Chapter 335: Chapter 174 Difficult Beginnings_2
As for the soup dumplings, they hadn’t opened for business yet.
The sun was already high in the sky. By Lian Manman’s past life’s clock, it was about nine in the morning. The large flow of people coming for breakfast had passed, and only a few sparse customers remained in the shop. In a little while, their shop would also be closing.
Lian Manman sighed.
"Sighing for what," Lady Zhang came over carrying two empty bowls, "are you unhappy with the little money we made? It’s much better than I expected. I barely slept last night, worried we wouldn’t sell anything today."
Lady Zhang’s steps and voice were both cheerful; she was satisfied with today’s earnings.
"Your mother’s right, these things take time," Lian Shouxin also came over and said, "Tomorrow is sure to be better than today."
The Lian Family divided the labor simply: Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi were mainly responsible for waiting tables; Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi were mainly at the stove tending the fire; as for Lian Manman, besides managing connections, her main task was to hold the money box and keep the money safe.
Lian Manman knew that what Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin said was right. However, adding the soup dumplings to the menu was something she had strongly recommended. The fact that they weren’t selling made her feel like she was losing face.
"Hey, when did a little eatery pop up here?" The tapping of horse hooves approached from far to near and stopped outside the window, followed by a loud voice with a coarse tone.
Lian Manman quickly stood up, pushed open a window, and saw three men dismounting from their horses, looking for a place to tie them. They were dressed in silk robes, wore fur hats, and had half-high leather boots on their feet.
Wealthy people!
Lian Manman’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"Dad, Brother, hurry and invite them in," Lian Manman quickly turned her head and said to Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang, "Don’t tell them we’re selling mantou, let them buy dumplings."
Actually, Lian Manman was overthinking it – those kinds of guests wouldn’t go for the satiating Sanhe mantou they were selling.
Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang went out and welcomed the three men inside, inviting them to sit at a table.
"A new shop? What’s there to eat?" The loud-voiced man asked again.
Lian Manman rotated her eyes and poked Xiao Qi with a finger.
"It seems like the person we met at the grocery store last time," Lian Manman said. The loud-voiced man was someone they saw at a grocery store across the way when they were buying soy sauce for Lady Zhou. At that time, he had bought a lot of items and seemed unhappy that the grocery store didn’t have more to offer.
"Mhm, I remember too," Xiao Qi nodded.
"Fresh out of the oven are our soup-filled pork dumplings, two wen money each, guaranteed delicious, and we also have big bone radish soup, one wen money a bowl," Lian Shouxin was introducing the shop’s offerings to the customers.
"What good food can this small place have," a man with a long face said somewhat lazily.
"We should have eaten back in town," another short and plump man added.
It seemed that these few were hungry from walking and whimsically wanted to try the food at the small shop.
"Just want something warm to eat, don’t feel like running back to town. Shopkeeper, bring us a few dumplings each, and a bowl of soup for everyone. If it tastes good, the master will reward you," the loud-voiced man declared.
Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang returned to the kitchen where Lian Manman had already prepared two plates of ten dumplings each and three large bowls of big bone soup, along with a dish of soy sauce cucumber mixed with sesame oil, a dish of hot and sour bean sprouts, and a dish of fried peanuts.
Lian Shouxin paused.
"The pickled vegetables are free, bean sprouts are one wen money, and the peanuts are two wen money," Lian Manman stated simply. These were initially prepared separately for Wang Youheng that morning, and there was some left, just enough to serve these three customers, and earn a few extra wen money. She could tell these three men were willing to spend.
Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang took a large tray out with all the food, and Lian Manman, slightly nervous, walked to the door and peered through a corner of the curtain.
"They have quite the discerning eye," the loud-voiced man noticed Lian Shouxin bring out several plates of clean appetizers and seemed very pleased.
"This dumpling is not bad!" The long-faced man said after taking a bite of the dumpling.
"Really? I’ll try one too," another man reached for a dumpling as well.
Lian Manman breathed a sigh of relief as her bruised confidence slowly returned.
"Manman, bring two more plates of dumplings," Wu Lang said as he walked into the kitchen with an empty tray, addressing Lian Manman.
They really could eat, Lian Manman almost laughed out loud. For a shop owner, there is nothing better than a customer with a big appetite.
Lian Manman quickly and deftly picked another ten dumplings and handed them to Wu Lang to take out.
...
When Lian’s Breakfast Shop closed for the day, it was nearly midday. The family quickly tidied up, then all gathered in the small resting room to count the day’s earnings.
Since it was the first day of business, they hadn’t prepared too much: eighty Sanhe mantou and fifty soup dumplings.
They sold sixty Sanhe mantou and forty soup dumplings. Of those, the three men ate twenty and packed ten to go. Later, two more customers came and bought ten. The three men also mentioned before leaving that they would come back tomorrow for more dumplings and asked them to reserve some.
There were leftovers of both mantou and dumplings. Given the current weather, it was possible to keep them until the next day and continue selling them. But Lian Manman didn’t intend to do that. Fresh from the oven and overnight items simply didn’t taste the same. She would rather lose some money than tarnish their reputation.
The mantou and dumplings leftover would be eaten by themselves.
The bone soup and porridge had sold better than expected, especially the bone soup, which sold three large pots full; they also sold one pot of porridge.
Lian Manman counted out the copper coins in the wooden box, counted a hundred wen money and handed them to Lady Zhang to be strung together with a thread. In total, there were two hundred and six wen money in the money box.
"Subtracting the cost of rice, flour, large bones, radish, meat, firewood, and today’s rent," Lian Manman carefully calculated the costs, her face revealing a trace of surprise. "We’ve made ninety-six wen money today!"
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First update. I’m seeking support – aiming for a second update tonight. Rolling, please let your support be stronger, fist bump. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
