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    Setting Up Stalls Near the Rich Lady

    Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 207

    by Little Panda

    The Fried Skewer Trio

    Before Sun Miao and Su Ruixi even had a chance to speak, the shop owner gave them a huge discount. As she calculated the discount, she said, “I opened this qipao shop for this very day! You look so beautiful! These clothes are meant to be worn by beauties! A discount, I must give you a discount, a huge discount. 500 for both pieces, take them right away!”

    Sun Miao had a feeling this was just the shop owner’s business strategy, but her words were pleasant and the price was indeed not expensive. Sun Miao immediately paid for everything. Lured in by the shop owner’s rainbow fart​1, she also bought a few small accessories, like a bag and shoes.

    When she finally left the shop, she had spent a total of 900.

    Su Ruixi carried the clothes the two had changed out of. The shop owner had some conscience, giving them shopping bags to pack their things.

    From entering to exiting, the two had changed from head to toe. Standing at the shop’s entrance, the cat inside meowed at them twice. The shop owner said with overflowing enthusiasm, “Welcome back next time, you two beauties!”

    After walking a few steps, Sun Miao couldn’t hold back and secretly complained to Su Ruixi, “That was definitely her strategy. She flattered us until our heads were spinning, and that’s how I ended up paying without even realizing it! How despicable, I never knew there was such a way of doing business!”

    Su Ruixi, however, was smiling. It was obvious that Sun Miao had gotten carried away and bought so many things because the owner had praised her. Her voice was soft, “But the price was very cheap.”

    ——That was true, the price was acceptable. Otherwise, with Sun Miao’s petty urbanite​2, money-pinching nature, if she really couldn’t accept it, she’d probably still be in the shop haggling with the owner.

    Sun Miao took the shopping bags from Su Ruixi’s hands, and then the two walked hand-in-hand along the small paths of Jiangnan. The bluestone slab road was not easy to walk on, but luckily they weren’t wearing high heels. The embroidered shoes were very comfortable and not slippery at all.

    However, the experience on this main road was truly not good. There were too many people. With people coming and going, looking at flowers while riding a horse​3, you couldn’t really see anything. On top of that, the level of commercialization was too high; the surroundings were filled with shops selling snacks and tourist souvenirs, making both of them feel they had chosen the wrong place.

    They finally reached the boat dock recommended online, wanting to take a small boat for a look, only to find it packed with people. If they were to actually queue, it would probably take over an hour.

    Neither of them liked to wait in line, so they had to give up on the idea.

    Fortunately, the next day’s experience was much better. They chose to wake up early in the morning, put on the qipaos they bought yesterday, and went to a temple that was highly recommended online. The temple didn’t charge an entrance fee in the early morning, and after entering, they could even pet the cats inside.

    The weather was still cool in the early morning, and all the cats were squatting in the courtyard, letting people stroke them.

    They also ate the highly recommended vegetarian noodles​4, but they were too sweet for Su Ruixi’s taste. Both of them were atheists, but they still accepted the three free incense sticks at the temple and bowed to the Bodhisattva​5. After leaving the temple, Su Ruixi leaned close to Sun Miao’s ear and whispered, “Miaomiao, do you know what this temple is most effective for praying for?”

    Sun Miao shook her head.

    Su Ruixi whispered in her ear, her voice soft and gentle, drilling into Sun Miao’s ear and making it twitch involuntarily, “It’s romantic fate​6.”

    After saying this, Su Ruixi pulled back a little and asked again, “What was Miaomiao praying for just now?”

    What people prayed for was mostly the same: either a successful career and for a yellow horse to gallop​7; or academic success and for the whole family to be happy and joyous. Sun Miao was a common person and thought along similar lines. She answered honestly, “I wished for Susu-jie to have a smooth and successful life.”

