Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 31
The day’s business concluded, and Song Shi’an, overcome with sleepiness, struggled to keep his eyes open. The helpers were content with the modest stove-cooked meal and stayed to clean dishes, mop the floor, and tidy up.
Xu Zhongyue, holding his wife with one hand and today’s earnings with the account book in the other, walked back to Shuimo Fang Alley.
As darkness fell, the streets emptied. Aside from a distant watchman beating a gong, accompanied by a long, mournful sound, the only audible sounds were Xu Zhongyue’s footsteps and Song Shi’an’s gentle snoring.
Upon entering the house, despite placing Song Shi’an down carefully, he woke up. His first move was to locate the basket containing the copper plates.
Xu Zhongyue fetched water from the well with a bucket containing two cold golden melons. After cutting them, he presented the fruit along with the money and account book to Song Shi’an.
Song Shi’an’s initially groggy eyes brightened. Taking a bite of the melon, he earnestly began calculating the accounts in a slightly unconventional manner.
Using a large piece of sandpaper behind the stove, he marked a straight number after each bowl of noodles sold. As he tallied the numbers, since only eel noodles were sold that day, the total turnover was easily determined.
After matching the turnover with the actual income, Song Shi’an expected a slight discrepancy due to the bustling first day but found the amounts to be exactly the same. Laughing with joy, happiness radiated from his face to Xu Zhongyue’s heart.
Seeing Song Shi’an holding copper coins, Xu Zhongyue cut the melon into small pieces and fed him.
Song Shi’an then listed several expenditures without using an abacus. Quickly calculating the gross profit, he exclaimed, “Today, we collected a total of 6,520 cents, including charcoal fire, food ingredients, and money to open a small stove for them. After deducting all these expenses, we earned almost three taels in one day!”
No wonder the small basket couldn’t hold it; he quietly changed it to a larger bamboo basket later!
Despite factoring in real estate purchase expenses and losses on items like tables and chairs, the gross profit reached about 50% of the turnover—a surprising outcome.
“Hahahaha, Xu-gege, we are rich!” Song Shi’an placed his hands on his hips, laughing heartily.
After a few laughs, he winced in pain, “Ouch. Back pain…” After a day of hard work, standing for most of it, his back was sore.
In his previous life, running a noodle shop involved hiring staff for various roles. In ancient times, however, every task from noodle rolling onward was done manually, labor-intensive and demanding.
Xu Zhongyue, understanding his wife’s plight, said nothing, feeling sorry for him. He asked Song Shi’an to sit down, holding the back of the chair, and massaged his waist and shoulders with his two large palms.
Song Shi’an, thoroughly relaxed, closed his eyes as Xu Zhongyue skillfully massaged acupuncture points and tendons. The refreshing massage penetrated deep into his flesh, an enjoyment he wouldn’t trade for anything.
“What kind of accounting method are you using? I’ve never seen it before,” Xu Zhongyue inquired, pointing to the draft paper on the table after helping Song Shi’an relax his muscles and bones.
Song Shi’an, in a state of bliss, felt lazy, his bones seemingly melting into Xu Zhongyue’s embrace. “This… It’s a method I stumbled upon. The Arabic numerals 0 to 9 can combine to represent all our numbers. The writing is simple, and then using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, I find it faster than the abacus.”
Abacus calculation was unfamiliar to Song Shi’an.
“Arab?”
“Actually, it’s more Persian. However, I’ve read that these numerical methods originated in Persia.” Xu Zhongyue nodded.
“No wonder you know so much.”
Song Shi’an, slightly skeptical of Xu Zhongyue’s background, acknowledged his extensive knowledge of Persia, surpassing that of most town residents.
Xu Zhongyue elaborated on Persian trade with their country, mentioning the fine grape wine and luminous cup. He also spoke about the profound Mahayana Buddhism in Tianzhu and the journey of Master Faxian to learn Buddhist scriptures from there. Song Shi’an was impressed.
“You’re quite knowledgeable!”
Regardless of Xu Zhongyue’s past, Song Shi’an focused on the present, carried away by Xu Zhongyue to take a bath, forgetting the momentary doubts.
Xu Zhongyue assured him that from head to toe, even his toes were his wife’s property.
“If you want to learn, I’ll teach you everything!”
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On the second day of the Dragon Looks Back Restaurant’s opening, braised loach rice was added alongside the eel noodles from the first day. The rice, stewed with new rice and a bit of glutinous rice, turned out soft, glutinous, delicious, fragrant, and delightful.
Loach, often neglected by people near rivers due to its earthy smell and small size, became a delicacy in Song Shi’an’s hands. He added generous amounts of Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine, garlic, and chili peppers for free. These seasonings, when used in sufficient quantity, could be reused like a marinade, enhancing the flavor.
