Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 40

Su Ruixi’s Parents

Of course, Su Ruixi’s parents didn’t live in their suburban villa every day; they only came here when they were on vacation and didn’t want to stay in the city. Su Ruixi’s father was still in his prime, and Su Ruixi was unwilling to take over the family business, so he was naturally still shining in his own company.

The large house in the suburbs was nice, but their family was small, with only three people in total. Su Ruixi was also away from home year-round, and the elderly couple didn’t want to live alone in the big house. Especially since it was far from the company, they also bought a villa in the best riverside villa area in the city, where they lived on weekdays.

It was the May Day holiday, so Su Ruixi’s parents returned to the suburbs.

Su Ruixi’s car drove all the way to the entrance of the main building. After handing the car keys to the house servant, Su Ruixi picked up the things she was carrying and got out of the car. She noticed that the moment she got out, the servants’ eyes focused on the beef pancakes she was holding.

Come to think of it, the plastic bag really didn’t match Su Ruixi. She had just gotten out of the car, wearing flat shoes, but she still looked imposing, with an aura of 1.8 meters. She was dressed entirely in custom-made clothes, and the accessories she wore were all expensive, big-name brands. Such a person carrying a crumpled, transparent plastic bag created a huge contrast.

Su Ruixi, however, ignored everyone’s gazes and carried her lunchbox and plastic bag straight into the house.

Su Ruixi’s father greeted her first. Father Su smiled broadly when he saw his daughter: “Xixi, you’re back! Your mom is busy in the kitchen. Hurry up, it’ll be ready soon!”

Father Su’s smile wasn’t the kind of “genuine welcome for his daughter” smile, but rather a “finally someone is back to suffer with me and share the burden” kind of schadenfreude. Although Father Su was a love-struck fool, his mouth and tongue were fine, and he had tasted countless delicacies. There was no way he could sincerely believe that Mother Su’s cooking was truly delicious.

Su Ruixi saw through this and a cold smile appeared on her face: “You just want me to share the burden.”

“Shh, don’t say that.”

Father Su saw the bag and plastic bag in Su Ruixi’s hands and immediately changed the subject: “What are you holding? What did you buy… It looks so low-class.” He then started asking about the bag Su Ruixi was carrying: “What’s that bag you’re carrying? Which brand is it? When was it released? I’ve never seen it before.”

It’s worth mentioning that Mother Su was a bag fanatic, so Father Su was familiar with all the big-name bags on the market and always got the latest releases for each season, just for his beloved wife. But at this moment, alarm bells went off in his mind because he had truly never seen Su Ruixi’s bag before.

Su Ruixi naturally knew what her father was thinking, so she said bluntly: “It’s a Le Ke Le Ke bag.”

Father Su took a moment to process what brand “Le Ke Le Ke” was. After a while, he remembered: “Isn’t that the one that specializes in kitchenware and insulated lunchboxes?!”

“Yes.” Su Ruixi said, placing her bag on the cabinet in the entryway. She took out her soup bowl and called over the housekeeper who had been with the family for years: “Just reheat this soup. This beef pancakes needs to be cooked in the air fryer…” She thought for a moment, then asked, “Do we have an air fryer?”

She was genuinely unsure. An air fryer is a substitute for an oven, and most families with an oven wouldn’t need an air fryer. And her family not only had an oven, but it was also a super expensive oven set specially imported from abroad. So Su Ruixi wasn’t sure if her family had an air fryer.

“Yes, Madam watched some videos and wanted to learn how to cook, so she bought some.”

Su Ruixi stiffened slightly: She bought some air fryers? Then how much terrible food must she be making?

But she quickly pretended to be calm: “Just heat this beef pancakes in the air fryer. You should know better than me how long it needs.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Father Su had been watching from the side, and he was a little incredulous when he heard Su Ruixi’s words. He had seen the beef pancakes; it was just the ordinary kind. And he had never seen that bag before either. He knew all the chefs in the city who could make beef pancakes, and there was definitely no one with the brand name “Fragrant Piaopiao Big Pancake”¹.

Yes, because Sun Miao was poor, she couldn’t even afford custom-made greaseproof paper and bought it directly from a small commodity wholesale market. Sun Miao had spent quite a while choosing, finally finding this greaseproof paper that matched her beef pancakes.

“Which chef made that? You even brought it home.”

“Just eat it, don’t ask so many questions.”

“…”

They went to the dining room, and after waiting for a while, the first thing to arrive wasn’t the beef pancakes Su Ruixi had brought home, but Mother Su and the dishes she had made.

“Xixi, I made your favorite salt and pepper spare ribs!”

Su Ruixi was very calm, her expression unchanging. She simply said “Mm” softly. Mother Su was used to it and didn’t mind. She just asked the servant to bring out the dishes and then prepared to eat. But Su Ruixi asked the housekeeper, “Where are my pancake and soup?”

“Coming right up.”

Hearing the housekeeper say this, Su Ruixi relaxed a little. But her expression was caught by her parents, and at this moment, they both seemed to realize something.