    Her wishes had always been small. Before she transmigrated, she wanted to earn a little money, buy a house for herself, and have a place to settle down. If she were a bit greedier, she would wish to find a soulmate and never be apart, even when their hair turns white​8. Now that her wishes had all come true, she could be a bit greedier: she wanted Su Ruixi to have a smooth and successful life, just like the prayer her parents had placed in her name.

    After Sun Miao finished, she asked Su Ruixi, “What about Susu-jie? What did you pray for?”

    Su Ruixi had a bit of a mischievous streak in her. “I’m not telling you.”

    “Huh?” Sun Miao was stunned. Before she could react, Su Ruixi walked a few steps ahead, and Sun Miao quickly chased after her. The fact that Su Ruixi wouldn’t say made her even more curious. She grabbed Su Ruixi’s hand and started to wheedle, “Susu-jie, tell me, please? What wish did you make?”

    “I’m not telling. It won’t come true if I say it out loud.”

    Hearing this, Sun Miao reflexively spat “Pah pah pah” a few times. “That’s not true, it will still come true even if you say it. That last sentence doesn’t count, my wish will definitely come true!”

    The two of them laughed and joked for a good while. For lunch, they went to a famous restaurant in Gusu and tasted the local delicacies. But to Sun Miao’s surprise, the century-old restaurant here wasn’t that expensive at all, it couldn’t compare to Yuanfu Tower.

    The two of them ordered several dishes, and the total bill didn’t even reach a thousand yuan.

    Of course, the taste wasn’t as good either; this restaurant catered to a more mass-market clientele. Sun Miao thought this was fine, it was quite good.

    On Sunday, as usual, Sun Miao was pulled into the system space early in the morning. This time, what the system taught wasn’t some traditional delicacy, but a particularly classic one—the Fried Skewer Trio​9.

    The Fried Skewer Trio was also very simple, consisting of: fried starch sausages​10, fried rice cakes​11, and fried meat skewers.

    Fried Starch Sausages
    Fried Rice Cakes
    Fried Meat Skewers

    These three items weren’t particularly difficult to make, it was mainly the initial preparation that was harder. The system taught Sun Miao how to make both the rice cakes and the starch sausages. However, making starch sausages was too time-consuming, and mechanized production was much faster and more hygienic than what Sun Miao could do, so she was approved to purchase them directly.

    But the rice cakes, she had to make herself.

    Making rice cakes wasn’t difficult either. The simplest household method was to steam rice, then pound the rice flour until it became sticky, steam it over water, shape it, and then refrigerate it. The method the system taught was slightly more difficult.

    Take glutinous rice, japonica rice, and a piece of lard. Wash and soak them in a certain ratio. After the time was up, grind the glutinous and japonica rice into powder to make a rice slurry. Steam it with lard and a little sugar, then put it into a mold and wait for it to set.

    Making starch sausages wasn’t hard either. Just add some meat, water, starch, white sugar, MSG, and other seasonings, then steam and press them into shape.

    Regarding starch sausages, there had been an incident a while back where “starch sausages'” house collapsed​12. A reporter revealed that many starch sausages were made with chicken bone paste, causing a period where many people mistook the sound of the wind and the cry of the cranes​13 for the enemy, and even the beloved fried starch sausages were left untouched.

    Sun Miao had also followed this news and later saw a reversal of the incident. The starch sausages made with chicken bone paste were mostly “three-no” products​14, many of which were intended for pets. As long as they were from legitimate manufacturers with inspection certificates, they wouldn’t dare use chicken bone paste.

    The system even specifically taught her how to distinguish starch sausages made from chicken bone paste—it personally fed one to Sun Miao and made her remember the difference. If she couldn’t tell, she would have to keep eating them.

    Sun Miao ate one, memorized the taste, and then ate no more.

    This was her punishment for being lazy. If she wanted to save trouble by using ready-made, purchased starch sausages, she had to ensure that the things were actually usable. She didn’t sell them cheap, and if they didn’t taste good, she would truly be letting her customers down.

