Chapter 19 – Selling Flatbread
Stall fees are also quite high.
He paid 20 wen, so he could set up a stall as he wished. Wei Cheng didn’t go inside. He saw at a glance that the stalls were all full, and the vacant places were all just across the street.
Wei Cheng found a corner at the end to set up his stall.
Just like the fragrance of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley, his flatbread is not afraid of no one buying it in the corner.
The flatbread baked by Wei Cheng has a strong wheat fragrance, soft and chewy. Put the flatbread on an iron plate and fry it with oil on both sides, brush with a salty and fragrant miso, put lettuce and shredded carrots on top, and roll it up to enjoy the taste. A bite will definitely live up to expectations.
When rolling flatbreads, he can also add eggs.
Wei Cheng made several copies, packed them in oiled paper bags, and placed them next to him. The aroma alone attracted passers-by to see.
“Boss, how much for one?”
“A roll is five wen, and with egg is six wen.”
“Boss, this price is quite expensive.” Looking at the food, the price is a bit expensive, and the flatbreads at other places are only two wen a piece.
“My flatbread is not expensive at all. The baked flatbread outside is just a piece of flatbread. My flatbread has side dishes, and miso sauce, and is fried in oil. All of them are full of ingredients. How is it still expensive?” One flatbread can satisfy the stomach of an adult.
Wei Cheng kept making flatbreads and rolls with his hands, and the aroma of fried oil kept attracting the palate of passers-by.
“Boss, I want a big flatbread.” A passerby couldn’t help it, handed over five wen, took a bite of the flatbread, and immediately shouted, “Delicious!”
The sauce is full of fragrance and the taste is even better!
“I want one too.” Looking at the person, he was drooling.
“I also want…….”
“I want one with eggs.”
…
“You can choose for it to be spicy or not spicy, just let me know before buying.” Wei Cheng reminded.
“Absolutely, I’ve never eaten such a delicious flatbread.” A guest couldn’t stop eating.
“Don’t tell me, this cake is worth the price.” Another customer ate it, and it was really delicious. “I want another one, this time with eggs.”
“Hey, Lao Feng, I’m so hungry today, I’ll eat two servings.” The other guest also ate some, and retorted, seeing that they knew each other.
“I’ll buy it to take home.” Lao Feng asked the boss to make one more.
“Yes, I’ll buy one to take home too.” Hesitating for a moment, “The flatbread is so delicious, I have to let my family taste it.” Before the customer called, he looked up and said, “Eh, why is there a queue, Lao Feng, wait for me, I will queue up to buy.” He hurried over.
When it was time to eat, the fleet and dock workers went to the food street in groups of three or four to look for food.
“What’s for lunch today?”
“It’s not just noodles, but steamed buns with side dishes.”
“Steamed buns are filling, but they are not very tasty.”
“Hey, wait a minute.” A big boatman stopped passers-by, pointed to the big cake in his hand, and asked, “Brother, this thing smells delicious, where did you buy it?”
The person who was stopped was afraid of offending this big man just now, and when he heard what he asked, he breathed a sigh of relief, “I bought this flatbread at the front, and many people are queuing to buy it. I finally bought one and it tastes really delicious.”
“Thanks, brother.”
“Let’s go, let’s eat and buy flatbreads.” One of the men couldn’t wait to buy them, he wanted to eat them just from looking at them.
A few people went to the flatbread stall and saw the long queue. Not only the boatmen came, but also other workers who worked on the dock lined up quite a lot, as one can tell by their clothes.
There are many people who hurried up to queue up to buy.
Wei Cheng was so busy that sweat dripped from his face.
The customers at the back urged Wei Cheng, not because they were afraid of being slow, but because they were afraid that they would not be able to buy them. The flatbread looked delicious, and the other customers were full of praise. They kept eating the delicious food, and the people in the queue looked even more greedy.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
This time, there is no need to follow the trend, as the customers who smell the fragrance can’t help but line up to buy it.
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“Kang Da, why didn’t you tell me that the steamed buns can be dipped in the sauce, a flatbread and steamed buns will definitely fill you up.”
