Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 151 Improvement
Xu Qingmeng had also seen their family's business in the mornings; their house was always packed with customers.

Although she might not earn much from selling just one steamed bun or dumpling, Xu Qingmeng built her business little by little by selling dumplings.

Although the profit is not much, it is still a case of small profits but quick turnover, and at the end of the day, it still adds up to a considerable amount.

Xu Qingmeng felt that although the wonton stall business was not bad, it still did not earn as much as the steamed bun stall.

Hui Niang thought so too. Being straightforward, she said, "Boss, you're exactly the stingy person the old lady was talking about. You're making quite a bit of money from this business."

The boss had just been exposed by the old lady, and now he was being teased like this again. Instead of being embarrassed, he laughed and said, "Isn't it because I have a lot of people in my family? My mother, my children, and your aunt all cost money. How can I not be a little stingy?"

Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang didn't take the steamed bun stall owner's words to heart.

However, while the steamed bun stall owner and the old lady were busy, the old lady from the wonton stall came over for a chat and mentioned it briefly.

"Don't be fooled by how much money the old couple making at their steamed bun stall seems. It's not easy for them. Their eldest son died in the workplace a few years ago, leaving behind two children and his wife who ran away. His father is bedridden, and his mother's health is just so-so. They have to support the family, both at home and outside, and it costs money."

"His mother takes care of things at home, but the two of them rely on this stall to make ends meet. Although business is good, they still live a very frugal life. Sigh!"

The old woman spoke with a hint of melancholy, and Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang were also quite moved when they listened.

The two looked up and glanced at each other. The couple were both the type to laugh and joke, and had very cheerful personalities. You really couldn't tell that there were such terrible things going on in their family.

The old lady came to bring them wontons. Her husband said that he had eaten half a pound of her cold dish that morning, so he couldn't let her eat it for free and brought them a bowl of wonton noodles to try.

Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang were both embarrassed.

The old lady smiled and said, "It's not free for you to eat. You two are such good cooks, I wanted you to try it and give me your feedback on how it tastes."

The uncle was not good with words, but when he heard what his wife said, he couldn't help but look over, wanting to hear their opinions.

There weren't many people around, and Xu Qingmeng and her companion were free, so she took it and glanced at it.

These are square wonton wrappers, somewhat like the wontons of later generations. These wrappers are a little thinner than the round ones, but only slightly.

The uncle's cooking skills are excellent; each of these buns looks like a little gold ingot, which is very appealing, and the noodles are just the right amount.

She picked up a spoon, took a bite, and tasted it. It was filled with pork and had a little bit of lotus root bits added, which gave it a slightly crunchy texture.

You can taste the freshness of the minced pork, but the seasoning might be just average, nothing special, and it's not particularly memorable, but it's passable.

"Delicious." Hui Niang took a bite and thought their wontons were pretty good. The meat filling was substantial, and the taste was alright, with more meat than vegetables.

When the older man and woman heard her say that, they turned to look at Xu Qingmeng.

Xu Qingmeng was being stared at like that. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and said, "The taste is indeed good. The noodles are very chewy. It's just that the wonton filling is a bit bland. There's room for improvement."

The uncle's eyes showed some disappointment at the first sentence, but Xu Qingmeng's next sentence made his eyes light up again.

He knew his family's wonton stall well; although the taste was alright, he always felt something was missing. The old woman, upon hearing this, said, "Young lady, could you please give me some pointers?"

However, she hadn't considered any secret recipes, but she still wanted to hear what she thought was the room for improvement, so that the head of the household could know where to focus their efforts.

Xu Qingmeng said, "First of all, the soup should be fresh. You can use bone broth, but of course, the ingredients will have to be more expensive. This will not only make the wontons and noodles taste richer, but also make people feel more satisfied when they eat them."

The soup is a bit thin now; although the taste is okay, it lacks richness.

Then there's the filling. Although lotus root pieces are added to enhance the texture, you can also add some scallion and ginger water to remove any fishy smell. The wonton filling should be fresh; you can use some dried shrimp or shiitake mushrooms to enhance the flavor.

The cost of scallion and ginger water is practically zero, but the cost of other ingredients depends on individual circumstances.

"And when kneading the dough, you can add two eggs. This will make the dough more elastic and give it a better egg flavor."

"Of course, you still have to figure out these adjustments yourself. If you don't plan to change these things right now and just want to improve your business, there is another way."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards Xu Qingmeng.

"Actually, in the dead of winter, everyone would think that eating a bowl of hot wontons or soup noodles would be very nice. But now it's summer, so what if the noodles were cold? And what if the wontons were fried and eaten with some vinegar?"

The old lady's eyes lit up: "Young lady, that's a great idea! It's hot in the summer, and everyone really wants something refreshing. If these are fried wontons, I'll make some in these cardboard boxes, just like you, so everyone can eat them on the go. The same goes for cold noodles; you can take them home to eat."

Hui Niang said, "If it's deep-fried, the aroma will be stronger, which will attract more customers."

After hearing what the two men said, the old woman thanked them and hurried back to discuss it with her husband.

Xu Qingmeng and her team's stall started to get busy, and the two of them quickly got to work.

Just like in the morning, as soon as people came, Xu Qingmeng and her group's stall started to get busy.

Since there weren't many customers in the morning, Xu Qingmeng still put out some mixed food at each restaurant for the customers to try in the afternoon.

Hui Niang was busy weighing and packing the items; she was incredibly fast at calculating the accounts, yet remained calm and unhurried.

Xu Qingmeng only needs to mix the ingredients according to the dishes and flavors chosen by the guests.

After a morning of getting used to each other, the two of them sped up considerably in the afternoon.

Even so, because they had prepared a lot of ingredients, the two of them were still busy for a moment.

Soon, probably in about an hour, all the ingredients in their cart were sold out.

Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang did not go back immediately, but sat down at a table behind the wonton stall.

Xu Qingmeng brushed the hair off her neck. For some reason, the night suddenly became hot and humid.

(End of this chapter)