On the west street, Gu Linchen and Feng Ge’er found a spot and began setting up their stall. It was still early, and not many people were out on the street. Gu Linchen put some marinated food into a pot to cook and placed the rest in bowls on the table. It didn’t take long before the aroma of the marinated food wafted out from the pot.

A big man walking by caught a whiff of the smell and came over. “What are you cooking? It smells so good!” He was eyeing a bowl of golden marinated food on the side, drooling.

Gu Linchen noticed that even before they had started promoting, customers were already coming to them. He handed over some samples, saying, “Big brother, try this.” The samples were cut into small pieces and skewered on bamboo sticks.

The man hesitated at first, rubbing his hands and saying, “I shouldn’t…”

Gu Linchen smiled and reassured him, “Big brother, our food is free to taste. If you like it, you can buy some.” As soon as people heard that there was free food to try, they gathered around, attracted by the delicious smell.

“Haha, well, I won’t hold back then,” the man said as he took the sample and started eating. “Is this made from pig offal?” He asked, looking surprised. “Is pig offal really this tasty?”

Gu Linchen explained, “Yes, it’s pig offal. I cleaned it thoroughly, it’s very hygienic, and I also added more than a dozen types of medicinal herbs when cooking it.”

“Mmm, it’s delicious. How much is it?” The man was a straightforward person.

Gu Linchen happily introduced, “The marinated dish served cold is three wen for one bowl, five wen for two bowls. If you add noodles, it’s five wen for one bowl.”

The man thought for a moment and said, “That’s the same price as the noodle soup with meat strips, right? I’ll have one with noodles.” He then walked over to a nearby table and sat down.

Feng Ge’er nervously started to cook the noodles. Gu Linchen noticed that he was a bit anxious and went over to hold his hand, saying, “Relax, take a deep breath. It’s fine. Trust yourself, just like you’re cooking at home.”

Feng Ge’er took several deep breaths, feeling more at ease with his husband’s firm hand on his.

“Boss, is it really free to taste?” An old woman came up to ask.

“Really! Here, big sister, try it!” Gu Linchen handed her a piece.

The old woman smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “Boss, you’re calling me wrong. My grandson is already your size!” After trying the sample, she nodded in approval and said, “I’ll take one for three wen.”

“Alright, big sister, please wait a moment,” Gu Linchen quickly prepared her order.

“Boss, you called me wrong again. You should call me ‘grandmother’.” Despite saying that, her smile grew even brighter.

“But you look so young! I can’t call you grandmother, it makes me feel old,” Gu Linchen replied with a chuckle.

“Hahaha, you really are an interesting person!” the old woman laughed heartily.

Feng Ge’er finished cooking the noodles and served them in large bowls. Everyone looked at the full bowls, which were topped with marinated food. The smell became even more tempting, and the onlookers could hear the sound of people swallowing. The price of three wen for a bowl didn’t seem too expensive, considering a steamed bun costs one or two wen.

“Boss, give me one for three wen!” someone couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“I want one too!”

“I’ll take one with noodles!”

“I want one as well. Hey, don’t push!” The crowd quickly gathered around, and Gu Linchen saw that the enthusiasm could knock over his stall. He quickly told everyone to line up so that he could serve them properly. The crowd, eager to eat, agreed to line up.

There weren’t many people ordering noodles, so Feng Ge’er handled the money, and whenever someone asked for noodles, he told them to sit and wait a while. If there were a few people requesting noodles, he would cook them all at once. Passersby noticed the long line and grew curious. The aroma wafting toward them was irresistible, so they asked what the dish was. Upon learning that it was marinated pig offal, they hesitated at first, but once they saw the long line and heard the reasonable price, they decided to give it a try and joined the queue.

At first, people bought one bowl at a time, but when they saw the first customers finish and immediately go back for more, some even ran home to grab their own bowls. Soon, people were ordering two or three bowls at a time.

As it neared noon, more people were ordering with noodles, so Gu Linchen had Feng Ge’er take over the cooking while he managed the money. By the time it was almost noon, Gu Linchen noticed that there were still two or three portions of pig offal left. He told the customers that once today’s supply was gone, they would have to come back tomorrow.

Surprisingly, the people in town were willing to spend on food, and they had sold out in about two hours. There was still some leftover noodles, so Feng Ge’er cooked them for themselves. They had been so busy that they hadn’t had time to eat lunch, and now that things had slowed down, they felt hungry.

After packing up the stall, Gu Linchen asked Feng Ge’er to wait for him for a moment and carried a basket to Xiang Ju Lou.

Manager Qin was calculating the accounts when he looked up and saw Gu Linchen entering. He stood up to greet him. “Brother Gu, you’re here!” When he saw the basket in Gu Linchen’s hand, he asked, “What’s this?”

The two had become familiar with each other over time. Gu Linchen knew that his recipe had been profitable for Qin, so he wasn’t shy. “Brother Qin, I’m here to bring you something to try.”

When Qin saw what was inside the basket, he found a marinated pig’s hoof and a pig’s ear, both golden and fragrant.

Gu Linchen said, “Brother Qin, this goes great with drinks.”

“Hahaha, that’s great! Let’s go upstairs and have a drink!” Qin grabbed him and headed toward the second floor.

“Brother Qin, my husband is still waiting for me. I can’t stay long today, but I’ll definitely come to drink with you another day.”

When Qin heard that he had other matters, he didn’t insist on keeping him and patted him on the shoulder, telling him to come to him if needed.

Gu Linchen and Feng Ge’er then pushed the cart toward the butcher’s shop.

At the butcher’s shop, there were no customers at the moment. Wang the butcher was resting at one side, and when he saw Gu Linchen and Feng Ge’er arrive, he stood up and walked over.

“Brother, I’ll take that same basket of pig offal again today,” Gu Linchen said, pointing to a basket on the side. Wang the butcher, thinking that Gu Linchen had just bought a whole basket yesterday, wondered how quickly it had been consumed. He gave Gu Linchen a confused look before turning to bring the basket over. “These things aren’t very tasty. If you want meat, it’s better to buy pork.”

“Thanks for the reminder, Brother. I’m Gu Linchen, and I plan to use it to make something to sell,” Gu Linchen replied. He then took a large bowl from the cart, filled with marinated pig ears and some pig head meat, and handed it to Wang the butcher. “This is my marinated dish. Try it, Brother. It’s ready to eat once it’s sliced.”

Wang the butcher hesitated, feeling that they weren’t that familiar, and it didn’t seem right to just take someone else’s food. “No need, no need! You take it back and eat it yourself.”

But the aroma was so enticing, and his eyes kept lingering on the bowl. Gu Linchen understood his thoughts and stepped forward, pressing the bowl into his hands. “I don’t mean anything else, Brother. I just want to ask if you could set aside these offals for me in the future. I’d like to make a deal with you.”

Wang the butcher thought about it for a moment. Since few people bought the offal, he agreed and took the bowl. After a while, he came back with an empty bowl and two copies of an agreement. The offal would still cost ten wen per basket, and he would give the bones to Gu Linchen for free.

After signing the agreement, Gu Linchen loaded the basket of offal onto his cart. He also noticed there were four pig’s feet on the stall, so he bought them as well, as he loved to marinate those too.