Chapter 15: The Culinary Tycoon

Swept the whole city

They were extremely busy, with two tables not being enough for everyone, and many people were still waiting on the side. The three of them were overwhelmed with work.

At the stove, there was no free hand to spare. Four or five colanders were crowded together, filling the pot and continuously mixing one bowl after another. They were busy. Unexpectedly, Chang Hao was quite capable. He took orders, served the food, and cleaned the tables, also helping with collecting the money. As for Chang Le, his task was washing dishes, fetching water, handling payments, and keeping things organized. They were all bustling around.

It wasn’t until they sold out all the cold noodles and liangpi they brought, leaving only four portions for their own lunch, that they finally had a moment to catch their breath.

At this moment, the sun was directly overhead.

Chang Le suggested, “Shouldn’t we buy some flour and continue selling?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “No need. We’ve done enough for today! Let’s quickly finish eating, go pick up Grandpa, and go home!”

Chang Le didn’t quite understand. The business was doing so well, shouldn’t they take advantage of the opportunity and continue?

Yu Qingze seemed to understand Chang Le’s confusion and replied, “Today was just a market test, and also to spread the word that there’s something to eat here. Tomorrow, we can bring more. Those who heard the rumors today but couldn’t taste it will be curious and come tomorrow. Besides, even if we make it fresh, we won’t have enough space.”

Chang Le glanced at the small food stall and realized that the space was indeed limited. He didn’t dwell on it and, after finishing lunch, they went together to the West District market to pick up Grandpa, who was buying radishes.

Ending the business so early on the first day actually exceeded Yu Qingze’s expectations. He summarized the morning’s situation and concluded that they were too slow in cooking the noodles, mainly because one stove was insufficient, and they didn’t have enough tables. Before going back, he bought another stove and pot, planning to ask the village chief to make another table when they returned.

Additionally, Yu Qingze looked up at the scorching sun in the sky. It was really hot! The weather was already hot, and they were working tirelessly. All three of them were covered in sweat.

Continuing like this for a long time would definitely be unsustainable. They couldn’t handle it.

So, he went to the umbrella shop and ordered three super-sized sun umbrellas, specifically asking the craftsmen to make them with oilcloth for sun protection and rain resistance. However, it would take a few days before they could pick them up.

Afterward, he realized that all the money they earned today was spent. Upon returning home, after calculating the accounts and paying Chang Le and Chang Hao their wages, he realized that they actually earned a few extra silver coins today. However, all the money was spent on buying things for himself.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Wow, Big Brother Yu, I have wages too?!” Chang Hao looked at the copper coins placed in front of him, forming a small pile. He started counting them one by one. It was the first time he earned money, and he felt so excited.

“Yes! You did a great job today, just like your brother. But you won’t go tomorrow,” replied Yu Qingze.

“Huh? Why?” Chang Hao looked at him with some confusion and reflected on himself, “Did I not do well enough? I’ll work harder!”

Yu Qingze smiled, ruffled his hair, and said, “No, you did great. But you’re still young, and you can be considered child labor. Help Grandpa with his work at home. There’s plenty to do in the fields.”

Chang Hao wanted to argue, saying, “But if I don’t go, you guys won’t be able to handle it. The customers might leave if they can’t wait, which would be a shame.” He witnessed how busy they were today. If it were only Yu Big Brother and his brother, they would barely have time to catch their breath.

Yu Qingze insisted, “It’s okay if we earn less for now. We’re in this for the long run. Once we get through this busy period, the customer flow will stabilize, and there won’t be as many people. And if we still have a lot of customers in a few days, I’ll find another helper to assist us.”

“In that case, I’ll help you guys for these few days. I don’t want you to work so hard,” Chang Hao, the young boy, also had his own determination. He turned to his brother, hoping that he could support him in this decision.

Naturally, Chang Le felt sorry for his younger brother and didn’t say anything.

Chang Hao turned to Grandpa, looking at him with eager eyes.

Grandpa was willing to let him go and said, “As long as he’s not causing trouble, let him go if he wants to. He’s already ten years old, becoming a little man. It’s good for him to get some exercise and learn how to do things. Aze, don’t give him any wages. He’s just a little brat, what does he need wages for?”

“I’m not causing trouble!” Chang Hao pouted, feeling dissatisfied. “Tell him, Yu Big Brother, I’m very useful.”

“Yes, you’re very capable,” Yu Qingze sighed and turned to Grandpa. “But, Grandpa, he’s still young and his body hasn’t fully developed yet. It’s not suitable for him to be overly tired; it will affect his physical growth. And the work in the fields…”

Grandpa waved his hand and said, “This little bit of work won’t tire him out. Doing more work will make him grow stronger! You’ve just opened your business, let him help you. I’ll take care of things in the fields.”

Yu Qingze felt helpless and reluctantly agreed, “But we still need to calculate the wages.”

They argued a few more times, but in the end, Grandpa couldn’t resist Yu Qingze’s persistence and had to agree.

