Chapter 9: 9. Chapter 9: 009 Tea Eggs

Chapter 009 Tea Eggs

Su Dalang spoke like a little adult, "Mother, you know that the fried dough sticks and soy milk Sister made were taken out by Uncle Shutong to be sold. This is the money he earned back."

Cheng Yingzhen could not believe it. "This must be nearly twenty taels of silver, right?"

The two siblings looked into their mother's eyes and nodded with smiles. "Yes, Mother, that's right."

While Cheng Yingzhen was overjoyed, a shadow of worry crossed her brow. "Your father is a Doctor of the Five Classics. If the family were to do business, I'm afraid..."

Su Ruojin immediately interrupted her: "Mother, I know. That is why I am running this small business under the name of your dowry business."

Cheng Yingzhen felt as if she had been sent away by her stepmother like a beggar: "What dowry do I even have?"

Su Ruojin lifted her chin. "Anyway, whenever anyone asks me, I tell them the recipes for the fried dough sticks and soy milk are yours, Mother."

Cheng Yingzhen:...

"Mother, a portion of Father's salary from the end of last month was set aside for next year's first-half rent, and another portion was taken by me to set up the breakfast stall. This way, the monthly income will be more than just twenty taels from now on."

Cheng Yingzhen was stunned by her children's words: "Then... then won't we have to worry about food and drink from now on?"

"That's right, Mother." Su Ruojin sat down beside her. "Mother, are you still worried about not having money to live on?"

"I..."

It was true that Cheng Yingzhen had damaged her health giving birth, but it was also true that Su Ruojin had been nourishing her very well this month.

However, Su Ruojin had not expected that while the rich postpartum meals were nourishing her mother's body, the fact that she had barely mentioned the success of the breakfast business—for fear of disturbing her mother's confinement—had left her mother anxious and worried. Seeing the sumptuous meals, her mother had been wondering if the children were living hand-to-mouth.

A woman who has just given birth, anxious and weak, will not recover no matter how much she eats.

"Is the fried dough stick and soy milk business really that good?" Cheng Yingzhen still couldn't believe it as the siblings helped her lie down.

"It's all my fault." Su Ruojin blamed herself: "I didn't want to bother you with these things so you could have a peaceful and quiet confinement. I didn't expect it would make you misunderstand that our family was running out of food."

Seeing her daughter blame herself, Cheng Yingzhen felt a pang of heartache. She tried to sit up to comfort Su Ruojin, but was pressed back down. "Now, Mother, can you finally have a peaceful confinement?"

Cheng Yingzhen smiled with relief. Just as she was about to relax, she suddenly said: "I will eat well from now on, but don't go get those prescriptions anymore. It's a waste of money."

"That won't do." Su Ruojin straightened her little face. "Mother, I'm only six years old. If you don't take care of your health, won't I have to keep working hard?"

Cheng Yingzhen:...

Her daughter was strangely right. But Cheng Yingzhen always felt something was off.

Su Ruojin naturally knew, and secretly chuckled to herself. She had managed to coax her mother, and now she could have a peaceful confinement.

"Mother, there is still more than a month until the New Year. You must have a good confinement so that you can handle the social obligations and visiting relatives during the holidays!"

That's right! Cheng Yingzhen was finally moved by her daughter and truly began to rest easy.

With her worries gone and her cooperation in taking the medicinal tonics, Cheng Yingzhen's complexion visibly became rosy. Su Ruojin finally had the energy to focus on the permanent stall.

When the mule pulled the cart of equipment to the stall at the entrance of the alley where they paid their taxes, people were already waiting.

"Hey, are the fried dough sticks being fried on the spot today?"

"Yes, sir. How many would you like? They'll be ready in a moment."

Over the past month, everyone knew the dough sticks were deep-fried, but they didn't know they would be rolled in the oil until golden and glistening like this; it was truly mouth-watering.

A customer smacked his lips: "Though the dough sticks are delicious, eating them every day..." The implication was that there was too little variety, and one would eventually get tired of them.

Su Ruojin, who had followed along, had already anticipated this and stood to the side with a smile.

Shutong slapped his forehead. "Oh, if the young master hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten." With that, he placed a ceramic pot with handles onto the small stove and reached out to lift the lid. The next moment, the salty aroma of tea leaves wafted out.

"This is..." Someone leaned in to look into the pot.

Su Ruojin signaled for Su Dalang to go help.

Su Dalang felt a bit shy; he blushed and didn't move.

Su Ruojin quickly stepped up, picked up a long-handled spoon, and scooped one out. "Sir, tea eggs, two wen each. Would you like two?"

Eggs boiled in tea leaves—could they be eaten? The customer was skeptical, but reached out to take the tea egg that the little girl had wiped dry. The shell had been cracked, and with a few taps, it peeled away. He took a bite; the egg white was salty, fragrant, and tender, and the yolk was savory and rich. The taste was quite excellent.

"Give me three." One was not enough.

With someone leading the way, the customers buying breakfast followed suit, purchasing one or two each. Before long, the ceramic pot was sold out. Fortunately, Su Ruojin had been prepared and had another pot, which she had Shutong quickly move onto the small stove to continue the supply.

On winter mornings, the cold wind was bone-chilling. To keep customers lingering, the Su family's breakfast stall had been carefully designed. It was a collapsible mini-shack. The side facing the customers had a folding oilcloth awning on the eaves, and a three-foot-long windproof oilcloth wall extended from the eaves, so customers wouldn't be exposed to wind or rain while buying food or waiting.

It was practically a miniature shop.

With the stall, breakfast was no longer sold for just over an hour, but from the beginning of the Mao hour to the beginning of the Chen hour—that is, from five to nine in the morning. In those four hours, the customer base was no longer just court officials, but also nearby merchants, passing peddlers, and various pedestrians running errands.

Business was busy, which meant they were short-handed. Shutong alone could no longer keep up. For several days in a row, Su Ruojin and Su Dalang came over to help.

"Yo, so Doctor Su can't afford to support his family? To actually let a proper young lady show her face in public—what kind of decorum is this?"

Su Ruojin and Su Dalang were inside the little shop helping out—making soy milk, scooping tea eggs, and handling the money—letting Shutong focus on frying the dough sticks.

Su Ruojin had seen Mother Xu coming through the crowd and guessed she would make sarcastic remarks. Shutong looked at his young mistress, wanting to say something, but was stopped by Su Ruojin's gaze.

She lowered her eyes and continued her work, ignoring her completely.

In the West Bridge Alley area, no one had ever dared to treat Mother Xu like this. She narrowed her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and her face full of fat twitched. "You stinking girl surnamed Su, do you know who I am? Believe it or not, I can make it so your stall can't be set up tomorrow."

As she threw a tantrum, customers were too scared to come up and buy dough sticks, and pedestrians stopped out of curiosity. In the blink of an eye, the area in front of the little shop was crowded with people.

Su Ruojin gave a cold snort and reached out to drop the tea egg into the pot, splashing the tea broth.

Mother Xu stepped back as it splashed. When she realized she had been intimidated by a little girl, her squinty eyes widened into copper bells. "Dead girl, you dare to give me attitude?"

Su Ruojin walked out of the little shop and looked at her coldly.

Half a month ago, seeing the Su family's fried dough stick business booming, Mother Xu had asked Mother Dong to fry them. The dough sticks were fried, but the taste was nothing like what Shutong made. Mother Xu thought Mother Dong was holding back, but after using both soft and hard tactics, she realized Mother Dong truly didn't have the skill. So, she came up with another plan: to have Mother Dong come back to learn the craft, and once she learned it, sell it at her own shop.