【034】90s cook 34

Three dishes for four yuan, two meat and one vegetarian for three yuan, all vegetarian for two yuan, two vegetarian and one meat for 2.5 yuan, soup for 0.5 yuan, rice and noodles same price...

Initially, the diner wanted to question why an egg was considered a meat dish, but when the offer of Tomato and Egg with an extra fried egg was mentioned, he felt that the owner was quite straightforward.

Looking at her side dishes, she had both meat and vegetarian options, both hot and cold dishes, rice, noodles, and soup—indeed a comprehensive selection that satisfied most people's tastes.

"Okay, give me all meat dishes with rice. Let me try how well the cook does Braised Pork with Vermicelli!"

"Boss, I'll have two meat and one vegetarian, chicken chunks and egg, with noodles on top."

These two middle-aged men were Mingxia's first customers. She politely served them rice and then poured them each a bowl of soup.

"What is this...?"

Mingxia sheepishly said, "Today is my first day setting up the stall, and you are my first two customers, so these two bowls of soup are on the house as a thank you for your support. Oh, and here are two discount cards. If you collect five, you can get a free bowl of nourishing porridge in the evening."

"Oh my, Cook, you are too kind. But we should really decline the cards. We just happened to pass by and aren't from around here; it would be a waste, so you should take them back."

Mingxia felt awkward at that moment and was about to take them back when the one who ordered three meat dishes intercepted.

"Once given, cards shouldn't be taken back. We'll still be around here for work these next few days. We appreciate your kindness, Cook. We'll keep them, keep them."

Mingxia immediately bowed gratefully to them, just as another customer came to order. She quickly turned to greet the new customer.

Thus, Mingxia's business officially started with the orders of three meat dishes and two meat one vegetarian.

She continued selling until past two in the afternoon, by which time all the food she had prepared in the morning, including braised noodles, was sold out. Although the braised noodles sold slower compared to rice, the results were still good. She didn't know exactly how much money she made, but from this meal alone, she could see how difficult running a business was.

She intentionally made extra sauce for all her dishes because many people liked to drizzle it over their rice. Some people even came just to buy noodles to pour the juice over, not bothering with the vegetables.

Seeing all sorts of people showed her the bittersweet struggles hidden behind their smiles.

Afterward, she started cleaning up the meal boxes, pots, and pans. Although there was water available for washing dishes at the site, it was inconvenient and left everything greasy, which was uncomfortable. So, she decided to take them home to wash.

After leaving the stall structure at Snack Street and riding the tricycle home (having cycled home to fetch it), she arrived back at three in the afternoon.

It took over half an hour to wash those dishes and meal boxes. By four o'clock, she finally had time to lie down on the sofa to rest.

Her daughter had long fallen asleep, tired from helping her pack meal boxes for customers, which was indeed hard work.

Then, Mingxia realized a practical problem: she simply had no time to set up a stall in the evening. After a busy day and it already being four in the afternoon, she hadn't even bought vegetables for tomorrow. During the afternoon, discounted vegetables were available, while in the morning, she had to buy fresh meat and bean products. Buying slightly less fresh but not spoiled discounted vegetables the previous afternoon was a way to save money.

Fortunately, the cards she gave out earlier only promised a free soup or vegetarian dish if five were collected, as her first two customers made her realize that relying on lunchtime customers to return in the evening wasn't realistic. So, she later changed her promise to a soup or vegetarian dish at noon.