“Blow those laborers’ minds with our pancakes!”
The slogan sounded bold enough.
But when the Chen family actually arrived at Anping County’s docks, they wilted like eggplants struck by frost.
Just after the Hour of Mao, the docks were already bustling with activity.
The chants of porters carrying heavy loads, the shouts of boatmen, and the curses of foremen blended into a chaotic roar.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat, the fishy scent of river water, and the acrid odor of cheap tobacco.
Chen Laosan pushed their modified wheelbarrow to a sheltered corner and stopped.
The pan was set up.
The fire was lit.
With practiced movements, Chen Yinuo cooked the first batch of pancakes.
The domineering aroma of scallion oil instantly tore a gap through the stale air.
But the opening didn’t last long before it was swallowed by the noise around them.
The laborers passing by were all in a hurry. Most simply twitched their noses, glanced at the unfamiliar country family and the wooden sign reading:
Five Wen Per Pancake
Then they shook their heads and walked away.
Two wen could buy two steamed buns.
Five wen for a single pancake?
Too expensive.
“Father, call out to them,” Chen Zui said, tugging at his pant leg as she sat atop the small cash box.
Chen Laosan’s face turned as red as a pig’s liver.
His lips moved for a long while, yet not a single word came out.
He had spent his entire life working the fields. Even arguing with people was difficult for him, let alone hawking goods in public.
Chen Yinuo was even worse.
She practically wanted to bury her head inside the pan. The hand holding the spatula trembled, terrified that anyone might look at her.
Chen Zui sighed.
This was the tragedy of honest people.
They could have the best product in the world and still fail to sell it.
Jumping off the cash box, she climbed onto a nearby mooring stone.
Taking a deep breath, she projected her voice from her diaphragm.
“Hot and fragrant scallion pancakes—!”
Her childish yet crystal-clear voice pierced through the dock’s clamor like a songbird’s call.
“If they don’t smell amazing, you don’t pay!”
“One bite and the oil bursts out!”
“Eat one and you’ll be full of strength!”
“Carry loads without getting tired! Walk like the wind!”
As she shouted, she waved her little arms energetically.
Though she wore patched clothing, her delicate doll-like appearance and lively spirit made her stand out among the rough, burly men around her.
Several laborers who had been about to gnaw on cold steamed buns stopped in their tracks.
“Whose little girl is this? She’s got quite the mouth on her,” said a foreman as he approached.
He was a large, muscular man with a scar running across his face and a sweat towel draped over his shoulder. He looked like someone not to be trifled with.
Instinctively, Chen Laosan stepped in front of his daughter.
But Chen Zui slipped out from behind him, holding a small plate.
On it were tiny bite-sized pieces of pancake that Chen Yinuo had cut up earlier.
“Uncle, would you like to try some?”
Holding the plate high, Chen Zui flashed a bright smile that revealed a row of white teeth.
“This is my family’s secret recipe. It uses more than thirty kinds of spices and was specially made to give strength to heroes like you. This sample is free. Just have a taste.”
The title of “hero” made the foreman feel unexpectedly pleased.
Suspiciously, he looked at the golden piece of pancake before pinching one up and tossing it into his mouth.
Crunch.
The moment his teeth came together, his eyes widened.
The crispy crust shattered between his teeth.
Then came the rich fragrance of lard, mixed with that indescribable spicy flavor of pepper and cumin, flooding his mouth in an instant.
This taste…
Was absolutely damn incredible.
After chewing twice and swallowing, he felt a stream of warmth flow down his throat, driving away much of the morning chill by the river.
“Good stuff!”
The foreman let out a loud shout.
Digging a handful of copper coins from his belt pouch, he slapped them onto the table.
“Five pancakes! Fresh off the pan! I want them hot!”
His roar was like a signal flare.
The onlookers who had been hesitating saw that the foreman had bought some—and judging by his expression, he wasn’t faking it.
Immediately, they crowded forward.
“Is it really that good?”
“Let me try a piece!”
