"Old He, is this your relative?" As expected, when the people at the factory saw He Youcai helping out, they asked curiously.
"That’s right, this is my mother-in-law. I hope everyone will look after them a bit," He Youcai said with a chuckle.
"This business is already doing so well it doesn't need much looking after. Since this is your mother-in-law's stall, if there’s anything we can help with, just say the word," a few of them replied with a laugh.
They knew that for a few women out doing business, it was inevitable that some people would try to take advantage of them; this was their way of issuing a subtle warning on their behalf.
"Many thanks for your kindness. We guarantee that our business will be conducted safely and that everyone can eat with peace of mind. Today is the first day we are selling rice plates—meat and vegetable options available. Since it’s our opening day, everyone gets an extra side dish for free."
"This food is cooked well, but it certainly can't be cheap; I’m afraid we won't be able to afford it." Everyone noticed the variety of dishes, and seeing the layer of oil glistening on top, they knew it wouldn't be cheap.
"One meat and two vegetable dishes is fifty cents; two meats and one vegetable is seventy cents; three vegetable dishes is thirty cents. These are served with cornmeal rice. If you want white rice instead, it's an extra five cents, and we provide a free radish and pork bone soup."
"It’s not cheap, for sure, but it looks quite good. Give me one with one meat and two vegetables." Someone looked at the dishes, thought about the rice noodles they hadn't been able to afford that morning, and decided this was a better value.
True to her word, Li Xiulan piled every spoonful high, filling the large bowl until it could barely hold any more.
Zhang Guifen quickly handed him a bowl of soup she had prepared earlier. The radish and pork bone soup was topped with chopped green onions, and the scent of pork fat wafted up. Realizing it was free, the customer felt it was an incredibly good deal.
Others watching couldn't help but swallow; it smelled too good, even if it was a bit pricey.
"Folks, we also have fried noodles and fried rice. Egg-fried noodles are thirty cents a serving, egg-fried rice is thirty cents, potato-shred fried rice is twenty cents, and the vegetable-only options are twenty cents."
"Then give me an order of egg-fried rice." Hearing there were cheaper options, someone placed an order immediately.
Soon, others followed suit.
Grandma quickly stoked the fire in the stove. Fried rice requires high heat, and the honeycomb coal stove clearly wasn't hot enough, so they used firewood instead. Li Xiulan placed the wok on the fire, waited for it to heat up, added a bit of oil, and tossed in the eggs as soon as they were cracked. A couple of turns of the spatula, and the eggs were set. She then added shredded cabbage and their homemade fermented chili sauce. Once the rice went in, she stirred it vigorously with the spatula to combine it with the eggs, and the fragrance erupted. With a quick seasoning, the egg-fried rice was ready.
Three people had ordered egg-fried rice, so she divided the contents of the wok into three portions, and Grandma immediately served them.
Next, Li Xiulan continued with the fried noodles. The noodles offered a different flavor profile; the workers had never seen anyone stir-fry noodles before. Though they had initially doubted if it would be tasty, they were no longer skeptical.
The aroma immediately drew a crowd. Hearing that the fried rice and noodles were reasonably priced, they ordered the vegetable versions. Even for the vegetable dishes, Li Xiulan used plenty of oil, which the customers found to be a great value.
The midday meal was so memorable that many of the workers were still talking about Li Xiulan’s stall while chatting during their afternoon shifts.
"Lifeng, do you want to go try it tomorrow? I'm telling you, it’s really good. I heard that the minced meat noodles are delicious, though a bit expensive. How about we go buy some steamed buns to try tomorrow?"
Zhang Lifeng was busy working, but hearing this, he remembered his father’s advice about getting along with people at the factory and not being too stingy with money, lest others look down on him. He nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Li Xiulan had prepared a portion of egg-fried noodles for her second brother-in-law. He had watched her cook and thought it smelled delicious, but because it was so busy, he hadn't wanted to say anything. Li Xiulan had offered to make him some, but he insisted she serve the paying customers first.
Now that the crowd had thinned out, Li Xiulan prepared to make him some fried rice, but he proactively asked to try the fried noodles.
Li Xiulan added meat to his bowl of egg-fried noodles, serving him a massive portion that made He Youcai feel a bit embarrassed.
"Sister-in-law, you've given me too much. Other people might still come to buy, I feel bad taking so much." Knowing how difficult things were at his mother-in-law’s house, He Youcai regretted saying he would eat there.
"Youcai, just eat without worry. You work so hard all morning and still come to help us. If we didn't give you something good to eat, how could we have the nerve to ask you for water at your place in the future?" Since Grandma had said that, He Youcai didn't insist further and began to eat the noodles with gusto.
Just as he was enjoying his meal, the two men who had been the first to eat the noodles that morning walked over.
"Director Li, Officer Zhang," He Youcai said, feeling a bit restrained.
"Haha, keep eating. We’re just here to buy some food. We haven't been able to forget that bowl of noodles from this morning. What are you serving for lunch today?" The man addressed as Director Li said with a smile, looking over Li Xiulan's stall.
Li Xiulan introduced all her dishes to them and stated the prices. Knowing they were from the factory office, she wanted to leave a good impression to help with her future plans of renting a space.
"Looks good. We’re tired of the usual stir-fry, so we’ll have the fried noodles. Give us the same as he’s having." Seeing He Youcai eating with such relish, they wanted to try it as well.
"Alright, one moment please." Li Xiulan quickly fried two portions, intentionally adding extra meat. Knowing they could handle heat, she also added some chili oil.
"Boss, you're being too generous! That's a lot of meat. We only asked for egg-fried noodles." Seeing no one else around, Director Li guessed she might have something in mind.
"You two came for noodles this morning, which really boosted our business at noon. Consider this extra meat on the house, as a thank you for your appreciation of our little stall." Li Xiulan didn't seem nervous and spoke with easy grace.
"It smells wonderful. We’ll take you up on your kindness then." Director Li took the first bite, and Officer Zhang followed suit.
After finishing their meal, Director Li paid and they left.
Seeing they were far enough away, Zhang Guifen asked, "Xiulan, why didn't you bring up the matter of the stall?"
"Mom, there’s no rush. If we say something now, Director Li will definitely think we have ulterior motives. Let’s wait until we’re familiar faces and they become regulars at our stall."
"Exactly, don't be in a hurry. These people are sharp; they’ll know we want something regardless. But it's only the first day, and we haven't even stabilized yet," Grandma added in support.
"I understand. Should we set up the stall again this afternoon?"
"No. We have to wake up in the middle of the night to prep. If we set up again this afternoon, we'll be exhausted. Even when doing business, you have to look after your health. Besides, we've sold most of our stock, so let’s pack up and head back."
"Alright, let's load everything onto the cart and head home to count the money." Grandma said this in a low voice; she was also eager to know exactly how much they had made.
Thinking of counting the money, they felt a fire in their hearts even on the way back, not feeling the slightest bit of fatigue from pushing the cart.
Upon arriving at the town, Li Xiulan gave the few remaining steamed buns to her second sister’s house, and the three of them went home happily.