Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 167

That Bite of Potato Cake

Researchers’ salaries are still high; after all, their academic qualifications are right there, so the salaries for R&D positions are never low. If it were Sun Miao or someone else with a low salary, no matter how bad the cafeteria food was, just for the fact that it was free, Sun Miao couldn’t let herself eat breakfast out.

After a group of people left, Sun Miao checked her stock.

She estimated that she definitely wouldn’t be able to sell everything in the morning. She would continue selling at noon, and if the customer traffic was decent, she could sell out by then.

The system keenly discovered this.【Host, did you intentionally prepare less? You always sell out by noon and finish.】

Sun Miao certainly wouldn’t admit it. “I’ve already done my best to prepare, but I’m running a street stall, you know. I can’t possibly get up super early in the morning to prepare a huge amount; there wouldn’t be enough time in the morning. It’s just that the food you taught me is too delicious, so many people buy it that I simply can’t make it to the evening.”

This string of words made the system so happy it couldn’t find north¹, so it accepted Sun Miao’s explanation.

While she was chattering nonsense² with the system, a person happened to arrive at her stall. The moment Sun Miao stood up, a question mark suddenly popped up above her head. It was just that the person in front of her looked a bit like Su Ruixi.

Standing before her was a woman of about forty, with gentle eyes and brows, dressed in a formal skirt suit. She wore a smile, her gaze peaceful and benevolent. Although her expression and temperament were completely different from Su Ruixi’s, there was a slight resemblance in her eyes and brows.

Sun Miao thought of the middle-aged man she had met in front of Yuanfu Lou who looked very much like Su Ruixi. Now, seeing another woman with similar eyes and brows, she began to suspect: Does my own Susu-jie have a bit of a common face³?

But she quickly pushed this idea out of her mind and thought: Good-looking people just look alike, it must be so.

Time does not defeat a beauty⁴, and the woman before her was just that. The years had settled her temperament into one of gentle dignity, and her eyes and brows had gained the charm of a mature woman. When she spoke, even her voice was soft, gentle, and amiable, making anyone who heard it feel as if they were bathing in a spring breeze⁵.

“Little Boss, are you from Zhijin⁶, Guizhou Province?” she asked softly, as if afraid of startling Sun Miao.

Faced with this question, Sun Miao shook her head. “No, I just learned how to make the yangyu potato cake from there.”

“I see.”

The customer nodded. “Then give me one, please.”

Sun Miao moved quickly. In no time at all, she had it ready for the customer and asked about her preferred flavor. The customer answered without hesitation, “I want the chili with zhe’ergen, and please add a lot of zhe’ergen.”

“Okay.” Sun Miao added the topping and then asked if she wanted it to-go or to eat there. The customer glanced at the table and chairs. Although Sun Miao had wiped them very clean, it was clear the customer was fastidious and a bit of a clean freak. The woman shook her head. “No, I’ll take it away.”

Sun Miao wrapped it in oil paper and a plastic bag, then handed it to the customer. The customer paid by scanning a code and then turned to leave the stall.

Once the woman was far away, Sun Miao retracted her gaze. “She really does look a bit like Susu-jie, just much more gentle.”

【Is the Host saying Su Ruixi isn’t gentle?】

Sun Miao immediately denied it, “You’re talking nonsense!” It was a good thing Su Ruixi couldn’t hear the system’s voice, otherwise Sun Miao suspected the system would betray her at any moment and sow discord between her and Su Ruixi. But even though Su Ruixi couldn’t hear, Sun Miao not only denied it but also whispered, “Gentleness has its own good points, but I like Susu-jie because she is who she is.”

Yes, that was what Sun Miao thought.

Appearance was only the prerequisite for one’s heart to be moved. If it weren’t for Su Ruixi’s own charming personality, Sun Miao probably wouldn’t have slowly developed such a deep affection. By now, Sun Miao felt that she most likely couldn’t live without Su Ruixi.

She had grown accustomed to a life where Su Ruixi was beside her every time she opened her eyes; accustomed to cooking for Su Ruixi; accustomed to waiting for Su Ruixi to come home, so the two of them could sit at the dining table, eating and chatting about the interesting things that happened during the day.

Sun Miao couldn’t go back to being alone anymore. If they were to truly separate, she would die of loneliness.

A gentle personality was very nice, and Sun Miao enjoyed getting along with such people, but that was limited to relationships like friends, or even strangers who were mere nodding acquaintances⁷. Her lover was Su Ruixi, whose personality—cold on the outside but with a touch of cute naivety⁸ on the inside—was what the current Sun Miao liked most.

No, as soon as I mention Su Ruixi, I start missing her again.

The customer who had bought the yangyu potato cake arrived at the entrance of the research institute. She entered the institute, and the security guard on duty at the gate called out, “Ms. Shen.” Shen Yiqiu⁹ nodded, greeted him, and then carried the yangyu potato cake back to her office inside the institute.

She first poured herself a glass of water before sitting down. She put on her glasses, opened her laptop, and took a sip of water. After doing all this, she picked up the yangyu potato cake from the side, opened her mouth, and took a bite.

Shen Yiqiu actually thought this yangyu potato cake was a bit expensive. Her husband was a good earner and her own salary was very high, but that didn’t mean Shen Yiqiu was unaware of basic commodity prices.

She had originally thought the yangyu potato cake would have some filling inside. In some places, they would stuff things inside the potato cakes, like minced meat or pickled vegetables¹⁰. Considering the prices in this area, 10 kuai for one wouldn’t be expensive. But when she saw the stall owner making it, Shen Yiqiu realized: there was nothing, it was just a very plain yangyu potato cake.

