RMCF: Chapter 49

 

Chapter 49

Xu He woke up rather late the next day. When he got up, Zhang Fangyuan had already left. That butcher, knowing Xu He wasn't going to town to set up the stall today, had used it as an excuse to be even more unrestrained, carrying on for quite a while.

This morning, that man had gotten up at his usual time, still full of vigor. Xu He, who had always considered himself physically fit, felt slightly deflated. How could the gap between people be so vast?

Thinking that Zhang Fangyuan was already gone, and that it wouldn't matter if he got up a bit earlier or later, he lazed in bed for a while longer before rising. His whole body ached terribly.

Perhaps Zhang Fangyuan was right. When they went a while without doing it, they had become a bit awkward again, not as smooth as before. Though he felt the same way, he couldn't very well agree with Zhang Fangyuan out loud. Otherwise, he'd use it as an excuse to indulge even more.

Poor rest at night delaying the next day's work was one thing, but the crucial issue was that the items they used were so precious. Using them up daily—how could they afford it?

Doing it a bit less often wouldn't cause him to lose a single pound of flesh; in fact, it might even be beneficial.

Thinking along these lines, Xu He rubbed his lower back and went to the cabinet. He opened the drawer where Zhang Fangyuan kept those items and directly removed the extra bottles, leaving only the one they had opened last night. He found another place to hide them, ensuring Zhang Fangyuan wouldn't be able to find them. Only then, satisfied, did he go out to attend to his chores.

Time passed quickly. Following the beginning of summer, before they knew it, the midsummer arrived. The warm water simmering the frog had unknowingly come to a boil. The surrounding mountains and forests were lush; cicadas chirped in the early morning, and frogs croaked at night—extremely noisy and chaotic.

When Xu He had free time, he went with the fulang from the neighboring Chen family to the back mountain and cut a large basketful of mugwort. They spread it out in a big winnowing basket in the yard. In the scorching sun of the fifth and sixth months, it would dry to a crisp without even needing to be turned over.

Now, at the height of summer, the air felt as if it had been boiled. Zhang Fangyuan, even more so than before, loved to wander around the house shirtless. During the day it was fine, but at night, the mosquitoes whined as if they were about to eat people alive. Zhang Fangyuan, despite his thick skin, seemed strangely attractive to mosquitoes. All night long, Xu He would just hear him slapping mosquitoes on his body.

On days he didn't go to town, Xu He hurried to cut down the blooming, mature mugwort. He dried it, twisted it into ropes, and at night, placed it in a brazier to burn. It produced little smoke but effectively repelled mosquitoes.

By this time, mosquito-repellent ropes made from mugwort mixed with wormwood were already being sold in the city.

Xu He knew how to twist them too. He was aware that the ropes sold in town were better than those made by ordinary people because they had realgar mixed in. If he added the same ingredient, his would work just as well. He had considered making some to sell, but thinking about their own household's needs, what he made probably wouldn't even be enough for themselves, so he gave up the idea.

After making the mosquito-repellent ropes, he hung the mosquito net in the room early and closed the windows not long after noon. Otherwise, mosquitoes that sneaked in during the day would settle inside the house and bite people incessantly at night.

Just a few trips in and out of the house, and he was already drenched in sweat. Luckily, the main hall's doors were open, letting in a cool breeze. Zhang Fangyuan had gone out early in the morning to look at livestock, said he was going far and wouldn't be back for lunch.

Xu He ate simply by himself. The summer heat ruined his appetite. He just picked a handful of water spinach from the garden to eat.

He used the tender leaves for a cold salad. He snapped off the tough, old stems, kept the crisp, tender parts and cut them into small rounds, added two green hot peppers, and stir-fried them with chopped pickled cowpeas. It was the most appetizing and delicious.

Xu He often ate this with congee.

Today, he only used the leaves for the cold dish, adding a spoonful of pickling juice. It was sour and refreshingly tasty, not even needing vinegar, In fact, the flavor was better than cold dishes dressed with vinegar.

After eating, it was the time when the sun outside was the fiercest. He didn't take a nap. Instead, sitting in the main hall where a cool breeze blew through, he used thin bamboo strips to weave a chicken coop. By the Wei hour (1pm), the vegetables in the field were so sun-scorched their edges curled, and even the old trees with dense foliage looked listless. Zhang Fangyuan returned, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a bucket.

“How did it go?”

