one wen each, with shrimp paste or tofu, it’s three wen for two. Five-spice tea eggs are one wen each, red fermented tofu is one wen for two. Bring your own bowl, if you don’t have one, you can buy a whole jar for twenty-five wen. They last a month or more, and now that it’s cold, you can eat them for two or three months.”

“Braised pig’s trotters? Sold out long ago. We don’t have many, so come early if you want to eat them tomorrow!”

Chen Yuping sat on a small stool, leaning against the wall, sipping on strong tea, finally taking a breather to speak: “Father, it’s not busy right now, and youngest is watching the front. You go buy some pig intestines and trotters, and then ask Third Uncle if he can supply more pork. If he can, we won’t need to go to town, if not, you’ll have to come back after lunch. Oh, and don’t worry about us, we’ll go eat chicken soup wontons at the alley entrance.”

“Alright.” Father Chen had talked too much that morning and felt a bit tired, and was still trying to catch his breath.

Chen Yuping looked at his energetic younger brother and thought how nice it was to be young: “Since it’s not busy, sit and rest for a bit, don’t stand the whole time.”

“I’m fine, Third Brother, this is nothing compared to busy farming.” Chen Yuanqiu smiled: “I told you our preparation of braised meat was too little. Look, it’s not even noon, and our roujiamos are sold out, with very few buns left and only a couple of five-spice tea eggs. We can go home early this afternoon.”

“Let’s prepare a bit more for tomorrow. Let’s calculate the money, if we make enough, we don’t have to exhaust ourselves. Today Father is here, tomorrow he won’t be, and it will be even busier.”

“That’s fine, as long as they line up properly, it’ll be fine. I can handle it, don’t worry, Third Brother!”

After Father Chen went back, it wasn’t long before Dad Chen came with a bullock cart.

“Your Third Uncle said he can supply plenty of pork, whatever you need. Thanks to your luck, he can slaughter two pigs a day now.” As he spoke, Dad Chen took out lunch: “Why are you having wontons? After a tiring morning, we need a good meal. Today, your second sister-in-law cooked  she’s quite skilled too.”

A soup, two meats, and one vegetable—it was really delicious.

While they were eating, Dad Chen talked about various family matters.

The roujiamos at the stall were selling like hotcakes, and many people hadn’t bought any, saying they were headed to town, but they probably wouldn’t make it.

The shrimp paste buns weren’t selling well, and there were still some left, luckily, they hadn’t steamed too many buns. The five-spice tea eggs and braised trotters and intestines had all sold out. When someone asked about braised pork and learned it wouldn’t be sold anymore, they were quite disappointed.

He also mentioned that the two kids, Cao ger and Qiaoniu, got along really well. They were very obedient and hadn’t caused much trouble.

After his two sons finished their meal, Dad Chen didn’t rush to leave. With few buns and tea eggs left, he simply sold the rest, closed the shop door, and headed back.

By the time it was past noon, the buns and tea eggs were sold out, and the remaining red fermented tofu could last, so there was no worry, and they could sell it again tomorrow.

“Are you planning to head back already? Business is so good, you could braise another pot in the afternoon, and the roujiamos would definitely sell out,” the owner of the neighboring shop said, puzzled.

Dad Chen smiled: “There’s too much to do at home, I have to head back and sort things out. It’s not as convenient as living in town.”

“With the business today, buying a house in town is just around the corner.”

“Thank you for your good wishes.”

Back at home, Liu Guixiang was watching the stall, and the two kids were asleep on the bamboo couch, while Chen Yuandong was under the eaves fixing a broken basket.

“I’m back.” He got up to grab a chair and pour himself some cool boiled water.

Chen Yuanqiu set aside his work to help unhitch the cart and led the ox to the shed in the back.

“The shop in town has sold out?”

Chen Yuanqiu took a sip of water and replied to his second sister-in-law: “Only the red fermented bean curd is left. Everything else is sold out. What about the ones on our stall?”

“Almost sold out too.” Liu Guixiang smiled, her eyes curved, good business is what matters.

Dad Chen looked at the two kids for a while and asked: “Where did your father go?”

“He went to the fields, said he wanted to check on things. If there’s nothing, he’ll gather some firewood from the mountain.”

“He really can’t sit still.”

Chen Yuping felt tired and noticed it was still early: “Dad, second sister-in-law, I’ll take a nap to recharge.”

There was still work to do later. The pork and trotters needed to be braised at night and soaked in the pot all night to be cooked the next morning.

This method only worked when it was cold, in hot weather, the meat had to be braised and sold the same day.

“Go ahead, go ahead, youngest should also take a rest.”

“I’m fine, I’m not sleepy,” Chen Yuanqiu said, feeling lively: “Are the pig intestines cleaned?”

Liu Guixiang replied: “Your second brother cleaned them. He’s a bit clumsy and slow, but they’re clean. He got a bit smelly, and the kids didn’t want him close.”

“I’ll go check the fish trap in the mountain, maybe Father has it and can bring back some firewood.”

Dad Chen chuckled: “Looks like you’re not one to sit still either.”

With Dad Chen at home and the couple, Chen Yuandong and his wife, they managed just fine. The next morning, Father Chen still went to town with his third and youngest sons.

Today, they prepared more braised meat than yesterday, but it still wasn’t enough to sell.

In just one day, the whole town knew that Chen’s roujiamo had opened at the end of South Street, which they hadn’t heard of before!

The taste was incredibly good! People couldn’t stop eating, wanting more and more. Truly, the more they ate, the more satisfied they felt. It was delicious and unforgettable!

“I want ten, finally my turn! I couldn’t buy any yesterday and was craving it all night. I couldn’t sleep a wink.”

“Ten?” Chen Yuanqiu looked back: “Third Brother, do we have ten left?”

“There’s not enough braised meat, only seven left.”

Those still in line became anxious upon hearing this.

“What? It’s finished again? I told you, boss, with business this good, can’t you prepare more braised meat? I’ve been waiting here for quite a while, and now that it’s almost my turn, yet how can it be sold out?”

“Hey, brother, today’s braised meat is quite a bit more than yesterday, but the business is just too good. Come early tomorrow.”

“Running a business like this just doesn’t make sense.”

Chen Yuanqiu ignored his complaints, packaged the remaining seven roujiamos, collected the money, and tossed it into the cash box. The crisp sound of coins was always pleasing to his ears, making him feel happy and fulfilled.

“Today’s roujiamos are all sold out.” Father Chen hung up the sign, written in big, bold letters.

He had specially gone to the village chief’s house yesterday to ask him to write it. The village chief was educated and had nice handwriting.

“Sold out again? Just give me a few buns—three with shrimp paste, two with tofu, plus two tea eggs.”

“Are there any braised trotters left?”

Chen Yuanqiu replied with a smile: “Yes, there are still a few, today you are lucky.”

“Give me two. I missed out on the roujiamos, but I can munch on two trotters to satisfy my craving.”

Some people thought “roujiamo” sounded off and insisted on calling it “braised roujiamo.” As they kept calling it, more and more people began referring to it as “braised roujiamo.”

It was another early closing day.

“Do we need to increase the pork supply?” Father Chen asked.

Chen Yuping thought for a moment and shook his head: “We have enough already, let’s sell it like this and take a breather.” The most important thing was to create demand, that way, business would flourish, especially since the roujiamos were really tasty. They were so good that they were addictive. For those who hadn’t bought any, the more they thought about it, the more they wanted to eat, and were restless with anticipation for the next day.

“Let’s make them crave it even more!” Chen Yuanqiu chuckled mischievously.