Chapter 453: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 453: The Stall Opens (1)
When Mo Yan returned home and saw Wu shi there, she thoroughly washed the iron skillet inside and out, asking her to light some charcoal to test its usability.
Wu shi, infatuated with the iron skillet, ran her hands over it lovingly before starting to chop vegetables and prepare dough for pancakes. She was adept at household chores and worked quickly. In no time, she made enough pancakes with fried dough sticks and egg rolls for everyone to taste, even faster than expected.
Mo Yan devoured an entire pancake in one go and praised repeatedly, “Not bad, not bad. The pancakes made with this skillet have a better texture than those made with the regular cooking pot, and they taste even more fragrant. We just need to be careful with the heat to avoid burning the pancakes. This is much more convenient than using the cooking pot.”
“Yes, I agree,” Xin’er said loudly, also enjoying the taste. She picked up another egg roll pancake and started eating happily. Li Xiu and the others echoed their sentiments, finding it tastier than before.
Seeing this, Wu shi felt more confident about selling pancakes at the stall. Looking at the still-burning charcoal, she said reluctantly, “The skillet is great, but charcoal costs money. If we used firewood, we could save that expense.”
Mo Yan sighed and replied, “We could set up the cooking area to use firewood, but it’s not as convenient as charcoal. The ash from burning wood is also hard to clean up. A gust of wind could blow it everywhere, causing trouble for nearby stalls.”
Charcoal was different. Once the charcoal was placed inside and the opening sealed, the small vents allowed for air circulation, maximizing heat efficiency without spreading ash everywhere. This avoided potential disputes with nearby stalls.
Realizing the logic, Wu shi let go of her reluctance and discussed the stall's location. Mo Yan, already having a plan, said, “Aunt, where do you want to set up the stall? I think the South Market and West Market are the best options.”
The four markets in the north, south, east, and west all had designated areas for breakfast stalls, managed by the government. To set up a stall, one needed to register at the yamen, pay a certain amount of tax and management fees, and receive a designated spot and a wooden plaque. This plaque functioned like a business license. Only those with the plaque could legally set up stalls; otherwise, it was considered “illegal operation,” leading to fines or worse, punishment, and jail time.
Wu shi asked, puzzled, “Yan'er, isn’t the East Market known for its wealth? Why not set up there?”
Mo Yan explained with a smile, “Most of the residents in the East Market are wealthy. Because of this, they have high standards and usually have their meals prepared by personal chefs at home. Only a few commoners eat outside, and they are not many. Setting up a stall in the South Market and West Market, where there are more people, would be better.”
“Oh, I see!” Understanding this, Wu shi smiled wryly, “I didn’t realize setting up a stall had so many considerations. It seems that no matter what we do, we have to consider all aspects. It’s not easy to do it well!”
Mo Yan nodded in agreement. Regardless of the size of the business, the first thing to consider was market demand. With unique ingredients from their space and new, fresh food items not available elsewhere, they needn’t worry about business. Even if others tried to imitate, they couldn’t replicate the essence, ensuring their business wouldn’t be significantly affected.
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