A few people gathered together for a discussion and, in the end, Mo Wu decided to set up a stall in the Southern Market.
Having decided on the specific location, they went down on the sa day, and Mo Yan drove the horse cart with Mo Wu to the Governnt Office. After paying the tax and managent fee of three taels of silver, they smoothly obtained the small wooden plaque.
Touching the small wooden plaque, only the size of half a palm, Mo Wu thought about how not even one wen money had been earned, yet three taels of silver had already vanished. For a mont, she felt extrely pained. Then she rembered that the silver had been given by Mo Yan, which made her even more uneasy inside, "Spending so much silver all at once, if the business doesn’t go well, wouldn’t that be just throwing silver into the water?"
"Not at all. Aunt makes delicious cakes; the business won’t be bad. Rest assured," Mo Yan reassured her with a relaxed tone, never considering the possibility of the business failing.
"That’s good, that’s good." Whether it was her confidence that was infectious or the realization that worrying was useless, Mo Wu’s complexion improved sowhat, and she decided not to think about the issue anymore.
Under the guidance of a police officer, the two went to the Southern Market to scout their stall location, which was satisfactorily spacious and not too out of the way.
Seeing that it was already afternoon, and nearby vendors selling stead buns and wontons were still in business, attracting custors from ti to ti, Mo Wu was very tempted and hurried Mo Yan to return with her, wanting to start the stall the next day.
Watching her anxious and flustered as if a day’s delay would send the silver flying away, Mo Yan couldn’t help but smile wryly. In the end, he obliged her, bought the necessary oils and condints, and drove back in the horse cart.
Mo Wu was eager to earn silver and planned to open for business the next day. Upon returning to Mo Family’s ho, she organized all the ingredients and utensils. Before dawn the next day, she, along with Mo Danier, was already knocking on the Mo Family’s front gate.
Mo Yan had not planned to get involved with the small stall’s business, but he figured he should check it out on its first day.
Da HongZao was quick on its feet, and at a light trot, they reached the place in half an hour. The day was just beginning to break, and only a few people were setting up their stalls on the street. By the ti Mo Yan and the others had unloaded and arranged their items, and the charcoal under the griddle was burning fiercely, the sun had already fully risen, and the street gradually filled with more pedestrians.
Seeing that other small stalls already had custors, Mo Yan, while adding condints to the hot spicy soup on the stove, said to Mo Wu, "Aunt, you should start too. Otherwise, if we don’t make a move, others won’t even know what we’re selling!"
Mo Wu was sowhat nervous, but upon hearing Mo Yan’s words, she quickly brushed a layer of oil in the pan, scooped a spoonful of mung bean flour paste from the basin, and poured it into the pan. Skillfully, she took an iron spatula and evenly spread the mung bean flour thin. Once the batter was almost set, she imdiately cracked an egg over it, spreading it evenly with the spatula.
The golden yellow of the egg mixed with the pale green of the batter, appealing and attractive to the eye, while a faint scent tantalizingly wafted through the air, stimulating the appetite.
As the egg solidified as well, Mo Wu flipped the pancake to apply sweet bean and chili sauces, but was suddenly interrupted by a harsh voice, "What’s this? Looks like a soft pancake."
Mo Wu was startled, lifting her head to see a burly middled-aged man standing before the stall, leading a small boy of about five or six. Four pairs of eyes were intently staring at the batter in the pan.
Knowing this man could very well be her first custor, Mo Wu suppressed the nervousness in her heart and warmly introduced, "This is a traditional dish passed down in my family called ’Jianbing Guozi.’ In a mont, I’ll add various ingredients to it—it’s much tastier than dry, plain pancakes."
The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, noticing indeed there were many ingredients laid out nearby. He said loudly, "Make one, and if it’s good, I’ll take a few more to go."
Mo Wu, hearing his words, was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Please wait a mont, it will be ready shortly."
The middle-aged man nodded, standing aside with the child and watching. Upon seeing Mo Wu about to sprinkle green onions, he said, "No green onions for , add more spicy sauce instead."
Mo Wu’s hand, which was holding green onions, relaxed and added a small spoonful of spicy sauce to the batter.
At this point, Mo Yan approached and asked the middle-aged man, "Would you like so greens? We also have cured at, marinated at, sausages, chicken, among other fillings. The choice of ingredients is yours, but just know that different ingredients will have different prices."
The middle-aged man seed surprised. Before he could respond, the child he was holding eagerly answered, "I want marinated at, I want marinated at, daddy likes marinated at."
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, hugging his son closer and saying, "Let’s go with what my son wants, add a few more slices of marinated at."
After hearing this, Mo Wu placed two semi-cooked green vegetables on top of the batter, then a half a youtiao, and added three thin slices of palm-sized marinated at before rolling up the pancake, cutting it in half, and handing it over to the middle-aged man, wrapped in oil paper.
The freshly made Jianbing Guozi was still very hot. The middle-aged man, enticed by the appetizing sll, couldn’t help but blow on it several tis. Deeming it not too hot, he bit down without waiting any longer.
Upon first taste, the middle-aged man’s eyes brightened. The Jianbing Guozi was not only crisp but the green bean’s aroma blended with that of the egg, creating a delicious flavor, followed by the rich sauce and the tasty marinated at, surpassing any pancake he had eaten before. He couldn’t stop himself from taking another big bite, finding the more he ate, the more he craved.
Seeing his father savoring the treat, the child in his arms beca envious and bit a piece himself, only to cry out from the spiciness. Yet the food was too delicious to spit out, so he reluctantly continued eating with a grimace, causing his father to burst into laughter again.
The middle-aged man was very satisfied with the Jianbing Guozi. After finishing, he ordered six more with various fillings in one go, planning to eat one himself, give one to his son, and take the remaining four ho for his family to try sothing new.
Upon receiving the forty wen money from the middle-aged man, the three from the Mo family were thrilled, especially Mo Wu and her daughter. They couldn’t resist the urge to touch each of the forty copper coins one by one—it was, after all, the first silver coin they had earned from opening their business!
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