Baozi Xishi's Struggle

I had a sound sleep without even a dream. At dawn, the roosters raised by a neighboring family began to crow.

Shen Yu sat up with a start, and was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and remembered where he was.

She stretched, got up, washed up, and went to the kitchen to prepare for work. Today was the day that turned ten, and Chef Lu had specifically told her last night to come early to prepare the wide and narrow noodles.

The donkey cart delivering vegetables has stopped at the door, and Liu Wu is carrying several baskets of fresh vegetables.

After saying hello, Shen Yu came to the kitchen, put on an apron and started working efficiently.

He scooped noodles, poured water, kneaded noodles, rolled noodles, and cut noodles, working non-stop for an hour until the dozen or so bamboo plates that had been prepared were covered with the cut and shaken wide and narrow noodles, then he stopped to rest.

At this time, all the ingredients in the kitchen have been prepared, and the various broths needed are also cooking on the stove.

Breakfast consists of vegetable porridge, mixed flour flatbreads, finely chopped pickles and refreshing shredded radish.

After finishing the preparations at hand, the guys took turns to come over for breakfast and get ready to open the door to welcome guests.

Because it was market day, villagers from more than a dozen nearby villages would come. Some of them came from far away and missed the chance to catch the bus, so they were hungry when they got here.

Not long after we finished breakfast, the store became busy. It was just as Chef Lu said, the various noodle soups sold very well on market days and the restaurant was very popular.

Shen Yu was busy until after noon and hardly stopped working.

She makes noodles and cakes, and when she has free time, she helps Chef Lu and Chef Chai prepare ingredients and serve the dishes. She is busy all the time.

Even lunch was prepared and put aside, and the guys took turns to eat it, unlike the usual lunch break when everyone could eat together.

The work is not really done until the evening market is over.

Shen Yu pounded her aching arms and breathed a sigh of relief. She finally got through her first market day at work smoothly.

When everyone gathered together for dinner in the evening, Chef Lu praised Shen Yu a lot, saying that although she was a girl and looked frail, she was surprisingly capable and did things quickly and well, which made the kitchen serve the dishes much faster, and Shopkeeper Fan was very satisfied.

The waiters also said that the dishes presented by Miss Shen were beautiful and unique. The guests, in particular, all praised that the noodles tasted better today.

Under all kinds of compliments, the experienced sales elite couldn't help but blush and waved his hands repeatedly to thank everyone for their care.

Colleagues looked at Shen Yu's embarrassed look and laughed good-naturedly.

Shen Yu had been living in confusion and anxiety since he came here because of his family's poverty, the dilemma of having no food to eat and the groundless rumors. This was the first time that he laughed from the bottom of his heart along with everyone else, and he felt much more relaxed.

The daily busyness made time pass quickly. In a blink of an eye, Shen Yu had been working in the restaurant for half a month. During this period, it finally rained twice. Although Shen Yu did not care about the title of disaster star given to her by the villagers, she was secretly relieved in her heart, and she did not have to worry about the villagers causing trouble for Li and others again.

Through the casual chats between the guests and the waiters, Shen Yu had a general understanding of the dynasty and geographical location.

This is a dynasty that is not found in history books, the Dashun Kingdom, in the fifth year of Yongning. The current emperor is in his prime and has great means. Since the emperor ascended the throne, the border has been peaceful, the weather has been good, and the people's lives have become better and better.

Linxi Town belongs to Anping County, which is more than fifty miles away from Anping County, which is much larger than Linxi Town.

Anping County has a special geographical location. On the only road leading to the northern border, caravans from the north and south would always stop in the county to rest after a long journey. If the price was right, they would also sell the goods they brought.

The caravans boosted the local market, enriching the goods from the north and south. You can also see the furs and medicinal materials they brought back after border trade. It is said that the masters and mistresses living in Ji'an Prefecture, a hundred miles away, would also send people to the county to buy the latest popular silk fabrics, porcelain and antiques. People came and went every day, and it was very lively.

Shen Yu thought, it was so lively here, there must be a lot of food and drinks, it would be nice to open a restaurant there.

But thinking about my empty wallet, I had to put these unrealistic ideas aside for now, work honestly and save some money first.

The second day of every month is the day when the restaurant pays workers.

The guys had smiles on their faces since the morning, and while having lunch some of them started planning what to buy with their wages.

Shen Yu had only worked for 20 days at this time. She originally thought that she would not get her wages this month as she had not been working for a full month. Unexpectedly, when she was about to go back to rest in the evening, she was stopped by Manager Fan and asked to collect her wages.

"I didn't do it for a full month, so I still have mine?"

Shen Yu couldn't help but asked the question. After he finished speaking, he smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Since you came, customers have said that the restaurant's noodle soup has become better and better, and they have praised it highly. Even the Five Blessings Flower Cake is more crispy, sweeter than before, and sales have increased by 10% compared to last month. You have good skills and are diligent and honest, and the boss is very satisfied. Although you haven't worked for a full month, he asked me to pay you one month's wages. The extra money is a reward from the boss." Shopkeeper Fan said with a smile.

Shen Yu was overjoyed and thanked her boss for the reward. She happily went to the accountant Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu took out her share and said something similar to what he said to Manager Fan. He was very happy for her.

Shen Yu carried the three heavy strings of money and felt like he was dreaming until he sat on his little bed.

Haha, I made money. Li gave her more than fifty copper coins at the beginning. When she first came, she took out ten to give to Liu Wu as a thank you money, and kept the rest. This was also her only property since she came to this time and space.

Now, I had three thousand coins and my small purse could no longer hold them.

Shen Yu, who suddenly became rich, didn't know where to put the money. He excitedly ran to the next room where old tables and chairs were kept. He rummaged around and found a small clay pot with a broken mouth. There was a small porcelain bowl on top of it. It looked like the one used to pickle pickles.

He fetched some water to wash it clean, wiped it dry with a cloth, carefully put the three strings of money in, put the small bowl back on, and hid it in the innermost part of the wooden cabinet. Only then did he lie down with peace of mind.

He lay down, thinking to himself that if he met Doctor Sun again, he would ask him to take a thousand coins back to Li.

I don’t know how Li, Yutao and Yucheng got by during the twenty days I was away from home, and whether they borrowed money from their two uncles for emergencies.

Three thousand coins a month, after working for three months, I would have nine thousand coins. Excluding the one thousand coins I gave to Li every month to subsidize the household expenses, there would still be six thousand coins left. By then, I should be able to buy some steamers and stoves and set up a small stall to sell some food.

This town is too small. Only on market days do people from the surrounding areas come to buy and sell what they need. On weekdays, only the rich people from the town or surrounding villages come to eat, drink and have fun. The people who make a living by farming are busy with farming and will not come to the town to hang out. I don't know if it's okay to set up a stall here. I have to go out and have a look when I have some free time.

The more I thought about it, the happier I felt. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and didn’t realize it.