At 4:00 AM, He Xiaoya was already cooking rice. Dazhuang loaded their two stoves onto the cart, stacked with pots, steamers, and a collection of tables and stools, until the cart was filled to the brim. By the time the sky began to gray with the first light of dawn, the family was ready to depart.
There were quite a few people headed to the market that day. When they saw the massive, laden cart and caught a whiff of the rich, savory aroma drifting from it, they couldn’t help but be curious.
“Dazhuang, what are you all heading off to do?”
Dazhuang, being an honest soul, answered every question put to him. But when the fellow villagers heard they were going to town to sell food, the group broke into collective scoffing and chuckles. Everyone in the village knew Li Yao couldn’t even wash a pot clean—let alone sell food to others. A toad trying to eat swan meat would likely have an easier time than they would making a profit.
“Times are so tough, people are starving. Who has money to spend on this?”
“Fifteen wen a bowl? With that kind of money, you could buy two jin of millet—enough to feed a whole family for three days.”
“Not everyone is cut out for business, or the streets would be lined with merchants.”
Listening to these hushed remarks along the road, Dazhuang and his brothers began to lose their nerve.
“Mother,” Dazhuang murmured, “do you think it really won’t sell well?”
“Whether it sells well or not isn’t for them to decide,” Li Yao replied firmly. “Don’t just believe whatever others say. You have to try for yourself, experience it, and only then will you know the truth.”
Dazhuang blushed and lowered his head, focusing on pulling the cart. Mother was right; how could they know the outcome if they hadn’t even tried?
When they reached town, Li Yao went straight to the spot she had scouted: near the miscellaneous market, the area with the highest foot traffic. The family scrambled to set up their stall, and as soon as Li Yao lifted the pot lids, the intoxicating aroma immediately began to waft through the air. Dazhuang and his brothers stood behind the stall, acting a bit timid and hesitant.
Li Yao shook her head. These children were wonderful in every way, but they were far too simple and lacked the necessary boldness.
“Let me show you how it’s done,” Li Yao said. “Just mimic my shouting later.”
She cleared her throat and began to call out in a loud, clear voice:
“Step right up, folks! Don’t miss out!”
“Fresh and delicious braised delicacies! Served with rice or steamed buns—only 15 wen a bowl!”
“Big portions, guaranteed to fill you up!”
The shouting, combined with the irresistible fragrance, immediately drew a few passersby. But as soon as they saw the “pig offal” being sold, they all shook their heads in unison.
“Smells good, sure, but this stuff is rank and fishy. Probably doesn’t taste good.”
“Sir,” Li Yao said, addressing an older man. “I guarantee my braised dishes have absolutely no gamey or fishy odor. Just take one bite and you’ll know.”
“Need to taste it? Anyone who’s ever eaten this stuff knows better.”
“Tell you what, sir,” Li Yao offered. “If you’re willing to be my very first customer, I won’t charge you a cent for this bowl.”
The man’s eyes brightened. “You really mean it? No charge?”
“I really mean it.”
“Fine then, give me a bowl! With rice!”
Free food was impossible to turn down. The man sat down immediately, drawing envious glares from his companions. The old geezer hit the jackpot today, stumbling into such a sweet deal.
Dazhuang quickly loaded a bowl full of rice, topped it with a variety of braised offal, radishes, and cabbage, drizzled it with a ladle of rich, concentrated broth, and finished it with a sprinkle of fresh, green scallions.
“Here you go, sir. Eat slowly.”
Seeing the massive, heaping bowl, the man’s eyes crinkled with delight. He couldn’t wait to take a large bite.
“Mmm! It’s so fragrant!”
“I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never tasted anything like this!”
“This meat is even better than red-braised pork!”
“The radish and cabbage are delicious, too—so flavorful and tender!”
The man continued to heap praise upon the dish as he ate, to the point where even Li Yao thought he was laying it on a bit thick. If this were her previous life, she would have suspected him of being a “plant” hired to drum up business.
Watching the man eat with such gusto, the friends with him started salivating, unable to hold back any longer.
“Hey, can you give me a bowl for free, too?”
“I’m afraid not,” Li Yao said with a smile. “But for the first ten customers, I’m offering a twenty-percent discount! The spots are limited, so it’s first come, first served!”
“I’ll take a bowl with rice!”
“Me too! I want the steamed bun version!”
“Give me one, too!”
In the blink of an eye, the two small tables were packed. Dazhuang and Er Dan were busy serving rice, while Sandun and Wang Xiaosi helped scoop the braised meat and broth.
“Delicious! So fragrant!”
“I’ve never had food this aromatic in my life.”
“This scent must be drifting for miles.”
A good reputation is the best advertisement. As the chorus of praise grew, more and more people sat down to try this unheard-of delicacy. By midday, there weren’t enough seats, and people were content to stand, holding their bowls. In such a chilly season, enjoying a piping hot, savory bowl of braised rice made life’s hardships feel just a little bit more bearable.
Dazhuang and his brothers were a bit frantic at first, but as time passed, their movements grew fluid and efficient. Their shyness evaporated, and they began to actively call out to passersby and solicit customers. Watching the money pile up in the cash box, their faces flushed with excitement.
Since this was their first day, they hadn’t prepared much—only about fifty bowls—and they sold out before noon!
“Please, everyone, come back tomorrow!”
Those who arrived late looked disappointed, sniffing the air deeply as if trying to catch the fading scent. “I’ll definitely be here tomorrow. I’ll come bright and early just to wait for you.”
Dazhuang clutched the heavy cash box tightly, his voice trembling slightly. “Mother, we really sold out!”
His three younger brothers looked equally ecstatic, though they were also feeling a bit nervous. They had no idea how much they had sold, or how much they had actually cleared…
“Let’s count it,” Li Yao said.
“Yes!”
The four brothers immediately cracked open the box and began counting the coins one by one. “One, two… six hundred and forty-four, six hundred and forty-five!”
Six hundred and forty-five!
The children shook with excitement, as if they had just won a grand prize.
“Our starting capital was three hundred and twenty wen,” Li Yao said. “Tell me, how much did we make?”
Aside from Er Dan, the other three were collectively baffled. The number was so big they couldn’t even use their fingers to keep track!
“It’s three hundred and twenty-five wen,” Er Dan answered quickly. “Mother, did I get that right?”
Li Yao nodded.
“That much? That’s amazing!”
If they made three hundred and twenty-five in a single day, then in a month… even Er Dan couldn’t calculate that.
“Nearly ten thousand wen,” Li Yao said. “And today is just the beginning. The volume will definitely increase tomorrow. We might even double or triple it, which means we’ll earn even more.”
Ten thousand! That was ten taels of silver! And they could double it! To children whose world was limited to the distance between their village and the town, this was an astronomical figure—a sum they wouldn’t have dared to dream of earning! For a moment, they were so overcome with happiness they felt dizzy. Their mother was truly incredible!
“Hurry up and buy the supplies,” Li Yao urged. “We’re doubling our output tomorrow.”
“Let’s go!”
There were only two pork stalls in town, and Li Yao bought the entire stock of offal from both. It was enough for about a hundred bowls—she estimated that would be their practical sales limit for the day. She even boldly bought a few jin of pork belly. Growing boys had bottomless appetites, and if they were going to grow strong, they couldn’t skimp on nutrition.
They also bought a brand-new cart. Even though every cent they had just earned was spent once again, she didn’t hesitate. Borrowing things meant owing favors, and while it was easy to owe a favor, it was much harder to pay one back.