Chapter 9

Summer mornings are the coolest time of day. Qian Jianing glanced at the clock on the wall—five o’clock sharp. She was surprised it was still so early. After drinking that glass of wine and following the Food Elder through his mortal past, waking up again felt like waking from a dream.

Tiptoeing out of bed, Qian Jianing quietly washed up, changed clothes, and rode her tricycle out. Today she was selling liangpi (cold skin noodles), so she bought over ten pounds of cucumbers and carrots, along with sesame seeds, peanuts, wheat gluten, and sesame paste.

After washing her face, Li Wanzhen heard Qian Jianing busy in the courtyard and quickly came out to help. “Whoa, you bought so many cucumbers. Planning to make something?”

“It’s so hot; I figured liangpi would be good.” Qian Jianing headed to the food storage room in the house and whispered to the Treasure Bowl, “Help me get out the mung bean liangpi.”

“It’s too hot to take everything out at once—what if it spoils? I’ll give you two hundred sheets for now.” A package of liangpi appeared out of thin air and landed on the table. As if realizing it was a bit too casual, the Treasure Bowl quickly added, “Technically, I shouldn’t be helping you store these things. But I’m thrifty and can’t stand waste—it’s a great trait, you know.”

Remembering that chubby doll puffing its cheeks and lecturing her so seriously, Qian Jianing couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re right, that’s a particularly excellent quality.”

Pulling out a bag of liangpi, Qian Jianing showed it to Li Wanzhen. “I learned this from the recipe yesterday. I was just experimenting—didn’t expect it to succeed.”

Qian Guosheng came out of the house just in time to hear that and quickly complimented, “Our Xiaomi is just so smart—she can master anything at a glance.”

Even though Li Wanzhen had made peace with things last night, she still didn’t look kindly on Qian Guosheng. His goody-two-shoes attitude was just too infuriating; she almost wanted to punch him to vent her frustration. Over the years, Qian Guosheng had gotten a bit wiser with age and knew he’d offended her by going back to his old ways, so he dared not speak to her and silently helped Qian Jianing wash cucumbers.

Since Qian Jianing was now running a breakfast business, she included breakfast for the family as well. She grabbed a few cleaned cucumbers and immediately noticed that her speed in cutting vegetables had doubled. The experience from her dream had evidently taken her culinary skills to the next level.

Qian Guosheng looked up and was so startled by his daughter’s cutting speed that he forgot to wash the cucumbers and also forgot about Li Wanzhen being mad at him. He nudged her and exclaimed, “Look at our daughter—how can she cut so fast?”

Li Wanzhen had noticed a few days ago that Qian Jianing’s knife skills were better than hers, but she didn’t expect her to improve this much in just a few days. She couldn’t help but show off, “My daughter is amazing. She takes after me—quick and efficient. Not like you…” She gave Qian Guosheng a disgusted glance. “You’re just a headache.”

Qian Guosheng gave an awkward smile and bowed his head, deciding it was best to speak less today.

After a busy morning, all the vegetables were washed. Qian Jianing washed her hands and grabbed some wheat gluten, topping it with bright green shredded cucumber and golden carrot shreds. She sprinkled toasted sesame and crushed peanuts, added the sliced liangpi, and drizzled garlic water, chili oil, and sesame paste. The mere sight of it made mouths water.

Qian Jiafeng eagerly grabbed a plate of liangpi, scrambled it together, and shoveled a huge mouthful in, barely able to close his mouth. Li Wanzhen, now considering quitting her job to sell food with her daughter, took a more careful approach. After mixing and tasting a bite, she couldn’t find a single flaw—the seasoning was spot-on. All she could think was: it’s delicious.

“This is called liangpi?” It was Li Wanzhen’s first time trying the snack. No one in Zibo City was selling it yet. “It’s tasty and perfect for summer. Xiaomi, I’ll learn this from you first. It’s easy to pick up, and when the weather cools down, I’ll sell other things.”

“Deal!” Qian Jianing laughed. “I’ll provide the capital; we’ll split the profits later.”

***

The scorching summer made people lose their appetites. With the heat already surging in the morning, many families just boiled some noodles for breakfast to get by. While noodles used to be a bit of a treat in the past, now most kids didn’t like them, and even adults found them bland if eaten every day.

After deep-fried fries and fried meatballs, Qian Jianing started offering breakfast again. Finally, the residents of West City were spared the trouble of preparing their own. Though Qian Jianing’s prices were a bit higher, the variety and flavor made her breakfast the most anticipated event every morning.

However, since she decided what to sell each day when she woke up, she usually arrived in West City around 7 a.m. Office workers often didn’t have time to buy from her and had to settle for something hastily made at home. Quite a few shrewd folks saw this as a business opportunity. They copied Qian Jianing’s model and set up their own breakfast stalls beside hers—selling steamed buns, fried dough sticks with soy milk, or wontons. Business was decent around 5–6 a.m., but as soon as Qian Jianing showed up, they would pack up and leave.

As Qian Jianing rode her tricycle in, the crowd under the shade jumped up and greeted her with smiles: “Xiaomi’s here! What’s on the menu today?”

The steamed bun vendor nearby watched Qian Jianing’s massive popularity with envy, wondering why the girl’s food was so delicious. Once she arrived, the vendor knew her buns would barely sell. Seeing a few young folks rushing over, the bun vendor quickly shouted, “Fresh buns—pork and cabbage, hot and tasty!”

