Ye Qiu listened to Ji Chen’s concerned words and smiled.
“If you bring me food again, I’m going to get angry!” Ji Chen thought Ye Qiu was taking the matter lightly, assuming she was still in shock from the family’s split, and gently placed his hand on her forehead to check for fever.
Tightening her grip on Ji Chen’s hand and looking into his anxious eyes, Ye Qiu asked, “What, are you worried about me?”
“Don’t worry, the one who got split off wasn’t me, it was my second brother.” Ye Qiu placed the food she brought into Ji Chen’s hands.
Although the villagers had more food than what was available at the youth training base, Ji Chen couldn’t help but be concerned. “Why did you bring me food again? Won’t your family mind?”
Ji Chen took the iron box, which surprisingly contained white rice and chicken legs.
“Of course they wouldn’t mind! They might even want to thank you!” Ye Qiu remembered her mother’s instructions and reassured him.
……
Most of the breakfast eaters in the town were workers from factories and students from the school. To catch the breakfast rush, Ye Qiu and her companions got up early. Ye Oldest was picking vegetables in the dark, Ye Oldest’s wife was frying various pancakes, Ye Mu was making fritters, and Ye Qiu was in charge of preparing sauces, even little Hua helped out while yawning.
With no small cart for business at home, Ye Qiu suggested that they prepare each item separately and wrap them as needed when customers arrive. She even asked Ye Mu to sew white gloves and masks for Ye Oldest, insisting that he must wear them while preparing pancakes for others.
On the first day of their venture, with Ye Mu’s brainwashing, they prepared a whole basket of pancakes. After they were cooked, Ye Qiu placed the pancakes into a clean bamboo basket, which was lined with a thick cloth for insulation. One basket was filled with pancakes while the other held jars of secret sauces, pickled vegetables, and chili peppers.
Ye Oldest picked up two bamboo baskets, ready to head out, but when Ye Qiu wanted to go too, Ye Mu refused. After some thought, worried about her son, she decided to tag along. While Ye Lao Da was skilled at working, he floundered when it came to sales. Selling required shouting; if he didn’t shout, how could they sell their goods?
“Mom, don’t worry, I’ve been there so many times; I know the places to sell breakfast really well. I won’t get lost!” Ye Oldest assured her in his honest way.
Ye Mu poked Ye Oldest’s head, “You silly boy, I’m not worried about you getting lost; I’m worried you won’t sell anything! If people don’t know our food is good, no one will buy it!”
“No way, it’s the first day; I can’t be at ease. I’ll go with you; if you get too busy, I can help.” Ye Mu changed into clean clothes and went to town with Ye Oldest.
Though the Ye family was split up, they only had one kitchen. Ye’s Second wife sent Ye Second off to work in the morning and, seeing the kitchen bustling with activity, she scoffed internally: the sun is rising in the west! Ye Qiu is already working; without the wages we used to hand over, look how he’s turned over a new leaf! Hahaha.
Experimental Primary School is the only school in town. Children from nearby families all attend when they reach the appropriate age. Behind the school is the workers’ housing compound, so the foot traffic next to the school is substantial, naturally forming a small pedestrian street with many vendors. After dropping off their kids, parents like to browse around to see if they can find something cheap and useful.
When the three Ye children were young, they were also sent to Experimental Primary School. Ye Mu was well aware of the hot location of the pedestrian street, so she took Ye Oldest early to secure a prime spot, at a distance from the school gate, where every parent dropping off their child could easily see them.
As soon as Ye Mu arrived at the spot, she boldly displayed everything from the bamboo basket, urging Ye Oldest to first prepare a pancake roll, cutting it in half and placing it on the basket’s lid for display. The third child announced that this was for a physical demonstration and that they were ready to shout:
“Pancake rolls here! Delicious pancake rolls~”
A young woman, leading her daughter, noticed as Ye Mu took out jars and began applying the sauces. Curiously, she asked, “Isn’t this just a pancake? Where’s the roll?”
“Ah, sister, you’ve asked the right person! Do you see this crispy piece tucked inside the pancake? This is the roll. This pancake roll is a new style brought by the educated youth from the city. They say if you don’t eat it for a few days, you’ll crave it desperately. I’ve heard it’s popular in the city right now!”
Seeing an opportunity, Ye Mu cut a piece from the displayed pancake roll and handed it to the little girl.
“Delicious! Mommy, I want to eat more.” The little girl finished the piece in one bite and clung to her young mother, seeking more.
The young woman appeared affluent and eager to try new things; she bought two without hesitation when the price was mentioned: “Alright, alright, but after eating, you must study hard like the educated youth.”
As Ye Mu collected the money, she asked, “Do you want pickles, chilli, or vegetables?”
“No chili for the child.”
Ye Oldest donned the white gloves Ye Qiu prepared and wore a matching mask. While under the gaze of the crowd, he wrapped up a non-spicy pancake roll in oil paper and handed it to the little girl.
The young woman, initially worried the new food might not be clean, felt reassured by Ye Oldest’s preparation: “You’ve really paid attention to detail, with gloves and a mask!”
“Of course! We set up a stall here by the school for the little ones. Hygiene is most important; a dirty pancake would cause them discomfort!” Ye Mu had thought that all the preparations Ye Qiu suggested were unnecessary. Who wears gloves while wrapping pancakes? However, upon hearing the young woman’s words, she realized that her son was indeed the smartest.
Considering the pancake rolls would lose their crispness after a while, Ye Qiu instructed Ye Da Sao to make soft pancake rolls. The outer layer with eggs was fragrant and fluffy, wrapped with sauces, crispy fillings, and vegetables, creating a rich flavour that breakfast crowds usually didn’t see.
Onlookers felt a bit reluctant at the price but knew this new style from the city was worth trying—one fried roll with an egg pancake and fillings could fill anyone up.
As the young woman and her little girl found the food delicious, others approached to buy, and soon the stall was packed with customers.
Ye Mu was grinning from ear to ear as she collected the money, urging the flustered Ye Oldest to keep making pancake rolls.