Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

Having paid off his debts, Li Chunsheng worked with even more energy.

[Current task progress: Ramen sold: 482/500; Wontons sold: 495/500]

Seeing the progress bar on the panel almost full, Li Chunsheng couldn't help but quicken his movements.

"Boss! A bowl of wontons, please! Extra chili!"

"Boss! Two bowls of ramen! Large bowls, please!"

In the dead of winter, when water freezes instantly, Li Chunsheng was so busy that sweat beaded on his forehead.

Ya Ya was also extremely busy.

"Brother Li, we don't have enough bowls!" Ya Ya called out.

"Wash it right away! Wait a minute!"

Finally, after seeing off a laborer covered in sweat, the long-awaited voice in my mind finally rang out.

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations, host! Mission complete!]

A total of 500 bowls of ramen and 500 bowls of wontons have been sold.

[Unlock a new recipe: Old Beijing braised pork buns!]

[Unlock complementary skills: pig offal cleaning techniques, secret broth braising sauce recipe, and grilling techniques.]

Finally, I've unlocked a new dish! Braised pork buns!

This braised pork and baked wheat cake is simply a dish tailor-made for the winter in Beiping and for the poor people outside Qianmen!

Pig lungs, pig intestines, fried tofu, and unleavened flatbread are simmering in a pot of old broth.

High in calories, strong in flavor, rich in oil, and inexpensive.

In this era of oil and salt shortages, for those who work hard, a bowl of steaming hot braised pork offal, saturated with the aroma of offal, is definitely more satisfying than any delicacy!

And most importantly, this stuff has extremely high profit margins!

In those days, pig offal was unwanted except by those who wanted it braised. Butchers even had to pay people to process it, so the cost was almost negligible.

But if handled properly, that flavor is amazing.

Li Chunsheng licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Having completed his task, Li Chunsheng didn't try to sell any more dough. He sold the remaining dough and packed up his stall early.

On his way home, he made a special detour to Butcher Zheng's meat stall.

It was already evening, and the best meat at the butcher shop had long been sold out.

"Hey, Brother Li, you're late today. All the good meat is gone." Butcher Zheng was about to close up shop when he saw Li Chunsheng arrive and greeted him with a smile.

"Brother Zheng, I'm not buying meat." Li Chunsheng pointed to the large wooden bucket dripping with blood under the cutting board. "Is the stuff inside still there?"

Butcher Zheng was taken aback. It was a bucket for storing pig offal, filled with filthy things like pig intestines and lungs, which smelled foul and were usually just used to feed the dogs or dumped away.

"That won't do, business is business." Li Chunsheng took out twenty copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the chopping board. "Keep these for me from now on, I need them every day."

Twenty copper coins for a bucket of garbage? Butcher Zheng was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, and readily agreed.

Back in the courtyard, Li Chunsheng didn't rush into the house. Instead, he set up a frame next to the well in the yard.

The key to whether this braised pork offal is delicious lies in how well the offal is cleaned. If it's not cleaned properly, the stench of feces and urine can make you want to vomit; but if it's washed too clean, removing the layer of intestinal fat, it loses its unique flavor. (Anyway, I don't like it when it's too clean.)

The degree to which this is achieved is extremely difficult to grasp.

Li Chunsheng used flour to absorb the mucus, aged vinegar to remove the fishy smell, and coarse salt to sterilize and scrub.

Ya Ya pinched her nose and squatted down to the side, watching Li Chunsheng busy in that pile of smelly stuff with a look of curiosity and disgust.

"Brother Li looks disgusting."

"Hehe, little girl, you don't understand," Li Chunsheng chuckled as he expertly flipped the large intestine. "This thing looks disgusting now, but once it's in the pot, you'll know what 'delicious' really means!"

After cleaning, slice the pig lungs and cut the large intestine into sections.

Li Chunsheng set up the large iron pot.

Star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and more than a dozen other spices are mixed in proportion and placed in a gauze bag.

Heat the oil in a pan, add scallions, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add two spoonfuls of soybean paste and chili oil and stir-fry until the oil turns red.

"Sizzle!"

Add water to a pot, put in the spice packet, pour in light and dark soy sauce, and add a piece of rock sugar to enhance the flavor.

As the fire boiled, the complex aroma of soy sauce instantly filled the room.

Next, Li Chunsheng poured the prepared pig intestines and lungs into the pot.

Cover the pot and simmer over low heat.

Next, all we have to do is wait.

Just then, Yunniang from next door came over, drawn by the smell.

"Chunsheng, are you stewing meat? It smells so good!" Yunniang sniffed.

"Sister-in-law, you've come at the perfect time." Li Chunsheng smiled as he lifted the pot lid.

A wisp of steam rose up, and the broth in the pot had turned an enticing dark reddish-brown. The large intestines rolled in the broth, glistening with oil, and the pig lungs, having absorbed the broth, became plump.

He then threw the already chopped fried tofu pieces and a few unleavened flatbreads into the pot.

"Braised and roasted?" Yunniang asked, somewhat surprised.

"That's right," Li Chunsheng stirred it with a large spoon, "It needs to simmer for another half an hour, until the flatbread has absorbed all the broth and the intestines are tender and soft, then it will be truly authentic."

Looking at the offal in the pot, which now looked incredibly tempting in the rich broth, Yunniang noticed its appearance.

"Gurgle."

A clear swallowing sound came from the side.

Li Chunsheng and Yunniang turned around and saw that Yaya was staring at the pot, with a trace of saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Looks like he's really hungry." Li Chunsheng laughed heartily.

Half an hour later.

Li Chunsheng scooped out a baked bun, cut it into a grid pattern, then scooped out a section of small intestine, a few slices of lung, and two pieces of tofu, cut them all into small pieces, and arranged them in a bowl.

Pour a spoonful of boiling broth over it, sprinkle with minced garlic and cilantro, drizzle with a little vinegar, and finally add a spoonful of chili oil.

"Come on, have a taste!"

Li Chunsheng handed a bowl to Yunniang and Yaya each.

Yunniang picked up a piece of small intestine and put it in her mouth.

The next second, her eyes widened suddenly.

There is no fishy or gamey smell, only a rich aroma of meat and sauce. The small intestine is soft and tender. With a gentle bite, the little bit of oil inside bursts in your mouth, mixed with the spiciness of minced garlic and the slight sourness of vinegar, which immediately cuts through the greasiness, leaving only a mouthful of fragrance.

Take another bite of the baked bun; the outer layer is already soft from being soaked in the broth, but the inside is still chewy, becoming more and more fragrant the more you chew.

"My goodness..." Yunniang couldn't help but exclaim, "How can your braised pork buns be so delicious?!"

Ya Ya didn't even have time to talk; she just held her bowl and buried herself in her food, her mouth covered in oil.

"Chunsheng, are you planning to sell braised pork offal soup?"

"Yes," Li Chunsheng nodded. "I now sell wontons and chicken noodle soup. Although they taste good and everyone supports them, they are a bit lacking in oil. Braised pork and baked buns are different. They have meat, baked buns, and salt in the soup. For those laborers, eating braised pork and baked buns after work is cheap and plentiful, and it can last them a long time."

"Also, since we're planning to rent a shop, we can't just sell wontons and chicken noodle soup. A variety of dishes will prevent people from getting tired of them."