After discussing everything, Yu Qingze went to the village chief’s house, then returned and started making liangpi, while Chang Le made cold noodles. Chang Hao and Grandpa washed and pickled the radishes outside.

The two of them were busy in their respective kitchens. Although they didn’t talk, Yu Qingze could feel a faint sense of warmth.

It was a warm and peaceful feeling that made him feel content.

Perhaps Yu Qingze’s gaze lingered for too long. Chang Le, who was kneading dough in front of the cutting board, suddenly turned around and met his gaze.

Chang Le silently asked with his eyes: What’s the matter?

Yu Qingze quickly snapped out of it, shook his head, and whispered, “Brother Le, thank you for your hard work.”

Chang Le’s face lit up with a smile. He shook his head and turned back to continue kneading the dough.

Chang Le also calculated his earnings. He made over eighty wen from selling pickled green beans today, plus his and Xiao Hao’s wages, which added up to almost two hundred wen. He had originally planned to share the money with Yu Qingze since it was his idea to pickle the green beans, but Yu Qingze refused, so Chang Le had to keep the money for himself, secretly planning to help him with more work.

He had never earned so much money in a single day before! Chang Le was delighted, with a smile on his face.

Early the next morning, the three of them set off. Since Yu Qingze didn’t have enough money to pay for a fixed stall for the whole month, they had to go early and secure a good spot.

As expected by Yu Qingze, business on the second day was booming!

People who had eaten there the day before came back with their families, curious individuals who had heard rumors came to taste the food, and there were also passing merchants. The food stall had been busy since early morning, with no breaks.

Fortunately, they had two stoves today, so the noodle cooking process was faster, but they were still busy!

“Boss, one small serving of liangpi, two medium servings of cold noodle, both slightly spicy! And three bowls of mung bean soup!”

“Boss, check, please!”

“Boss, give me a large serving of cold noodles! And one jin of pickled green beans!”

“Boss…”

“Hey hey hey, coming! Sir, your small serving of liangpi, medium servings of cold noodle, mung bean soup… Please take your time, sir, come back again… Sir, your large serving of cold noodles is ready, and the pickled green beans are packed for you…”

Approaching noon, at a famous old pastry shop on Nan Street, a young boy came out carrying freshly baked pastries and saw a young teenager holding a food container coming in, shouting loudly, “Ama, there’s a new delicious snack stall on Beida Street. Try it quickly. I brought you a bowl.”

A new snack stall? The young ger at the entrance heard this and turned back into the shop.

“What snack stall? Look how excited you are, all sweaty. Come here, let me wipe your forehead.” The owner of the pastry shop came out from behind the counter, took out a cloth from his pocket, and wiped the sweat off his son’s forehead.

The young boy tilted his head back, asking his mother to wipe his sweat, and said, “It’s cold noodles, so delicious! Father brought two bowls back for Grandpa and Grandma, and he asked me to bring one bowl for you. Look, this is it, try it.”

The young boy placed the food container on the table and took out a bowl of colorful noodles. He also grabbed a pair of chopsticks and tried to put them in his mother’s hand.

The owner looked at his son helplessly and said, “Alright, I’ll eat. You sit down properly.”

As the owner was about to sit down, he noticed the return of the young ger who had left earlier and asked with a smile, “Mi Ge’er, do you still want to buy something?”

Mi Ge’er, the name of the young ger, smiled and said, “No, I just heard your son say there’s new food, so I came to have a look out of curiosity.”

The owner understood and said, “Is your Second Young Master still unable to eat?”

Mi Ge’er sighed and said, “Yes, it’s a big worry for our master. We’ve tried every type of food we can find in the city, and our eldest young master even brought many dishes from Yunzhou, but none of them can make him take more than a bite.”

The owner sighed as well. The Second Young Master of the Cai family had been picky about food since he was young, and as he grew up, his pickiness increased. If the food didn’t taste good, he wouldn’t eat it. As a result, he developed a condition called food aversion, which caused great distress to the Cai family. Due to this condition, the Second Young Master of the Cai family had been physically weak since he was young and hadn’t left the house for more than ten years.

Mi Ge’er also sighed and then asked the young boy, “Young man, where did you buy this food you brought back?”

The young boy smiled and said, “It’s on Beida Street, right across from Liu’s Noodle House. It’s the small stall with a crowd of people around it. Just go to the one with the most people. We had to wait in line for a while to get it.”

Across from Liu’s Noodle House. Mi Ge’er got the answer, thanked the young boy, and turned to head to Beida Street.

In a large mansion in the south of the city, Mi Ge’er held pastries in one hand and a food container in the other. He quickly passed through the front yard and arrived at an elegant courtyard.

“Second Young Master, Second Young Master…” Mi Ge’er ran with a flushed face and, as soon as he entered the courtyard, his arm was pulled to the side.

