Lin Chuxia took the handwritten nu, her eyes glinting with amusent, "The owner has made this restaurant quite thoughtful, and the nu is pretty good too."
The owner was a young man in his early thirties, who smiled and said, "It’s just so-so, it’s for everyone’s convenience after all."
Lin Chuxia nodded, doing business ans one has to consider what the custors want and cater to their needs.
"Lamb rolls, beef rolls, beef tripe, duck blood, Chinese broccoli..."
Lin Chuxia knew Qin Yang’s taste and ordered a whole bunch of different items, eventually choosing a spicy base for the hot pot.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yang advised, "Don’t worry about , just get a clear soup base, I like my sides spicy."
At that ti, hot pot in An City was still the traditional northern-style with a charcoal-fired copper pot. It was authentic indeed, but the soup could only have one flavor; the half-and-half pot popular in the south had not made its way there yet.
"It’s fine, let’s have a mildly spicy one. I’ve been craving so spice myself, what’s the joy in life without so spicy hot pot?"
Qin Yang chuckled as he saw the playful arch of his wife’s brows.
He knew that when it ca to spicy food, his wife was both weak and fond of it.
Brave in words, yet a lightweight in action.
But since she had said so, Qin Yang didn’t counter her wish and specifically told the owner to make it only mildly spicy, and to make his seasoning spicy, but his wife’s not spicy.
The dipping sauce was the restaurant’s own sesa sauce, full of rich sesa aroma when served.
The water in the hot pot rolled to a boil, and Qin Yang first blanched a chopstick of lamb for Lin Chuxia.
Lin Chuxia, in turn, blanched a chopstick full of beef tripe for Qin Yang.
When they both placed the cooked food in each other’s bowls, they paused, then both smiled.
Lin Chuxia liked lamb, and Qin Yang liked beef tripe, and they each favored the other’s preferences.
"Go ahead and eat, don’t mind ."
Lin Chuxia rolled her blanched lamb in sesa sauce and stuffed it into her mouth, savoring it contentedly, while urging Qin Yang to eat as well.
"You haven’t been eating well at ho, have you? I can tell you’ve lost weight."
Qin Yang was blanching lamb leisurely and served her another chopstick-full before eating his, replying to her concern, "It’s been alright, the food at the office has always been the sa. Though, the food was indeed less satisfactory while I was away on the business trip, but it’s not like I’ve lost weight, my portion sizes haven’t changed."
"That’s impossible, I can tell you’ve slimd down, how can the portions be the sa? Eat more, if it’s not enough, we can order more."
Lin Chuxia really didn’t want Qin Yang to go hungry.
The young woman grabbed pieces of at with her chopsticks for him, and Qin Yang indeed ate quite a bit.
After the couple had their fill, they called the owner over to settle the bill, only to be told that soone else had already paid for them.
Following the direction given, they noticed a familiar face.
It was a family sitting at a table not far from them, a couple with their two children, enjoying hot pot.
"Sister Liu, Brother Wang, you’re here dining as well, you’re too kind. How could we let you pay for our al?"
It was indeed Sister Liu, whom Lin Chuxia had first t selling peanuts and seeds at the train station, and Brother Wang, who sold fruit, both of whom Lin Chuxia later found out were a couple.
Sister Liu, who had always been close and talkative with Lin Chuxia, imdiately smiled and said, "How could you be embarrassed? It’s only proper for us to treat you. Both your Brother Wang and I are doing business with your family now. You are our God of Wealth now!"
This was sothing Lin Chuxia had heard from Sun Lanlan.
Over the years, the number of stalls at the train station had been growing, increasing the competitive pressure on Sister Liu and Brother Wang’s business.
Sister Liu ca to Sun Lanlan one day, as she knew that Qin’s Bun Shop was run by Lin Chuxia, and wanted to inquire if their vacuum-packed ready-to-eat food, beef sauce, and hot sauce could be wholesaled for sale on the train.
Sun Lanlan had her reservations at the ti.
Their bun shop was right next to the train station and also sold Xiyang’s ready-to-eat food, beef sauce, and the like, whether unpackaged or vacuum-packed.
Many travelers would co to their bun shop to buy these products.
If Sister Liu started selling Xiyang Food products, wouldn’t that be taking business away from Qin’s?
Sun Lanlan didn’t know Sister Liu, but Granny Sun did, and Sister Liu also ntioned her relationship with Lin Chuxia.
Sun Lanlan couldn’t decide and so she called Lin Chuxia.
Of course, Lin Chuxia would not refuse.
Not to ntion her relationship with Sister Liu, in Lin Chuxia’s eyes, there’s no such thing as cutting off a deal completely.
The train station’s daily foot traffic is so huge, and Sister Liu’s proactive selling approach is also a good thing for them at Xiyang.
Although it’s possible that sales at Qin’s Bun Shop might be affected, the sales of Xiyang Food would increase. Either way, they wouldn’t lose out.
And the reality was even more surprising.
Ever since Sister Liu wholesaled the vacuum-packed ready-to-eat food as well as beef sauce and hot sauce from Xiyang to sell at the train station, sales at Qin’s didn’t decrease but instead steadily increased.
Many people found Xiyang’s food tasty after trying it.
Locals who wanted to take An City’s local specialties when going out would choose Xiyang’s ready-to-eat food and sauces, and visitors to An City would also choose Xiyang’s products as local specialties to take ho.
Thus, Xiyang’s reputation spread far and wide, and it even beca one of An City’s major features.
And Sister Liu, at the train station, had brisk business every day, earning almost as much in one day as she used to in a week selling sunflower seeds.
If it were in the past, they wouldn’t have been able to afford to take the kids out to eat at all.
At most, they would slaughter two jin of at and stew it at ho.
Lin Chuxia chatted with Sister Liu a few tis, those folks hadn’t finished their al yet, and she, along with Qin Yang, didn’t linger, leaving the hotpot restaurant.
"That sister just now has quite an eye for things."
The two walked on their way ho, Qin Yang spoke out in admiration.
Lin Chuxia nodded in agreent, "Sister Liu and her husband have always been very savvy. I heard that even before the reforms, the couple was selling things secretly at the train station, they can be said to be among the earliest individual entrepreneurs."
Lin Chuxia smiled like a fox, and Qin Yang laughed along.
What he ant by having an eye for things was not doing the individual business per se, but choosing Xiyang’s products.
He had great confidence in his wife’s abilities and her products.
When the two arrived at Qin Family Village, night had already fallen.
From far away, they could see lights on at the wholesale market at the village entrance, and people pushing bicycles with vegetable baskets coming and going.
More people gathered in one corner of the market, where a screen had already been set up.
Ever since the market opened that day, the village had hired a projectionist to show movies every day, and the village chief said it would last for a week.
Qin Yang stood at the entrance of the village, on the left was the street-facing agricultural supply store, and a bit further away, he could still see Xiyang Food Factory. To the right was the bustling vegetable wholesale market.
He used to study and work outside, and couldn’t co ho more than a few tis a year.
The image of that rigid, conservative little village in his mory had long disappeared, replaced by this lively scene that seed so much more vibrant.
Qin Yang reached out and held Lin Chuxia’s small hand, which was small and just the right fit in his palm, yet felt extrely fulfilling.
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