Travel back to ancient times and open a Sichuan restaurant

Early in the morning, the second brother Zhong only brought back three buckets of pig offal. He said that the pork seller had only slaughtered one pig in a hurry, and was called back home by his eldest son who came rushing over, saying that the pork seller's wife had a stomachache and might be about to give birth.

The remaining pigs were killed by the pork seller's apprentice. He was very slow, so Brother Zhong waited for a long time, but he couldn't wait any longer and only brought back three buckets.

It took a long time to process the three buckets of pig offal. Today, Zhong Ruyi decided to add some braised tofu and dried tofu. Otherwise, after processing the three buckets of pig offal, only one or half pot would be left, which would not be enough to sell.

My second sister-in-law got up early to buy tofu and dried tofu. A big piece of tofu cost three cents, and the dried tofu cost the same. She bought half a board in total. Seeing that she bought a lot, the tofu stall owner gave her a few extra pieces.

When the pig's offal is almost done, throw in the tofu and dried bean curd. These are easy to cook and have good flavor, so they don't need to be cooked together with the pig's offal. It only takes about 10 to 20 minutes for the whole pot of braised food to be ready. When you take it out and open the door, there are already many people queuing outside.

"I'm sorry, everyone. We didn't buy much offal today, only enough for one and a half pots, but we added some tofu and dried bean curd. A portion of vegetarian braised tofu and dried bean curd costs six cents, and the amount is less than the braised offal. If you want to eat it, you can order one portion to try. We will add some other things later."

When the customer heard this, he asked, "You said yesterday that each person is limited to two spoons, so why is the amount less today?"

Brother Zhong could only explain that the pork stall owner’s wife gave birth to a baby today and the boss went back to accompany her, so the quantity was less, and it would be fine when the boss came back in a few days.

The customer had no choice but to open the lid of the pot and see that the tofu was also braised until it was shiny. Although he didn't like it, six cents was not expensive. He could buy some to take home for his mother and children to try. So he said, "Then give me two spoonfuls of braised water and one spoonful of braised tofu. Is that okay? I don't need three spoonfuls of water."

Brother Zhong nodded and said that it was fine as long as no more than two spoonfuls of sauce was used. When it was the noodle shop owner's turn, there were only two spoonfuls left. Her husband, who was behind her, didn't buy any, and asked Brother Zhong anxiously, "Boss, are you out of stock now? Two spoonfuls are not enough, what should we do?"

Seeing the second brother Zhong shaking his head, he felt bitter. These days, thanks to the braised goods sold by the Zhong family, his business has been much better than before. Many customers who queued up at the Zhong family but failed to buy the braised goods, learned that he had braised noodles, and came to ask for them. Before the limit on the number of spoons, four spoons a day were barely enough to sell. His wife thought about buying ten spoons at a time so that they wouldn't have to queue up every day. Who knew that Zhong's started to limit the number of spoons.

The customers in line behind saw that the food was already served, so they had no choice but to order some braised tofu to take home. Before leaving, they asked Brother Zhong if he could prepare some more new food, as there were only two pots a day and it would be impossible for the people who came later to have a turn.

Zhong Ruyi stepped forward and said, "I was thinking about braising some chickens and ducks to sell, but chickens and ducks are more expensive."

When the customer heard that you could also braise chicken and duck, he said, "I'll buy whatever you sell. It doesn't matter if chicken and duck are expensive. As long as you cook them well, are you afraid that no one will buy them?"

The other customers also nodded, saying that they would buy chickens and ducks to eat at home. They would buy them anyway, and if your stewed food tasted better than those sold outside, they would definitely buy them.

After all the customers had finished their purchases and left, the neighbors in the surrounding shops also left. Before, they all lived on the same street, but they did not visit each other frequently. Now that Zhong Ji has launched braised goods, most of the neighbors have come to buy them. The few who did not buy are also waiting for Zhong Ji to launch new food. Now that everyone has gone to buy the new food, it is their turn to buy the braised offal.

Just as she was about to close the shop and wash the pots and pans, Zhong Ruyi heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw her third brother standing at the door of the shop calling her. Next to him stood a bearded man. She took a closer look and saw that this was Xiaoxue’s brother Chen Dongzhi.

"Brother San, why are you here? Come in and sit down."

Chen Dongzhi was standing at the door of Zhongji. At first, he was thinking of coming to the town to buy some salt and sugar that had run out of his home. Unexpectedly, he met Zhong Laosan on the way, and the two of them made an appointment to come together.

But as soon as he saw Zhong Ruyi, he felt that this girl had curved eyes when she smiled, a slight blush on her cheeks, and fair skin, giving people a very gentle feeling. He couldn't help but be stunned.

When the second brother and his wife heard the noise and came out to check, they saw their third brother coming in carrying a lot of things. They were immediately surprised.

"Little brother, how did you find time to come here? It's the winter solstice, right? Did you two plan to come together?"

"Mom said the weather has been cold recently, so she asked me to bring some thick clothes and quilts."

Zhong Laosan handed the things to his second brother and pulled Chen Dongzhi to sit down. Only then did Chen Dongzhi come back to his senses. He lowered his head slightly in embarrassment and reached out to take the teacup handed to him by Zhong Ersao. However, he could not help but listen to the conversation between Zhong Ruyi and Zhong Laosan.

Zhong Ruyi sat down, resting her chin on her hand, and talked to Zhong Laosan with a smile on her face. Opposite her was Chen Dongzhi, who looked up at her from time to time, but no one else present noticed his little action.

"Third brother, before I came here, I heard mother say that she was going to find a third sister-in-law for me. How is that going? Have you met a girl you like recently?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Laosan said in frustration, "My mother said that girls don't like me," he said with a sullen face, "Am I going to be a bachelor like Wang Laizi in the village?"

Zhong Ruyi quickly comforted him, "No way, she just happens not to like someone like you. Different people have different tastes. Sooner or later you will meet a girl who likes you."

The second sister-in-law also said, "Young girls nowadays like those who are sweet-talking. If you are sweet-talking and can say nice things, are you afraid that you won't be able to find a wife?"

Zhong Laosan was not convinced when he heard this: "What's the use of sweet talk? Can it make a living? Besides, they haven't tried whether I am sweet or not."

Zhong Ruyi patted him on the shoulder and told him not to say such rude words. Second Brother Zhong stood aside, looking down upon his younger brother's crying appearance, and said nothing.

The second sister-in-law was amused by her brother-in-law's words. She turned around and saw Chen Dongzhi had been secretly looking at her sister-in-law. She coughed lightly, and Chen Dongzhi immediately withdrew his gaze.

Zhong Ruyi asked the two if they had eaten. They both said they came here after eating. After sitting for a while, Zhong Laosan said he wanted to go back. Even if Chen Dongzhi wanted to sit for a while longer, he had no reason to stay so he followed him.

Zhong Laosan asked his younger sister if she wanted to go shopping together. Chen Dongzhi was secretly looking forward to it. Zhong Ruyi thought about it and realized that the braised food in the store had been sold out and there were only a few pots and basins left to wash. She asked her second sister-in-law if she wanted to go together. The second sister-in-law said yes, so that she could buy some snacks for her brother-in-law to take back for the children.

The second sister-in-law also packed a few pieces of clothes that she had mended for Xiaohe into her bag and asked Zhong Laosan to take them back with him.