    Besides these two, the fried meat skewers were also relatively simple. The so-called fried meat skewers were fried tenderloin​15. Nowadays, the tenderloin at many small stalls was a frozen product. This stuff was convenient, simple, and cheap, but since Sun Miao sold hers at a high price, she couldn’t buy this frozen kind. She had to go to the wet market herself to buy fresh tenderloin to prepare.

    Making these wasn’t really difficult for Sun Miao. The hardest parts were mastering the cooking temperature and making the dipping sauces. The system only provided three types of sauces: sweet sauce, spicy sauce, and ketchup, but it also gave a dry seasoning mix. Sun Miao had a foundation for making these, so this time she only stayed inside for three months before she graduated.

    When she opened her eyes, Su Ruixi was still nestled in her arms, asleep. Sun Miao rubbed her chin against Su Ruixi’s. Su Ruixi groggily lifted her head, “You’re awake? Want to go eat?”

    “No, I want to laze in bed.”

    Coming out of the system space, Sun Miao wasn’t physically tired, but mentally, no matter how many times she entered and exited the system space, she could never get used to that kind of exhaustion. She rested her head on Su Ruixi’s chin, feeling Su Ruixi’s arms wrap around her in an embrace, and was instantly content.

    She also decided to bring up the matter of watching the video. Lately, she really hadn’t found any videos that were similar to her situation, except for that one about the little culinary god who cheated his way to the pinnacle of life.

    So after the two had been clingy for a while, Sun Miao asked Su Ruixi, “Susu-jie, do you want to watch a short drama​16 with me?”

    Su Ruixi wasn’t actually very interested, but since Sun Miao suggested it, she didn’t refuse, “Okay.”

    In the morning, they wandered around the scenic area again, had a simple lunch, and then went home. In the afternoon, Sun Miao first went out to buy some ingredients, made the rice cakes and put them in the fridge, and only then did she pull Su Ruixi along to watch the short drama.

    Since they were watching together, they projected it directly onto the TV. The vertical-screen short drama wasn’t a great fit for the television, especially not for Su Ruixi’s expensive, large-screen TV. And the male lead of the short drama… his quality was uneven, and this one was not good.

    The moment the male lead’s somewhat crooked melons and split dates​17 of a face was projected onto the TV, Su Ruixi’s whole body leaned back, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.

    Short dramas, well, each episode was very short, just over a minute long, and then it was over. The first episode barely explained anything, just that the male lead transmigrated to ancient times and was blessed with a culinary god system. At that moment, Su Ruixi felt a headache coming on. She couldn’t help but press the remote and pause it.

    Su Ruixi looked at Sun Miao, wanting to say something but holding back. The meaning in her eyes was clear: Did you click on the wrong show?

    But Sun Miao’s reaction was even more awkward than Su Ruixi’s. Her feet were flat on the floor, a complete contrast to her usual relaxed posture of propping them directly on the sofa. At the same time, her toes were slightly curled; she was clearly so embarrassed that her toes were gripping the ground​18.

    Sun Miao’s voice was soft, “Susu-jie, um, it’s, just, the next episode.”

    That afternoon was an ordeal for both of them. They finally finished about ten episodes. Sun Miao swallowed. She straightened her clothes and sat upright​19, her back ramrod straight. After a long internal struggle, she couldn’t help but ask Su Ruixi, “Susu-jie, so, after watching so many episodes, do you have any thoughts?”

    The author has something to say:

    Come out, my favorite classic fried skewer trio!

