While still searching for a new branch of hot pot restaurant, Jiang Zhou suddenly became interested in accompanying Wen Yan to school. However, after going there twice, Xue Ru didn’t like him getting in the way and refused to let him sit in the school again.
Jiang Zhou thought for a while and realized that there was nothing wrong with him staying inside. But on other hand, a big man was sitting with other little kids and it would disturb Wen Yan, so he set up a small stall outside.
Busy in restaurants and hot pot restaurant for the past six months, he hadn’t opened a convenient stall like this in a long time. Many old customers felt a bit nostalgic.
To avoid disturbing the students and the tranquility of the school, he set up his stall closer to the street and didn’t open stall each day. After sending Wen Yan to school, he first dealt with chores in hot pot restaurant and his own restaurant. He then moved the stall setup from the restaurant, spending over an hour in the morning to set it up.
In the afternoon, he went to the restaurant to pack a lunch for Wen Yan. After picking up Wen Yan, he spent another two hours setting up before going home together.
Lu Dalang laughed, saying he had nothing to do and had to accompany his wife.
The stall didn’t sell oden; instead, it sold barbecue. Firstly, he had experience making those meatball skewers, and secondly, he thought that summer coming, nothing could be more joyful than barbecue on a summer day.
He now sold barbecue at a stall, then moved the business to a restaurant later on. It would be more convenient and more profitable than making other meals.
The results were somewhat unexpected.
The place where he set up his stall was actually quite remote. Although close to the street, one had to turn a corner to see it. Somehow, the news leaked, and by the next day, almost everyone knew Jiang Zhou had set up a barbecue stall here.
Compared to hot pot, barbecue stall was more popular. After all, for hot pot, they had to pay for the pot soup, even for clear soup. Barbecue was different — how much they paid was up to the people. As much food as they liked, and the less affluent people in town loved it.
Because of this, Jiang Zhou’s stall, initially not planned to expand, was forced to upgrade.
Those waiting for barbecue found it tiring to stand, so they spontaneously moved small benches to sit on. With more people, they inevitably started talking, and talking made them thirsty. Also, waiting was boring, so they wanted to eat melon seeds or something.
Smart vendors started selling sugar water, roasted seeds, and nuts nearby.
Jiang Zhou roasted pork belly on the stove, and the spicy aroma wafted into people’s noses along the wind. There was a long line in front of him, people sitting in twos and threes, and small vendors with bowls circulating nearby.
Jiang Zhou had no objection to these vendors taking advantage of the crowd. If he made the town livelier, he had inevitably would boost the local economy.
Originally, there was a market every seven days in this town. Most of the time, it was a small market where the town’s people spontaneously set up stalls, selling daily necessities, with handwoven baskets being a common item.
Apart from larger gatherings, there were few places selling food.
Slowly, this area became lively.
Even when Jiang Zhou was busy and did not set up stalls, this area remained lively. The people in the town had a fixed understanding that, apart from hot pot restaurant and Jiangjia Restaurant, this area also offered the most delicious food. Now, the townspeople no longer cooked vegetables in plain water like before. They learned to add seasonings from Jiang Zhou. Though not as delicious, it was better than greasy boiled meat.
Some were even smarter, learning a lot from Jiang Zhou, broadening their thinking, and using new tricks to renovate food. This exploration led to the discovery of many tasty dishes. At least the items bought occasionally from other stalls tasted pretty good.
Particularly, one sweet snack resembled the jelly that travelers remembered. It also had a hint of ice powder texture—slippery and slightly cold, not overly heavy, with a taste reminiscent of green dates.
Due to its strong sweetness, Jiang Zhou thought Wen Yan would like it and bought him a portion.
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On the day the barbecue was sold, he was concerned about the strong aroma and took a shower before going to school.
Coincidentally, Wen Yan happened to be teaching another book.
Wen Yan was teaching students to read the “Book of Poems,” focusing on word recognition and memorization without needing a deep understanding. He happened to read “The gangster holds the cloth and silk.”
Jiang Zhou sat down and listened carefully for a while.
As a result, he started to lose focus while listening.
Back when they were young, they also read the “Book of Poems,” and their teacher taught them to read the “gangster” chapter. Compared to these younger students, they were a little older at that time, and the teacher was already explaining the meaning of the poem to them.
It was the first time they came into contact with this kind of love poem, and they were still at the age of young innocent. The whole class was a little restless. The teacher lectured at the top, and the students below swayed around, wearing expressions that conveyed a mutual understanding—a shared knowledge with the naughty smiles.
Back then, Wen Yan was fair, well-behaved, and kind. Many young students in the school secretly observed him. Moreover, Wen Yan was shy and easily blushed. After class, a group of elementary school students liked to crowd around their desks and tease Wen Yan.