Kang Da, “Brother Lu, hehe, I didn’t really want to try it. I didn’t expect it to be delicious with steamed buns.”
“I’ll go buy another one.” Lu Dashan ran to line up again, and his fellow villager Lu Dazhuang also went.
The other three did not earn as much as Lu Dashan and the other two. They had been boatmen for a long time and had the strongest strength. Among boatmen, they could be considered senior boatmen, and their wages were twice as high.
The boatmen earn hard money, and their boat trips are exposed to the sun and rain with the sea wind constantly blowing, all to earn money to support their families.
It’s better to save some money and just eat steamed buns.
Lu Dashan and the two lined up for a while, and when it was their turn. Lu Dashan bought a flatbread and stood aside, “Boss, is this miso for sale?”
Dipping steamed bread with miso made it absolutely delicious.
Lu Dazhuang’s eyes lit up in the back, “I want to buy miso too.”
Wei Cheng took a look at the two smiling tall men with white teeth, muscular and very strong.
Before Wei Cheng could speak, Lu Dashan became impatient, fearing that the boss would not sell it, he hurriedly said, “I am a boatman and when on the boat, I can only eat dry food as I am floating on the sea. Your miso sauce is also delicious with dry food. It can improve the taste of food, I want to buy some.”
Wei Cheng understands the hard work of the boatmen where the food and drink are terrible, so it is okay to sell some, “I can sell it to you, I have nothing to pack them here though, only oiled paper.” There is still half a can of miso left.
“Thank you, boss, I will pack it in oiled paper, and I will find a jar to pack it myself later.”
At the beginning, miso was bought for six wen a catty, and when it was boiled with spices and oil, the price would not be less.
“My miso is specially made by me. It has been boiled with oil. It is not a problem to keep it for three months, but the price is a little expensive.”
“How much?” Lu Dashan asked.
“Sixteen wen a catty.” The most expensive thing is the sesame oil mixed into it. “I can only sell you a catty.”
“Okay!” One catty can last for a long time.
“Do you want chili oil?” After staying on the boat for a long time, the dampness and cold are heavy, and chili can dispel the cold. “Chili oil is thirty wen a catty.”
The customers queuing up next to them felt that the price was expensive when they heard it.
Lu Dashan knows the goods, and he can eat for a long time per catty. He saw the boss’s chili oil, which is full of the aroma of chili. He spends more than ten wen for meals every day, which is only two or three meals. It is mostly steamed buns, he also thinks it is delicious to eat this with the dry food on the boat, and he can save some money, so why not.
Lu Dashan also bought one catty. He and Lu Dazhuang jointly bought the two catties. The other boatmen Lu Dashan knew also wanted to buy some however Wei Cheng was not willing to sell too much, if they wanted to, they could buy some more tomorrow.
Those boatmen ordered half a catty and a few taels worth for the next day, so Wei Cheng would definitely bring them over tomorrow.
Some guests nearby also ate the delicious food and thought that it would be suitable to buy miso, and it would be suitable to go back and eat it with steamed buns, so they also ordered one after another.
Wei Cheng: “……”
He should consider selling sauces.
“Okay, I use oiled paper here, and you know the price. If you want a can, you need to pay for the can. I don’t have any cans here. If you want to buy them, you can bring your own cans.”
There are not only ordinary people in Wei Cheng’s stall but also customers wearing fine cotton clothes and brocades. They are all lined up in the queue. His throat was so dry and hoarse that he didn’t even have time to drink water.
Customers who are not short of money add eggs to their purchases and buy a few more. He doesn’t bring many eggs and they are almost used up.
“There are still two eggs, and there are no eggs left.”
Standing in line and wanting to buy flatbread with eggs, everyone complained, “Boss, why didn’t you bring more eggs?”
Wei Cheng didn’t have time to reply, but there was a peddler who had eggs in his bag. The peddler came to sell without paying fees.
“Does the customer want to buy eggs? I have them here, and they cost a wen each.” The shopkeeper also knows how to do business, a dozen eggs are sold to him for eight wen, and he sells them for a wen each.
