nycdaug Chapter 16 Sold to a Restaurant
Chapter 16 Sold to a Restaurant
In the afternoon, Liu San Niang started making bean curd sheets.
Since it was agreed that the two families would do it together, Lu Tao and Tian Xiang also went to help.
Liu San Niang's family had two large pots, specifically for making soy milk. She was in charge of one pot, while Lu Tao and Tian Xiang were in charge of the other.
After teaching them, Tian Tian led Daya and Tian Jinghe up the mountain.
"Go ahead and pick them. I have a carrying pole; it'll be convenient to go to the county." Liu San Niang took out three bamboo baskets from her house. "A cloth bag isn't as easy to put them in as a bamboo basket."
"Let's get down the mountain as soon as possible."
The adults and children split into two groups.
Tian Tian and her two friends picked another six or seven catties of honeysuckle.
Liu San Niang and the others made twelve catties of soybeans for bean curd sheets, which is about six catties of bean curd sheets.
These bean curd sheets were laid out to dry outside Liu San Niang's house.
The two ropes we had were simply not enough.
Liu San Niang then tied more than a dozen drying ropes with thin vines.
"These I made this afternoon should be dry by tomorrow morning. I'll continue making them tomorrow morning." Liu San Niang looked at the layers of dried bean curd sheets with great satisfaction.
She called out to Lu Taotian and the others, "Let's eat at my house tonight, and we can all try this bean curd skin."
When Lu Tao and Tian Xiang were making fried tofu skin, the aroma of beans and oil made them want to try it immediately.
"Then...we won't stand on ceremony." After Lu Tao finished speaking, she told Tian Xiang to go back and get some rice.
Liu San Niang saw it, but didn't stop her.
She took six eggs from the basket where the eggs were kept.
In the evening, a pot of fragrant, slightly salty vegetable, egg, and tofu skin congee...
"It smells so good." Daya leaned against Tian Tian's left side.
Tian Jinghe stood close to Tian Tian's right side, nodding repeatedly.
“These two children…” Liu San Niang smiled and shook her head, then began serving porridge to everyone.
Six eggs, one for each person.
Each person also received a large sheet of bean curd skin.
Add some more vegetables and porridge.
"Try it quickly," Liu San Niang urged.
Tian Jinghe couldn't wait to pick up a piece of fried tofu skin and stuff it into his mouth, but he burned himself and stuck out his tongue comically.
"Be careful." Tian Tian ruffled his hair helplessly. "Blow on it before you eat."
Tian Jinghe obediently blew on the air to cool it down, then took another bite.
He couldn't speak, but his eyes said it all: this bean curd skin was delicious.
"Eat slowly. If you're not full, your second sister can have some," Tian Tian whispered.
Turning back to Lu Tao and Tian Xiang, she said, "Mother, eldest sister, you should try some."
"You'll understand why your aunt sells this stuff once you try it."
Lu Tao and Tian Xiang took a bite, and their expressions were exactly the same as Tian Jinghe's.
After absorbing the soup, the bean curd skin becomes glossy and smooth without being greasy. The outer layer retains the aroma of beans and oil, while the inside is infused with the fragrance of vegetables and eggs.
They were illiterate and didn't know how to describe it, so they just said two words: "Delicious."
Tian Xiang was reminded of what Liu San Niang had said... if you put bean curd sheets in meat broth, the taste...
Just thinking about it makes me feel like it's going to taste delicious.
"Auntie, someone will definitely buy this." Tian Xiang said with certainty after finishing her meal.
She suggested, "If you can't sell them by shouting them out, you can try going to a restaurant."
"At the restaurant... the price of this bean curd skin can be a little higher."
"Can it get any more expensive?!" Liu San Niang exclaimed in surprise.
Fifty coins a pound... In her opinion, that was already very expensive; if it could be any more expensive...
Sixty coins?
