There was no need for Su Ting to answer.
"They'll flail about, trying to turn things around, but it's all in vain." Su Xi answered her own question, her expression turning cold and indifferent.
Su Ting turned to look at her, feeling uneasy.
"Elder sister?"
Su Xi gave him a gentle smile, signaling him to relax, then bent down to take Su Cheng's hand. She smiled softly at him and said, "Forget it. It's a good day for setting up our stall—no need to bother with these people. Let's go, hurry home. I'll make something delicious for you both at noon to celebrate our successful opening."
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng immediately remembered the fragrant toon and egg stuffed flatbread he had eaten not long ago. He licked his lips and nodded eagerly.
At the same time, he didn't forget to urge Su Ting: "Elder sister's cooking is super delicious! Big brother, let's hurry home!"
Su Ting sighed softly, bent down to lightly pat Su Cheng's dirty pant legs, then straightened up to look at his innocent little face. He turned to glance at Su Xi, who was smiling gently at him, and could only suppress his worries and nod.
The three of them pushed the flatbed cart back toward the village.
Setting up a street stall was never an easy task.
There were all kinds of ingredients to prepare beforehand, and afterward, a whole pile of tools to clean up.
Once back home, Su Xi assigned Su Ting to wash the utensils, then headed to the kitchen. She looked around, her gaze falling on the nearly empty flour bag in the corner. She walked over, poured out the remaining flour, scooped some water, and began kneading the dough.
When the dough was no longer too sticky, she rolled it out into a long, thin sheet. She folded it multiple times, then twisted and pressed the ends together before rolling it out completely into a thin layer and placing it in the pan.
The lard jar had been emptied earlier but was refilled when frying the crispy thin dough.
With plenty of oil on hand, Su Xi was generous, adding a large spoonful.
Once the pan was hot, she placed the dough inside. The pancake quickly set in the high heat, sizzling loudly in the pan. Su Xi deftly pushed it with a spatula, causing the pancake to form wrinkles in the pan, gradually turning golden brown.
Then, using a long bamboo spatula, she flipped it over. Once the wrinkled side also turned golden, it was ready to come out of the pan!
Finally, she brushed the secret sauce onto the pancake and sprinkled it with chopped scallions.
The crispy, savory, and mouthwatering scallion sauce pancake was complete!
While the pancake was still hot and fresh out of the pan, Su Xi cut a piece. The fried, crispy golden crust lifted to reveal layers upon layers of overlapping dough. The wrinkled shape of the pancake perfectly absorbed the savory flavor of the sauce. With one bite, the aroma of the sauce burst open between her lips, making her mouth water uncontrollably, with an endless aftertaste.
Su Xi put down her chopsticks and murmured to herself, "If it were semi-leavened dough, the flavor would probably be even better. Unleavened dough just doesn't layer as well."
Just as she was pondering ways to improve the scallion sauce pancake, she looked up and met two faces filled with "ravenous hunger."
"Um…" Su Xi gathered her thoughts and said to the two of them, "The scallion sauce pancake is ready. Once I make some egg drop soup, we can eat."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw the two of them reaching out to grab the pancake.
"Big brother, let me carry it!"
"Ah Cheng, you're still too young!"
Su Xi shook her head helplessly, then tapped each of their little heads lightly and said loudly, "Alright, both of you go wash your hands right now. Whoever is slowest will eat last."
And so, Su Xi watched as the two of them dashed off to wash their hands without another word or a backward glance.
The more troublesome Jianbing Guazi was already done, and the egg soup was relatively simple.
Heat water in a pot, wait until it boils, then pour in the beaten egg mixture, add salt for seasoning, and once the egg flowers have completely solidified, a refreshing and light bowl of egg soup is ready.
Su Xi brought the egg soup to the table.
Su Ting and Su Cheng, one busy fetching bowls and chopsticks, the other going to bring the pancake, worked diligently alongside her.
"Alright, let's eat," Su Xi said happily, pleased to see the two of them taking initiative.
As soon as she spoke.
The two of them almost scrambled to reach for the Jianbing Guazi with their chopsticks.
Su Cheng, being closer to the pancake, was slightly faster. As soon as he picked up a piece, he immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
With just one bite, he could taste the rich aroma of the secret sauce—a flavor that was salty yet sweet. However, he couldn’t quite describe it, so he could only prove how delicious the pancake was by reaching for piece after piece.
Compared to him, Su Ting, who had studied, ate more gracefully and described the Jianbing Guazi in more refined terms.
"Sister, after eating this pancake, I truly understand why scholars say, 'One cannot eat without meat'?" he said.
Su Xi looked up at him.
"If I were given this Jianbing Guazi, then for me, it would be 'One cannot eat without pancake'," Su Ting explained, not forgetting the main point. "Sister, if we sold this pancake at our stall, many people would probably buy it."
Su Xi, who had initially taken his words as a joke, raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing his suggestion.
It had to be said that Su Ting had a natural business sense.
Despite having only seen the sale of Jianbing Guazi once, he had keenly grasped its potential.
Su Xi also responded honestly to his suggestion.
"People would definitely buy Jianbing Guazi, but right now, we’re already too busy selling Jianbing Guazi, so the idea of selling Jianbing Guazi will have to wait."
Although making Jianbing Guazi might seem simple, the preparation beforehand was anything but easy.
Aside from mixing the batter, just frying the crispy sheets alone was enough to keep Su Xi busy, not to mention making the sauce, preparing pickles and side dishes, and so on.
And since Jianbing Guazi relied on being freshly made to taste good, Su Xi told him honestly that it couldn’t be done for now.
"I can help you, Sister!" Su Ting said eagerly.
Hearing this, Su Xi smiled gently and looked at him seriously. "Su Ting, do you remember what I said?"
Su Ting knew, but he also understood the difficulties of studying.
"Sister, since our family is in debt, I can delay studying for a couple of years," he said softly.
"With the Jianbing Guazi stall, our family’s debts will be paid off quickly," Su Xi said straightforwardly, no longer beating around the bush. "You should know the principle of studying: learning is like rowing against the current—if you don’t advance, you fall back. So, Su Ting, I’ve thought about it. Once we’ve saved enough for the tuition payment, you should continue your studies."
Su Ting wanted to refuse.
Su Xi stared directly at him. "Su Ting, ask your heart if you want to continue studying. Don’t say anything against your true feelings."
After a moment of silence.
"Sister," Su Ting said with determination, looking up at Su Xi. "I want to study!"
Hearing this, Su Xi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"But Sister, before I go back to studying, there are still some things I need to do," Su Ting said, holding onto his own thoughts and convictions.
"What's the matter?"