Zhang Fangyuan took off the hat and placed it behind the door. Heat radiated from his entire body. Xu He could feel it even from an arm's length away. He poured the man a bowl of cold tea to relieve the heat.

“Checked the pig, it's decent. Also ran into two people wanting to sell sheep, but I didn't agree.” Zhang Fangyuan downed the tea in one gulp. “The weather's hot; eating mutton would be even worse. Although mutton is cheaper in this season than in winter, it's hard to sell. And it can't be stored for more than two days, so I simply declined.”

Xu He nodded. The weather was sweltering now; pork had to be sold within two days, otherwise, it would spoil and and become unsellable. Business wasn't as good as before. There were already over ten pieces of cured meat hanging above their stove; preserved from previous times when they couldn't sell it in time and were afraid of it going bad. If they piled up mutton too, it would be easy to lose money.

“Your spiced meat and cold dishes sell well. The hotter the weather, the more people buy them.”

Xu He sighed softly, though. He sat back down and continued weaving the chicken coop. “They sold well at first, but now that summer's here, business is actually worse than before.”

The business people in town weren't fools. Seeing his stall selling cold dishes doing such good business every few days, within two months, other stalls had popped up nearby selling the same things. Xu He had to use his wits and add new items: spiced cucumbers, tofu skin, cowpeas, lotus root slices. Business remained relatively stable, with regular customers who preferred his taste still coming.

But those other vendors copied everything. Within a couple of days, their stalls had these items too. Some even sold spiced chicken and duck, chicken feet and duck feet, chicken and duck gizzards. They also imitated his two-flavor approach, mixing with chili oil and Sichuan pepper oil. Although the taste was inferior, they still attracted buyers.

Not to mention the customers; even Xu He himself, squatting bored and a little hungry in front of his stall, felt like buying a couple of chicken feet to nibble on. But of course, he couldn't bear to spend the few wen.

Zhang Fangyuan said, “That's how it is with a stall. If you had a gold lettered signboard, you wouldn't be afraid of others selling the same thing and stealing your business. But how many gold lettered businesses are there in the world?”

Xu He knew earning money wasn't that easy. Those first two months, selling something novel, he'd already made a decent amount, which was good. A small stall was inherently unstable; you couldn't rely on it to make a lot of money consistently. That's why he hadn't pinned all his hopes on selling spiced dishes. See, now he was weaving chicken coops, even if they didn't sell for much.

“I know. I'll keep selling for now. If the business slows, we'll see.”

Zhang Fangyuan said, “That's what I think too. See, I brought you some good stuff.”

Following Zhang Fangyuan's gesture, Xu He notice the bucket by the door. He thought it was just an empty bucket brought back. Going over to look, he  found it was full of dark, wriggling crucian carp.

“Where did all these crucian carp come from? What for?”

Zhang Fangyuan scooped one out. The crucian carp, with green backs and white bellies, were all around half a jin each. “Bought them from a fisherman on my way back. Five wen each, gave eighty wen for twenty."

He raised a thick eyebrow slightly. “How about that? Can bargain, right?”

Xu He couldn't help laughing. “It's a good deal, but buying so many, making a huge pot—how could we finish them all? Wouldn't buying two to try be enough?”

“Those four are freebies for us; the rest are for you to sell.” Zhang Fangyuan said, “Back when I was in town during summer, I ate a cold crucian carp dish at a restaurant that was delicious. Aren't you worrying about what new item to add to your stall? Wouldn't crucian carp be perfect?”

Xu He's eyes immediately lit up. “That's right! Steam the crucian carp first, let them cool, prepare the sauce, and pour it over when setting up the stall. It would be another seasonal cold dish. I'll make those four for you to eat tonight.”

Zhang Fangyuan immediately expressed his approval; this trip wasn't in vain.

Cold crucian carp was refreshing, cooked into soup it was delicious, and stewed with scallions it was especially fragrant. But to ensure the crucian carp for tomorrow's stall tasted good, Xu He decided to make the cold version tonight and let his greedy husband be the taste tester.

He scaled the fish, cut open their bellies, removed the innards, and washed them clean. For the larger fish, he made two cuts on each side to help the flavor penetrate; for smaller ones, it wasn't necessary. He sliced some strong, yellow old ginger, tied scallions into knots, stuffed them into the fish's belly, and steamed them in a pot. He didn't steam them too long, or the meat would easily fall off the bone and turn mushy, spoiling the appearance.

