After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

The next day.

Before dawn, Gu Lin woke up from his sleep. Looking at the darkness outside the window, he couldn't help but sigh that he was waking up earlier now than when he was in school.

After washing up and having breakfast, Gu Lin went to the woodshed, opened the wooden lid of the large vat, and took out several baskets of vegetables.

Some of these vegetables were given to him by Sister Zhao, while others were picked by himself from his own vegetable garden in the yard.

After returning from the county town, Gu Lin decided what kind of business he wanted to start.

Other businesses either require exceptional skills or involve excessive upfront investment. Given Gu Lin's current situation, neither of these types of businesses suits him. However, running a food business is different from other businesses. Throughout history, the idea that food is the most important thing for people has been ingrained in their bones. As long as people have some money, they will eventually spend it on food. Moreover, and most importantly, and this is what Gu Lin values ​​most, running a food business requires less investment than other businesses, but the income is real and readily apparent.

After careful consideration, Gu Lin chose cold dishes for the food sold there.

He noticed that all the food stalls in the county town, despite their seemingly diverse offerings, lacked cold dishes. Compared to the other foods Gu Lin remembered, cold dishes were simpler to prepare, and given the hot May weather, a well-made cold dish would guarantee business.

After washing the vegetables, Gu Lin placed them on a wooden table and chopped them into strips or slices as needed. Once all the vegetables were prepared, he poured them into a pot. While the vegetables were cooking, Gu Lin took out several bamboo tubes and divided them into portions to store the sauces needed for making cold dishes.

After blanching the vegetables, Gu Lin packed them into fifty bamboo tubes. Then, he heated oil in a pot, added expensive Sichuan peppercorns, and fried them until fragrant. This was the key to making delicious cold dishes. Timed precisely to prevent them from burning, Gu Lin lifted the iron pot and poured the hot oil into a pre-prepared earthenware jar.

After preparing everything, Gu Lin put it into a large bamboo basket, then squatted down and carried the basket on his back. Because the basket was too heavy, he staggered a few steps when he stood up.

After regaining his footing, Gu Lin stepped out of the woodshed and saw that the once dark courtyard was now brightly lit, with Zheng Hao standing in the middle of it.

Gu Lin thought for a moment and asked, "I'm going to the county town to sell food. Do you want to come with me?"

In Gu Lin's eyes, Zheng Hao was too young. In addition, Zheng Hao had been neglected by his father and abused by the original owner of the body. Even though Gu Lin knew that Zheng Hao had killed the original owner of the body in the original story, after spending two days with him, Gu Lin still couldn't help but feel pity for him.

“Go,” Zheng Hao said.

Just like yesterday, when we arrived at the village entrance, several people were already sitting on Uncle Zhang's oxcart.

When Gu Lin came over carrying a bamboo basket, no one asked any questions. It was very common for farmers to carry the vegetables they grew to the county town to sell. They also had bamboo baskets of various sizes at their feet, filled with the fruits and vegetables they wanted to sell.

Seeing Zheng Hao come out with Gu Lin for two consecutive days, a woman couldn't help but tease him, "Young Zheng, I haven't seen you around for the past few days. Haven't you been playing with my dog?"

Gu Lin originally thought that Zheng Hao wouldn't answer, but to his surprise, although the other party had a cold and wooden face, he still answered the woman's questions patiently.

Zheng Hao said, "It's not convenient right now. I'll go see Gouzi in a few days."

"Then you'd better hurry, I've heard Gouzi and the others talking about you every day."

Gu Lin looked at the boy beside him with some strangeness after hearing this. He had thought that the boy, with his precocious mind, would disdain playing with his peers, but from the woman's words, it seemed that Zheng Hao not only played with other children, but was also the leader among them.

Feeling a strange contrast, Gu Lin smiled.

Noticing Gu Lin's strange gaze, Zheng Hao turned his head and swept his eyes at him, his eyes filled with a fierce light.

Gu Lin smiled slightly at him, then casually looked away.

Zheng Hao frowned, clearly uncomfortable.

Why was Gu Lin smiling at him for no reason?

.

Upon arriving in the county town, Gu Lin did not set up a stall on the street like the others in the village. Instead, he went to the busiest street and spent ten coins to rent a stall for a morning from the street manager.

The street official took out a wooden sign and said, "When someone is patrolling, just take out this wooden sign."

After thanking them, Gu Lin took the wooden sign and walked over to the stall with Zheng Hao, following the directions given.

Perhaps because they arrived early, Gu Lin's stall wasn't in the back, but in the middle of the street. He took out bamboo tubes and various utensils from his bamboo basket and arranged them in order.

Looking at the crowd coming and going in front of him, Gu Lin turned to look at Zheng Hao beside him. Thinking that the other had followed him to the county town without even eating breakfast that morning, he said, "I'll get you some cold dishes to tide you over."

Zheng Hao didn't speak, but he remembered what Gu Lin had said yesterday, and finally he nodded.

Seeing this, Gu Lin opened a bamboo tube, poured the vegetables inside into a large bowl in front of him, and then added rendered lard, chopped dogwood, minced garlic and sauce in that order. Finally, he drizzled a layer of vinegar on top and quickly stirred it with the wooden chopsticks and spoon in his hand. After stirring it evenly, Gu Lin poured the cold dish back into the original bamboo tube and placed it in front of Zheng Hao: "Try it and see how it tastes."

Seeing Gu Lin's gentle smile, Zheng Hao took the bamboo tube, picked up a piece of cucumber covered in dogwood, and ate it.

Suddenly, he paused in his chewing. The crisp sweetness of the cucumber mixed with the sour and spicy flavors of the seasonings was a taste he had never experienced before. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt that the cold dish in the bamboo tube brought him a sense of coolness in the hot summer.