Chen Zui became a busy little bee, carrying her sample tray through the crowd.
Anyone who tasted a bite couldn’t leave empty-handed.
In these times, oil and fat were hard currency.
And these pancakes contained not only lard but also spirit spring water and modern spices.
To people accustomed to little more than boiled vegetables and salt, the flavor was a complete game-changer.
“Line up! Everyone line up!”
As more people gathered and some began pushing forward, Chen Laosan finally found his courage.
To protect both his daughter and the stall, he drew upon the same ferocity he had once used when hunting wild boars.
Standing like an iron tower, he blocked the crowd.
“One at a time! There’s enough for everyone! Don’t push the child!”
Chen Yinuo, meanwhile, had completely entered her zone.
The spatula flew through her hands.
Oil.
Flip.
Cook.
Serve.
Her movements became as graceful as a dance.
No longer hiding her face, she focused entirely on the pancakes.
Watching the laborers devour them with gusto, the inferiority she’d carried for years was burned away by the stove’s flames.
Chen Erxiu handled the money.
The clinking of copper coins dropping into the wooden box was the sweetest music in the world.
“Big Sister, we’re almost out of dough!”
Chen Erxiu called out between customers, her face flushed red and covered in sweat.
“Last ten pancakes! Once they’re gone, we’re closing!”
Standing atop the mooring stone, Chen Zui directed operations like a seasoned commander.
Less than two hours later—
The fifty catties of flour they had brought, along with an entire jar of lard, had all been transformed into empty containers.
“That’s it? I haven’t bought any yet!”
People still waiting in line complained loudly.
“Sorry, uncles,” Chen Zui said with clasped fists. “Come earlier tomorrow!”
Her imitation of a wandering martial artist drew laughter from the crowd.
On the way back to the village—
Chen Laosan pushed the now-empty cart.
The cart was light, but he felt as though he were walking on clouds.
The moment they entered the cottage and shut the door behind them, Chen Erxiu could no longer contain herself.
She flipped the heavy wooden cash box upside down onto the kang bed.
Clatter!
Copper coins poured out like flowing water, forming a small mountain.
Mixed among them were several pieces of silver—the purchases made by a few supervisors and managers.
The family of five gathered around the mountain of money.
For a moment, nobody could breathe.
“One… two… three…”
Chen Erxiu counted carefully, her fingers trembling.
“One thousand two hundred wen…”
She looked up, her voice shaking.
“After subtracting the costs… we earned over six hundred wen today.”
Six hundred wen!
Chen Laosan used to work himself to exhaustion for a landlord and earned only twenty wen a day.
Now, in less than two hours, they had made what amounted to an entire month’s wages for him.
“Heavens above…”
Madam Li clutched her chest as tears welled in her eyes again.
“Selling food is this profitable?”
Chen Yinuo stared at the pile of coins, then at the blisters that had formed on her hands.
Suddenly, she broke into a silly grin.
At that moment, her hands no longer hurt.
Her back no longer ached.
She wasn’t some useless burden.
She was a master cook who could earn six hundred wen in a single day.
“And this is only the beginning.”
Chen Zui grabbed a handful of copper coins, listening to their crisp clinking before calmly pouring cold water on everyone’s excitement.
“Once our reputation spreads, we’ll earn six taels a day. Sixty taels a day.”
She tossed the coins back onto the pile and glanced toward the window.
“But we need to be careful.”
“We caused quite a stir at the docks today. Someone from the village is bound to have seen us. We came back with an empty cart. The jealous ones will probably start acting up again.”
No sooner had she spoken than an irritating whistle sounded from outside the courtyard.
“Well, well. The chimney at Laosan’s house isn’t smoking today. Struck it rich, have you? Eating and drinking like nobles in town?”
It was Lai Ergou, the village loafer.
Chen Zui jumped off the kang and peered through a crack in the door.
There he was, leaning over the fence with shifty eyes, sneaking glances into the yard.
Greed and calculation practically dripped from his muddy gaze.
They had made money.
But trouble had arrived right behind it.