Boss Qin thought Wen Ying was too clever.
Yu Wenhao still didn’t see Wen Ying as a real threat.
And what about Wen Ying herself?
Of course, she continued setting up her stall at the night market!
It was time for her and Xie Qian to head to the night market together. Deng Shangwei hadn’t returned home yet, and Chen Li’s mood was much more stable compared to the morning. She even took the initiative to urge Wen Ying not to give up on her night market stall.
Chen Li knew better than anyone how hard-won this opportunity was for Wen Ying to prove herself. If Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong hadn’t run into the Wang family father and son at the sales office, Chen Ru would surely have broken her promise and stopped Wen Ying from continuing to run the stall!
Unable to persuade the stubborn Chen Ru, all Chen Li could do for Wen Ying was support her, thinking of how Wen Ying had stood up for her, which warmed her heart.
“Go on, when you’re not home tonight, your uncle and I can talk more freely!”
Wen Ying got it instantly.
Couple’s matters should be settled privately between them.
This conversation might even involve “physical measures”, whether it was kneeling on a keyboard or something else, Wen Ying wanted to spare Deng Shangwei some dignity.
Understanding instantly, Wen Ying pretended not to, but went downstairs with a smile. Seeing Xie Qian, she waved:
“Tonight’s the last night of free tastings!”
Xie Qian nodded.
He noticed Wen Ying’s light tone and relaxed demeanor, guessing she hadn’t been soaked in her aunt’s tears after returning home.
Wen Ying lived at Chen Li’s place, and if Chen Li and Deng Shangwei were constantly arguing, it would be bad for her.
Their friends didn’t know about the “great deeds” the couple had done during the day. Wen Ying and Xie Qian now shared a secret, having done something “naughty” together, which made them feel a bit closer than ordinary friends!
That night, the stall’s revenue broke the 600-yuan mark. The crayfish were still free, so this was all from braised dishes and drinks, and Wen Ying’s cooking skills won the customers’ approval.
One customer, because of the free braised crayfish, had come to the stall for two days straight, also ordering some braised dishes.
Tonight, he returned and excitedly told Wen Ying:
“Your stuff is clean enough, I ate here two days in a row and didn’t get a stomach upset!”
Wen Ying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, what kind of compliment was that?
Mate, this is a night market stall, talking about stomach upsets could ruin others’ appetites!
To Wen Ying’s surprise, this customer’s words resonated with others.
“Her stuff is indeed clean.”
“The braised dishes, fragrant but not overpowering, different from others.”
“Yeah, when you first taste it, it seems a bit mild, but after finishing, you can’t help wanting another duck head.”
The few tables of customers at the stall earnestly critiqued the dishes.
Wen Ying didn’t know that “no stomach upset” was already high praise for a night market stall.
Chengdu people love spicy food daily, but night market stalls, to awaken customers’ taste buds at night, use heavier chili and spices. Heavy oil and intense spiciness are the industry standard for Chengdu’s barbecue, spicy hotpot, and dry pot shops.
This not only stimulates taste buds but sometimes masks less fresh ingredients. Unless you’re a regular night market eater, your stomach might not handle such intensity.
Eating night market food with friends to bond, then reporting the next day, it’s likely more than one person had a stomach upset. Anyone unscathed might be teased by friends as having a “steel gut”!
Wen Ying’s braised shrimp and meat were spicy too, but not the tongue-burning kind, spicy yet mild.
Hearing customers praise the stall’s cleanliness, Wang Shuang couldn’t help but puff out his chest.
I washed those shrimp till I was knackered, every one spotless, how could it not be clean?
Qin Jiao was thoughtful.
Wen Ying’s braised shrimp, chicken wings, or duck feet seemed like cheap ingredients at first glance, but Wen Ying made them taste like high-end restaurant dishes. Where did she learn such skills?
Hearing the customers’ praises, Wen Ying smiled and chimed in, “As long as it’s tasty, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters, please keep supporting us. From tomorrow, our fragrant braised crayfish won’t be free anymore.”
Some customers were understanding.
Ingredients cost money, and giving everything away for free after all that hard work? Wen Ying and her friends weren’t running a business for diligence and thrift, they’d be scattering their parents’ money like “wealth-giving boys”.
Some customers, used to free crayfish, felt a bit uneasy about paying now.
Wen Ying didn’t care about their feelings. Three days of free crayfish was to open the market. Always free? What’s the point of this business? She might as well go home, pull her hair out revising drafts, and hope to earn money from writing.
After closing the stall, Wen Ying said they’d prepare only 50 pounds of crayfish tomorrow. Wang Shuang’s shrimp-washing task suddenly lightened, and he wasn’t quite used to it:
“Fifty pounds, what if it’s not enough?”
“If it’s not enough, we stick to fifty pounds. Tomorrow’s a trial. If we sell out, great, we’ll adjust the amount the day after. Better to sell out than have too much left. They just praised our stuff for being clean and fresh, so we can’t sell them stale stock, right?”
Wen Ying’s words made Wang Shuang nod.
After three busy days, the stall was still losing money. Li Mengjiao was a bit dispirited, so Wen Ying had to paint a rosy picture to boost her friends’ morale.
“I plan to get our stall on track in a month, maybe less. Once we stop losing money, we can hire two helpers to wash and braise shrimp. Starting a business should be fun, our energy shouldn’t be entirely consumed by the stall. With helpers, anyone with other plans can skip, or we can make a shift schedule, sending a ‘boss’ to the stall each day to collect money. What do you think?”
Qin Jiao was the first to agree.
Li Mengjiao, too embarrassed to admit she was exhausted, feared her friends would mock her for quitting halfway. Wen Ying’s proposal gave her hope of victory, and she nodded quickly, afraid Wen Ying might backtrack.
Wang Shuang doubted Wen Ying’s plan, wondering if they’d even make money by the end of the two-month summer holiday.
Wen Ying laughed heartily, “Wang Shuang, go ask Uncle Wang if he made money in business just by manual labour!”
Then what?
As Xie Qian passed by, he coolly dropped three words: “By brainpower.”
Manual labour? Brainpower?
Wang Shuang rolled his eyes, “I feel like you’re all picking on me!”
Wen Ying tried hard to stifle her laughter.
, Boy, have some confidence, drop the “feel”!
After some playful banter, Wen Ying and Xie Qian headed home together. Along the way, Lin Lin kept wanting to ask about the morning’s events outside the complex but held back, considering Wen Ying’s age.
As Wen Ying got off at the complex entrance, waving goodbye to Lin Lin and Xie Qian, Lin Lin watched her carefree, joyful back and decided Wen Ying was forcing a smile. She thought Wen Ying was too sensible, not passing negative emotions to others, and couldn’t help instructing Xie Qian:
“You’re a boy, be more considerate to Wen Ying. If she’s unhappy, say something nice to cheer her up, especially these few days!”
Xie Qian looked up, his eyes full of question marks.
, Which eye of yours saw Wen Ying unhappy?
If Wen Ying’s joy was a cup of water, today it’d be overflowing!
