Chapter 24: 023: Start Doing Business i
Translator: 549690339
Ni Cuihua said with a smile, “You’re being too polite, Chenggui, have a seat. Try the Sour Fish that Yangyang cooked. This girl loves to experiment, have a taste and see if it’s good?”
Although she called it an experiment, Ni Cuihua’s eyes were filled with pride.
How could she not be proud to have such a capable daughter like Ni Yang?
If it were not for Ni Yang, she would probably still be struggling in Dam Village.
The life she leads now is something she had never dared to dream of before.
“Sour Fish?” Curiosity sparkled in Ni Chengui’s eyes, “This is my first time trying this kind of fish. It smells delicious, I’m sure it tastes great too.”
“Aunt Ni, have a taste first.” Ni Yang used serving chopsticks to place a piece into Ni Chengui’s bowl.
Ni Chengui was not particularly fond of fish. Also, not all good-smelling food tasted as good. But it was hard to decline Ni Yang’s warm invitation, so she didn’t refuse.
Under Ni Yang’s expectant gaze, Ni Chengui took a bite of the fish. Her expression went from indifferent to surprised!
The fish was not only incredibly tender and fresh, but was also savory, sour and spicy. It was simply delectable!
“Yangyang, is this really fish? How come there’s no fishy smell at all? It’s so delicious!” Ni Chengui’s eyes lighted up excitedly. She had never had such tasty fish before! She was even starting to question if this was really fish.
Ni Yang nodded slightly and explained, “This is squid. I marinated the slices in cooking wine before cooking, and combined it with pickled vegetables, which is why there’s no fishy smell.”
“Yangyang, you’re really amazing!” Ni Chengui turned to Ni Cuihua and laughed, “Yangyang’s mother, you’ve really raised a good daughter. You’re certainly in for a good life in the future!”
Ni Cuihua was all smiles, “This girl has been sensible since she was a kid.”
“By the way, Yangyang, where did you learn to make this Sour Fish? I’ve never had it before.” Ni Chengui asked.
With a calm expression, Ni Yang replied without any hint of smugness from the praises, “I saw it in a cookbook.”
Ni Chengui continued to ask, “What cookbook was it?”
Ni Yang replied, “1 can’t remember, it was so long ago. Sour Fish seems to be a dish from Chongqing. Aunt Ni, if you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Even though Ni Yang was hoping to earn money from cooking Sour Fish, she had no intention of keeping the recipe a secret, especially since it wasn’t her original creation.
“I was just asking,” Ni Chengui continued, “With my job keeping me busy all day, where would I find the time to learn this?” In fact, Ni Chengui had been farming at home until five years ago. After her husband was killed in a car accident, the trolley company not only paid her a substantial compensation but also arranged a decent job for her with high pay and a light workload.
“By the way, since 1 live alone and only eat at home in the evenings, how about 1 start eating at your place from now on?” Ni Chengui continued, “But don’t worry, I’ll pay for my meals. How about 1 give you 5 yuan per month for my meals?”
Given that Ni Chengui had made such a proposal, it would clearly be inappropriate to refuse. Ni Yang laughed and said, “Aunt Ni, you’re welcome to come over anytime, not just for dinner. We live together, we should be like family. There’s no need to talk about money.”
Courtesies were important. It was the basis for social interaction.
If you can’t even utter flattery, you’ll end up being taken advantage of in society.
Although Ni Chengui knew Ni Yang’s words were merely pleasantries, she was still very happy. Smiling, she said “I should still pay. How could I have the nerve to eat here without contributing? So let’s start from today. I’ll pre-pay this month’s fee.” With that, Ni Chengui took out a note from her pocket and placed it on the table.
Ni Cuihua repeatedly declined, “Chenggui, let’s not worry about today’s meal. If you plan to eat here, let’s start from tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Ni Chengui didn’t refuse any further, focusing on her fish, “That’s settled then.”
After the meal, Ni Chengui said, “Yangyang, your Sour Fish is really tasty. Can you cook it again tomorrow night? I’m telling you, there’s a river east of our village teeming with fish and shrimp. People don’t usually catch them because the fish don’t taste good. If you’re free, you could bring a fishing rod and likely catch some big fish.”
Ni Yang nodded, “Okay, since Aunt Ni you like it, I’ll cook Sour Fish again tomorrow night.” At the same time, Ni Yang received important information: the river to the east had lots of fish. If she could cook Sour Fish using these wild river fish, it would surely taste better than the bought ones.
Ni Yang’s eyes darted around. She had a new idea.
At night, everyone was asleep, but Ni Yang was still busy in the kitchen. She turned all the remaining five fish into Sour Fish, brewed a potful of soup. The enticing aroma filled the room. After the soup was ready, she transferred all of it into a new large iron bucket.
The iron bucket, complete with a lid, was one she had just bought that day.
After all that, Ni Yang prepared a large jar of secret chili oil, then diced green onions, garlic, and cilantro and put them into enamel cups, ready to bring along the next day.
These preparations were for setting up a stall the next day. However, she didn’t plan to sell Sour Fish, but Sour Fish Noodle Soup instead.
While Sour Fish was a dish, when combined with noodles, it became a main course. Not only could one taste the flavor of Sour Fish, one would also feel full. Considering most people in this era had never tasted Sour Fish before, she felt confident that her Sour Fish Noodle Soup would certainly be a hit. With experience from her previous life backing her up, Ni Yang was full of confidence.
As for where to set up the stall, she had scouted out a location with the most foot traffic – the morning market.
There were many stalls in the morning market, which meant fierce competition. But as long as the food was delicious and the skill was good, there would be no shortage of customers.
Ni Yang stayed awake until midnight before going to bed. She got up before dawn the next day. After making breakfast and eating a few steamed buns, she hopped on her bike and set off.
By the time she reached the food street, it was just after six in the morning – breakfast time. The food street was filled with the aroma of various deep-fried foods and the scent of steamed buns.
Ni Yang first set up tables and chairs, lit the coal stove, then placed the large iron bucket on it. Soon, the alluring scent wafted from the bucket.
Ni Yang had bought some small tables and chairs from the city yesterday. As it was not convenient to carry them back and forth, she had negotiated with the shop owner to leave these items at the shop for a monthly rental fee of one yuan.
The street was crowded with passersby. However, when they saw the sign that read “Sour Fish Noodle Soup” next to Ni Yang, they lost their appetite.
What’s so great about fish?
Observing her stall being void of customers for half an hour, Ni Yang grew anxious. She rubbed her temples and had a sudden brainwave.
She had a solution!
Ni Yang’s eyes twinkled with a smile. She walked into a grocery store nearby and came back with ten small cups in her hands..