Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 49

Really Delicious

Sun Miao was used to this. She took out all her documents and the official announcement, laying out the facts and reasoning—this spot was indeed permitted for setting up a stall. The security guard scratched his head. He wasn’t as easygoing as the guards at the residential complex or the Jinsha Building entrance, and just stated directly, “Setting up stalls isn’t allowed here at our entrance.”

“Please try to understand my position too. We cater to high-end clients here. If they drive over and see your little food cart, they might complain to the boss about us. Then we’ll get our wages docked.”

Perhaps another reason the guard was being difficult this time was—Sun Miao had set up her stall right at their main entrance.

Sun Miao didn’t want to make things difficult for the guard either, but this was the location her System had assigned. She tried discussing it with the System in her mind, but the System just played dead, seeming fixated on this particular lamppost. Sun Miao sighed and was about to say a few more words to the guard when the roar of a sports car engine sounded.

The guard subconsciously looked back, and Sun Miao followed his gaze, seeing that somewhat familiar sports car. No need to guess; the person getting out had to be Hip-Hop Mei. Sure enough, Hip-Hop Mei emerged from the sports car and shut the door.

Hip-Hop Mei’s attire screamed “rich second generation.” Although Sun Miao didn’t recognize the clothing brands, she could guess they weren’t cheap. The security guard noticed this too.

The sunlight wasn’t scorching, but she still wore sunglasses. Not pink this time, but magenta. She also wore a magenta jacket and short skirt, paired with magenta ankle boots below.

As Hip-Hop Mei approached, Sun Miao was a bit surprised. It wasn’t even 10 o’clock yet; how was Hip-Hop Mei already up and here? Not long after she got out of the car, Sun Miao saw that the person from the passenger seat, the Yabi Mei¹ from last time, had also emerged.

Great, Hip-Hop Mei and Yabi Mei—a perfect match, really.

“Little Boss Sun, I was afraid I’d be late and your stuff would be sold out! Limiting the duck goods and all, let me see see²!” Hip-Hop Mei walked closer. Being rather thoughtless³, she didn’t notice the friction between Sun Miao and the guard, but Yabi Mei was much sharper.

She tugged at Hip-Hop Mei. “Looks like Little Boss Sun is being given a hard time.”

The guard seemed quite flustered. Sun Miao explained, “No, he’s just doing his duty, and he hasn’t said anything harsh. He’s been perfectly polite the whole time.”

Hearing this, the guard visibly relaxed.

Seeing him like this, Sun Miao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Working in the service industry really isn’t easy for anyone.

Under the intense scrutiny of Hip-Hop Mei and Yabi Mei, Sun Miao communicated further with the guard. His request remained the same—don’t set up the stall here. He finally said, “If you insist on doing this, I’ll have no choice but to call the police.”

“Fine, go ahead and call.”

While the guard went to call the police, Sun Miao started serving the Hip-Hop/Yabi duo. Both ordered a portion of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, wanting scallions and cilantro, plus extra numbing spice, extra chili spice, and a bit of vinegar. Sun Miao knew they liked strong flavors.

Hip-Hop Mei continued asking, “Boss, what duck goods do you have?”

“One portion is fifty yuan, no picking allowed. It includes one duck neck, one duck wing, one duck foot, one duck gizzard, and one skewer of duck hearts.”

Sun Miao wasn’t actually selling them expensively. A duck neck might be ten yuan, duck wings and feet maybe five yuan each, gizzards and hearts a bit cheaper—altogether around thirty-something yuan. They both knew Sun Miao’s skill. With all these items plus the added value of her craft, selling a portion for only 50 kuai was practically charity work.

The Hip-Hop/Yabi duo were both loaded. Hearing the price, they exchanged a glance and said, “We’ll take all the duck goods. Just bag them up for us.”

But Sun Miao shook her head. “No. Limited to one portion per person.”

“…You didn’t have this rule before.”

“Because the duck goods are sold as a set, and I didn’t make too many. If you buy them all, others won’t even get a chance.”

Hip-Hop Mei sighed. “Then be a bit more flexible! This place is out in the sticks⁴, hardly anyone will buy them. Sell me two portions, okay?”

But Sun Miao could be particularly stubborn about certain things. She answered directly, “No.”

Hip-Hop Mei almost choked. She whined for a good while, finally resorting to her usual line: “You’re so stingy!”

The nearby security guard was astonished when he heard that such a small amount of duck goods sold for 50 yuan per portion. Then, hearing the sports car driver wanting to buy it all, he knew this wasn’t simple. Rich people weren’t fools; not only were they not foolish, they were very shrewd. Prying money out of their hands wasn’t easy.

These two rich kids not only wanted to buy, but were also generous, immediately offering to take everything. This showed… her food must indeed be delicious.

—But even if it’s delicious, she can’t set up a stall at our entrance! The manager will dock my bonus later!

The guard’s gaze became even more determined, standing ramrod straight nearby, awaiting the arrival of the police.

Their negotiation unsuccessful, the Hip-Hop/Yabi duo could only buy one portion of duck goods each and sat nearby, waiting for Sun Miao to make their Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup. Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup cooked faster than Malatang, and unlike Malatang, it didn’t require several baskets to cook different ingredients separately; everything could go into one basket.

After scalding the vermicelli, Sun Miao poured it into disposable containers, then added seasonings according to their taste—extra numbing spice, extra chili spice—and also ladled in a spoonful of golden-yellow liquid.

