Today, Han Ze's purpose was to register his child, so he had no plans to set up a noodle stall. He hadn't prepared any ingredients, not to mention the old hen soup for cooking noodles, nor did he buy chopped green onions or green leafy vegetables. It would take a lot of time to prepare the noodles, boil water, buy vegetables, and make chicken soup. He said in embarrassment, "Why don't you come back next time when there's a market?"
A vegetable vendor said bitterly, "Chef Han, please don't keep us waiting any longer. If you have any problem, just tell us. There are so many of us, can we not solve it? Do you want to light the fire or wash the dishes? Just tell us."
"Yes, yes, yes, Chef Han, if you need any help, just let me know."
After waiting for a long time for Chef Han, I had to eat that bowl of noodles to satisfy my craving.
Han Ze smiled: "I'm going to buy some groceries..."
Before Han Ze could finish his words, the grocery store owner interrupted him: "Chef Han, I have all kinds of vegetables on my stall. I'll get you some greens and shallots for cooking noodles."
Without waiting for Han Ze's response, he ran out like the wind, turned back halfway and said, "Chef Han, we are too late today, so let's just have ordinary noodles. No need to prepare chicken soup. What do you think?"
Han Ze frowned subconsciously. He could make delicious noodles without chicken soup, but the rules could not be broken. Just as he was about to refuse, the vegetable seller said, "Chef Han, we don't care whether there is chicken soup or not. We believe that even without chicken soup, the taste of Chef Han's noodles will be good. We just hope you can sell some other food, such as dumplings or stir-fried dishes? We only eat in the morning, and it's too hard to endure two meals a day."
Others echoed the sentiment. They just wanted to eat the noodles quickly and didn't care whether it was chicken soup noodles or not. Moreover, they believed that with Chef Han's cooking skills, the noodles would surely taste good even without chicken soup.
Han Ze refused. He wanted to make noodles the way they should be made. Cutting corners was not in his nature.
The diners were very disappointed, but then they were full of admiration for Han Ze. Chef Han's cooking skills are so good that they are comparable to those of a god chef, yet he remains humble and sticks to his duties. As diners of his noodle stall, it is their blessing to meet such a chef.
Han Ze went to the vegetable market to pick out a hen. When he returned to the noodle stall, a diner was helping to boil water, and several diners next to him were helping to wash vegetables and cut onions. They were very busy and happy.
Han Ze touched the back of his head, washed the chicken and stewed it in the pot, then started to knead the dough. The diners who were washing dishes and cutting green onions gathered around him eagerly.
Han Ze was neither hurried nor slow. After the first bowl of noodles was served, the second bowl was almost ready... The diners hadn't eaten such delicious noodles for half a month, so how could one bowl of noodles satisfy their cravings? After finishing the first bowl, almost all of them ordered a second bowl, thinking that it was almost noon, so they might as well have lunch together.
After selling noodles and seeing off the customers, it was already afternoon. Han Ze fed the diners, but his own stomach was empty. Zhang Lei brought meat and vegetables over, threw the vegetables on the table, and said, "Cook two dishes and let's have a couple of drinks. I'll go to the store next door to buy some wine."
Han Ze, who was about to pack up and go home, said: "..."
Zhang Lei came back from buying wine and saw Han Ze grilling meat. The rich aroma of meat hit his face. He sniffed, his saliva was about to flow out, and he was secretly proud of himself. Fortunately, he was smart. He watched Han Ze finish selling the noodles and send off the customers, and hurried over with the dishes. Otherwise, he would have no chance to eat the dishes cooked by Han Ze.
The food was served, and Zhang Lei searched the cupboard for a wine glass. Han Ze reminded him, "Brother Lei, this is a noodle stall."
The noodle stall only sells noodles, not alcohol.
