There were more and more things to bring, and it was becoming obvious that the family’s small handcart would soon be too small.
The stove and pot were placed at the front of the cart. Beside them were the stock bucket and the clean water bucket. Next to those were bowls and jars holding minced meat, lard, and other seasonings. There were also two stacks of bowls and a bucket full of chopsticks.
The price board stood in front of the buckets and other supplies. In front was a one-inch-high wooden frame, while behind it the buckets rested securely. Next to them stood the signboard, positioned right in front of the stove.
Two small stools sat behind the stall, and there was another wooden bucket at the back for used bowls and chopsticks.
Now there were also two small jars holding eggs. Jiang Ran placed them beside the water bucket.
The cart was packed full, but most of it was hidden behind the price board, so the new item had to be added to the menu.
When customers came, she would also ask whether they wanted one.
Jiang Ran picked up the empty bucket and headed to the well. She scrubbed it clean before filling it with water.
She was only halfway back when Jiang Song ran over and took the bucket from her hands. Striding quickly toward the stall, he spoke with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
“Xiao Ran, what should I do?”
Jiang Ran replied, “Wash the bowls and chopsticks.”
She had handed part of her old workload to Jiang Song. Now she only needed to prepare the rice batter, boil water, and cook the noodles.
With an extra person helping, things were indeed much easier.
Before the water had even come to a boil, their first customer of the day arrived. He was already a regular and ordered with practiced ease.
“One bowl of soup noodles. Less chili, extra vinegar.”
Jiang Ran answered, “Alright! Would you like a tea egg too? Four wen each.”
An egg cost two wen. A prepared tea egg sold for four. It wasn’t expensive.
The customer hesitated slightly. He had never tried the tea eggs here before.
But the rice noodles were delicious, so he decided to give it a try.
“Add one.”
Jiang Ran asked, “We have fully cooked ones, and we also have ones with softer yolks. Which would you like?”
The customer looked confused.
“What does a softer yolk mean?”
Jiang Ran smiled.
“The two are cooked differently. With the regular one, the yolk can be a bit dry and hard to swallow. The softer yolk version is smoother and easier to eat.”
Naturally, she wasn’t about to tell him that the soft-centered egg was simply cooked for less time.
“Then give me a soft one.”
“Alright!”
Once the water boiled, Jiang Ran dropped in the rice noodles. Near the end of cooking, she added bok choy. Then she filled the bowl with broth and minced meat, spooned in chili and vinegar, and finally added a tea egg.
The tea egg was served in a separate bowl.
They only had twenty bowls in total. Normally that wasn’t enough. Today it would probably be even worse.
Fortunately, Jiang Song was here and could wash them as soon as they were used.
Jiang Ran thought that if the tea eggs sold well, she would buy twenty small bowls. Using a large bowl for a single tea egg was too wasteful. If someone ordered extra noodles as well, one person would require three bowls.
Jiang Song was responsible for carrying the food to customers.
The customer sat on a stool with his noodles, while the tea egg could only be placed on the ground.
Jiang Song felt they should get a table. There were simply too many things around, and without a place to set food down, eating was inconvenient.
The customer, however, was already used to it and didn’t mind.
After taking a few bites of noodles, he peeled the tea egg and dropped it directly into the bowl.
The egg absorbed some of the braising broth. Instead of tasting strange, it added a richer savory flavor.
He took a bite of noodles, then a bite of tea egg.
He bit into the egg white first. The tea and spice flavors had soaked into it, and compared to a regular boiled egg, it had a slightly firmer texture.
The customer nodded.
The tea egg here was delicious too.
Some other vendors sold tea eggs as well, but often only the outer layer had any flavor. Either they didn’t use enough seasoning, or they hadn’t soaked the eggs long enough.
He took another bite and reached the yolk.
It was soft and creamy, carrying the flavor of the braising liquid.
His eyes immediately lit up.
It really wasn’t dry at all.
Before he had even finished his bowl of soup noodles, more customers started arriving.
Some left carrying tea eggs.
Others didn’t.