There was nothing inside, but the owner’s technique was skilled, so it looked like it wouldn’t taste bad.

If not for seeing how nimble and skilled her movements were, Shen Yiqiu wouldn’t have paid so decisively; at the very least, she would have had to grumble a few words.

I’ll just consider it making a small contribution to my hometown’s cuisine, Shen Yiqiu thought as she took a bite.

She had to admit, this yangyu potato cake was really quite delicious.

With the first bite, Shen Yiqiu’s eyes lit up. This yangyu potato cake was truly delicious, so delicious that Shen Yiqiu even felt it was better than the zongzi her own daughter had brought home a while ago. The potential of the potato was brought to its fullest; the outside was slightly crispy, while the inside was soft and delicate.

As for the flavor, the white pepper had a slight spiciness, and this simple seasoning brought the most exquisite enjoyment.

The next moment, Shen Yiqiu took another bite. She couldn’t wait to taste the combination of the zhe’ergen chili and the yangyu potato cake. She took a huge bite, completely unlike her usual gentle and dignified demeanor, with an added touch of a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey¹¹.

It’s fine, I’m in my own office. No one can see me.

Eating the yangyu potato cake together with the zhe’ergen chili sauce, a look of satisfaction appeared on Shen Yiqiu’s face.

It was really so delicious.

Shen Yiqiu simply couldn’t refuse zhe’ergen; it was her most simple and primal memory. When she was little, she would sit properly on a stool, waiting for her own mother to make her a dish of cold-dressed zhe’ergen¹². It didn’t require much preparation: just wash the zhe’ergen, cut it into sections, add chili sauce, soy sauce, salt, and white sugar, and finally drizzle a layer of hot oil over it. For Shen Yiqiu, this was pure enjoyment.

That sour and spicy flavor was something she especially missed.

But her own mother didn’t come here often; she still preferred to stay in their old home in Guizhou Province. Shen Yiqiu’s older brothers, older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters were all in their hometown and had never left. So, her mother only came over occasionally.

Shen Yiqiu’s family was wealthy, so logically speaking, they would never be short of this particular food. But for some unknown reason, no matter how the family chef prepared it, Shen Yiqiu just felt the taste wasn’t right.

At this very moment, at a small street stall, Shen Yiqiu had found the right taste. Just this one bite sent her thoughts drifting back to her childhood, to those carefree days.

Moreover, this chili was more fragrant and more potent. But Shen Yiqiu was getting on in years, after all. Although she maintained herself well enough to look like she was just over forty, her daughter was already almost thirty, so she had to be in her fifties, heading towards sixty. For the sake of health preservation¹³, she had been eating less chili in recent years.

So, as this mouthful of chili with zhe’ergen went down, she couldn’t help but suck in a few sharp breaths of air to relieve the burning sensation in her mouth.

Of course, even if she had to suck in air, she still had to eat the yangyu potato cake. Shen Yiqiu began to eat in large mouthfuls, drinking several gulps of water to alleviate the spiciness. By the time she finished one yangyu potato cake, she had chugged, glug, glug, glug, several mouthfuls of water, completely emptying her cup.

Shen Yiqiu could only go and get another cup of water. She felt better after drinking a few sips.

She sat in her seat, unable to stop herself from thinking: Aiya, 10 kuai for one yangyu potato cake is such a great deal! I bought too few. Tomorrow, I’ll buy two more tomorrow!

But Shen Yiqiu couldn’t bring herself to go back and buy more right now. She was a person with a bit of pride and was also concerned about saving face. Having just left, to go back immediately—wouldn’t that make it seem like she was extremely greedy for their yangyu potato cake? No, I can’t be so obvious.

But she really wanted to eat more.

At noon… I probably won’t be able to buy it, right? Many stalls only do business in the morning and evening; they don’t come out at noon. That’s because the chengguan¹⁴ are off duty in the morning and evening and won’t bother them, but at noon, it’s very easy to get caught.

She started to think about the evening. When I get off work tonight, I’ll bring two cakes home, just for me. I don’t care about my husband; my own stomach is the most important. If my daughter is here, I’ll bring one for her too, without chili. My daughter can’t handle spicy food.

Shen Yiqiu thought for a long time, once again longing for that yangyu potato cake. She had just drunk more than a cup of water because of it, but now she was already planning to add the same amount of zhe’ergen chili sauce as she had this morning. Even though it was very spicy, that was precisely the flavor that made it so potent.

If you add less, it’s just not as delicious.

Her husband and daughter were people who didn’t know how to eat; they had no idea how delicious zhe’ergen chili sauce was. To think they lived in Guizhou Province for so many years and still can’t get the wonderfulness of zhe’ergen and chili sauce! she muttered in her heart, unaware that her daughter had just sneezed because of her thoughts.

When it was time to work, she threw herself wholeheartedly into her research. But when it was time for lunch, she once again started to long for the small stall’s yangyu potato cake. She told herself: Tonight, after work, I’ll definitely be able to buy it!

She finally endured until five in the evening. Shen Yiqiu didn’t linger to stay with the other researchers but grabbed her bag and ran off¹⁵. Her pace was very fast, and in no time, she arrived at the spot where the small stall had been that morning.

However, her expectant smile froze on her face.

Shen Yiqiu had only one thought: Where’s the stall? Where is my big stall that sells yangyu potato cake?

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