Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Shen Yu asked in confusion: "Boss, there are so many shops on this street, but why are there so few restaurants? With so many shops on the street, do you cook your own lunch?"

The shopkeeper asked Shen Yu to sit at the table by the window, and sat at the other side. He said helplessly, "No, as far as I know, the shops on this street don't cook. The lunch is either delivered by the head office or you have to pay for it yourself. The old houses and shops here are small and can't even store the goods, so how can we find a kitchen?"

After a pause, he continued, "There is a reason why there are so few food restaurants. This bakery was opened before the market was built. Later, when the market was built and more people came, these two noodle restaurants were opened.

"When the market first opened, there were few people, and the shops here were just warehouses. I got up early to take down the doors, and after handing over the goods to the merchants from the north and south at the market, there was nothing to do. Half a day was enough, and there was no need to eat lunch in the shops here."

"Later, the market grew in size and the government began to manage it. People in the county also felt that the goods here were newer and more complete, so they loved to come here to shop. The business of the shops became better and better, so they started to operate all day."

At this point, the shopkeeper smacked his lips, and the waiter next to him winked at him and brought a bowl of tea.

The shopkeeper took it up, moistened his throat, and began to complain again: "The goods in the market include silk and cloth from the south, fur and herbs from the north. These things are flammable, so open flames are strictly prohibited in the market, and no food shops can be opened."

As he said this, he put the tea bowl in his hand on the table and shook his head, saying, "You can have an open fire on the main street outside the market, but there is no empty house for you to open a restaurant. Most of the shops along this street are occupied by branches of old shops in the county town. Customers who come to buy things will leave after buying. The people who eat here every day are the shopkeepers and employees of each shop.

He pointed in the far direction of the street and said, "There are restaurants on the streets farther away, but no one can afford to eat there every day at such expensive prices. The mobile food stalls only sell delicious snacks that don't fill you up. The only affordable ones are noodle shops and bakeries."

After Shen Yu heard the shopkeeper's half-helpless and half-complaining conversation, she finally found the answer to her puzzlement. She asked doubtfully, "Can't small restaurants in other places deliver food here?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said helplessly, "There are only about 50 or 60 shops around the market. Those who have to pay for their own meals have a certain amount of money every day. It's impossible to buy whatever you want. You have to choose the ones that are affordable and filling."

"The small restaurants further away are not convenient because of the long distance. Not many people order food from them. The small restaurants are short-staffed and they have to wait until the business in the shops is done before they can deliver the food."

The waiter who had been listening couldn't help but complained: "By the time they deliver it, it's past the free time, and our shop has to start getting busy again, so we can't have a meal."

"It's okay when the weather is hot. When it's cold, the food delivered to us is already cold, and we can only heat it up in a small stove in the shop. In a shop like ours that is afraid of fire, fireworks are strictly prohibited, so we can only eat cold food. It's better to eat some hot soup noodles, which is better than eating cold food and having to go to the toilet all the time because of a stomachache."

After Shen Yu heard this, he had an idea in mind and said with a smile: "Then boss, if I can set a certain number of buns every day and deliver them hot at noon, would you be willing to do so?"

Before the shopkeeper could answer, the waiter's eyes lit up and he turned to ask the shopkeeper impatiently, "Shopkeeper, is this the meat bun you bought this morning for each of us?"

The shopkeeper nodded with a smile, and the clerk asked hesitantly, "Do you want to pay me extra for delivering it?"

Shen Yu didn't understand for a moment, and was stunned for a moment before he realized that the reward was for the delivery fee. He shook his head and smiled, "It's only a few steps away, there's no need to charge extra. I guarantee that they'll be hot and fresh out of the oven when you deliver them, and the price is the same as if you were buying them at the stall."

After hearing this, the waiter turned around and looked at the shopkeeper with eager eyes. The shopkeeper glanced at the waiter in a reproachful manner, then smiled kindly at Shen Yu and said, "That's great. I bought four buns this morning, but I only ate one. They were staring at me eagerly, so I felt embarrassed to eat it alone, so I had to share it with them. They all liked it."

He enthusiastically gave Shen Yu some advice: "Your buns taste good and are affordable. It would be great if you could deliver them at noon. Go ask other places, they will surely be willing to order them. No matter how delicious the noodle soup and pancakes are, you can't eat them every day. It would be great if you could change the taste."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Then I will go ask other shops. If they are willing to order, I will close my stall and steam the food at home. I will deliver it to the shops at noon. If I can deliver the food tomorrow at the latest, I will write back to the shopkeeper."

He was about to leave, but said awkwardly, "Boss, this young man has disturbed you for half a day. Go eat quickly. You will be busy again in a while."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "It's nothing. The weather is hot, just wait for the food to cool down before eating. Don't worry about it, young lady."

The waiter sent Shen Yu out of the door and earnestly said, "Miss, you must come tomorrow. Your big meat buns are really delicious. I just tasted the flavor and it was gone. I really want to eat a few more."

Shen Yu couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard this. He nodded quickly and left under the waiter's expectant gaze.

After asking in several shops, the shop assistants and shop owners all said that if the food could be delivered at noon, they would be willing to order it, as changing the taste is always good. They asked Shen Yu to write a menu and send it over so that they could place an order based on it.

After walking around, I found that more than a dozen shops expressed their willingness to take lunch orders for a change.

There was a shop that had never bought buns before and said they didn't dare to place an order because they didn't know the taste. Shen Yu generously said that he could send some to them tomorrow for tasting. It didn't matter even if they didn't like it, as they didn't have to pay for the tasting. The shop owner and the clerks immediately agreed.

Except for the market which covers a larger area, the surrounding area is not that big.

There is only one main street, and next to it are residential alleys. It is prosperous because it is close to the city gate, but the houses next to it are still low and dilapidated. The nobles in the county will not come to such a place, and they will send their servants here to make purchases. The restaurants in the county will not choose to open a store here.

Shen Yu walked towards home while thinking about how to better deliver the meal.

When she reached the entrance of the alley, she saw Yutao standing there looking around. She came up to her happily, tugged at her sleeve, and said happily, "Sister, where have you been? Why did you take so long to come back? Mother was worried, so she asked me to come to the entrance of the alley to take a look."

Shen Yu finally came to his senses and looked up at the sun. It turned out that he had been out for quite some time.

The two sisters returned home together. Shen Yu saw that today's ingredients had been delivered and were placed in the kitchen. Li saw her coming back and came out to greet her. She said anxiously, "Today's meat fillings have been delivered. Where have you been? It's been so long. Hurry up and drink some water and take a break so that you can prepare the fillings. It's hot, and I'm afraid the meat fillings will go bad if they are left outside like this."

Shen Yu agreed. Yu Cheng had already brought a bowl of cooled herbal tea to him. Shen Yu then realized that his throat was smoking, probably because he had just asked questions in various shops and talked too much.

The herbal tea was cool and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness. It was delicious. Shen Yu drank it all in one breath, handed the bowl to Yu Cheng, and said with a smile: "It's really sweet. Did you add sugar? Another bowl."