After laughing, Gu Xiaoqing started to get busy.
Because Gu Xiaoqing thought she only had two days left before school started, and although the middle school was in the neighboring village, it was still inconvenient.
While she was still at home, she paved the way for Li Xuemei and Gu Ruhai to save them from being completely clueless.
First, she went to the butcher’s house and bought three pounds of meat. They still had white flour at home but only around ten pounds left. She planned to see how the sales went tomorrow, and if they were good, she would ask her dad to buy some more from others.
At least grain from the village families was cheap, and no one would take advantage of them.
Chives from the field were in abundance, and Gu Xiaoqing considered that the chives from their own land were enough for now. They could switch to other fillings later for freshness.
It was necessary to prepare the stove, large pot, and steamer.
These steamed dumplings and pan-fried dumplings required heat.
These tools also needed to be transported to the town, and it was a journey of several miles. Gu Xiaoqing was a bit worried, but when she mentioned it to Li Xuemei, Li Xuemei just laughed.
"Silly girl, why are you worried? Let your dad sort out the old single-wheel cart tonight, and we can load everything onto the cart and push it up; no problem at all."
Gu Xiaoqing suddenly remembered that they had a single-wheel cart at home that hadn’t been used much in years.
Nowadays, people rarely used these as many families had bought bicycles, which were more convenient and faster, leaving others envious.
Besides, after so many years, Gu Xiaoqing felt a bit unsure about the past life, as many things seemed to fade from memory.
It required a little bit of remembering.
Early the next morning, Gu Xiaoqing prepared the meat filling, which had been chopped the night before. She specifically asked Li Xuemei to season it according to her instructions.
This would allow Li Xuemei to master the technique independently in the future, so that if Gu Xiaoqing went to school, the unique taste wouldn’t be lost without anyone to make it.
Of course, Gu Xiaoqing reminded her mom not to reveal the secret, especially those seasonings, which were strictly kept in the family.
This was a technique and a unique recipe.
While Li Xuemei didn’t understand the concept of a unique recipe, the word "secret formula" was quite moving to her. She knew this was something her daughter had researched, and the taste was indeed good, delicious enough to make people wish to bite their tongues off, lingering in the minds of those who tasted it.
So she knew it was their business’s guarantee and was determined to protect the secret formula, not sharing it with anyone.
The dough was also prepared.
The family set off.
Initially, Gu Xiaoqing was worried about asking for money from her second uncle’s family, but nothing was more important than the first opening, so she discussed with Gu Ruhai to go in the evening instead and see how the business went first.
The family arrived at the town.
Gu Xiaoqing had already planned that having steamed dumplings for breakfast was somewhat extravagant, as most families weren’t used to eating like that.
But for lunch, a basket of steamed dumplings was perfect for a meal, suitable for most families and for workers or teachers who didn’t have time to cook at noon, even cadres.
Moreover, the noon time was spacious.
No rush in the morning, and they could go home early in the afternoon, easily managing the timing.
So they decided to come at the right time.
Upon arriving in town, Gu Ruhai led Gu Xiaoqing to the big market.
The town’s market was open daily but had specific days when lots of people came from different villages, unlike regular days when it was just the town’s residents.
When they arrived, the spots were already occupied by people.
Gu Xiaoqing looked around and saw a spot at the entrance of the water plant, where people sold food items like pancakes and steamed buns.
But there was only one.
It didn’t seem very crowded.
Few people appeared to set up stalls here.
Probably because people hoped to attend the market days, most people gathered around the cooperative society.
A lot of people, crowds concentrated there.
Gu Xiaoqing thought this location was good, as people from work would pass by, and although there weren’t many people, word of mouth was powerful.
So she informed Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei, and they set up their stall here.
Underneath the shade of the trees, since it wasn’t September yet and the midday heat was scorching, the shade was perfect.
Soon, they had the fire lit, the pot set up, and Gu Xiaoying and Li Xuemei swiftly prepared a board for working, and half an hour later, the pot began releasing a fragrant aroma.
The fragrance wafted far, and Gu Xiaoqing observed, noticing people starting to come out of the factory’s gate.
They were blue-collar workers in uniforms and hats, presumably done with their shift, each holding a lunch tin, ready to eat.
Gu Xiaoqing was instantly excited; it was their first business.
Moreover, some market-goers from the cooperative society followed the scent over and noticed the steaming baskets with their mouth-watering aroma and asked, "Hey, what are you selling that smells so good?"
Gu Ruhai, not accustomed to talking, especially with strangers, was so nervous when asked that his face turned red, taking a long time to utter a word.
This amused the person asking.
Gu Xiaoqing stepped forward, lifted the lid off each basket, and said, "Uncle, we sell steamed dumplings, and over there, we have pan-fried dumplings, very tasty. It’s my mom’s family’s ancestral secret recipe, said to be the palace’s Imperial Chef’s recipe. Our family is tight on money; both my brother and I need money for school, so my parents thought of earning some school fees. Our steamed dumplings are really delicious; would you like to try a basket?"
This stunned Li Xuemei for a moment; her daughter sure knew how to make things up—Imperial Chef?
How come as a mother she didn’t know her own mother’s ancestors were palatial chefs?
But she couldn’t undermine her daughter’s story.
She just secretly enjoyed it.
The person laughed after hearing this, "Girl, your tongue sure knows how to spin tales, even bringing royal chefs into this. Alright, seeing how smart you look, I’ll give it a try, but I’ll tell you now, if it isn’t good, I won’t pay."
This was just teasing Gu Xiaoqing.
Gu Xiaoqing deftly took a basket of steamed dumplings and poured it into the person’s lunchbox, confidently saying, "Uncle, don’t look at the price of this basket at thirty cents; it has ten dumplings. Our steamed dumplings are large and filling, guaranteeing you’ll want more after eating them. If they aren’t good, you don’t have to pay."