Customers who needed eggs bought them all, and the peddler who had more than a dozen eggs in his basket had sold out.
The aroma of the flatbread spread far and wide, and other vendors envied the other for his craftsmanship.
Some bought flatbread and went back to the boats. The other workers saw it and wanted to eat it. The workers who had lunch couldn’t buy it. The next batch of workers who wanted to eat hurried over to buy it.
The porters at the wharf wanted to buy it, but they were reluctant to ask the price.
The flatbread was sold for more than an hour, and it was sold out. The customers who came to smell the fragrance couldn’t buy it, and they all beat their chests. They could only ask the boss to sell more tomorrow.
Wei Cheng was tired and thirsty, busy pouring himself water, he prepared 300 flatbreads to sell, how could he expect the business to be so good?
He will make more tomorrow, and now he will close the stall and go home.
Before returning home, he went to the market to buy flour. He bought dozens of catties, asked the boss to deliver them, and turned to the stall.
“Boss, bring me two catties of leaner pork, not fatty meat.” The price of lean meat is the same as that of semi-fatty meat, and most people buy the semi-fatty ones, which are more oily. For Wei Cheng, there is no shortage of oil and water at home, and eating fatty meat feels greasy.
“Okay!” The pork seller cut them neatly.
“How do you sell the pork’s bones?” There were cleanly shaved bones on the board, and Wei Cheng wanted to buy some for making soup.
“One wen for a catty.”
Wei Cheng was stunned by the cheap price. Looking back on his memory, no one really bought pig bones, no wonder the price was so cheap. The price of pig offal is also cheap, only a few wen per catty. Pig offal is not tasty but at least it is meat, and it is bought by the poor.
Wei Cheng bought all seven or eight catties of bones. Except for the soup he was gonna make, the others were used to cook white radish and potato soup. He saw customers who came to buy flatbreads today. After eating flatbreads, the customers were thirsty and since it was not pricy, it would be a benefit for the customers.
Zhou Yuan is cooking lunch at home.
This time, he didn’t cook rice to save fuel, and he didn’t consider adding coarse grains to the white rice. It wasn’t because he thought he had silver taels at home, but because he felt sorry for Wei Cheng when he went out to work, so he must cook better.
As soon as Wei Cheng came back, Zhou Yuan looked at the sweaty man and felt distressed, “Are you tired?”
Wei Cheng smiled and said, “Not tired, but very hot.”
Zhou Yuan: “You’re not tired but your voice is hoarse.”
Wei Cheng comforted, “It’s okay, I was too busy, I didn’t have time to drink water, so my voice is hoarse.”
“I’ll pour water for you, the rice is cooked, you sit down, and I’ll serve the food.”
Zhou Yuan was going to pour water for Wei Cheng, but Wei Cheng took his hand, “Yuan Yuan, I’ll take a bath first, I’m covered in sweat, and I’ll eat after taking a bath.”
Zhou Yuan said, “I’m going to boil water.”
“On hot days, I wash with cold water.”
“I’ll fetch water for you, don’t say no.”
Wei Cheng really wanted to fetch water by himself, but he listened to what his wife said. He went inside and took off his shirt, it was too hot.
When Zhou Yuan came in with a bucket in his hand, his face immediately turned red.
Wei Cheng leaned over, “What’s the matter? It’s not like you haven’t seen this before, why is your face so red?”
Zhou Yuan: “Don’t be silly.”
Wei Cheng took the bucket from his hand and chuckled softly.
After taking a bath, they ate lunch, and after lunch, they counted the money, and he managed to earn a tael of silver this day.
Seeing that he could earn so much, Zhou Yuan was unhappy, “Is it very hard work, why don’t we sell less tomorrow.”
He knew that his wife was feeling very sorry for him and he couldn’t help but feel touched.
If it were someone else’s family, seeing that the family could make so much money, they would be happy to do even more business.
His wife was only full of distress.
“Take a nap with me, I’m sleepy.”
Zhou Yuan had no objection and urged Wei Cheng to rest.
