After capturing everyone's attention, Qi Huan no longer teased them and lifted the corner of the muslin cloth, revealing the spicy snacks in the basket.
The strip-shaped spicy snacks were dyed in a bright orange-red color by the chili oil, with white sesame seeds dotting them, making them look even more appetizing. The patrons stared intently.
"Miss Qi, we've never had these spicy snacks before. Could they really taste good?"
When questioned, Qi Huan didn't panic but smiled and said loudly:
"Whether they taste good or not, it's not for me to say, it's for you all to judge. Just like before, try them for free first, and if you're satisfied after tasting, then you can buy them."
"Miss Qi is so generous, we're lucky again!"
Amidst the praise, Qi Huan left the patrons and brought the basket to the back kitchen.
In the kitchen, steam was rising from several large pots.
In front of the stove, Tao Su held a colander in her left hand and a bowl in her right, skillfully scooping out the freshly boiled noodles.
Hearing footsteps, she asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"I made a new snack and I want you all to taste it."
After a brief explanation, Qi Huan turned and took out some small plates from the cupboard that had been idle.
She rinsed and dried them with hot water.
After preparing the tableware, she began cutting the spicy snacks.
With her knife rising and falling, the spicy snacks were quickly cut into small cubes of uniform size.......referred to as spicy cubes.
She placed five cubes on each small plate, and after arranging them, Qi Huan put them on a tray, ready to serve them in the front hall.
After taking a few steps, the tray in her hands was taken over by Li Shuchen.
"Let me do the chores."
"Thank you, Shuchen, you're amazing!"
Encouraged by her praise, Li Shuchen's steps became more lively.
During their conversation, they arrived at the front hall.
Under her instructions, Li Shuchen distributed a small plate of spicy cubes to each table of patrons.
The orange-red spicy cubes extended a warm invitation, stimulating the patrons' appetites. They eagerly picked them up and put them in their mouths to savor them.
"So spicy!"
"So satisfying!"
Positive reviews poured in quickly.
Of course, there were also those who couldn't adapt and had to gulp down a few mouthfuls of noodle soup to relieve the spiciness.
"Miss Qi, your spicy snacks are so spicy."
Big Tiger answered first: "Spicy snacks, spicy snacks, it's because they're spicy that they're called spicy snacks."
".......If they're not spicy, they can't be called spicy snacks! Miss Qi, do you sell non-spicy snacks?"
Qi Huan laughed: "Not at the moment."
Non-spicy spicy snacks lack soul, and she had never learned to make them.
However.......
"Thank you all for your suggestions. In the future, Qi's Noodle Shop will adjust the flavors and offer mildly spicy, numbing spicy, and devilishly spicy snacks with different levels of spiciness."
"Everyone has tasted today's batch of spicy snacks. If you can accept this level of spiciness, you can purchase them from Nuan Dong now."
"Quantities are limited, first come, first served."
She said this not because she was creating artificial scarcity, but because making these starch-based snacks required time and manpower.
Adding the cost of ingredients like rice and flour, her spicy snacks were priced higher, so not many people would buy them. That's why she didn't make too many.
Soon, someone asked about the price.
Rarity commands a premium, so she priced them on the high side.
Qi Huan replied, "One spicy snack the length of a palm and two fingers wide costs ten pennies, and you get one free for every ten you buy."
A meat bun cost two pennies, but one spicy snack cost ten pennies?
As soon as she finished speaking, an uproar erupted among the crowd.
"Ten pennies? She might as well have robbed us outright, but she's giving us one for free......"
"So expensive! Add a few more pennies and it's enough for me to eat a bowl of Yangchun noodles!"
"If you can't afford it, don't eat it! I can afford it, so I'll eat it! These spicy snacks are very satisfying and exciting, and I like them!"
".......Miss Qi just said there's a limited supply, so it's perfect that you can't afford it and won't buy any, but I have the money, so I can buy a few more to indulge myself."
"Exactly, you're right, you're the one who's being unreasonable."
"That's just being stingy! Just ten pennies for such delicious spicy snacks is already a great deal, isn't it?.......Miss Qi, give me two!"
"I'll have three!"
......
Soon, the remaining spicy snacks were snatched up.
Some patrons who didn't get any asked reluctantly as they were leaving, "Miss Qi, when will the next batch of spicy snacks be ready?"
"Don't worry, I'll make them as soon as I can."