Zhang Lei patted his head. If there was no wine glass, a noodle bowl would do. The two brothers toasted each other and started drinking. Zhang Lei ate the meat, the wonderful taste entering his mouth. He squinted his eyes happily, and was proud of his cleverness again.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Han Ze put down his bowls and chopsticks and said honestly, "There is no market tomorrow, so I was planning to invite you to my house for a drink. Today, we two brothers have a drink, so you don't have to buy or kill pigs tomorrow, and I can be busy in the fields."
Zhang Lei's movements were a beat slower, and he looked at Han Ze blankly: "What did you say?"
Han Ze looked at him and said, "Brother Lei, I know you like the food I cook. You've helped me so much, and I've been thinking about cooking for you myself. I wanted to invite you to my house for a drink tomorrow, but luckily I took the time to cook a table of food for you today. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do tomorrow, and don't delay buying a pig."
What a pig! Zhang Lei wanted to curse. He pointed at the empty plate on the table and said, "I paid for all the food and wine."
So I must treat him to dinner and drinks tomorrow, and Han Ze must cook himself, so today's doesn't count.
Han Ze suddenly realized that it was impossible to let others pay for a meal. He took out a stack of change from his pocket and asked, "Brother Lei, how much did you spend on the food? I'll give it to you."
Zhang Lei: “…”
... ...
Before Han Ze reached the door, his two elder sisters and his younger sister came to greet him. He was a little surprised. When did they become so enthusiastic towards him? Han Xilan looked anxious and said, "Brother is finally back. Mother doesn't want to eat. She said she wants to eat the noodles you made."
She didn't think that her eldest brother, a farm boy, could make delicious noodles. Although, she had eaten the braised pork made by her eldest brother once and it was indeed delicious and made people want to eat it again, but she felt that it was because of her eldest brother's extraordinary performance, and next time she asked him to cook, he might not be able to make it as delicious.
She couldn't understand why her mother was so obsessed with the noodles made by her eldest brother. She would rather starve than wait for her eldest brother to come back and cook noodles for her despite her sick body.
She muttered to herself, could it be that her mother was deliberately torturing her eldest brother because he did not agree to pay for her to find a job? But then she thought it was impossible, because her eldest brother was also her son, and even if she was angry with him, she would not torture him.
When Han Ze heard that his mother didn't want to eat, he was so angry that he hurriedly rode his bicycle to the second eldest sister's house. Han Xilan looked at her two sisters, and the three sisters looked at each other and followed Han Ze.
When Han Ze arrived at Han Hai's house, he went straight into the kitchen. In half an hour, he brought out a bowl of fragrant noodles.
Han Xilan glanced into the bowl, wanting to see what kind of noodles were worthy of her mother's concern. After taking a look, her face was full of disappointment. The bowl did have a strong aroma, but the noodles looked almost the same as those made by her sisters-in-law. There was nothing special about them.
Han Ze didn't care what she was thinking. He carried the bowl into Mrs. Han's room. Mrs. Han was lying drowsily on the bed. A familiar smell of noodles hit her. She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Her quick movement scared the Han sisters next to them. They were relieved to see that their mother was fine.
Sister Han stepped forward, took the bowl of noodles from Han Ze's hand, and said, "Mom, let me feed you."
Mrs. Han was so hungry that she wanted to eat a cow. She was not willing to let others feed her. Besides, such delicious noodles were only safe if they were in her own hands. Without saying a word, she snatched the bowl from the eldest daughter and began to eat hastily.
Sister Han frowned and advised, "Mom, eat slowly."
Mrs. Han turned a deaf ear.
Han Xilan looked at her mother's action, slightly side-glanced, and asked in surprise: "Are these noodles so delicious?"
Mrs. Han didn't pay any attention to her and just focused on eating noodles.
Sister Han smiled as if she had thought of something and asked, "Did you go to the market during this period?"
