“Haha…” Gu Jiaojiao laughed, revealing all eight of her front teeth. She was genuinely happy.

In her past life, whenever she went to eat jianbing guozi (a type of Chinese crepe), she loved watching the stall owner’s smooth and effortless movements.

After returning home, she would practice making jianbing guozi herself as a way to relieve stress. After making so many, she would offer them to her grandfather as a gesture of respect.

Her grandfather, in turn, would happily reward her with ten thousand yuan, so she became extremely skilled at making them.

“Hehe, sister-in-law, you’re amazing! Your movements are even more graceful than the dancers in the cultural troupe. Even though I’m full, I can still eat a small piece.”

Dong Qihua sincerely praised her and even pulled out one yuan to give to Gu Jiaojiao.

“Thank you for your support. Come back again next time.” Gu Jiaojiao solemnly accepted the money and handed it to Su’s mother.

This made everyone burst into laughter. Everyone present tasted a piece of the jianbing guozi.

“It’s really delicious. This is a kind of food I’ve never tasted before. Jiaojiao, you could set up your snack stall in the compound too.”

“Uncle, most people in the compound go home to eat during work hours. Would anyone buy from us?” Gu Jiaojiao asked uncertainly.

“Why wouldn’t they? If I saw it, I’d definitely buy some. Besides, there are restaurants in the compound too,” Dong Qihua immediately countered.

“Then let’s try setting up near the textile factory in the compound this afternoon,” Su’s mother suggested, though she also sounded unsure.

“That’s fine. The stall is mobile anyway. We can move it wherever business is good,” Gu Jiaojiao finally decided.

Actually, Uncle Dong wanted to suggest setting up a stall in front of his workplace, but he didn’t say it out loud, fearing that the Su family wouldn’t have the courage to do it.

Gu Jiaojiao had no idea what Uncle Dong was thinking. If she had known, she would have definitely told everyone.

Even in later generations, setting up a small food stall meant constantly being chased by city enforcement officers. When they chased vendors from one end of the street, the stall owners would simply move to the other end.

When the officers went to the other end, the vendors would return to the first, repeating the game all day long with great enthusiasm.

After lunch, following a short rest, Uncle Dong and his son got ready to go to work.

Seeing that this was Uncle Dong’s first visit, Gu Jiaojiao gifted him a box of high-quality tea.

“Thank you, Jiaojiao. Your uncle won’t stand on ceremony. Uncle Gu, brother-in-law, sister, and Brother Su, I’m off to work.”

Uncle Dong left with complete peace of mind.

Dong Qihua kept looking back as he walked. Seeing this, Gu Jiaojiao also gave him a few packs of spicy strips.

She removed the packaging from the spicy strips she had in her space and wrapped them in oil paper for him. “These are homemade. They’re not worth much.”

Dong Qihua was Su Shuoci’s good friend and also her cousin, but it seemed Dong Qihua hadn’t quite realized this yet.

“Thank you, sister-in-law. I’ll definitely bring my colleagues to your snack stall in the future.”

“You’re always welcome,” Gu Jiaojiao said politely.

In her past life, she had never had to worry about making ends meet. She had focused solely on her studies and medical practice.

But here, she had encountered the impoverished Su family and now the equally poor and ailing Gu family.

What could she do? She had to roll up her sleeves and work hard to support them.

She patiently coaxed Grandpa Gu and the rest of the Gu family to go upstairs and rest. The Gu family really did need the rest, so they agreed.

While the Gu family was washing up, Gu Jiaojiao took out an air-conditioned quilt and bamboo mat from her space to make the beds.

Second Brother Gu refused to rest. “Jiaojiao, I want to go with you to set up the stall.”

Seeing that he was in good spirits, Gu Jiaojiao agreed. Having an extra pair of hands wouldn’t hurt.

Su’s father pushed the snack cart while Second Brother Gu walked ahead. Although Su’s father felt a bit nervous inside, seeing Second Brother Gu’s enthusiasm, his fear shrank into a corner of his heart. He walked with his head held high, while Su’s mother followed closely behind, carrying a basket of bowls and chopsticks.

Gu Jiaojiao pushed Su Shuoci at the back. She asked uncertainly, “Su Shuoci, are you really sure you want to go?”

“Let’s go. Didn’t you say this is a legitimate small business? We’re not stealing or robbing anyone.”

Su Shuoci knew his mother had excellent culinary skills, but this was her first time setting up a street stall.

His wife had to be there to steer the ship and give his parents confidence.

If his wife had to go, then he would definitely go too. He had been wallowing in self-pity for long enough since becoming disabled.

If he couldn’t contribute to the country anymore, he could at least do something for his family.

Seeing that he wasn’t forcing himself, Gu Jiaojiao pushed him along. In these times, setting up a stall inevitably meant facing some disdainful looks.

But the Su family had been living comfortably, and their source of income needed to be legitimized.

Encouraged by Gu Jiaojiao, the group arrived at the textile factory gate with full confidence.

Su’s father quickly stabilized the stall, and Gu Jiaojiao methodically assigned tasks to everyone.

They decided to start by selling liangpi (cold skin noodles). Liangpi was not only cheap but also very simple to make. The key was its fresh and smooth texture.

It was incredibly refreshing to eat, especially in the summer. A bowl of liangpi could be described as invigorating.

In the winter, there was also stir-fried liangpi, which retained its delicious flavor. That’s why Gu Jiaojiao chose to sell liangpi.

In her past life, the price of liangpi varied by city, but the cheapest was six yuan per bowl, while the most expensive could cost over ten yuan.

Gu Jiaojiao priced it at three mao per bowl. The Su family had no objections, and although Second Brother Gu thought it was a bit expensive, he didn’t oppose it either.

Just as they finished setting up, someone behind the iron gate asked curiously, “What are you selling?”

“Liangpi. It’s very delicious. Three mao per bowl. Would you like to try a bowl, uncle?”

A factory manager came out of the gate and approached the stall. “Let me try a bowl.”

Su’s mother took out dozens of clean, snow-white liangpi noodles from the basket and placed them in a bowl.

She then added prepared cilantro, peanuts, kelp, pickled radish, scallions, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, mixing everything thoroughly.

“Do you want it spicy?”

“The spicier, the better.”

Su’s mother deftly poured a spoonful of bright red chili oil and used bamboo chopsticks to toss the liangpi back and forth.

In no time, a bowl of fragrant, colorful, and flavorful liangpi was ready. Su’s mother’s movements were clean and efficient.

In these times, such delicious food was rare, as people were just barely getting by.

The aroma of the liangpi was very enticing, and the man happily paid three mao. He picked up a few strands of liangpi with his chopsticks, twirled them around like a fishing line, and ate them in one bite.

He repeated this a few times until the entire bowl was empty. After finishing, he was still savoring the taste. It was truly refreshing and delightful.

The Su family’s liangpi servings were generous, and he was indeed full.

“I’ll go in and tell the others to come try it after work.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Gu Jiaojiao said politely.

By the time work ended, the liangpi stall was surrounded by a crowd. Some people who usually went home to cook for themselves were drawn in by the enticing aroma.

Moreover, their supervisor had already praised the deliciousness of the liangpi earlier.

The stall was packed with people, and those eating couldn’t stop praising it. “This liangpi is incredibly flavorful. I could eat it every day without getting tired of it.”