Zhou Yuan lay quietly with him, looked at Wei Cheng’s sleeping face, and fell asleep after a while.
At noon, the yard was quiet.
Only the birds on the tree hills are singing.
Wei Cheng opened the stall in the morning, Steward Wang bought breakfast and sent it back to the Cao family’s residence. He sat at other food stalls and waited for Wei Cheng to close the stall.
As soon as Wei Cheng closed the stall, he stopped Wei Cheng.
The two sat down at the herbal tea shop, and Steward Wang got straight to the point, “You can set a price for the formula of jelly.”
Wei Cheng sipped his herbal tea leisurely, and said slowly, “Sorry, the formula is not for sale.”
Steward Wang smiled and said, “You know that I am the steward of the Cao family. The Cao family is a famous family in the inner county. If you don’t sell the formula, are you not afraid of offending my Cao family?”
Wei Cheng: “Steward Wang, I have no intention of offending the Cao family.”
Steward Wang: “Then you mean to sell the formula?”
Wei Cheng: “It’s still the same sentence, I won’t sell it.”
Steward Wang: “Although my Cao family doesn’t know how to force others to sell, this is what my young master likes, and the Cao family will find a way to get it for him. You should understand what I mean.”
Steward Wang threatens people by not rectifying his name. He thinks that Wei Cheng is not simple as he is so calm in the face of his oppression. If he hadn’t looked at Wei Cheng’s rough clothes and coarse cloth, he would have thought that Wei Cheng’s demeanor was not like a peddler, but like a businessman’s.
“I don’t want to sell the recipes, the recipes are my family’s source of livelihood, but…” Wei Cheng said, “I can sell the raw materials to your house, and teach you how to do it.”
Steward Wang: “Raw materials? You are not afraid that I will find out the source of the raw material after I buy it.”
Wei Cheng: “If that’s the case, then I will deeply admire you.”
If one has never seen jelly be made, no one else would think that the humble fruit is the raw material for jelly.
He’s really not worried
Steward Wang agreed. As for whether to buy it, Steward Wang asked him to take the raw materials to Cao’s mansion in the afternoon and decide at that time.
After bidding farewell to Steward Wang, Wei Cheng went back.
There is not much jelly powder at home, it needs to be dried in the sun.
Looks like he’ll have to pick some more.
At noon, Wei Cheng went to sell flatbreads and brought a bucket full of soup.
Zhou Yuan wanted to go over to help, but Wei Cheng asked him to pick the jelly’s fruit and make the powder, so Zhou Yuan didn’t go.
As soon as Wei Cheng came, he had seen the customers waiting for him surround him, complaining that he was late and asking why he didn’t come in the morning.
Wei Cheng lifted the wooden lid of the soup bucket, and there was a piece of cloth on top to prevent it from overflowing. Once the wooden lid was opened, there was oily water, chopped white radish, and potatoes, and the soup looked delicious.
The soup is served cold.
“Does the boss sell this soup? How much is a bowl.” A customer asked.
“Not for sale, the soup is given to customers who buy flatbreads.”
The guests were all pleasantly surprised at Wei Cheng’s words, and there were such good things, they all praised the boss for being sincere.
“One scoop per person, bring your own bowl, if you don’t have one, you can only drink it in an oil paper bag.”
“Boss, we don’t mind.” The important thing is that there is something to drink, and it is free.
One of the guests said, “Boss, are you not afraid that we will fight more.”
Wei Cheng is really not afraid, “There is only so much soup, one spoonful for each person, if you ask for more, the people behind will have none.”
With this sentence, people who line up to buy flatbreads must monitor those who take soup, and it is impossible to want to take more.
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapters!!
One day I’ll learn to cook! 😔
me: laughs in mother going to cooking school and father being raised by a single african mother thus learning how to cook
Thanks for the chapters!
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人)
if only i wasn’t a picky eater 😭 everything sounds so delicious, but I’m sure I’d end up not liking it… Seriously, novels always have such yummy sounding foods— but I can’t choose my tastes 😔