HCB Chapter 339 Hot and Sour Rice Noodles
Chapter 339 Hot and Sour Rice Noodles
Li Shenghui said loudly, "Everyone, work harder. Tomorrow we have to deliver the sweet potato flour and sweet potato vermicelli to the store owned by Xiuying in Fucheng. This is a big business for our village, and we can't let anything go wrong!"
Yang Qingfeng also echoed, "That's right, everyone should be careful. If our village's sweet potato noodles can be a hit this time, our village will have more hope for the future!"
Xiuying stood in the spacious yard, looking around, carefully selecting the people who would escort the sweet potato flour to the city tomorrow.
She looked serious and said in a clear voice, "Wang Daya, Wang Dali, Hei Niu, you guys will be in charge. And Afan, you will come along too."
Wang Daya quickly responded, "Okay, Madam!"
Xiuying then instructed, "Daya, distribute the swords to everyone to prevent any accidents along the way. When we get to the store, make sure to take care of Brother Liu and Sister Liu. They'll be living in the store and helping to look after the business."
Wang Daya nodded and said, "Madam, don't worry, I will complete the task!"
Xiuying emphasized, "This escort mission is not easy. Everyone must be extremely alert and not make any mistakes."
Everyone answered in unison: "I understand!" The voices were uniform and loud.
Brother Liu and his wife, both village natives, regret not joining the first sweet potato planting effort. They have a son and a wife, and their life is relatively stable, but financially they're struggling.
Now, the two old people can be settled in the store to work, not only have food to eat, but also 30 coins a month. This is a great thing for the Liu family.
Brother Liu always tells everyone, "I've lived for most of my life, and I never dreamed that I would still be able to make money in my old age and reduce the burden on my son and daughter-in-law. This is truly the good fortune of my ancestors!"
Mrs. Liu also echoed, "That's right. I used to worry that I would become a burden to my children when I got old. Now that I can earn some money with my own hands, I feel much more at ease."
At night, lying in bed, Brother Liu and Sister Liu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about how to spend the thirty cents and how to improve their family's life.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was turning pale, the team escorting the sweet potatoes set off.
Along the way, everyone was on high alert, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. In addition to sweet potato flour and vermicelli, there was also a basket of steamed buns on the ox cart.
Zhao Cunliang held a chamber pot wrapped in rags in his arms and asked, "What are these steamed buns for?"
Li Gang replied, "If you encounter refugees, give them to them so they don't rob the goods on the ox carts."
Zhao Cunliang looked at the big white steamed buns and swallowed his saliva. Oh my god, the refugees eat better than I do.
As they walked along, no one saw the groups of refugees that used to gather on the roadside, which made everyone feel very strange.
Wang Daya told everyone: "Those people have gone to Pingyang County. Master Wu is in need of manpower to repair the city wall. They will provide food and accommodation."
"So that's how it is! That's great! These refugees now have a place to go and something to eat." Someone said with emotion.
Zhao Cunliang heard everyone's discussion and snorted coldly, saying with disdain, "Humph! They're just some cheap labor. Wu Baixi gave them a meal, and they're so grateful. How ignorant!"
The corners of Zhao Cunliang's mouth rose slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile, with a hint of conceit flashing in his eyes. He fantasized in his heart that once he pawned this heirloom, he would definitely let these people see what true wealth and glory were!
I want to let them know that I, Zhao Cunliang, will not always be such a coward. When the time comes, I will live in a big house, buy many servants to serve me, eat delicacies from land and sea every day, and wear endless silks and satins.
I want them to bow down before me and flatter me, and see if they dare to look down on me.
Thinking of this, he continued sarcastically, "These people, who normally have no decent livelihood, are so happy now that they have a job that can fill their stomachs. They are really hopeless!"
The people around couldn't help but say, "That's not right. They are desperate. Having a job is better than starving to death."
Zhao Cunliang, however, didn't take it seriously and sneered, "Humph, you're just too soft-hearted. People like you are just lazy by nature. They lose their minds when you give them a little benefit."
Speaking of laziness, everyone looked at Zhao Cunliang and said nothing more. Isn't it because of laziness that the Zhao family went from being a wealthy family in the village to being a poor family today?
The entrance fee was still three cents per person. However, today, the number of people entering the city was pitifully small, and the gate was deserted, with almost no queues. The guards at the gate stood there bored, yawning occasionally. After paying the entrance fee, Zhao Cunliang separated from the others.
Led by Afan, the villagers happily went to the shop that Xiuying had taken over.
Zhao Cunliang hurried towards the pawnshop, as if there was something he desperately wanted. Along the way, Zhao Cunliang's mind was completely on the family heirloom that was about to be pawned, and he kept calculating how much money he could get.
Arriving at the store, everyone set about their business without delay. The shelves were all ready-made, but hadn't been used for a long time and were covered in a thick layer of dust.
Everyone quickly turned on the water, picked up the rags, and wiped the containers carefully.
Yang Qingfeng stood in front of the ox cart and systematically directed the men to carefully unload the sweet potato noodles and sweet potato wide noodles from the ox cart and move them into the store.
Afan called a few women to the backyard and asked them to light a fire to prepare sweet potato noodles. After a while, the women were skillfully making sweet potato cakes and cooking some sweet potato noodles.
Afan then added various seasonings that Xiuying brought, including red peppers, fragrant peppercorns, sour aged vinegar, etc.
Everyone gathered together and looked at the delicious food in front of them with surprised expressions.
Someone couldn't help but say: "I never thought sweet potatoes could be made into such delicious food!"
Another person chimed in, "Is this the hot and sour rice noodle Xiuying was talking about? I know it's right just by the smell!"
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and couldn't wait to taste it. For a while, there were exclamations of praise one after another.
“Delicious, so delicious!”
"This tastes amazing!"
The shop was quickly cleaned up, looking brand new inside and out. The sweet potato noodles were neatly stacked on the shelves, and bundles of sweet potato wide noodles were also arranged in an orderly manner, waiting for customers to choose.
Two sturdy square tables, their surface polished spotlessly clean, stood at the entrance. In a large pot, steam rose from a pot of cooked sweet potato noodles, emitting an alluring aroma that curled into the air, waving to passersby.