CHAPTER 232: CHAPTER 232: MALATANG (EXTRA UPDATE 1)

Lin Xiang carefully observed the situation: among the four dishes, the stew was the most popular, the container was almost empty. The cucumber with pork had more than half left, but the tomato with scrambled eggs and dry-fried green beans were popular too, with many people eating them.

Lin Xiang served the last person queued up and noticed a few elderly people standing not too far away, looking over eagerly but hesitating to come forward.

Lin Xiang covered the lids of the aluminum pots and went over to ask them, "Would you like to have some fast food?"

The eldest among them waved his hand repeatedly, "No, no, we won’t eat."

"Fifty cents per person, that’s too expensive."

Before setting the price, Lin Xiang had actually consulted the landlord and found that the wages of construction workers in this area weren’t low. After all, they do physical labor, and despite differences in job types, they could earn at least eighty to ninety yuan a month.

A meal for fifty cents amounts to about fifteen yuan a month, which seemed not much compared to their wages. But for construction workers who exhaust themselves, it was indeed a substantial amount.

Lin Xiang began to reflect on herself.

She had considered the high cost of living and the high costs, as well as the large appetite and consumption of construction workers. However, she had not considered that some people would rather go hungry than spend extra money.

Lin Xiang returned to her stall and asked the person closest to her, "Where do you usually eat?"

"Most make their own food, buy a package of dried noodles and boil with some salt, and if someone is willing to treat themselves, they occasionally add an egg."

"Sometimes, when wages are paid, they want to improve their lives and walk a few kilometers to the nearby town for a flavorful bowl of noodles, or pitch in with a few people to order a couple of stir-fried dishes."

Lin Xiang kept this in mind.

Before she could think further, people came to inquire about buying food, and Lin Xiang got busy again.

As the crowd dispersed, the food was mostly sold.

The stew was the first to sell out, followed by tomato scrambled eggs, with dry-fried green beans and cucumber with pork having just enough left for the mother and daughter to eat a meal.

Pushing the cart back to the rented yard, Mrs. Lin eagerly dumped out the money earned today.

"Girl, guess how much we made this noon?"

Lin Xiang raised five fingers, "About fifty yuan, I guess."

"How did you know?" Mrs. Lin was surprised.

Lin Xiang thought to herself that since she prepared the food, she knew how much there was; fifty yuan was hardly less.

"In total, we sold forty-seven yuan and fifty cents! If we sell again in the afternoon, we could make nearly a hundred yuan a day."

Mrs. Lin imagined a very beautiful life, but Lin Xiang knew in her heart that not just this afternoon, but even in the days to come, business wouldn’t be as good.

"Why?" Mrs. Lin didn’t understand. "Didn’t you see the number of people eating today, coming one after another like dumplings being boiled? How could business be bad?"

"Because our pricing is still too high."

Lin Xiang rested her elbow on her head, "We might need to change our strategy."

Mrs. Lin didn’t quite understand these things; her best quality was her obedience. Whatever Lin Xiang said, she listened.

"Should we sell again in the afternoon?"

"Sell!"

Lin Xiang said, "I’ll take a half-hour nap first, and after waking, I’ll go to the market to buy vegetables."

With the weather hot and no refrigerator, not even a water well, the meat couldn’t be kept for a few hours, so the meat Lin Xiang bought in the morning was only enough for the morning.

Mrs. Lin urged, "You have been busy all morning, go and rest for a while, I’ll wash the bowls and pots."

Lin Xiang only took a half-hour nap, then went to the market.

But most of the meat from the pork company was sold out; only leftovers and pig blood were left, which didn’t require ration coupons and were cheap. Lin Xiang bought them all.

Back at the rental, Lin Xiang found Mrs. Lin had already started steaming the rice.

"I didn’t know what you planned to stir-fry, so I didn’t interfere. Is there anything you need me to do now?"

"Mom, please help me with these cabbage preparations. Once the rice is done steaming, please help me make some mung bean soup."

In the afternoon, Lin Xiang only prepared two dishes: hand-torn cabbage and Mao Xue Wang.

With a rush of activity, the mother and daughter pushed the cart to the location from the morning, and it was nearly five o’clock.

Lin Xiang switched on the pre-recorded speaker, and the message had already changed.

"Fast food, self-selected fast food, rice five cents, dish selection as you choose, one meat one vegetable, a vegetarian five cents, free soup!"

"Fast food, self-selected fast food..."

Different from the speaker in the morning, curious workers gathered around again.

"This time it’s not all-you-can-eat buffet style fast food?"

"You can still have it buffet-style if you want, still fifty cents per person, eat as you wish. If not buffet, you can choose your dish: one bowl of rice five cents, meat dish one dime, vegetable dish five cents; one meat, one vegetable costs only twenty cents, plus free mung bean soup."

As Lin Xiang spoke, she opened the lids of the aluminum pots, and the aroma of Mao Xue Wang immediately wafted over.

Looking at the spicy color, the construction worker asked with difficulty swallowing his saliva, "Can I get a refill if I finish a bowl of rice?"

"Still five cents a bowl, a full bowl."

"What about the dish?"

"One dime is for the amount of two bowls; after you finish one bowl, you can refill another."

"We can share like this! Each gets a bowl of rice, add a portion of Mao Xue Wang, it’s just twenty cents in total—only one dime per person!"

One dime for rice and a dish, can’t be more affordable!

The two agreed on it, looking at Lin Xiang, "Comrade, can we do this?"

"Of course!"

Lin Xiang had Mrs. Lin collect the money and served each with a bowl of rice and a bowl of dish.

"Empty bowls are limited; if you want soup, you’d have to finish the rice first, or you could soak the rice in the soup."

"Got it, we’re fine with adjusting ourselves."

The two carried their bowls to a table, and upon seeing colleagues nearby watching, they shouted loudly, "Come have food!"

"No, had a meal at noon, not hungry now!"

Impossible not to be hungry, just reluctant to spend another fifty cents.

"The afternoon dishes are different from the morning; Sui and I only spent twenty cents—each of us just one dime for a full meal, got to be better than just noodles!"

Noodles might only cost three to five cents, but they have no oil, and if you eat slowly, they clump together.

Moreover, what noodles can’t compare to rice’s filling quality?

Upon hearing this, the colleague immediately came over, "You’re kidding, right? One dime for a meal?"

"Why would I joke with you? If you don’t believe me, just go ask the boss yourself!"