Chapter 17

Ever since Qian Jianing started preparing to open her own restaurant, her street stall business had been taken over by Li Wanzhen. After all, becoming a freelancer meant an unstable income. That thought kept Li Wanzhen on edge—she was terrified that if she didn’t earn enough money, the family’s quality of life would suffer.

But compared to other street vendors, Li Wanzhen was much luckier. Qian Jianing’s old customers all knew her, and now that the weather was hot, buying a cool and tasty liangpi could serve as both a dish and a meal—all in all, a great deal.

Unlike Qian Jianing, who used to go out to sell around seven o’clock, Li Wanzhen started out as early as five. Besides liangpi, she also sold pork and cabbage buns, and mushroom sauce meat buns for the rush hour crowd who needed a quick breakfast. By noon, she focused on liangpi and a few cold side dishes, while at night she served snacks like pig ears and numbing pepper chicken—great dishes to pair with alcohol. These were all recipes she’d learned from Qian Jianing. Though not as good as what Jianing made, they still tasted better than what you’d find at regular restaurants.

A little after two in the afternoon, after selling the last serving of liangpi, Li Wanzhen hurriedly rode her tricycle home to rest her legs a bit, planning to head back out around four. She parked her trike in the courtyard, washed her face under the faucet, walked into the house, and casually asked when she saw Qian Jiafeng watching TV, “Where’s your sister?”

“She’s at the shop. A ton of people came to eat today.”

“Oh my, my brain is really going. I’ve been so busy I forgot today’s the opening of her store.” Li Wanzhen gulped some cold boiled water from the table and quickly made her way over, thinking she could help Qian Jianing wash dishes or mop the floor or something. After all, cooking and cleaning all by herself must be overwhelming.

“Xiaomi!” Li Wanzhen shouted in the courtyard. At the sound, Treasure Bowl grabbed the oily red duck it was gnawing and disappeared.

Qian Jianing opened the door and, upon seeing Li Wanzhen’s flushed face, her heart ached. “You didn’t have to sell all day. Why didn’t you come home earlier to rest?”

“What’s the point of resting at home? If I get tired, I can sit down on a stool and rest my feet. Xiaomi, you don’t understand—this business is unstable. You might earn a profit today but lose some tomorrow. I’ve seen the ups and downs all my life, so I’m willing to quit my job and earn this hard money. But you must never let money affect your studies. Passing the college entrance exam is still our top priority.” As she spoke, she walked further inside. “You’ve been busy all afternoon; sit down and rest. Mom will help you with the rest of the—uh…”

Looking at the clean living room and the brightly lit kitchen, Li Wanzhen was momentarily speechless. She lifted the tablecloth in disbelief to check the tiled floor underneath. “You’ve already cleaned everything? You’re incredibly efficient.”

Seeing she was about to head into the kitchen, Qian Jianing quickly sat her down in a chair. “I’ve already cleaned the kitchen too. I’m simmering braised meats for tonight’s menu.” Through the large window, the kitchen looked spotless, so Li Wanzhen sat down and started massaging her legs. “Just last night your dad and I were saying, it’s like Heaven favors you. Other people have to pay to learn cooking and still might not cook as well as you. But look at you—just follow a recipe and the flavor turns out perfect.”

“Actually, the methods are all pretty similar. The key is having a sensitive tongue.” Qian Jianing smiled. “I’m just really into eating. When I crave a certain flavor, I follow the recipe and tweak it until I hit the mark. Turns out, everyone likes it.”

Li Wanzhen thought for a moment and then nodded. “That’s true. Even the filling for the buns this morning—I thought it was already tasty, but you sniffed it once and said the scallion oil wasn’t cooked through. If you hadn’t helped me adjust the seasoning afterwards, those buns definitely wouldn’t have sold that fast.”

Qian Jianing chuckled and stood up. “I also steamed some buns this morning. I specially saved a basket just for you.” She went into the kitchen and came back with a basket of buns, a plate of chili oil tofu sheets, two steamed lion’s head meatballs, and a bowl of lotus leaf mung bean porridge. “These lion’s heads just came out of the steamer. You can be the first to taste them for me.”

“I’ve already eaten.” Li Wanzhen saw the prices written on the “Today’s Specials” board and quickly waved her hands. “You should save them for dinner service. These dishes aren’t cheap.”

Qian Jianing didn’t give her a choice and stuffed a pair of chopsticks into her hand. “Just eat. I’m not charging you. If even you can’t afford to eat at my restaurant, what’s the point of me opening it in the first place?”

Li Wanzhen felt a wave of warmth in her heart. Looking at her still slightly baby-faced daughter, she felt immensely comforted. “My girl’s all grown up now. She knows how to care for her mom.” She took a spoonful of lotus leaf porridge and brought it to her mouth. “Delicious!”

Qian Jianing beamed, watching Li Wanzhen savor the food she made. “Of course I care about Mom. Someday I’m going to make a lot of money and let you be the happiest old lady in all of Zibo City.”

Entranced by the soup dumplings, Li Wanzhen couldn’t help but laugh. “I may not be an old lady yet, but I already feel like the most blessed mother. What other kid makes their mom food this delicious?”

Qian Jianing squinted with a big smile. “Then I’ll make you good food every day.”