Hip-Hop Mei craned her neck to ask, “What’s that?”

“It’s duck fat.”

Sun Miao explained briefly, then finally ladled the pale yellow broth from the large pot beside her, pouring it over both portions of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup. Only then did she ask, “Are you eating here?”

“Yes.”

Sun Miao helped carry the bowls to the small table on the side. The folding table, which had disappeared during the seven days of selling beef pancakes, had made its comeback!

The Hip-Hop/Yabi duo sat right down, picked up disposable chopsticks, and prepared to eat, while Sun Miao packed their duck goods. Sun Miao asked again, “There are two flavors, spicy and five-spice. Which one do you want?”

“Spicy.”

These two clearly couldn’t live without spice. Sun Miao nodded and packed their orders.

Meanwhile, the two customers were already starting to eat. Yabi Mei, whose hair was a mix of white and blue today, carefully tied it up before beginning. While she was getting ready, Hip-Hop Mei had already started impatiently.

Sun Miao’s Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup was fragrant, but not overpowering; instead, it had a light, fresh aroma⁵. Woven into this fragrance was the scent of chili peppers, drifting strand by strand into the nose. Just smelling it made Hip-Hop Mei start salivating.

Little Boss Sun’s chili was exceptionally fragrant—it was her homemade chili paste. Hip-Hop Mei didn’t know how she made it, but it was just delicious. From the Malatang initially, to the beef pancakes, and now the Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, there wasn’t a single chili condiment from her stall that Hip-Hop Mei didn’t love.

Picking up a disposable spoon, Hip-Hop Mei first took a sip of the soup. Eat the soup before the noodles. That golden duck fat and pale yellow old duck broth looked delicious just sitting there. Besides, she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet; she could consider this soup nourishing for her stomach first. The disposable spoon didn’t hold much soup. She blew on it lightly and drank it down.

It had just come off the stove, after all; those few puffs were basically useless. Hip-Hop Mei still felt it was very hot once it entered her mouth. But this soup was just too delicious! It felt like the savoriness was about to make her eyebrows fall off. So, Hip-Hop Mei didn’t want to open her mouth at all, afraid the delicious savory aroma would sneak out.

The very first instant it touched her tongue, Hip-Hop Mei thought of one word: savory. That kind of savoriness was hard to describe, but it made one’s eyebrows relax involuntarily from the heart. This deliciousness was as if an entire duck had been condensed into it; one sip contained the essence of a duck’s entire life. It felt like the soup was dancing in her mouth, bringing Hip-Hop Mei’s tongue to life.

Early in the morning, Hip-Hop Mei hadn’t had breakfast yet and felt the lingering taste of toothpaste in her mouth. But with this sip, her mouth was completely filled with the flavor of the duck soup. After the impact of the savory taste came the flavor of the seasonings. Since she had asked for extra numbing and chili spice, that flavor rushed in too.

The spiciness stimulated the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t overwhelmingly hot at first; the duck soup balanced it well. But afterwards, the chili started to assert itself again. After swallowing it, she felt a slight numbness lingering in her mouth. But only a little bit, since she had only taken a small sip.

Besides the taste, the mouthfeel was top-notch—rich and mellow yet very clear. That spoonful of duck fat didn’t make it feel greasy at all; instead, it made the duck soup taste even more fragrant and sweet.

After another two or three spoonfuls of soup, Hip-Hop Mei finally turned her attention to the noodles. The vermicelli had a slight yellowish tint, but there was no white core inside, indicating they were thoroughly cooked. Lifting them with chopsticks, she found the entire bundle could be picked up without a single strand breaking. The vermicelli was translucent and sparkling, seeming to catch highlights under the sunlight.

The soup clung to the noodles, reflecting the light.

Hip-Hop Mei hadn’t expected to be captivated by the sheer visual appeal of vermicelli one day.

Couldn’t resist, simply couldn’t resist. Hip-Hop Mei opened her mouth and slurped the noodles right in. Slurp! All the noodles entered her mouth. Coated in soup, the noodles filled Hip-Hop Mei’s cheeks. She chewed a few times but found the vermicelli wasn’t tough, nor was it mushy—a marvelous texture that left Hip-Hop Mei speechless. All she knew was to chew the noodles with her teeth and then swallow.

After a few mouthfuls of noodles, Hip-Hop Mei shifted her gaze to the other ingredients. Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup—the most important part is, of course, the duck blood. Sun Miao had been generous; a quick count showed around ten pieces⁶. Each piece was exactly the same size, about as big as a soda bottle cap, but square instead of round.

The reddish-brown duck blood cubes lay among the vermicelli and broth. Some were near the top, revealing their little corners, dotted with a few drops of soup.

Hip-Hop Mei actually found the duck blood cubes looked rather cute.

She took her spoon and gently nudged a piece of duck blood, watching it wobble with a springy⁷ bounce. Feeling surprised, Hip-Hop Mei then used the spoon to scoop up the cube. The duck blood cube rested safely and securely on the small spoon, showing no sign of breaking apart.

Hip-Hop Mei found this strange. Her impression was that duck blood should crumble easily; the kind that was firm yet held together⁸ likely contained artificial additives. But Hip-Hop Mei felt Little Boss Sun definitely wouldn’t do that. So, she suppressed her doubts for the moment and took a bite instead.

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LP: I ate duck before but never really liked how my uncles and aunties cooked them (sorry!). Maybe I should try again but with authentic Chinese food, though it’s difficult to find one near my place.

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