Chapter 356: Delicious Food and Snacks
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Binglan knew the stinky tofu was a delicious snack. If the people from this era could eat such a snack, they would be delighted. That was because stinky tofu was not only delicious but also cheap.
She had to think of a way to promote stinky tofu, so she planned to build a commercial street. She could make a dedicated street for selling food and snacks if she could do that.
It would become a food street that would become an iconic place in Teng He Town. People from all over would know about it and go to Teng He Town to sightsee and eat food.
That way, Teng He Town would prosper, and its people would benefit from it. It would be easier for the townsfolk and villagers to make money by doing small business in town. It would also be perfect for the villagers to sell their local specialties and vegetables.
Su Binglan felt good just thinking about it.
Hearing Su Binglan’s words made Shen Qiuhua excited. “Binglan, do you mean you’re hiring people to sell stinky tofu in town?
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
“But how do we charge for them?” Shen Qiuhua needed help understanding more about her daughter’s plans.
After some thought, Su Binglan said, “We can hire two to three people to set up stalls in various places in town. First, we’ll let the customers taste the stinky tofu for free. After that, they can buy more if they think it’s good.
“Since we already make tofu at the factory, we’ll just need to fry it and add some seasoning before selling it. It’s effortless. We’ll give our workers a commission. How much is it for each serving?
“The more they sell, the more they’ll earn. We’ll bring the balance back to the factory if the workers can’t sell everything.
“You don’t have to worry about the tofu going rancid, Mother. We can store stinky tofu for a long time and put them in a refrigerated cellar. We don’t need too much initially, so we can quickly sell all the stinky tofu we’ve already made.
“When stinky tofu becomes more popular down the line, many more people will come to us and directly purchase them from us. Then we no longer have to worry about selling it.”
Su Binglan did not think about making stinky tofu before because she was too busy making regular tofu. However, she used spoiled tofu to make the snack. Everyone thought it was delicious, so she knew she could try to sell it.
After getting the ball rolling, the later stages would be easy to handle.
Shen Qiuhua listened to her daughter’s words and nodded. “You always have a way with these things, Binglan.”
She knew her daughter was too clever to even think of such a thing.
Su Binglan took three portions of stinky tofu and said, “Mother, I’ll bring these to Aunt Ding. Then Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian will also be able to try our stinky tofu when they return home.
“Also, please have someone send these to Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Fengzhi, and the others. Each will have a portion to taste?’
“Sure.” Shen Qiuhua nodded smilingly. “You can go to your Aunt Ding’s house while I go and deliver the food to your grandparents and Madam Liu.”
After all, it was only natural for the whole family to try such delicious food.
Su Binglan took it and went to Ding Wan. Although Ding Wan had promised her niece that she would knit during the day, she still busied herself and did not expect Su Binglan to return so soon.
“Oh, you’re back, Binglan!” Ding Wan was happy but could smell something strange in the air. She thought her niece might have gone to the factory and got the smell of spoiled tofu on her.
Su Binglan handed the three small bags of stinky tofu and said, “Aunt Ding, I brought these foods for you, Uncle Fengzhang, and Cousin Wenxian.”
“What food?” Ding Wan perked up, and her eyes brightened at the mention of food. She did not think much about food previously because she was okay as long as she could eat her fill.
However, she started liking good food more since she returned and had Su Binglan’s cooking a few times. She even felt embarrassed.
Su Binglan explained smilingly, “This is stinky tofu, Aunt Ding. It smells bizarre, but it tastes delicious. My mother ate it, too, and everyone said it was delicious, so I quickly came with a few servings for you. Try it, Aunt Ding.”
Ding Wan smiled happily. “You’re the best, Binglan. You always think of me when you have good food.”
She felt quite touched as she took the bag from Su Binglan and opened it. A potent smell escaped the bag, making her want to cover her nose, but Su Binglan had told her it would be delicious, and Ding Wan believed her.
“Of course, I’ll think of you. I remember you bringing my siblings and me all the food you made when we were younger.” Su Binglan was a grateful person by nature. That was because the conditions of families in the village were less fortunate at that time. It was always good as long as a family could eat proper food.
Moreover, the Su family only ate coarse-grain rice for almost every meal without meat. Therefore, Ding Wan would sometimes send them some meat with white noodles. The Su family was thrilled whenever they got food from Ding Wan.
Children could never forget what they ate, so Su Binglan felt warm when she thought about this.
Meanwhile, Ding Wan sighed inwardly. She was good at embroidery and earned a lot in the past. Her family was well-off and could afford to buy proper food from time to time.
Sometimes, she would send some to Shen Qiuhua, Madam Liu, and her parents. She did not expect her niece to remember these things. It was fortunate that Ding Wan was not stingy then. Later, her parents and other family members would help her if needed.
“You always remember that and even talk about it often, but your parents often helped my family and me too. Your Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian were always too busy working the fields, so your father and brothers would help them.”
Su Binglan smiled. “Hurry and try it, Aunt Ding. It tastes better while it’s hot.”
“All right, I’ll listen to you.” Ding Wan went to pick up her chopsticks and ate the stinky tofu. If someone else asked her to eat something with such a strange smell, she would not have eaten it and would doubt that it tasted good.
However, she would eat whatever Su Binglan told her to. Only after that did Ding Wan realize how delicious the stinky tofu was.
She gulped her saliva and said, “Binglan, this is truly delicious. You call this stinky tofu, right?”
Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, that’s it. It’s great as long as you think so, Aunt Ding. These two portions are big enough for Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian too.”
Ding Wan could not hide her smile. “Then I won’t argue and thank you on my husband and son’s behalf. They’ll be delighted to eat something this delicious when they return.”
Su Binglan knew there were very few delicacies in this era and that the food culture was very backward. Typically, the food was bland, so people would find stinky tofu incredibly delicious if they ate it.
“The one you ate was for you. I didn’t bring too much, so you can’t eat it all, Aunt Ding.”
“You’re a caring person, Binglan.” After eating her share, Ding Wan still wanted more, but she knew not to eat delicious food without restraint. She thought it was best to savor and taste it.
Then Su Binglan told her about the embroidery shop.
Ding Wan said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go around the village and ask our potential workers tomorrow and keep you in the loop..”
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