Tian Xiang shook her head. "Auntie, the day after tomorrow... try your luck at the restaurant. Just say... it's 100 coins a catty, they'll probably try to bargain."
"Let's haggle. If we can sell it for eighty coins... that wouldn't be bad."
"From now on, we won't need to promote the products ourselves; we can supply them directly to the restaurants."
Chu Xing Restaurant has a dedicated supplier, offering items like tofu, pork, and vegetables...
Restaurants can buy goods at a lower price than vendors outside, but they need to buy in large quantities, saving time and effort.
Novel items like bean curd skin, unlike others, are supplied to restaurants first, which allows them to fetch a good price.
“Hey, Xiang’er, your previous in-laws…” Liu San Niang thought what she said made sense and became interested.
Tian Xiang's face froze; her in-laws...
Liu San Niang waved her hand, "Don't worry, your in-laws... we won't sell them."
"Aren't there two other restaurants in the county?"
"Let's go to those two houses."
Tian Xiang forced a slightly bitter smile.
The other two restaurants in the county town are Baiwei Restaurant and Fulai Restaurant.
The business is similar to that of Chuxing Restaurant, and the menu is also similar.
Nothing new.
*
On the day they were to go to the county town, Tian Tian's family got up very early.
"Mother, I won't go. I'll stay home and weave curtains." Tian Xiang helped bundle the dried dandelions together, while the honeysuckle, which was fresh, was placed in a bamboo basket.
Lu Tao hummed in agreement, "Don't forget to eat even when you're at home."
"We sold some wild vegetables today, Mom, now we'll buy some rice too."
Liu San Niang was stacking the dried bean curd sheets one by one.
I didn't realize how much there was when they were just drying in the sun, but they've accumulated quite a lot.
She weighed herself and found she was a little over 22 pounds.
If it can really sell for eighty coins per catty, that would be... more than seventeen hundred coins.
More than 1,700 coins! Liu San Niang couldn't even imagine it.
She used to make tofu, and at most she could make eight catties of soybeans a day, earning a little over thirty coins.
If you make too much, you won't be able to sell it.
If the bean curd sheets can be sold...
Liu San Niang shook her head, deciding not to think about it anymore; she'd figure it out properly once it was sold.
She glanced at the bucket she usually used to soak beans, and suddenly, for some reason, she weighed out eight pounds of beans and started soaking them.
"Third Sister." Lu Tao arrived with Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe.
Liu San Niang carried a shoulder pole with bean curd sheets in bamboo baskets on both sides.
The dried dandelions weighed about seven or eight pounds and were tied to the outside of the bamboo basket at the back.
The three bamboo baskets contained fresh honeysuckle, which were carried by Lu Tao, Tian Tian, and Daya.
"Hey, Third Sister, why didn't you make tofu today?"
The wife of the family in front of Liu San Niang was standing at the door.
"I didn't make any today," Liu San Niang replied.
If she's making tofu, she has to get up at 3 AM, and the kitchen is bustling with activity.
I didn't get up until 5 a.m. today, and the kitchen was quiet and deserted.
"You didn't make tofu, so why did you go to the county?"
Only then did the other person notice the people following behind. "Huh, why is their whole family with us?"
"Third Sister, aren't you afraid of bringing bad luck?"
Liu San Niang snorted coldly, "Zhao Jinhua, your mother-in-law says you're unlucky every day, do you think everyone else is as unlucky as you?"
Zhao Jinhua was stunned, and the mockery on her face turned into embarrassment.
She has been married into the Guo family for fifteen years, but has never given birth to a son or daughter for them.
When her mother-in-law scolded her, she always called her unlucky...
Zhao Jinhua retorted angrily, "Liu Sanniang, I'm doing this for your own good. You don't appreciate my kindness. You'll regret it when you're in trouble."
Liu San Niang coldly swept her gaze over, "Don't worry, not only will I not be unlucky, but I also have good days ahead of me."
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lu Tao.
If we can sell the bean curd sheets today, won't good days be coming?