Jiang Song was surprised by how good the business was.
But it wasn’t just Jiang Ran’s stall. Many other stalls also had crowds gathered around them.
After selling several portions, Jiang Ran finally relaxed.
She had worried that the tea eggs wouldn’t sell well.
Instead, the results exceeded her expectations.
In a single morning, she sold twenty-three bowls of noodles and twelve tea eggs.
She had actually made too few.
One customer who particularly liked them asked if he could take some home.
Looking at the few tea eggs she had left, Jiang Ran shook her head.
“There aren’t many left today. I’ll make more tomorrow. Come back then.”
She didn’t quite earn two wen of profit per tea egg because the spices and tea bags also cost money.
Still, twenty eggs brought in more than thirty wen of profit altogether.
There were forty eggs left at home, enough for tomorrow.
But it was always better to prepare ahead. She could buy more eggs this afternoon.
After the morning rush, the crowds thinned out.
Some vendors pushed their carts home.
Auntie Zhao rubbed her aching back and took out a sugar cake to eat.
Jiang Ran also started eating breakfast.
She saw Jiang Song washing bowls again and said, “Brother, there’s no rush. Eat first, otherwise you won’t have any strength.”
She was even planning to check out the night market later.
Jiang Song set down what he was holding.
They had brought plenty of food from home. Jiang Ran had eaten some on the way, but after working all morning she was hungry again. She took a few bites of a steamed bun to fill her stomach.
Jiang Song had brought eggs for his sister.
For himself, he only had steamed buns and baked cakes.
Jiang Ran wanted him to eat something better, but Jiang Song couldn’t bear to spend the money.
Better to sell it and earn more.
Watching his sister skillfully cook noodles, scoop them out, and chat with customers made him happy.
At the same time, his heart ached for her.
He needed to work harder.
Jiang Ran had already experienced the benefits of having another person helping.
In the past, she had to clean everything herself after selling out.
Now Jiang Song handled it all.
Washing bowls, cleaning the stall, and taking care of all the dirty and tiring work—her older brother did everything.
Auntie Zhao’s business had also been good that morning.
Their stalls were next to each other, and Jiang Ran’s popularity had brought a few extra customers to her as well.
Now that Jiang Ran was selling tea eggs, Auntie Zhao couldn’t help wondering what she could add to her own stall.
She thought about it until her head hurt but still couldn’t come up with anything.
While Jiang Song was away fetching water, she said to Jiang Ran,
“Xiao Ran, help me think of something I can add to my stall. Just selling two things is too little. If I make money from it, I’ll even give you a share.”
Jiang Ran didn’t reveal all her thoughts.
“I’ll try, but I might not think of anything. After all, I only started selling tea eggs because I saw someone else doing it.”
She hadn’t come up with an idea for Auntie Zhao’s stall yet.
But she had figured out what to do when her own stall ran out of tea eggs.
There were only eight left.
That definitely wouldn’t be enough for lunch and dinner.
When Jiang Song returned, Jiang Ran handed him twenty wen and told him to buy ten eggs.
Once the tea eggs sold out, she still had the stove ready.
She could fry eggs and sell those instead.
She would start by frying five and see how they sold at noon before making adjustments.
With eight tea eggs and ten fried eggs, there should be enough for lunchtime.
As for Auntie Zhao, she had only asked for help. She never expected Jiang Ran to think of an answer immediately.
One thought crossed her mind.
She could fry eggs too.
But Jiang Ran had no reason to tell her that.
No hurry.
There was plenty of time.
At noon, Bianhe Street was incredibly lively.
To the west stood Daxiangguo Temple, while the Bianhe lay ahead. The East Water Gate docks were nearby, attracting merchants and traveling traders from everywhere.
By now, Jiang Ran had established herself here.
Every day she saw familiar faces.
She had Jiang Song add fried eggs to the price board.
They were also four wen each.
Business at noon seemed even better than in the morning.
Adding more items didn’t make customers feel the food was expensive.
Instead, it made the stall seem more varied.
Jiang Ran had asked around before.