“Hush, why are you shouting? The Second Young Master just fell asleep.” A young ger scolded Mi Ge’er and lightly patted his arm.

In the pavilion ahead, a young boy who appeared to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with picturesque features but extremely pale complexion, was lying on a lounge chair. Upon hearing the noise, his eyebrows furrowed, and he woke up a moment later.

“What are you making a fuss about? I just fell asleep…”

“It’s all your fault for waking up the Second Young Master.” The young ger pounded Mi Ge’er’s arm. The young master had shallow sleep, and he was easily awakened by any movement. Now, he had been woken up by Mi Ge’er within less than fifteen minutes of sleep.

Mi Ge’er stuck out his tongue, then walked over with the food container and happily said, “Second Young Master, I found a new dish today called cold noodles. Would you like to try?”

“What new dish is it again?” The young boy didn’t even look at the food container, lacking interest. “Haven’t we tried everything in the city?”

Mi Ge’er didn’t get annoyed by the young boy’s attitude and directly took out a bowl of cold noodles from the food container. He picked up a pair of jade chopsticks and placed it in front of the young boy, saying, “Second Young Master, just give it a try. I’ve tried it myself, and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s different from what we’ve had before!”

The young boy glanced at him skeptically.

Mi Ge’er earnestly said, “I promise!”

The young boy looked at his serious expression and shifted his gaze to the bowl in his hand.

Noodles, cucumber strips, chili, green beans, and sesame seeds?

Can this really be delicious?

However, he knew how much effort his family had put into his health. Reluctantly, he propped himself up and sat halfway, took the chopsticks, picked up a strand of noodles, and slowly chewed on it. His eyes slightly brightened.

Mi Ge’er nervously and expectantly watched him, asking, “How is it?”

The young boy nodded, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and said, “It’s passable.” He picked up a strand of cucumber strips and ate it.

Mi Ge’er was overjoyed. The young master used to describe things as ‘tasteless’ or ‘not delicious,’ and he would spit them out right after they entered his mouth. Now, he said it was ‘passable,’ which was already a great evaluation. He actually ate it!

“Second Young Master, with this cold noodle dish, you have to eat it with big mouthfuls, combining the cucumber strips and pickled green beans with the noodles. That’s when the taste is best.” Mi Ge’er pointed at the green beans in the bowl and said, “See, these pickled green beans are so refreshing. It would taste even better if we added more chili.”

Because the Second Young Master usually eats very little, Mi Ge’er brought back only a small amount of chili for the cold noodles and cold skin, fearing that his stomach couldn’t handle it. However, when Mi Ge’er ate it himself, he added plenty of chili and found it extremely satisfying.

“Is that so?” The young boy replied and cautiously picked up a large mouthful. As he slowly ate, he realized that combining the different elements made the dish more delicious and provided a richer texture.

It had been a long time since he had eaten something that tasted good. If it weren’t for the fact that he would die if he didn’t eat, he wouldn’t even want to look at those unpleasant dishes.

“There’s another dish called liangpi. Would you like to try it too?” Mi Ge’er called over another young boy to bring liangpi.

The young boy stopped him and said, “I’ll go to the table to eat.”

Mi Ge’er was pleasantly surprised. If the young master was willing to sit at the table and eat, it meant that he had developed some appetite. He said, “Second Young Master, please sit here. This is liangpi.”

The young boy walked over and sat down. He took a bite of liangpi, nodded in approval, and ended up eating almost half a bowl before finally putting down the chopsticks.

Small stomach, full.

The two young gers watched as their young master ate almost half a bowl of food, and they were so moved that they wanted to cry. They decided to visit that snack stall every day from now on!

In the following two days, Yu Qingze’s business kept getting better and better.

On their third day of operation, Yu Qingze added a new spicy flavor to the chili oil, which also gained favor from some customers.

On the fourth day, he introduced pickled radish. He added diced pickled radish to the cold noodles and liangpi, enhancing the flavor and attracting a group of loyal customers.

The pickled radish and pickled green beans that Chang Le brought in abundance every day were also sold out shortly after they opened.

Now, their supply of green beans couldn’t keep up. Grandpa Chang started buying green beans from villagers in the village every day and even went to pick them in the fields. This aroused curiosity among the villagers.

Cold noodles, liangpi, pickled green beans, and pickled radish—Yu’s Delicious Delights’ delicacies spread like wildfire throughout Tongshan City in just a few days.

This made other noodle shop owners extremely worried.

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The author has something to say: Yesterday, the name of Mr. Wang was Wang Anshun, but it got censored, so I changed it to Wang Anfu. (:3」∠)

small theater:

Chang Hao: I have a good time with Big Brother Yu!

Chang Le: Follow Big Brother Yu to make money! happy…

Yu Qingze: Brother Le, follow me, you not only will be happy, but also ‘sexually happy’!

Author: Go!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

2 Comments

  1. STELA says:

    Thanx for the update❤️

  2. Thanks for the chapter!

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