The key to a good cold dish was still the sauce. He had made summer sauces many times. To make it look more appealing, he used both red and green chilies, chopped and mixed together for a nicer look. Of course, he also included plenty of chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic. He stir-fried everything until fragrant, added soy sauce, fermented soybeans, and vinegar. Starting from the belly of the crucian carp, he poured the sauce over it. A plate of cold crucian carp, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, was complete.

The oil used for stir-frying the sauce had to be rapeseed oil. Otherwise, congealed lard would be greasy and not taste good in summer.

That night, Zhang Fangyuan specially opened a jug of wine to go with the dish. He alone ate three crucian carp, while Xu He ate one. The crucian carp meat was fresh and delicious, and the cold preparation made it taste even sweeter. The only drawback was that the fish were small with many bones, requiring slow, careful eating—which actually allowed one to savor the flavor more peacefully.

Satisfied with the crucian carp, Xu He kept the remaining ones alive in the cool water vat, planning to spice them along with the pork offal after Zhang Fangyuan slaughtered the pig, and take them all to town to sell.

Summer days dawned early, and people got up even earlier. Only during the brief period when the sky was lightening and the sun hadn't yet risen over the mountains could one feel pleasant coolness.

Looking at the items to take to the stall today, Xu He was full of ambition, hoping for another big sale.

After entering the city, they split up as usual. Xu He, carrying his basket on his back, headed straight for his usual spot. However, when he got to the familiar place, he was a bit dumbfounded.

The spot he usually used had been rented by someone else today. That was one thing, but what really annoyed him was that this stall owner was selling exactly the same things as him—spiced meat and cold dishes.

His heart felt bitter. Finding the stall manager to rent a spot, he couldn't help but ask, “My usual spot was rented out to someone else today?”

“Your usual spot? Which one is your usual? Young ger, you only set up every few days. I can't just leave a stall empty for you forever, can I?”

“That's not what I meant.” Seeing the stall manager's rather irritable tone, Xu He simply stated flatly, paid his stall fee for the day, and found another spot to set up his goods.

He rented his stall by the day. When he wasn't there, of course the manager could rent it to others. But he wasn't stupid. Renting the spot to someone else was one thing, but why did it have to be rented to another spiced meat seller, and one who just happened to know he wasn't renting monthly?

He didn't believe someone coming here to sell spiced meat hadn't previously scoped out the situation. Otherwise, why would they rush in blindly and specifically take over his spot, which had the best business? They were probably old acquaintances with the stall manager.

Xu He set up his stall, sighing inwardly. These people were too sly. In the end, he was at a disadvantage because he didn't have a fixed spot, didn't have a shop.

As the pedestrian flow gradually increased after setting up, that new stall owner, having taken advantage of his spot, directly attracted his previous regular customers who went straight to that location.

Xu He fumed silently.

“Hey, how come the food at your stall tastes exactly the same as that place across the way?” A man who noticed the cold crucian carp for sale came over to Xu He's stall. He usually loved the flavor of Xu He's stall and bought a little whenever he saw him out. Today, seeing crucian carp that no one else had, he temporarily abandoned his usual spot.

He eagerly sat down at a small table nearby, ordered a cup of tea, and tasted the fish. To his surprise, he found the flavor identical to the stall he usually bought from.

Xu He sighed. “Elder Brother, I'm the original stall owner from over there. I came late today and could only set up here.”

The man laughed awkwardly and scratched his head. “I saw the one across was also a young ger, and you don't set up every day. Now that it's someone else, I didn't recognize you at first. But as soon as I tasted this dish, I knew something was off!”

Xu He picked out a few slices of sour fermented chili lotus root and gave them to the man. “Understandable.”

The man thanked him and ordered two more cold crucian carp to take away as a gift for a friend.

Xu He felt slightly comforted. Today, with the help of the cold crucian carp, he had attracted some customers. Otherwise, having changed spots, he'd have to shout himself hoarse to draw people in.

But in the end, it still benefited the stall across the way, which sold out completely by noon. As they packed up, the owner even shot him a challenging glance.

Xu He was seething inside, but didn't plan to complain to Zhang Fangyuan. He was afraid the man would come over with his butcher knife to straighten things out. If others saw him being so overbearing, maybe he'd keep his stall spot, but customers wouldn't dare buy his food anymore.

After weighing the options and thinking it over several times, he suddenly slid off his stool, stood firm, and surveyed the four or five spiced meat stalls that had cropped up around him recently, especially the one directly opposite. He couldn't take it anymore.

Decision made! After selling out today, he was going to rent a proper shop!

 

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