Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 95

Is it almost ready?

The most distinctive feature of crab shell yellow is its many thin layers of crust. The dough has to be rolled out multiple times to form the seemingly thick, yet actually multi-layered and crispy outer skin of the crab shell yellow. This crab shell yellow is even crispier than a beef pancake.

If a beef pancake is flaky but not brittle, not dropping crumbs, then crab shell yellow is crispy to the extreme. Tiny bits of the pastry skin audibly cracked in Su Ruixi’s mouth. She subconsciously cupped her other hand under her chin, worried that all the pastry crumbs would fall.

But unexpectedly, no crumbs fell this time either; the pastry bits all landed in her mouth. After the sound, came an intense aroma. The preserved mustard greens and meat filling had its own unique, penetrating fragrance. She couldn’t really smell it at first, but after one bite, it was as if Pandora’s Box had been opened—the aroma rushed out from the small crab shell yellow in her hand, each scent vying to be first.

This aroma so enticed Su Ruixi that she bit right into it, ignoring that the meat filling was still steaming hot.

In that moment, Su Ruixi only felt the scalding hot preserved mustard greens and meat filling in her mouth, yet she couldn’t bear to spit any of it out. The flavor profile of the preserved mustard greens and meat filling was very rich. First, there was the savory taste blended with the meat filling. Besides that, the preserved mustard greens also brought a hint of sweetness, and with a little white sugar added for balance, the meat became even more savory and fragrant.

With one bite, oil oozed onto her lips. Even so, it didn’t feel greasy at all, because the preserved mustard greens themselves and the crispy outer crust completely dispelled any sense of greasiness. Su Ruixi took several more bites. She couldn’t help but open her mouth slightly, feeling the aroma of the preserved mustard greens and meat filling drifting out, so she chose to close her mouth.

Because of these few bites, she also tasted the layer of sesame seeds covering the top of the crab shell yellow. The aroma of the sesame seeds and the preserved mustard greens and meat filling complemented each other beautifully, neither overshadowing the other, bringing Su Ruixi an even more novel sensation.

It truly lived up to the description—”oily, flaky, thousand-layered, fragrant with every bite.”

Eating one crab shell yellow didn’t make Su Ruixi feel full. Because crab shell yellow, well, they aren’t very big. One wasn’t even as large as her fist, and with all its flaky layers creating many air pockets, Su Ruixi felt she could actually finish one in just a few bites.

So now, she was even more eager to eat other things Sun Miao had made. By this time, Sun Miao had already carried the food out and placed it on the dining table. Su Ruixi quickly followed behind her. When she reached the dining table, she had just finished swallowing the last bit of crab shell yellow in her mouth.

Sitting at the dining table, Su Ruixi looked at the bubble mini wontons in front of her, and her appetite was thoroughly whetted¹.

The skin of the bubble mini wontons was exceptionally thin and delicate. A small ball in the middle puffed up, revealing a hint of pink from the filling. Complemented by the wonton skins floating in the soup like clouds, they looked even more tender and fresh. Su Ruixi had no resistance whatsoever to these kinds of soupy dishes. She said a quick word to Sun Miao, picked up her spoon, and started eating.

Set off by her own tableware, the food Sun Miao made looked even more appealing. The bubble mini wontons truly lived up to their name, resembling cute, transparent bubbles. Gently pushing aside the light brown, slightly oily broth with her spoon, she scooped up a small wonton.

The wonton skin swayed gently in the spoon, looking like a piece of gauze that had fallen into water. Su Ruixi opened her mouth and slurped the bubble mini wonton down. It was a completely different sensation from the crab shell yellow. Although both were made with flour, the bubble mini wontons were exceptionally soft and smooth. Slurped down with the broth, they were like a fleeting cloud with almost no substance, going down in an instant.

Only in the middle, due to the meat filling and the gathered dough, did it have some substance. With a gentle chew, the skin melted away, and the meat filling inside imparted a sweetness to the otherwise somewhat plain wrapper. As for the broth, it was warm, smooth, and gentle, with a savory sweetness, a fresh fragrance, and a light saltiness, silently soothing Su Ruixi from the inside out².

Just then, Sun Miao handed her a crab shell yellow. Su Ruixi took it, took a bite of the crab shell yellow, then a sip of the bubble mini wonton soup. Su Ruixi felt so blissful she could practically bubble over with joy. She truly loved this combination. The two completely different textures resonated in her mouth, making her crave one after eating the other, and then the other after eating the first.

Before long, Su Ruixi had finished her bowl of bubble mini wontons and had also eaten about ten crab shell yellow.

Sun Miao had only made twenty, originally planning for each of them to eat ten. But Su Ruixi had ended up eating two extra. Realizing this, Su Ruixi’s cheeks turned a little red. Sun Miao, however, didn’t mind. It was a good thing that Su Ruixi’s appetite was increasing.

“Did I end up eating some of yours too?”

That was indeed the case, but Sun Miao didn’t mind that Su Ruixi had eaten more; she was actually happy to see it. So she shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not very hungry anyway. I’ll take an afternoon nap, and I can eat more tonight. That chicken soup feels like it just needs to simmer a little longer. Want chicken soup with noodles tonight?”

The moment she said that last sentence, Su Ruixi’s mouth started watering so much she could almost drool. That was chicken soup, and Sun Miao’s chicken soup at that! Su Ruixi could just imagine how delicious it would be!

She nodded eagerly. Seeing her reaction, Sun Miao knew her cravings had been stirred again. The two of them finished lunch together. Although the portions of bubble mini wontons and crab shell yellow weren’t huge, Sun Miao had intentionally made extra, so even though Su Ruixi ate a few more, Sun Miao didn’t feel hungry.

