"Yes, it’s so fragrant. If it were me, I’d be eager to eat it too. I never realized you had such a talent, Xiulan. Seeing you show off your skills, I just know whatever you make will be delicious." The two of them continued to shower her with praise.
Seeing that she was about to mince the meat, Zhang Guifen rushed over to help; that was a task she could handle.
To save money, they had bought lean meat. Nowadays, fat was actually more expensive than lean meat. Bones and ribs with little meat left on them were the cheapest options, and even cheaper still were pork offal and intestines. Li Xiulan bought those as well; the weather was cold, so these items would keep well.
She placed a large bone in a pot with plenty of radishes, letting it simmer over low heat. As they worked, a faint, savory aroma of meat began to drift out.
Once the chili oil was simmered and the steamed tomatoes had cooled, she peeled them, minced them into a paste, and stir-fried them with oil and salt so they could be stored for a long time. She washed several jars to hold these prepared condiments.
Only then did she begin to stir-fry the minced meat. Once the meat was fragrant, her father-in-law, Feng Sixi, returned. Smelling the several bold, mouth-watering aromas in the house, he stood at the doorway and took a deep sniff.
Jiayu, who had been playing by the kitchen door, saw him return and happily shouted, "Grandpa!"
"Jiayu, what delicious thing is your mother making at home? I can tell just by the smell that it’s fragrant. I’ve never eaten anything this good before."
"Are you saying that what your mother and I usually make isn't to your taste? You old man, you’re always finding roundabout ways to pick on us. Jiayu, come eat the meat-sauce noodles your mother made; you can just have the plain noodles."
Zhang Guifen walked out, rolled her eyes at him, and pointed to a bowl of noodles just cooked on the stove, which had no meat in it.
"When did I pick on anyone? I’m just hungry. This plain noodle dish—it looks like it has plenty of oil, so it must be fragrant."
Feng Sixi pretended he hadn't said anything and picked up the bowl of plain noodles to eat.
He had barely finished mixing them when he heard Jiayu from the side exclaim, "Wow, it’s so fragrant! This is the first time I’ve ever had such delicious noodles."
Jiayu’s bowl had been mixed by Zhang Guifen herself.
"You little girl, you’ve never had noodles before? Grandma, Mom, it’s all ready. Hurry and taste it—see if there’s anything that needs improvement!"
Seeing Jiayu’s exaggerated expression, Li Xiulan laughed.
She had worried that Grandma and her mother-in-law would be stingy with the seasonings, so she had prepared everything for them. Neither of them said another word; having seen Jiayu eat, they were already salivating uncontrollably.
They couldn't wait to mix their bowls and immediately took big mouthfuls. All three ended up with the same expression on their faces.
"Fragrant, so fragrant! No wonder you were too busy eating to talk. These noodles are even better than wheat noodles. Apart from being expensive, they have no other downsides."
Li Xiulan was the last to pick up her bowl. She had added the tomato paste—sweet and sour—combined with the fragrance of the chili oil. This was the best meal she had eaten since arriving here.
After just one bite, she felt a sense of satisfaction. The flavor was even better than what she had eaten in the modern era. As expected, crops and vegetables grown in natural conditions were the best—far more fragrant than anything grown in a greenhouse.
By the time they thought to speak again, their bowls were already empty; even the broth had been slurped clean.
"After eating this one bowl, I feel completely full. Usually, I have to eat three or five bowls of rice and plenty of vegetables just to feel satisfied, otherwise, I get hungry quickly," Grandma remarked.
"Grandma, those vegetables lack fat, so you have to eat more to feel full. But this bowl is actually enough. Even though it’s a bit pricey, once we sell it, people will notice the difference. After eating a bowl of these noodles, they’ll have more energy to work."
"You’re right. These noodles are truly fragrant. I had only heard of rice noodle shops in town, but business never seemed to be good. It turns out people just didn't know the right way to serve them. Xiulan, with your skills, if I had the money, I would definitely eat this every single day."
Zhang Guifen was also enjoying the meal, and by now, she finally felt truly at ease.
Feng Sixi had already cleaned his bowl and gave it high praise: "This bowl of noodles is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. Even without the meat, it’s fragrant. When we go to sell, we can offer plain ones and meat ones. People will definitely line up."
"Mom, I also think it’s super, super delicious! It’s so fragrant, I even licked my bowl clean!"
Jiayu’s bowl was spotless, and her little mouth was covered in oil. She grinned, showing her small teeth.
The dough she had set to rise earlier was ready. Li Xiulan worked quickly to knead it, placing the mantou rounds into the steamer.
After a second rise and steaming, the white flour mantou and the mixed-grain mantou—all made with sourdough starter—emerged as plump, white buns.
Li Xiulan was now making regular buns and *posu* buns (a type of flaky bun); the latter could be peeled apart layer by layer and were filled with sugar.
Li Xiulan thought about making red bean paste in a few days to create "three-fresh" buns. She loved those as a child, and she still couldn't forget the aroma of that sugar filling.
The buns were also a hit with everyone. There were meat fillings, vegetable fillings, scallion fillings, sugar fillings, and tofu fillings—they had made a little of everything.
"Fragrant! I’ve never eaten so many different types of fillings. If we take these to sell, I guarantee people will be dizzy with delight from the smell alone."
Laughter filled the house. Meanwhile, many neighbors in the village also smelled the bold, mouth-watering scents. At first, everyone guessed who might be cooking meat, but no one suspected the Feng family.
The Fengs' neighbors were so captivated by the aroma that they ate two large bowls of cornmeal porridge just to satisfy their cravings.
With everything ready and all the ingredients prepared, Li Xiulan prepared to set up her stall.
Since there was a lot to carry, Grandma and Zhang Guifen helped, while Feng Sixi stayed behind to watch the house with Jiayu.
Before dawn, the three of them loaded everything onto a wooden cart. They would pick up the honeycomb coal at Xinghua’s house on the way; they had bought it the night before and left it there.
When the grandmother, mother, and daughter-in-law arrived in town, Xinghua and her husband had already opened their shop. They were planning to pick an auspicious day for the grand opening, but they had spent the previous day setting up the display cases.
Once they reached the entrance of the work compound, they carefully set up their stall on the roadside, where it wouldn't obstruct the path or catch too much dust.
Grandma and her mother-in-law were efficient; in no time, both stoves were burning, and the steamers and iron pots were in place. The water for the pots had been brought over from Xinghua’s place, and He Youcai had helped carry it over before his shift started.
As steam began to rise from the baskets, workers started arriving at the compound entrance.
"Huh? Why is there a stall here? It sells food, let’s go take a look." The workers quickly noticed the unusual stall at the gate.
Li Xiulan noticed them approaching and generously displayed the buns and mantou on a nearby table.
She called out, "Large mantou, steaming hot large mantou! Large buns—meat, vegetable, and sugar fillings! Rich fillings and delicious taste, come and have a taste!"
Although Grandma and Zhang Guifen were used to hard labor in the village, this was their first time calling out to customers. Hearing Li Xiulan call out so fluently, they both felt a bit shy.
"Oh, selling buns and mantou? It does smell good, but I already ate at home, I can’t eat any more."
"Me too, I ate at home. This doesn't look cheap either. The compound canteen is cheaper, even if the taste is just so-so."
"Gentlemen, we’ll be selling here at noon as well. We also have noodles—plain noodles for 20 cents, meat-sauce noodles for 50 cents. We have many condiments; one bowl is enough to keep you full for the afternoon."
Hearing this, Li Xiulan didn't get angry; she continued to speak kindly.