He picked up another piece of eggplant and put it in his mouth. The soft, cooked eggplant flesh was soaked in the sauce, and it seemed to melt on his tongue. It was sour, spicy, and oily, just like eating meat, but the eggplant flesh was refreshingly different from real meat.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

Gu Lin pressed on, explaining that although he was confident in his culinary skills, he had never cooked for anyone before and was worried that others might not like what he made.

Despite his dislike for Gu Lin, Zheng Hao had to admit that the food Gu Lin made was delicious. Just as he was about to respond, a customer arrived at his stall.

"Boss, what do you sell here? It smells so good!" A middle-aged man of medium height and slightly overweight walked over and asked.

From the moment Chen Wu stepped onto this street, he smelled a strong and overpowering aroma that overshadowed the various food stalls that usually had their own distinct scents. Chen Wu's mouth watered, and following the direction of the aroma, he found the small stall in front of him.

When Chen Wu saw a young and handsome man standing behind the stall, he was somewhat surprised. Such fragrant food was actually made by the young man in front of him.

Gu Lin was unaware of the other person's thoughts. Seeing the stall welcome its first customer, he took it seriously: "This stall sells cold dishes, seasoned and mixed with a secret blend of spices. They taste sour, spicy, and appetizing, and the prices are reasonable and fair to all."

Hearing that a small food stall was actually related to a secret spice recipe, Chen Wu became even more curious.

Especially the enticing aroma of the cold dishes being eaten by the children behind the stall made Chen Wu unable to resist. He said to the boy in front of him, "Quick, make me a cold dish."

"Ok."

Having successfully secured her first order, Gu Lin happily opened a bamboo tube and, under the man's gaze, repeated the actions she had just taken to prepare the cold dish for Zheng Hao. After stirring it evenly, Gu Lin poured the cold dish into the bamboo tube and handed it to the man along with the bamboo skewers.

Chen Wu picked up a slice of lotus root first. When it comes to food, especially novel food, Chen Wu always likes to examine it before tasting it. He looked at the lotus root slice on the bamboo skewer and saw that its originally white lotus root was tinged with a thin layer of red. Although he hadn't tasted it yet, the sour and spicy aroma wafted into his nose, which was extremely tempting.

Chen Wu swallowed hard and took a bite without waiting.

Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly. The sour and spicy flavors of the dogwood and vinegar exploded in his mouth, but it wasn't just the taste of the sauce. On his tongue, the domineering sour and spicy flavors were accompanied by the sweetness of the lotus root slices. But if it only went this far, Chen Wu wouldn't be so lost in thought. After the sour, spicy and sweet flavors disappeared from his mouth, a slightly numbing and rich aroma lingered on the tip of his tongue for a long time.

The bamboo tube was about the size of a palm and the width of an index finger, and it was filled with a generous amount of cold dishes, enough for one person to eat. However, Chen Wu quickly finished the whole bamboo tube of cold dishes, and he was still not satisfied. He said to Gu Lin, "Boss, make me five more bamboo tubes of cold dishes."

At first, when Gu Lin saw the man eating cold dishes, she was on tenterhooks, worried that he wouldn't like the taste. But when she saw his expression and behavior after eating the cold dishes, Gu Lin's anxiety gradually subsided.

Sure enough, after the man finished eating the cold dishes, he bought five more tubs without giving any feedback, which showed that he was extremely satisfied with them.

With increasing joy in his heart, Gu Lin quickly began mixing the cold dishes. Because he was looking down, he didn't notice that more and more people were getting closer to his stall.

When he finished mixing the cold dish and looked up, he saw a group of people suddenly appear in front of him, almost surrounding him. Gu Lin's expression showed shock and confusion.

Gu Lin didn't know when these people approached, but Zheng Hao did.

Even before Chen Wu started eating the cold dishes, people on the street were already drawn to them. It can only be said that the aroma of the cold dishes was so tempting that people found the usually fragrant steamed buns and sesame cakes tasteless.

They approached the stall following the aroma, initially hesitant to try it because they had never seen such a place before. However, when they saw a famous gourmand in the county buy a cold dish and start eating it, he first showed a shocked expression, then ate even faster until he finished and couldn't hide the satisfaction on his face. After buying several more cold dishes, everyone immediately realized that the stall was made with genuine ingredients.

They couldn't contain themselves and shouted.

"Brother, I'd like a cold dish!"

"Hey buddy, I'll have one too!"

"Don't push, I want three servings!"

Business suddenly boomed, and Gu Lin was very excited. However, there were too many people buying cold dishes, and Gu Lin was inevitably a little flustered. He said, "Everyone, please be patient and wait a moment. We'll take our turn one by one."

Gu Lin first gave the prepared cold dishes to Chen Wu, and after collecting the money, quickly made the next person's meal.

Zheng Hao appeared beside him at some point, helping to open the bamboo tube and fill it with the mixed cold dishes. Gu Lin was pleasantly surprised, but the guest in front of him did not allow him to be distracted. He thanked him and continued to work.

And so, Gu Lin kept mixing the dishes and collecting money until only the last two bamboo tubes were left. He shouted, "Only two cold dishes left, don't line up anymore."

Gu Lin quickly prepared the last two portions and gave them to the two guests.

The customers in line behind were disappointed and exclaimed, "How come it's sold out so quickly? There's not even enough for one incense stick!"

"Young men, will you come again tomorrow?"

Those who hadn't received any cold dishes asked, unwilling to give up.

Gu Lin hadn't expected business to be so good today, so he only prepared fifty servings of cold dishes. Seeing how well everyone accepted them, he quickly said, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll definitely come tomorrow. I didn't prepare enough cold dishes today, so I'll prepare more tomorrow."