***

Zhao Dazhuang paced irritably around his restaurant with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Looking outside, he saw the line in front of Qian Xiaomi’s shop grow longer by the minute, while his own place was empty except for the buzzing flies. His wife, Li Hong, hid behind the counter, silent and frightened by her husband’s dark, soot-covered expression. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand how a little girl’s newly opened eatery had outshined their own in less than a day. Their restaurant was the biggest and most well-known around here, even hosting wedding banquets. It was supposed to be the most respected in the area.

“I saw Cheng Tianxiang and Li Guofu went to Qian Xiaomi’s place for lunch today,” Zhao Dazhuang suddenly said. “They used to eat here all the time.”

Li Hong quickly nodded. “Exactly! Xiaomi opening shop right here is totally stealing our business. Dazhuang, you have to come up with something quick. Summer business is already tough. If she keeps this up, we’ll be eating scraps.”

Zhao Dazhuang flicked out another cigarette from the box and lit it, staring into space, deep in thought.

Time ticked by when suddenly the glass door swung open. Four or five young men, wearing oversized sunglasses and wide-legged jeans, walked in. As soon as they entered, they started hollering, “Boss Zhao, what are you daydreaming about? Stir-fry us a few dishes!”

Snapping out of his daze, Zhao Dazhuang turned around and immediately grinned. “Ah, it’s you guys. What do you feel like eating today?”

“Give us stir-fried pork kidney, braised pig intestine, sauced pork bones, and some pickled Chinese cabbage,” said the guy in front, who looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, sitting down under a ceiling fan with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “And five bottles of chilled beer. Keep it coming if we finish.”

“Got it!” Zhao Dazhuang turned back into the kitchen, warmed up a plate of pre-prepped bones, banged on the wok with his spatula, and Li Hong quickly came in to help serve the dish. “Sauced bones are ready.”

The other three dishes were simple. Within ten minutes, everything was on the table. Zhao Dazhuang, now dripping with sweat from cooking all three dishes, carelessly wiped his face with a greasy rag and went to sit down at a nearby table, fanning himself and listening to the guys chat.

These five guys were your typical small-time street thugs—sleeping during the day, hanging around video parlors at night. None of them gave money to their families and spent all their earnings on food, drinks, and entertainment.

Zhao Dazhuang listened to their nonsense, chewing the fat about how the boss at the video parlor had just stocked some “spicy” films, or how someone saw a smoking-hot girl at the disco—too bad she had a boyfriend, otherwise they were gonna make a move.

After finishing off two crates of beer and wiping their plates clean, one of them stood up. “Boss, bill please.”

Zhao Dazhuang stood up with a cigarette in hand and grinned. “No charge, this one’s on me.”

The guys were a bit surprised. The leader, Wang Dong, picked his teeth with a toothpick and looked sideways at him. “What’s the occasion? Got a favor to ask today?”

Zhao Dazhuang, no longer the tough guy in front of these men, chuckled warmly. “Yeah, kinda. I do have something to ask from you guys.”

Wang Dong gestured for the others to sit back down. “Spill it. If it’s something I can do, I’ll say yes. If I can’t, you’re still paying us.”

“No way.” Zhao Dazhuang smiled obsequiously. “Something tricky for me, but if you guys help, I won’t charge for this meal. Consider it my treat.”

Wang Dong and his crew were used to people who looked down on them. Zhao Dazhuang’s respectful, almost submissive manner greatly satisfied their egos. Wang Dong smirked smugly. “So what’s the deal?”

“You know I’ve been running this restaurant for five years. Not to brag, but my food’s top-notch for the price. You won’t find another taste like this in the area.”

Wang Dong nodded. “True. Your intestines are especially tender and flavorful.”

Zhao Dazhuang laughed, then continued. “I was doing fine running my place till this little 17- or 18-year-old girl next door suddenly starts a restaurant. Skipping school and stealing all my customers—young men and old guys alike. What does some snot-nosed kid even know about cooking? Who knows what kind of dirty tricks she’s using.” He darkened his tone with disdain. “I don’t care about that stuff, but I can’t just sit back and let her push me out. So, I was hoping you guys might help stir things up a bit, enough to make her place go under.”

Wang Dong chuckled. “Is the girl pretty?”

“She is!” Zhao Dazhuang nodded enthusiastically. “Heart-shaped face, super fair skin, crescent-shaped eyes when she smiles, dimples too—sweeter than Teresa Teng.”

Zhang Cheng and Wang Kun exchanged a sneaky grin. “Then it’s on. We’ll take the job. Can’t have someone cutting in on our brother Zhao’s turf.”

Zhao Dazhuang immediately fetched two boxes of cigarettes and a stack of big bills from behind the counter. “This is your deposit. Once it’s done, I’ll give you another stack.”

Wang Dong took the cash, gave a half-smile, then turned to his crew and said, “Now that’s a good gig. Better than standing guard at a video parlor—free food and drink plus we get paid.”

The group burst out laughing. After leaving the restaurant and walking a few blocks, a guy named Li Qiang suddenly said, “Zhao Dazhuang’s kind of shady. Can’t beat a girl in business so he comes up with this garbage plan. Never thought he was that kind of guy.”

Wang Dong squinted at him from the side. “What, falling for the girl already without even seeing her?”

“Nah,” Li Qiang laughed awkwardly. “I just think Zhao Dazhuang’s not trustworthy. Even if we’re taking his money, we shouldn’t get too close—who knows when he’ll stab us in the back.”

Wang Dong narrowed his eyes slightly. “Let’s go check out this place first—see what kind of skills that girl has to draw such a crowd.”