But the youngsters didn’t even glance his way. They quickened their pace to get to Qian Jianing’s stall. After all, it was a rare day off—they *had* to eat her breakfast. A swarm of grandparents, parents, and kids nearby also surged forward. Seeing the steamed bun vendor taking up space, someone called out, “Go across the street—we’re queueing here!”

The other food vendors were already used to this and simply smiled bitterly, pushing their carts to the other side. All they could do was watch the pretty young girl get surrounded by people carrying large bowls.

As more customers flocked to her stall, Qian Jianing suggested that everyone bring their own bowls and utensils. It was more sanitary and saved her from washing dishes later, especially since she had homework to finish each night. The older folks admired this clean, good-looking girl who also cooked well and liked to study. They readily agreed and reminded their families not to add to the girl’s workload. So, her customers usually came fully equipped—small stools in one hand, large bowls in the other.

She laid out shredded cucumber, carrot, and various toppings. The star of today—translucent mung bean liangpi—finally made its appearance. One curious old lady at the front asked, “What’s this?”

“Liangpi. I made it with mung beans last night. Fifty cents a serving.” Qian Jianing set everything up while the elders and children automatically queued. As she added wheat gluten, she asked, “Would you like chili and garlic?”

After buying their liangpi, some people went home to eat with children, while others sat right under the tree, mixed the ingredients, and took a bite. Immediately, they felt refreshed and couldn’t help but praise it. “This stuff is delicious—slippery and smooth. Too bad the portion is small. I think I could eat two bowls.”

The steamed bun and fried dough vendors across the street stared in envy, but they were used to this by now. They mostly set up next to her to ride her popularity and had no reason to complain. Some of the men under the tree nodded in agreement, saying it was tasty. A few halfway through their bowls even walked back to ask Qian Jianing for more crushed peanuts. The vendors suddenly lost all desire to sell—shoving their money into their pouches and racing over: “Xiaomi, give me two portions—extra chili oil!”

***

At the factory, Li Wanzhen didn’t go to the workshop. She knocked directly on the office building’s door. The Factory Director had summoned the Deputy factory director, Office Chief, and Finance Section Chief early in the morning, trying to sort out the upcoming staff cuts.

Li Wanzhen gave a symbolic knock before pushing the door open, bluntly stating, “I’m here to talk about leaving the job.”

Director Li was overjoyed at hearing this. He quickly invited her in and even personally made her tea. “Comrade Li is a veteran worker here, technically skilled with a high sense of responsibility. Compared to these young ones, you’re in a class of your own.”

“Don’t butter me up. I’m not that righteous.” Li Wanzhen gave a half-smile as she scanned the room and got straight to the point. “I’m willing to resign, but you have to compensate me.”

The director quickly replied, “Of course, we can offer 500 yuan as compensation.”

“Just 500? Are you joking?” Li Wanzhen laughed. She had joined the factory at 18, almost 30 years ago. Technically, she shouldn’t be the one going. But since she was resigning, she laid out everything that her family had done over the years. “You’ve treated Qian Guosheng like a fool—calling on him when you need grunt work, but forgetting him when it comes to perks. Don’t think I’m unaware.”

Blushing, the director stammered, “Now, now… that’s not fair.”

“It’s the truth.” Li Wanzhen sneered. “Save the small talk. Let’s cut to it. One month’s salary per year of service. We also never got allocated housing. Back when our turn came, you gave our spot to Master Wang’s family—and we all know who actually got it. So, the factory needs to make that right too. Make it a clean 3,000 yuan.”

“What? How did we jump to 3,000? Even going by seniority, it’s only just over 1,000!” Office Chief Wang huffed. “Li Wanzhen, don’t be unreasonable. The factory’s struggling.”

“Well, the factory’s ‘struggling’ yet you all are doing just fine. Remember that batch of—”

“Alright, alright, I spoke out of turn,” interrupted Wang, nervously. “Your husband and I share an office. Let’s not throw wild accusations around.”

“You know exactly whether they’re ‘wild’ or not.” Li Wanzhen sneered again. “I’m sticking to my terms. Agree, and I’ll sign right now.”

The Factory Director signaled to the others. They huddled for a long discussion. Though they felt 3,000 was steep, they needed a lead case to set an example—and Li Wanzhen fit the bill.

“Maybe we should just do it,” the deputy director whispered. “That couple has worked hard for years—especially Qian Guosheng. Never asked the factory for anything. I bet he talked her into it. We should show some goodwill.”

Wang Hai wanted to object—jealous of Li Wanzhen’s payout. But he’d taken plenty of kickbacks over the years, and after reform policies were implemented, he’d handled all the factory’s welfare procurements. Given Li Wanzhen’s pointed words, he feared she knew what he’d done. If she exposed him, he might leave with nothing.

Seeing no objections, the director nodded. “Alright, we’ll go with that.” He cleared his throat and put on his usual smile. “Comrade Li, your demands technically don’t comply with guidelines.” Seeing her eyebrow raised, he quickly added, “But considering your and Guosheng’s years of service, we’re making an exception. That said, to avoid others following suit, this must be confidential. Publicly, we’ll say you received only 500 yuan.”

“Fine!” Li Wanzhen stood up. “Give me the money, I’ll sign immediately.”

Author’s Note: A reader asked yesterday if this was a gourmet food story. It’s only a small part—the early business venture was just for start-up funding. We’re still going back to school to be a top student~~~~