Lin Chuxia took the handwritten menu, her eyes glinting with amusement, "The owner has made this restaurant quite thoughtful, and the menu is pretty good too."
The owner was a young man in his early thirties, who smiled and said, "Itâs just so-so, itâs for everyoneâs convenience after all."
Lin Chuxia nodded, doing business means one has to consider what the customers want and cater to their needs.
"Lamb rolls, beef rolls, beef tripe, duck blood, Chinese broccoli..."
Lin Chuxia knew Qin Yangâs taste and ordered a whole bunch of different items, eventually choosing a spicy base for the hot pot.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yang advised, "Donât worry about me, just get a clear soup base, I like my sides spicy."
At that time, hot pot in An City was still the traditional northern-style with a charcoal-fired copper pot. It was authentic indeed, but the soup could only have one flavor; the half-and-half pot popular in the south had not made its way there yet.
"Itâs fine, letâs have a mildly spicy one. Iâve been craving some spice myself, whatâs the joy in life without some spicy hot pot?"
Qin Yang chuckled as he saw the playful arch of his wifeâs brows.
He knew that when it came to spicy food, his wife was both weak and fond of it.
Brave in words, yet a lightweight in action.
But since she had said so, Qin Yang didnât counter her wish and specifically told the owner to make it only mildly spicy, and to make his seasoning spicy, but his wifeâs not spicy.
The dipping sauce was the restaurantâs own sesame sauce, full of rich sesame aroma when served.
The water in the hot pot rolled to a boil, and Qin Yang first blanched a chopstick of lamb for Lin Chuxia.
Lin Chuxia, in turn, blanched a chopstick full of beef tripe for Qin Yang.
When they both placed the cooked food in each otherâs bowls, they paused, then both smiled.
Lin Chuxia liked lamb, and Qin Yang liked beef tripe, and they each favored the otherâs preferences.
"Go ahead and eat, donât mind me."
Lin Chuxia rolled her blanched lamb in sesame sauce and stuffed it into her mouth, savoring it contentedly, while urging Qin Yang to eat as well.
"You havenât been eating well at home, have you? I can tell youâve lost weight."
Qin Yang was blanching lamb leisurely and served her another chopstick-full before eating his, replying to her concern, "Itâs been alright, the food at the office has always been the same. Though, the food was indeed less satisfactory while I was away on the business trip, but itâs not like Iâve lost weight, my portion sizes havenât changed."
"Thatâs impossible, I can tell youâve slimmed down, how can the portions be the same? Eat more, if itâs not enough, we can order more."
Lin Chuxia really didnât want Qin Yang to go hungry.
The young woman grabbed pieces of meat with her chopsticks for him, and Qin Yang indeed ate quite a bit.
After the couple had their fill, they called the owner over to settle the bill, only to be told that someone else had already paid for them.
Following the direction given, they noticed a familiar face.
It was a family sitting at a table not far from them, a couple with their two children, enjoying hot pot.
"Sister Liu, Brother Wang, youâre here dining as well, youâre too kind. How could we let you pay for our meal?"
It was indeed Sister Liu, whom Lin Chuxia had first met selling peanuts and seeds at the train station, and Brother Wang, who sold fruit, both of whom Lin Chuxia later found out were a couple.
Sister Liu, who had always been close and talkative with Lin Chuxia, immediately smiled and said, "How could you be embarrassed? Itâs only proper for us to treat you. Both your Brother Wang and I are doing business with your family now. You are our God of Wealth now!"
This was something Lin Chuxia had heard from Sun Lanlan.
Over the years, the number of stalls at the train station had been growing, increasing the competitive pressure on Sister Liu and Brother Wangâs business.
Sister Liu came to Sun Lanlan one day, as she knew that Qinâs Bun Shop was run by Lin Chuxia, and wanted to inquire if their vacuum-packed ready-to-eat food, beef sauce, and hot sauce could be wholesaled for sale on the train.
Sun Lanlan had her reservations at the time.
Their bun shop was right next to the train station and also sold Xiyangâs ready-to-eat food, beef sauce, and the like, whether unpackaged or vacuum-packed.
Many travelers would come to their bun shop to buy these products.
If Sister Liu started selling Xiyang Food products, wouldnât that be taking business away from Qinâs?
Sun Lanlan didnât know Sister Liu, but Granny Sun did, and Sister Liu also mentioned her relationship with Lin Chuxia.
Sun Lanlan couldnât decide and so she called Lin Chuxia.
Of course, Lin Chuxia would not refuse.
Not to mention her relationship with Sister Liu, in Lin Chuxiaâs eyes, thereâs no such thing as cutting off a deal completely.
The train stationâs daily foot traffic is so huge, and Sister Liuâs proactive selling approach is also a good thing for them at Xiyang.
Although itâs possible that sales at Qinâs Bun Shop might be affected, the sales of Xiyang Food would increase. Either way, they wouldnât lose out.
And the reality was even more surprising.
Ever since Sister Liu wholesaled the vacuum-packed ready-to-eat food as well as beef sauce and hot sauce from Xiyang to sell at the train station, sales at Qinâs didnât decrease but instead steadily increased.
Many people found Xiyangâs food tasty after trying it.
Locals who wanted to take An Cityâs local specialties when going out would choose Xiyangâs ready-to-eat food and sauces, and visitors to An City would also choose Xiyangâs products as local specialties to take home.
Thus, Xiyangâs reputation spread far and wide, and it even became one of An Cityâs major features.
And Sister Liu, at the train station, had brisk business every day, earning almost as much in one day as she used to in a week selling sunflower seeds.
If it were in the past, they wouldnât have been able to afford to take the kids out to eat at all.
At most, they would slaughter two jin of meat and stew it at home.
Lin Chuxia chatted with Sister Liu a few times, those folks hadnât finished their meal yet, and she, along with Qin Yang, didnât linger, leaving the hotpot restaurant.
"That sister just now has quite an eye for things."
The two walked on their way home, Qin Yang spoke out in admiration.
Lin Chuxia nodded in agreement, "Sister Liu and her husband have always been very savvy. I heard that even before the reforms, the couple was selling things secretly at the train station, they can be said to be among the earliest individual entrepreneurs."
Lin Chuxia smiled like a fox, and Qin Yang laughed along.
What he meant by having an eye for things was not doing the individual business per se, but choosing Xiyangâs products.
He had great confidence in his wifeâs abilities and her products.
When the two arrived at Qin Family Village, night had already fallen.
From far away, they could see lights on at the wholesale market at the village entrance, and people pushing bicycles with vegetable baskets coming and going.
More people gathered in one corner of the market, where a screen had already been set up.
Ever since the market opened that day, the village had hired a projectionist to show movies every day, and the village chief said it would last for a week.
Qin Yang stood at the entrance of the village, on the left was the street-facing agricultural supply store, and a bit further away, he could still see Xiyang Food Factory. To the right was the bustling vegetable wholesale market.
He used to study and work outside, and couldnât come home more than a few times a year.
The image of that rigid, conservative little village in his memory had long disappeared, replaced by this lively scene that seemed so much more vibrant.
Qin Yang reached out and held Lin Chuxiaâs small hand, which was small and just the right fit in his palm, yet felt extremely fulfilling.