At half past five, at dawn, Li Youran pushed out the tricycle left by Mr. Sun from the carport outside the building, inflated the tires, installed the gas tank, gas stove, aluminum pot, arranged the steamer for steamed buns, and folding stools.
and some miscellaneous items, got in the car, stepped on the pedals, and then took a deep breath. The air was cool and still had a dewy feel.
"Let's go!" Li Youran pedaled, the car made a creaking sound and drove slowly towards Anhua Street.
Sun Xiaoying wrapped a white silk scarf around her neck, put on sleeves with her hands, and followed silently behind the car. She pursed her lips tightly, wondering what she was thinking.
To the east of Anhua Street is a small spontaneous market. At this time, many vendors are busy with their daily livelihood. Both sides of the road are busy, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.
Li Youran drove the tricycle to an old poplar tree, which was a deserted place.
Li Youran looked around and thought the place was okay.
"That's it."
Sun Xiaoying nodded and began to unload the things on the car.
"Hey, isn't this Miss Xiaoying?" came a rough female voice from the side.
Sun Xiaoying looked up and saw a fat middle-aged aunt not far away greeting her. At her feet was a vegetable stall with rapeseed, cucumbers and tomatoes.
"Hello, Aunt Qi." Sun Xiaoying nodded to Aunt Qi.
"I heard about Boss Sun. Hey, good people don't live long. Xiaoying, you have to be more open-minded." Aunt Qi's face was filled with pity.
"Xiaoying, if you have any difficulties that you would like Aunt Qi to help with, just ask. Poor child." Aunt Qi sighed.
Sun Xiaoying shook her head.
"Thank you Aunt Qi, I'm fine now."
Aunt Qi turned to look at Li Youran, who was unloading the car in an old jacket, and looked carefully up and down for a while.
"Who is this......."
"This is my brother." Sun Xiaoying said calmly.
Li Youran turned around and smiled at Aunt Qi, as if to say hello.
Aunt Qi's eyes were a little strange, but she didn't ask any more questions. She chatted with Xiaoying for a few more words about home affairs, and then went to clean up her stall.
Li Youran set up the gas stove, put an aluminum pot on it, poured cold water in, then stacked the steamer baskets on top of the aluminum pot. He lit the fire, and the blue flames trembled in the breeze.
After a while, more and more people started to walk on the street. The vendors cheered up and started shouting loudly.
"Jianbing fruit, authentic pancake fruit."
“Egg-filled pancakes, they don’t taste good and don’t cost any money.”
"Come, come, take a look at our golden fire, the palace's secret recipe."
"Roujiamo, Roujiamo, take one bite and think twice, take two bites and think about the whole day."
The southern and northern tunes were played one after another, and the streets were noisy.
Li Youran estimated that the buns were almost done steaming, so he opened the steamer, revealing the white and fat boys one after another.
The buns sell well, which gives Li Youran a little more confidence.
After waiting for a while, no one paid attention to this place. Li Youran gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
"Meat buns... Meat buns, meat buns just out of the pot!" The voice was a bit hoarse, unfamiliar and weird.
Sun Xiaoying couldn't help but smile, her eyes bent into small crescents.
Li Youran smiled disapprovingly, cleared his throat, and continued to shout, this time much more naturally.
The hawking sound had an effect, and soon a young man looking like a wage earner came to the bun stall.
"What kind of stuffing are the buns filled with?" Still speaking with a southern accent.
"Pork and cabbage, thin crust and big stuffing, how many would you like?" Li Youran looked at this first customer expectantly.
"How much does it cost each?"
"One dollar and a half, guaranteed to be genuine."
"It's expensive, be cheaper." The young man was a little dissatisfied.
"There's nothing we can do. The price of flour and pork has gone up." Li Youran said, imitating the young man's accent.
The young man hesitated for a moment, but still ordered two buns. Sun Xiaoying put them in plastic bags and handed them to the other party.
After receiving the three small wrinkled bills and opening the business, Li Youran was very excited. He looked at Sun Xiaoying and found that Sun Xiaoying was also looking at him. The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
There were indeed too many vendors on the street, which distracted the flow of customers. Li Youran and Li Youran waited until ten o'clock in the morning and sold more than thirty steamed buns.
"Brother Youran, it's already very good. Grandpa and I sometimes can't sell so much."
Sun Xiaoying said as she handed Li Youran a towel.
Li Youran took it and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"There are too many people selling snacks here, and the customer flow is average. Why not try Antai Road." Li Youran analyzed the market situation. Antai Road is to the west of Anhua Road, close to the city, with prosperous commerce, and two universities.
"No, Brother Youran." A look of horror appeared on Sun Xiaoying's face.
"Business on Antai Road is easy, but the management is strict. The city management often comes to raid the place. My grandfather was arrested once before and all his belongings were confiscated. He almost had no money to pay the rent that month."
Li Youran thought for a while and said:
"Let's talk about it then. Let's go home first and come back during dinner."
After that, the two of them packed up the stall, said goodbye to Aunt Qi next to them, and started to return.
Back home, Li Youran and the girl ate a few leftover steamed buns for lunch. Maybe they were a little tired today, and their stomachs started to feel uncomfortable again. Li Youran held back, returned to his room as if nothing had happened, and found two pills.
Swallow it dry. Then curl up on the bed and start catching up on some sleep.
He continued to run the stall in the evening, and the results were better than the one in the morning, selling more than 40 steamed buns. Li Youran did the math, and found that the cost of a steamed bun was about 7 cents, and the gross profit was 8 cents. The total gross profit today was 64 yuan, after deducting the remaining
If you freeze the buns and eat them yourself, the net profit is only about 50 yuan.
"It still doesn't work. If this continues, it will be difficult for us to pay the rent." Li Youran sighed.
"Brother Youran, it's just the beginning, it will get better in the future." Sun Xiaoying was much more optimistic and comforted.
Li Youran closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said:
"Go to bed first, get up at four o'clock, and make more buns this time."
"Do more? Why?" Sun Xiaoying was a little strange, and then suddenly understood.
"Brother Youran, are you going to Antai Road? Didn't I already tell you?"
Sun Xiaoying was a little anxious.
"Xiaoying, don't worry, I'm familiar with the place and everything will be fine. Come on, help me prepare something." Li Youran gently patted the girl's thin shoulder.