After finishing their meal, they weren’t in any hurry to wash the dishes, instead chatting idly. After the initial awkward phase had passed, their relationship had become much more relaxed and calm. They weren’t like a young couple just starting a romance, but more like close confidantes who had known each other for many years.

It wasn’t like a strong liquor, but more like clear, plain boiled water. Sun Miao actually preferred this state—peaceful and tranquil, she liked it from the bottom of her heart. Su Ruixi also felt this atmosphere was wonderful; just sitting and talking made her whole heart soften.

“Oh, right, how much are you planning to set the prices at this time?”

The system had already arranged all of this in advance. Sun Miao answered truthfully, “Twenty yuan for a bowl of bubble mini wontons, and a set of five crab shell yellow for 30 yuan.” This was a price level that would make locals fall silent and outsiders jump in protest.

Even in tourist spots, things definitely weren’t sold as expensively as Sun Miao’s. Sun Miao had even specifically checked online how much Huangshan baked pastries cost. People sold them for… fifteen yuan per jin³.

A blogger who visited a local shop found they sold five for only five yuan.

Sun Miao’s price was at a level that would make a blogger want to call the police. Su Ruixi also paused for a moment, which made Sun Miao feel a bit unsure. “Is it too expensive?”

Su Ruixi thought, This price, well, compared to the usual, it is definitely expensive. Especially since Gusu is so close, quite a few people eat bubble mini wontons, and everyone is well aware of the prices. Even on a bustling commercial street, a bowl of bubble mini wontons is only fifteen yuan, and she’s actually planning to sell them for twenty!

But Sun Miao’s skill—it’s totally worth it!

Su Ruixi shook her head. “It’s not expensive. Your cooking is delicious, so it’s worth this price.” She spoke with sincere conviction and even shared an interesting news story with Sun Miao. “You might not know this, it was in the news here some years ago. There was a local old lady who would go to nearby Gusu every Saturday to eat a bowl of bubble mini wontons. But… well, she was quite a character; she always evaded the fare to take the high-speed train to get there.”

Sun Miao didn’t quite get it at first. When she finally understood, she was instantly stunned. “You mean, she’d evade the fare just to go eat?”

“Yes. Presumably, she felt the ticket price was too expensive.” Su Ruixi replied. After all, spending 70 or 80 yuan on round-trip train fare every Saturday just for a bowl of bubble mini wontons really wasn’t cost-effective. “But this also indirectly proves that bubble mini wontons are just that delicious—that old lady would even evade the fare to go eat them.”

“Humanity’s pursuit of delicious food is endless. As long as it’s delicious and worth it, people will pay any price.”

Su Ruixi genuinely and sincerely felt Sun Miao’s cooking was worth this price; it was truly delicious. Even this bowl of seemingly ordinary, perhaps not even ‘complete version,’ bubble mini wontons, Su Ruixi felt was worth it—that Sun Miao was practically doing charity. What roadside stall’s humble little wontons had skin like cloud-like garments and flowing water, with a broth that was neither too thick nor too thin, but perfectly palatable? And as for these crab shell yellow, if her parents knew this price, they would buy out the entire stock.

Even without mentioning her parents, just the Hip-Hop Yabi Duo—if there were no purchase limits, those two would dare to snatch them all up. So Su Ruixi mischievously reminded her, “Remember to set a purchase limit for the crab shell yellow. Otherwise, many people won’t get to eat any.”

In short, with Sun Miao’s culinary skills, prices like twenty or thirty yuan were like a state banquet chef descending to benefit the common people. Who would dare utter the word ‘expensive’ in front of Sun Miao? Su Ruixi would directly pack everything up to take home, have Sun Miao cook only for her, and let Sun Miao name any price.

Su Ruixi really wanted to do that, but since the two of them had just started dating, she was afraid that if she actually said it, she would scare Sun Miao away. So she just went along with what Sun Miao said and didn’t dare to cross any lines.

Hearing Su Ruixi’s words, Sun Miao didn’t feel so unsure anymore. They had chatted enough for now. They went to the kitchen together. Sun Miao squatted down, checking the chicken soup simmering in the large pot, while Su Ruixi, smelling the chicken soup, put the bowls and chopsticks into the dishwasher. She didn’t even need to pre-rinse them because their bowls were already spotless.

Sun Miao was purely used to being frugal, and besides, her appetite was considerable. Doing so much work every day, she would definitely finish every bit of her three daily meals. As for Su Ruixi, when faced with Sun Miao’s cooking, she had to rely on sheer willpower to restrain herself from doing things like licking the bowl clean.

Smelling that aroma, Su Ruixi couldn’t help but ask with anticipation, “Is it almost ready?”

“Mm.”

Sun Miao turned off the heat, took out a large ladle, skimmed aside the glistening layer of oil on the surface, and then scooped up a little clear broth into a bowl she held in her left hand. The aroma of the chicken soup instantly wafted up. Beside her, Su Ruixi’s nostrils twitched, her eyes fixed motionlessly on that bowl of chicken soup.

Just now, when Sun Miao was ladling it, the chicken soup had looked as clear and transparent as plain water, but once in the bowl, it had a faint yellow hue. Su Ruixi knew with one glance that this chicken soup had been simmered thoroughly and gone through several refinements to reach this state. At the same time, this was also the kind Su Ruixi loved most.

Clear and transparent, not greasy, yet full of the chicken soup’s rich aroma.

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