Han Erjie shook her head. She was busy at home and in the fields all day long, so how could she have the time to go to the market
Sister Han smiled and said, "Recently, a noodle stall has opened next to the town's vegetable market. I heard that the boss sells noodles for ten yuan a bowl. What do you think the noodles are made of that can be sold for ten yuan a bowl?"
Second Sister Han turned around and looked at her. Although she had not been to the market, she had heard about this matter and joked, "Is it made of dragon meat?"
Han Ze: “…”
Han Xilan curled her lips and said, "How can a bowl of noodles that costs ten yuan be sold in town? Could it really be dragon meat noodles?"
She thought that even if it was dragon meat noodles, no one could afford it, and no one in big cities would sell such expensive noodles.
Han Ze suddenly said, "It's not dragon meat noodles, it's just ordinary chicken noodle soup."
Han Xilan turned her head, looked at her eldest brother and asked, "How do you know? Have you eaten it?" Her eldest brother didn't seem to be such a generous person.
Han Ze said: "Because I own that stall."
"What?"
Han Xilan, Han's eldest sister, and Han's second sister all looked at Han Ze in disbelief.
Han Ze explained again: "That noodle stall is mine, not the dragon meat noodles."
Han Xilan looked at her eldest brother as if he were a fool and said, "Brother, noodles are so expensive, can you sell them?"
Han Ze said nothing.
Han Xilan believed that he had not sold any, and said earnestly: "Brother, this is not how you do business. Ten yuan for a bowl of noodles, isn't that a rip-off? Who is stupid enough to eat such expensive noodles instead of the cheaper ones? Isn't that bad for business?"
Han Ze thought about it. He only sold 60 bowls of noodles a day. Compared with other restaurants, his business was really not good. So he nodded honestly and said, "Business is really not good."
Han Xilan frowned: "Brother, I think you should either close the noodle stall or lower the price of noodles, otherwise you will not only not make money, but also lose money."
She will be teaching at Shuangji High School in the future, and she doesn't want to see a brother who is heavily in debt.
Han Ze was not very happy, and said in a muffled voice: "The noodles made by my cooking skills are worth ten yuan. I never complain to anyone. It doesn't matter if the business is not good. As long as others can eat the noodles I make, I am satisfied. I don't think about making money."
He really doesn't care much about whether the business is good or bad. If he did, he wouldn't have sold only sixty bowls of noodles every day.
As soon as he said this, not only Han Xilan was unhappy, but even the eldest and second Han sisters frowned. Only Mrs. Han, who was concentrating on eating noodles, did not react at all.
Han Xilan snorted, "Okay, in that case, if your noodle stall loses money in the future, don't ask other brothers and sisters for money."
The most important thing was that she was going to work and had a salary, and she was afraid that her elder brother would ask her to borrow money.
Han Ze looked sad and said, "We are brothers and sisters, shouldn't we help each other?"
Han Xilan rolled her eyes and said, "Brother, you insist on doing what you want. How can we help you?"
Han Ze seemed to be hurt by his sister's words, and said angrily: "Okay, I won't ask you for money. From now on, when I make money, don't even think about borrowing money from me."
Han Xilan said disapprovingly: "Don't worry, we brothers and sisters will never ask you to borrow money."
The little money that the eldest brother earned from his loss-making noodle stall and farming was not enough to support five girls, so how could he lend money to others? Moreover, the second brother's family had a sales agency and the third brother was a worker, both of whom were better off than the eldest brother. Only the eldest brother would borrow money from others, and the other brothers and sisters would never borrow money.
Han Ze looked at his two sisters. Although they thought it was not nice for the siblings to quarrel like this, they thought Han Ze's stubbornness should be changed. If the noodle stall was not making money, why would he continue to run it? So they nodded and said that they would not lend money to Han Ze in the future. They planned to teach Han Ze a lesson and make him remember it. Don't go down the same path and never turn back.
"I see."
Han Ze looked at the three people dejectedly, turned around and walked out. There was a sense of loneliness from behind that was not understood by his family.