The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Delicacies from the North and South

The men who came with Xu Cheng were all from his hometown.

They were used to farming and all had plenty of muscle, but after handing over their grain quotas to the state, they only had enough left to eat, with no money to spare.

When they heard he was coming to Shencheng for a construction project, dozens came at his first call, and dozens more followed later on.

Now that word got out they were making money, many more people wanted to come.

”That’s right. You can make money in all sorts of businesses here. One of the guys in the security department at our ornamental fish farm is from Shandong, and his wife knows how to make big steamed buns.”

”The buns she makes are delicious and have a great chewy texture. She uses a traditional sourdough starter and lye water, so the flavor is exceptional. She set up a stall at the market in Jinshan Bay, and her business is doing really well.”

”My kids love it when I slice the buns and pan-fry them until they’re fragrant and crispy. Wu Jiao and Wu Yao used to steam buns, but ever since that woman started selling hers, I told them to stop. It’s a waste of time, and we don’t eat that many anyway. It’s better to just buy them fresh every day.”

Xu Cheng’s eyes lit up when he heard this. ”My wife can make a special recipe for roast goose. My mother-in-law is from Yue Province, so it’s a sweet style. The flavor is fantastic, and it should suit the local palate.”

”If my wife came here, maybe she could open a shop like that. Then she wouldn’t be so reluctant to leave our few acres of land back home and would be willing to come to Shencheng with me.”

”Is that the same honey-glazed roast goose you brought us after the New Year?” Han Xiaorui recalled that the gifts Xu Cheng brought from his hometown had included two of them.

They weren’t freshly roasted, but after a little reheating, they tasted incredible.

”Yes, that’s the one. My wife makes it using our own free-range geese,” Xu Cheng replied. Even he, a man who didn’t care for sweets, could eat quite a bit of his wife’s honey-glazed roast goose.

Han Xiaorui was known as the ”golden palate” of Jinshan Bay; if she thought something was good, its flavor was guaranteed to be exceptional.

”You should definitely have your wife come. I can guarantee that roast goose of hers is amazing, and business will be great. She could buy a shop here in Jinshan Bay and maybe even build it into a time-honored brand!”

Xu Cheng was even happier to hear that. ”Alright, I’ll talk to her when I get back.”

Encouraged by Han Xiaorui, Xu Cheng returned to the construction site.

The men were getting ready to eat and started chatting about how easy it was to make money here.

Xu Cheng mentioned the woman from Shandong who was doing good business selling steamed buns.

”My wife makes amazing braised duck necks. It’d be great if she could start a business selling them here.”

”My mom knows how to make liangpi and ganmianpi. In the summer, when you don’t have an appetite for a hot meal, a bowl of cold skin noodles really hits the spot.”

”My dad can make braised dishes, especially pig ears. They’re delicious! With so many construction sites and factories around here, selling some cold dishes should definitely be profitable.”

...

Those with ideas were itching to give them a try.

This was especially true for Wang Hu. Back home, he only had his elderly mother, as his father had passed away long ago.

His mother farmed all by herself, which was not only hard work but also didn’t earn much money. Now that it was summer and hot in Shencheng, selling liangpi and ganmianpi was a sure way to make a profit.

’I’ll just tell her to add a bit more sugar to the seasoning to make it sweet and sour.’

No sooner said than done. Wang Hu sent a telegram home, asking his cousin to bring his mother over, and he immediately found his cousin a job at a local shoe factory.

「A few days later.」

Wu Yao came back with some liangpi. It had a sweet and sour flavor and was very refreshing. The shredded cucumber, crushed peanuts, and well-seasoned chili oil gave the bowl of cold noodles a rich flavor and a great texture.

(Liangpi isn’t complete without crushed peanuts.)

”Wu Yao, buy me more liangpi for lunch tomorrow,” Han Xiaorui requested. Although she didn’t have any morning sickness, she was starting to crave sour and spicy food.

Wu Yao, who was usually in charge of grocery shopping, nodded with a smile. ”Got it, Sister Xiao Rui. I’ll get it for you tomorrow. They say cravings for sour mean a boy, and spicy a girl. With those two little treasures in your belly, maybe you’re having fraternal twins!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”That would be wonderful, but as long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters. I’m not asking for too much. By the way, I’ve never seen anyone selling liangpi around here before. Why has it suddenly appeared?”

Wu Yao replied, ”The woman selling it calls herself Aunt Wang. Her son, Wang Hu, works on the construction crew at the school. He was worried about her being all alone back home, so he had her come here to sell liangpi and ganmianpi.”

”Business is pretty good, since it’s hot and a lot of people are buying it. The sweet and sour flavor is especially popular. I don’t know about other places, but the market here in Jinshan Bay has a lot more people from out of town selling things.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Then we’re in for a treat! The Fortune Seafood Restaurant and the big hotel wholly owned by the Xu family are under construction, and our commercial street project has also kicked off. More and more people will be gathering here in the future.”

”With more people coming from all over the country, the most direct change is the diversity of food, as people from north and south bring their hometown cuisines. Those who can adapt their food to the local tastes will be able to make a living here.”

Wu Yao nodded. ”That’s right. Ever since we tried the steamed buns made by Sister Zhang, Wu Jiao and I stopped making them altogether. Hers are so much better than ours, you just have to admire it.”

”The breakfast options on the street have gotten more diverse too. I’ve checked them out, and they’re clean and hygienic. Once in a while, when we get tired of breakfast at home, we can go out and buy something.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Okay, we can do that. But remember, to make things taste good, street vendors often use a lot of oil and salt. It’s fine once in a while, but we can’t eat it every day.”

Wu Yao smiled. ”Sister Xiao Rui, you have a point.”

Just as they were talking, the home phone rang.

Wu Yao moved to answer it, but Han Xiaorui stopped her. ”I’ll get it!”

”Hello, is this Sister Han Xiaoqing’s residence?” Wu Yunqian’s voice came from the other end of the line.

Hearing the anxiety in her voice, Han Xiaorui couldn’t help but feel concerned. ”What’s wrong? Wu Yunqian, this is Xiao Jing’s sister.”

”Sister Xiao Rui, a family of four came to the university today looking for their daughter. They said she disappeared after starting college and hasn’t even written home, so they came looking for her at the school.”

”The staff member they spoke to was new and didn’t know about Xiao Jing’s situation, so they called her over. They hit Xiao Jing, and the campus security guards had to step in to drive them away.”

”But they haven’t left. They’ve split up and are waiting at both of the school’s entrances to ambush Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing didn’t want to worry you, so she didn’t tell you. But I don’t think this is a small matter. If they’d dare to hit her right in front of a staff member, who knows what they’ll do outside the school gates?”

When Han Xiaorui heard this, she almost couldn’t breathe.

’I thought my parents were finally behaving themselves back home, but I never imagined they would track us all the way to Shencheng.’

They couldn’t find her, but they knew which university Han Xiaoqing had gotten into, so they went straight to the school.

’Do they think that after just one year, we’ve forgotten what they did?’

’Do they still think the two of us are the same little girls they could beat and curse whenever they pleased?’