    TOC

    Footnotes

    1. Hanzi: 彩虹屁. Pinyin: cǎihóng pì. Explanation: A popular internet slang term that literally means “rainbow fart.” It refers to showering someone with excessive, over-the-top compliments and flattery, as if even their farts are as beautiful as rainbows.
    2. Hanzi: 小市民. Pinyin: xiǎo shìmín. Explanation: Literally “little city resident.” The term refers to the petit bourgeoisie or petty urbanites, and often carries a connotation of being narrow-minded, materialistic, and overly concerned with trivial gains and losses.
    3. Hanzi: 走马观花. Pinyin: zǒumǎ guānhuā. Explanation: An idiom that literally means “to look at flowers while riding a horse.” It is used to describe giving something a cursory glance or a superficial look without paying attention to the details.
    4. Hanzi: 素面. Pinyin: sùmiàn. Explanation: A simple type of noodle dish made without meat or strong seasonings, often served in a light, clear broth. It is a common offering at Buddhist temples.
    5. Hanzi: 菩萨. Pinyin: Púsà. Explanation: In Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is an enlightened being who delays their own entry into nirvana in order to help all sentient beings achieve enlightenment.
    6. Hanzi: 姻缘. Pinyin: yīnyuán. Explanation: A concept in Chinese culture referring to the “thread of marriage” or the fate that brings two people together in a romantic relationship, often believed to be predestined.
    7. Hanzi: 飞黄腾达. Pinyin: fēihuáng téngdá. Explanation: An idiom that literally means “a legendary yellow horse galloping.” It is used to describe someone achieving rapid success and a meteoric rise in their career or social standing.
    8. Hanzi: 愿得一心人，白首不相离. Pinyin: yuàn dé yīxīn rén, báishǒu bù xiāng lí. Explanation: A famous line from the Han Dynasty poem “Ballad of White Hair” (白头吟 – Báitóu Yín). It expresses the wish to find a devoted partner and stay together until old age.
    9. Hanzi: 炸串三件套. Pinyin: zhá chuàn sān jiàn tào. Explanation: Literally “fried skewer three-piece set.” It refers to a classic combination of popular street food skewers.
    10. Hanzi: 淀粉肠. Pinyin: diànfěn cháng. Explanation: A type of inexpensive sausage with a high starch content, a very common street food item in China, often deep-fried.
    11. Hanzi: 年糕. Pinyin: niángāo. Explanation: A food made from glutinous rice flour. It can be prepared in various ways (steamed, fried, boiled) and can be sweet or savory.
    12. Hanzi: 塌房. Pinyin: tā fáng. Explanation: A popular internet slang term that literally means “the house collapsed.” It’s used to describe the moment a celebrity’s public image is destroyed by a scandal, or when something one is a fan of is ruined by negative revelations.
    13. Hanzi: 风声鹤唳. Pinyin: fēngshēng hè lì. Explanation: An idiom that literally means “to mistake the sound of the wind and the cry of cranes for the enemy.” It describes a state of extreme nervousness and panic.
    14. Hanzi: 三无产品. Pinyin: sān wú chǎnpǐn. Explanation: A term for products that lack three key pieces of information: no date of manufacture, no quality certification, and no manufacturer’s name. They are considered illegal and often unsafe.
    15. Hanzi: 里脊肉. Pinyin: lǐjí ròu. Explanation: Pork tenderloin, a lean and tender cut of meat.
    16. Hanzi: 短剧. Pinyin: duǎnjù. Explanation: Literally “short drama.” This refers to a very popular modern web series format, especially on short-video platforms like Douyin (China’s TikTok). Episodes are typically only 1-3 minutes long, fast-paced, and designed for vertical mobile viewing.
    17. Hanzi: 歪瓜裂枣. Pinyin: wāiguā lièzǎo. Explanation: An idiom that literally means “crooked melons and split dates.” It is used colloquially to describe someone or something that is ugly or of poor quality.
    18. Hanzi: 脚趾扣地. Pinyin: jiǎozhǐ kòu dì. Explanation: A modern descriptive phrase meaning “toes gripping the ground.” It’s a vivid way to describe extreme embarrassment or cringe, similar to the English expression “curling one’s toes.”
    19. Hanzi: 正襟危坐. Pinyin: zhènjīn wēizuò. Explanation: An idiom that literally means “to straighten one’s lapels and sit upright.” It describes sitting in a very formal, stiff, and serious posture.

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