Laborers and craftsmen could earn between one hundred and three hundred wen a day.
Naturally, many didn’t mind spending extra for a good lunch.
Plenty of people ate at restaurants and taverns.
Even those who bought from street vendors preferred food with meat and good flavor.
Of course, steamed buns and baked cakes still sold well as cheap ways to fill one’s stomach.
Some people enjoyed eating better food, while others preferred saving money.
For the first time ever, all the minced meat sold out by noon.
Normally she wouldn’t finish selling it until afternoon, after shouting for customers a few more times.
Only lard-mixed noodles, two fried eggs, and three tea eggs remained.
Customers who came asking for soup noodles were disappointed to learn there were none left.
Some shook their heads and went elsewhere.
Others settled for the lard-mixed noodles instead.
Soon those sold out too.
After noon passed, Jiang Ran looked at the completely empty stall and the crowds still moving through the street.
She hadn’t even had time to count her earnings.
Instead, she immediately handed money to Jiang Song and told him to buy sixty eggs, over a jin of pork, and two bones.
She even paid the butcher two extra wen to chop the meat into mince.
Business was slow at that hour, so the butcher was willing.
Jiang Ran began preparing for the evening night market.
Looking over the stall, she suddenly realized she also needed a clay pot—a sand pot—for simmering bone broth.
Time was tight, but thankfully it was still possible.
The broth needed to simmer for an hour. After that she still had to fry minced meat and cook eggs.
Normally she spent afternoons selling food.
Today there was barely anything left to sell.
Jiang Ran prepared nearly as much food as she usually sold during an entire day.
She wasn’t sure whether she could sell it all at the night market.
For lunch, she refused to let Jiang Song survive on steamed buns.
They still had to work at night and walk all the way home afterward.
Jiang Ran firmly believed that if you wanted a horse to run, you had to feed it.
She bought two sugar cakes from Auntie Zhao.
Then, after the minced meat was ready, the two of them each ate a bowl of noodles.
At first, Jiang Song refused.
Jiang Ran said, “If you won’t eat, then tomorrow I’ll come alone. Brother, you never listen to me. I’d have an easier time by myself.”
Jiang Song knew his sister just wanted him to eat something good.
That single lunch cost him twelve wen.
After eating, he immediately went back to work.
This time Jiang Ran didn’t stop him.
The sun gradually moved westward.
A red glow spread across Bianhe Street.
Auntie Zhao called out for them to push their cart to the night market.
“This place isn’t as lively at night as it is during the day. Let’s go to Caomen Street. Pan Tower is over there—a huge restaurant. There are tons of people at night.”
Small vendors like them could at least benefit from the crowds.
Although it was called a night market, customers began arriving as soon as the sun set.
Jiang Ran was a new face.
After paying a few wen in stall fees for the official market space, she could do business without worry.
As the sky grew darker, everything before her seemed to come alive like a painting.
Street vendors filled the areas in front of restaurants, taverns, and shops.
Jiang Ran couldn’t help looking up.
The sky wasn’t even completely dark yet, but lanterns were already lit outside those establishments.
Most of the buildings were several stories tall.
Lanterns hung from every corner of every level, casting a bright and beautiful glow across the street.
There were people everywhere.
Customers constantly entered and exited the shops.
Their clothing was elegant and expensive.
The women carried round silk fans.
The men were often dressed like scholars, chatting and laughing freely.
Silks, satins, and fabrics dyed in every imaginable color and pattern filled the crowd.
Women’s elaborate cloud-like hairstyles were piled high, while hairpins and pearl ornaments jingled softly among their hair.
Jiang Ran often saw well-dressed people pass by her stall during the day.
But it felt completely different now.
The dim evening sky, the bright lanterns, and the sparkling jewelry created a much stronger impression.
Seeing Jiang Ran staring blankly at the scene, Auntie Zhao smiled and asked,
“Pretty lively, isn’t it?”
Jiang Ran snapped back to reality and nodded gently.
“It is.”
Then her hands immediately got busy with work again.
“It really is lively.”