The restaurant drew another long queue. New customers joined the familiar faces, making the restaurant’s second day as bustling as the first.
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About thirty self-reliant women live by the riverside in Qingjiang Town. Some choose not to marry, while others, from impoverished families, lacking dowries, didn’t want marry poor men and endure the consequences, relinquishing the idea of marriage.
Fortunately, these independent women, all over forty, fierce-tempered, and skilled at saving money, invested in looms to weave cloth, supporting themselves. The government officials turned a blind eye as they were not subject to the recent remarriage mandate.
With money in their pockets, they indulged in occasional tooth-making ceremonies. Intrigued by the eel noodles, one sister tried them, and the fragrance lingered for three days. She enticed other sisters to join her, encountering skepticism on the way.
“Eels aren’t valuable. A bowl of eel noodles costs ten cents. Isn’t this a scam?” voiced one skeptical sister.
The leading woman, with a smile, responded, “It’s only ten cents; how could I trick you? Anyway, I know you’re frugal, so today’s meal is on me!”
Another woman expressed a bit of sadness, “We’re going to the store to eat again, I hope it won’t be like last time… or let’s get some snacks. We can buy from the shop and eat at home!”
Last time, a group of ten sisters pooled their money, scraped together more than a tael of silver, and went to Baihe Restaurant for dinner. However, they faced discrimination from the shopkeeper, leaving them angry upon their return.
The woman leading the group assured her sisters, “This new store is run by a polite shuanger. Don’t worry.”
Approaching the store, they were relieved to see a long queue.
If it wasn’t delicious, there wouldn’t be such a queue. When they finally arrived, the leading sister confidently ordered, “We’ll each have one bowl of loach rice and two bowls of eel noodles. Bring us a few extra bowls; we can share the noodles!”
The shuanger in charge of the dishes was beautiful and delicate.
He smiled softly, nodded, and said, “The last pot of rice has just been eaten; this one will take a while. I’ll prepare the noodles for my sisters. Please wait at your seats.”
The treat cost only sixty cents, deemed affordable by the treating sister.
“We’re old ladies; we could only eat a bowl of rice every day. It would be a waste if we can’t finish the noodles!” one sister exclaimed.
“It won’t be wasted. Trust me; it’s delicious! If I can’t finish it; I’ll buy a bowl to take back for the eldest sister to try!”
The treating sister divided the empty bowls, and a man with broad shoulders and long legs, dark complexion, and a handsome face emerged from the kitchen, delivering a full basket of chopsticks.
“Is it really good?” a short, plump, yet pretty sister asked, “Even if the food in this store isn’t delicious, it’s worth frequent visits.”
The leading sister had already picked up the noodles, saying, “If you like to watch, just watch. We’ll finish all the noodles; don’t blame us!”
“Look, you have to eat! If you don’t, wouldn’t you be letting yourself down? Don’t you like it?” urged one sister.
The noodles were chewy, and the eel shreds were delicious and tender. After a single bite, the two sisters, momentarily forgetting their sisterhood, devoured the two bowls of noodles enthusiastically.
Hungry and only 50% full, they hadn’t even put down their chopsticks when the owner personally brought them four bowls of braised loach rice.
Song Shi’an, holding the large lacquer plate, placed down the four large bowls and then a slightly smaller bowl with a smile, containing thinly sliced braised pig head meat. It was incredibly delicious, with a color as red as rouge.
“My sister is back for the second time. She’s an old customer of ours. Thank you for bringing your relatives and friends for dinner. Here’s our own braised pork head meat. We cut it into a plate to give our sisters a fresh taste,” said the owner.
The leading sister brightened up, proudly distributing the pig head meat to her sisters after the owner left.
Unlike their disappointing experience at Baihe Restaurant, this restaurant was amazing. A huge flying dragon adorned the front of the store, more majestic than the white crane.
On their second visit, the boss recognized them as familiar customers and specially gave them a bowl of pork head meat. Usually, pork head meat was very valuable, making it a rare treat.
The sisters took the gesture seriously, happily tasting the braised pork. One bite left them astonished.
So delicious!
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Three days after opening, the restaurant was on the right track. Common sense dictated that after three days, the flow of people gradually decreases. However, this rule didn’t apply to the restaurant; at noon and dinner, a long queue persisted at the entrance.
Like the self-reliant girls, many customers were not only drawn by the delicious food but also captivated by the gentle and beautiful young shop owner.
Song Shi’an’s model for opening a store was Baihe Restaurant, the first store in Qingjiang Town. However, the first one was not in a hurry for the time being, as someone else was anxious.