Before long, the beef pancakes and soup were served. The soup Sun Miao made had also undergone a transformation, from the original ordinary insulated lunchbox to a white porcelain bowl. The small white porcelain bowl contained a simple, light soup, with two green vegetables adding a touch of emerald green. The contrast between the white space and the color made Sun Miao’s unassuming soup look quite beautiful.

Not to mention the beef pancakes, lying on the expensive white porcelain plate Father Su had bought, it went straight from street food to a state banquet.

After the beef pancakes was served, Father Su and Mother Su each took one and started eating. Su Ruixi, however, was different. She took two directly. She put the two pancakes into her bowl in two batches. As for the remaining beef pancakes, whoever her parents wanted to eat could eat it, or they could save it for breakfast tomorrow…

No.

There were ten in total. They each ate two, and she ate two, that’s six gone. There were four left. If they saved them all for breakfast tomorrow, what would she eat tomorrow morning? Go to the company entrance early again? Would Sun Miao think she was making up excuses just to eat?

Su Ruixi thought that she couldn’t leave all four pancakes for her parents. She had to take at least one more. There were ten in total, and she was only taking three. Even if it was 3.33 per person, she was taking less. She was filial enough.

And maybe her parents wouldn’t like the beef pancakes, and she could take all six remaining ones.

Su Ruixi took a bite of the beef pancakes and found that heating it in the air fryer was better than using the microwave. The air fryer made the crust crispy, and although the meat filling lost a bit of flavor because it had been cold and reheated, it could at least retain 70% of its deliciousness, which was pretty good.

Su Ruixi ate several bites. Father Su was even faster; he devoured a beef pancakes in a few bites. He took a second one and ate it in a few bites as well, before thinking he should eat his wife’s cooking. At this point, he didn’t forget to ask Su Ruixi: “Which restaurant made this pancake? Although the packaging doesn’t look very good, it tastes good. It still tastes this good after being cold and reheated; it must be even better when it’s fresh.”

Father Su praised it, and seeing that Su Ruixi was unmoved, he asked again: “Where did you buy it?”

Su Ruixi answered this time: “A street stall.”

For some reason, she didn’t really want to tell Father Su exactly which street stall it was. Father Su was stunned for a moment, thinking she had just seen it on the street. He immediately exclaimed: “The great are hidden in the city, and the masters are among the people!² This skill, even in a five-star hotel, this person would have a place.”

For some reason, Su Ruixi felt a little proud and happy when she heard her father praise Sun Miao.

Mother Su was even happier eating, but she ate slower than Father Su. While they were talking, she finished the beef pancakes. Mother Su picked up another one, quite happy: “It’s just that Xixi didn’t buy more, but this beef pancakes is really delicious. And the ingredients are very substantial; it’s good beef.”

Mother Su’s cooking skills weren’t very good, but her palate was very discerning. She asked Su Ruixi, “How much does this beef pancakes cost?”

“One hundred.”

Father Su and Mother Su both highly affirmed this price: “That’s pretty good. For this skill, one hundred yuan per pancake isn’t expensive; it’s worth it.”

But they didn’t expect Su Ruixi’s next sentence to almost make their eyes pop out: “No, it’s one hundred in total.”

“Huh? You’re saying, ten for one hundred? That’s ten yuan each?!”

Father Su was usually calm and capable, and Mother Su was gentle and dignified, but now they showed such a serious expression, which made Su Ruixi feel very interesting.

Father Su and Mother Su really hadn’t expected this. They immediately started saying: “This pancake sells for ten yuan? Is this charity?”

“Honestly, it’s rare to see this kind of skill being sold at a street stall. Even if it’s sold at a street stall, it shouldn’t be sold so cheaply.”

“At this price, are they really making money? The ingredients are also very good, the meat is fresh and plentiful; they definitely didn’t cut corners to reduce costs.”

“Exactly…”

Father Su and Mother Su were indeed business people; their first thought was whether it was profitable or not. Su Ruixi was stunned for a moment before she started thinking seriously: “It shouldn’t be a loss, but she’s not making much. Her food cart is custom-made; it looks like it cost a lot of money. But there’s no stall fee or rent, so she should be able to save on that. Plus, she sells very well, so even with small profits, she can sell a lot. Ten or twenty thousand yuan a month shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Even if this pancake sold for 100 yuan each, people would still be willing to buy it. Selling it so low is just giving away her skill. Not to mention ten or twenty thousand yuan a month, even ten or twenty thousand yuan a day wouldn’t be a problem.”

Father Su made a good point. But Su Ruixi still felt something was wrong. Her father had the typical businessman’s mindset: making little profit is a loss.

But Sun Miao clearly didn’t think that way. She was very careful with every penny, even reluctant to give Hip Hop Mei a discount. Just thinking about this made her want to laugh. Father Su was right about one thing; even if this pancake cost 100 yuan each, people would buy it.

It’s just that the people she encountered would definitely not be as many as they are now.

Su Ruixi felt that she couldn’t quite understand Sun Miao.

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