Chapter 111: I Know How to Prepare the Bun Filling

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: I Know How to Prepare the Bun Filling

At first, Gu Nuan Nuan’s idea was to have Zhang Minzhen make and sell savory Chinese crepes. But then she started to feel sorry for her mother. The thought of her mom having to stand under the scorching sun, enduring the smoke and heat to make crepes one by one... The image was too much to bear; her heart ached just thinking about it.

So, after thinking it over, she concluded that making and selling steamed buns was a better idea. At least they could be made at home ahead of time and just transported to be sold. It would still be hard work, no doubt, but it had to be less of a hassle than making crepes to order on the spot, right?

Besides, selling steamed buns was a practical choice. The standard of living wasn’t nearly as high as it would be in the future. People’s demands for food, aside from taste, were for it to be substantial. As long as their buns were large, generously filled, and tasted good, it wouldn’t matter if they earned a little less on each one...

They wouldn’t have to sell only meat buns, either. At this time, eating meat buns every day was not something most ordinary people could afford. In addition to meat, they could also develop more vegetable fillings. ’Affordable and delicious—how could their reputation not spread?’ Once word-of-mouth was established, they wouldn’t have to worry about sales at all. In fact, the potential for growth was huge. As long as they controlled the recipe for the fillings, they could eventually develop a chain of bun shops... She broke into a grin, imagining the day her mother’s meat bun chain would span the entire country, money flowing into their pockets like a rushing stream.

When that day really came, just how many people would be wringing their hands in regret over their past actions? Heh, Gu Nuan Nuan found the mere thought of it incredibly satisfying.

"You know how to mix the filling? And make it taste even better than the meat buns from He Ji? How could you? You’ve never done anything like this before!" Zhang Minzhen didn’t believe a word of it. But she also knew her daughter wasn’t one to make empty boasts. Watching the girl grin foolishly, she felt completely bewildered.

"I’ve already had He Ji’s meat buns twice, how could I not know how to make them? It’s so simple. Mom, actually, the flavor of He Ji’s meat buns is lacking in some ways. They’re not savory enough. It would be even better if they were improved a little. I’m confident that what I make will be much more delicious than theirs. If you don’t believe me, how about we go buy some meat and the ingredients I need another day, and I’ll make it for you to try?" Gu Nuan Nuan tried her best to make her expression look natural and sincere.

"Are you... being serious?" Zhang Minzhen looked at her daughter in disbelief. ’If my daughter really has a talent for this, then making and selling buns would be a very good way to make a living. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for her schooling anymore.’ But she was afraid that her daughter was just being naive due to her young age, that she was inevitably exaggerating.

She had been pondering what kind of small business she could start these past few days, but she hadn’t come up with any ideas. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted by her daughter’s words today, but after the initial excitement, she felt she was getting ahead of herself... At this moment, preoccupied with this question, Zhang Minzhen temporarily pushed all her other worries aside.

"Mom, if you don’t believe me, we can just try it out. Once we’ve tried, everything will be clear, won’t it?" Gu Nuan Nuan said, amused by her mother’s indecisiveness as she offered the most sensible suggestion.

"Not tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, Mom will talk to your uncle, and after we pick you up, we’ll go shopping together. But, by the time we get off work, the market will probably be closed. If we buy things in advance, they’ll spoil in this hot weather..." Zhang Minzhen felt as if a thousand ants were crawling in her heart, so anxious that she momentarily forgot she now had a bicycle and didn’t need her older brother to pick them up anymore.

’But the round trip is so long. Even if we both have bikes, Uncle will probably still travel with us, right?’ Gu Nuan Nuan chuckled to herself, then after a moment’s thought, said, "The day after tomorrow is Friday, and the day after that is Saturday. On Saturday, Uncle and I only have a half-day of work and school. I can ask him to go shopping with me, and we can come back early. By the time you get off work and ride your bike home, you might just be able to eat the super-delicious, big buns I made with the filling I mixed, don’t you think?"

’The supply co-op doesn’t have half-days on Saturdays. If Mom didn’t have a bike, Uncle and I would probably have to wait for her to get off work so we could all go home together. This is so much more convenient now, isn’t it?’

"Right, I almost forgot I have my own bicycle now. That’s a great idea." ’I just have to wait, though,’ Zhang Minzhen thought with a hint of regret, but this was the only way. "If you really know how to make a delicious bun filling, then that’s what we’ll sell from now on. I’ll save up the money we make for you. It’ll all be your dowry money in the future."

"Mom, you’re thinking way too far ahead. How old am I?" Gu Nuan Nuan rolled her eyes, ignored her mom, and went straight to bed. Zhang Minzhen smiled helplessly, a touch of melancholy in her expression. "You’re not that little anymore. How many more years can I keep you?"

Mother and daughter went to bed. All night, Zhang Minzhen tossed and turned, unable to sleep well. Her mind drifted between scenes from her childhood with her parents, grandparents, and three older brothers, and fragments of her life after growing up, getting married, and having a daughter...

When she got up, her face was completely listless. Wen Xiu glanced at her a few times and sighed, "You just think too much. It has nothing to do with you, so why are you looking for things to worry about?" Zhang Minzhen opened her mouth, her expression a little unnatural. Seeing this, Gu Nuan Nuan hid a giggle. After breakfast, on the way to town, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t ride on her mother’s bike; instead, as usual, her uncle called her over to ride on his.

"You don’t need to blame yourself for the family splitting up."

On the road, Zhang Wei Qiang took the initiative to say to Zhang Minzhen, "Actually, Mom and Dad have been thinking about splitting the family for a long time. It wasn’t a recent idea. Back when Second Brother’s wife joined the family, Mom and Dad saw her true character and had the idea to split then. They even wrote to me to discuss it, saying they’d split the family once Third Brother got married. As it turned out, after Third Brother also got married, Mom and Dad officially brought up the idea to the three of us while I was back on leave, but who would have thought that Second Brother and Third Brother would refuse, no matter what. It was only because they insisted that Mom and Dad gave up on the idea for a while."

"Isn’t splitting up the family a good thing for them? They could be in charge of their own households. Why on earth would Second Brother and Third Brother disagree back then? Do Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law know about this?" Hearing her older brother’s words, Zhang Minzhen was baffled. ’Usually, it’s the younger generation that’s eager to split the family, while the elders are reluctant to let go. Why is our family the complete opposite?’ A thought flashed through her mind. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing, her expression turning strange.

"At first, I couldn’t figure it out either. Logically, if Mom and Dad were willing, all of us brothers should have been happy. After all, once the family splits, everyone lives their own life. We can interact as relatives, but with our finances separate, there would naturally be fewer disputes between the brothers and their wives. Plus, we’d get to be masters of our own homes. How could they not want something with a hundred benefits and no drawbacks?" Zhang Wei Qiang didn’t notice the change in Zhang Minzhen’s expression, but the sharp-eyed Gu Nuan Nuan did.