After bidding farewell to the last patron, Qi Huan hung up the "closed" sign, went to a secluded room, and secretly took out the materials she didn't use up in the morning from her spatial pouch. She brought them to the kitchen and asked Tao Su for help to make more spicy snacks.
The two were busy and frantic.
It wasn't until the moon was in the trees that Qi Huan was finally free and went home with Li Shuchen.
When they got home, Yan Qinghe and the others hadn't returned yet.
Li Shuchen lit a lamp and, seeing her massaging her arms, offered, "Let me help you."
".......You helped me massage my hands before, so this time I'll return the favor."
His reasoning was sound, so Qi Huan was persuaded to extend her arm.
Li Shuchen controlled the force of his massage as he gently kneaded her arms.
While massaging, he asked, "Have you ever seen a successful merchant who does everything manually?"
"You should hire a few more people and delegate these physical tasks to them. You only need to use your brain......" Don't exhaust yourself like this."
"Okay, I'll hire two more people."
"Buying is better than hiring," Li Shuchen frowned. "If the hired people leak the recipe, you can punish them as you see fit, which provides more constraint."
Hearing this, Qi Huan smiled proudly like a cocky little peacock: "It's impossible for the recipe to be leaked because only I have the key ingredients like chili powder, five-spice powder, and cumin powder that they can't buy!"
"However, you make a good point, and I'll take your advice."
The next day.
She found a toothpuller and bought two sisters.
Lv Yin was strong and was assigned the task of making starch.
Lv Ya was meticulous and Qi Huan put her in charge of making the spicy snacks.
Every day after noon, when the noodle shop was closed and the kitchen's iron pots were idle, the two sisters would start making spicy snacks.
Gradually, more and more people came to Qi's Noodle Shop to buy spicy snacks, earning Qi Huan another tidy profit.
One day, she came to the noodle shop to deliver seasonings and take advantage of a free lunch.
Just as she was about to put the first bite in her mouth, a graceful figure suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Qi Huan looked up and saw that it was Lu Yueming.
She was wearing a red embroidered robe with white rabbit fur trim at the collar and sleeves, a gold and jade necklace around her neck, and a red waist sash of the same color that accentuated her perfect figure, making Qi Huan envious.
As she was admiring Lu Yueming, the latter slapped the small leather whip in her hand on the table and began speaking casually.
"Miss Qi, we have a connection, you remember, don't you?
My mother said that if it weren't for you, I might have lost my life.
So when I heard you opened a delicious noodle shop, I immediately wanted to come and support you, but my mother wouldn't let me go out because it was too cold outside.
No matter how much I pleaded with her, she only relented when I agreed to recite the 'Inner Teachings'.
Oh my, that was even more torturous than fighting ten strong men single-handedly. Memorizing books is just too dreadful.
By the way, the two martial arts teachers you recommended were quite capable, but I didn't have time to properly practice with them.
To get permission to go out and play, I had to sit in the study every day listening to Master Xiu Wen recite scriptures......
However, this Master Xiu Wen is quite skilled. He helped me break down the text and taught me to understand it as I memorized it, which made it much easier to remember.
Unlike the previous teachers who would just explain the general meaning once and then have me memorize it myself. I would forget the latter part after memorizing the first, and they would hit my palms.
As a result, they couldn't beat me, and they ended up calling me an uncarved block.......
The Master Xiu Wen you recommended is quite good. With his help, I finally managed to memorize it today!"
After my mother fell asleep, I came out!
I've tasted the spicy strips you made, they were delicious! Today I'll try the noodles from your place!...Hey, why aren't you eating?"
Qi Huan answered helplessly, "They've gone cold..."
She didn't expect Lu Yueming to be so casual, speaking such a long stream of words, mentioning that her noodles had lost all their warmth...
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Lu Yueming's eyes, and he said sheepishly, "Let me order you a fresh bowl..."
Qi Huan shook her head, "I can still eat them warm."
Tilling fields under the noonday sun, sweat dripping onto the soil below, who knows the grains in the bowl, each one a labor of toil...
She didn't want to waste food.
Half an hour later.
The two sat facing each other, Lu Yueming ordered a bowl of their signature beef noodles, and after Qi Huan's noodles were reheated, she...ate them down to the last drop.
After the meal, Lu Yueming stated his purpose.
"To be honest, Miss Qi, I have a favor to ask of you."
