Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

The cold noodles I brought home for lunch were devoured by everyone in the family, young and old alike, and they kept asking for another bowl before dinner.

It's common to see crowds of people—seeing a circle gathered at the door, tenants returning from get off work also crowded around, asking one after another, "Is there any left? Give me one!"

Lin Quan wore gloves and a mask the whole time, and was so busy that he didn't have a moment to rest for more than two hours.

"Boss, is there any more?" Bai Jie asked, craning her neck.

"I'm so sorry, we're all sold out." He took off his mask and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Could you make me a separate serving?" Her eyes lit up, her voice full of anticipation.

Seeing that there were still three or four people waiting, Lin Quan cooked two more bowls of noodles.

I can just grab a bowl of whatever I want for dinner; it saves time, effort, and money.

"No wonder there's a long line to buy it! This tastes amazing!" Bai Jie took a bite and her lips immediately curled up.

He kept one bowl of the cold noodles made with three kinds of noodles for himself, and the rest were all snatched up.

"1,160 for lunch, 2,900+ for dinner; noodles cost 460, other miscellaneous items less than 500—I made a solid 3,100 today, a great start!"

Three thousand one, that's equivalent to eleven days of work at Feiyang Machinery Factory.

They have to work twelve hours a day in the workshop.

"I'll take a shower, do some typing, and then go shopping tomorrow morning."

He felt refreshed after the hot water shower, changed his clothes, soaked his dirty clothes in a basin, and hung them to dry on the wire outside the door. He turned on his computer and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

I wrote until midnight, set a timer to go to bed, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I slept until dawn, went out and ate a bowl of rice noodle rolls, then rushed into the market, carrying a bunch of bags and packages.

The original plan was to set up a stall at the night market outside the university town, but unexpectedly, the goods were sold out even at the door of the rented house.

Boiling water, making noodles, simmering soup, rendering chili oil... more than two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Just after 10 a.m., customers started arriving in twos and threes to buy cold noodles.

It took Lin Quan more than an hour to sell all 270 servings of cold noodles.

"A stainless steel bucket can only hold thirty servings of dry noodles that have been seasoned, so I need to buy another bucket."

He pedaled his tricycle around once and brought back a new bucket and a hundred bundles of dried noodles.

"No matter how capable a person is, their hands and feet are limited. Only with more people can a business be sustained."

Lin Quan cooked sixty bowls of dry noodles, chopped scallions and cucumber strips, and prepared the sauce. It was only a little before three o'clock. He took out his phone and made a call.

Before long, Li Xiong, Ma Tao, and Liu Yu arrived on their electric bikes.

"Eat as much as you like, don't be shy." Lin Quan quickly mixed four bowls.

"It smells so good! I've never had such refreshing cold noodles in my life!" Ma Tao took a bite, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed repeatedly.

"Sell noodles with me, five hundred a day, wanna do it?" Lin Quan asked with a smile.

"Brother Quan, lending a hand is no problem, you really don't need to pay me." Liu Yu waved his hand.

"How much did you earn today?" Ma Tao asked hurriedly.

"I was rushed yesterday and only made a little over two thousand," Lin Quan said truthfully.

"You made over two thousand without even being properly prepared?" Ma Tao was stunned.

As they were talking, customers came in one after another, took the cold noodles, and left.

"Ten yuan has arrived via QuickPay..." The crisp notification sounds echoed one after another.

Before six o'clock, all the cold noodles Lin Quan had prepared were sold out.

The cold noodles made from sixty dry noodles sold approximately five hundred and forty bowls.

"Brother Quan, how much did you make on this trip?" Liu Yu couldn't help but ask.

"The total came to 5,430 yuan. Sixty bowls of dry noodles, ten yuan per bowl; plus scallions, cucumbers, seasonings, water and electricity, plastic containers, etc., the cost per bowl is about 2.3 yuan, and the net profit is 7.7 yuan," Lin Quan said bluntly.

"You lost over four thousand by yourself?!" Ma Tao's mouth dropped open.

"Brother Quan, I'll work with you!" Liu Yu's eyes lit up.

"I want to learn too." Li Xiong nodded.

"Come if you want, I'll teach you, it's free." Lin Quan smiled.

Outsiders may see that cold noodles have high profit margins, but compared to beef noodles that cost 20, 30, 40, or 50 yuan a bowl, the profit margin is indeed very low.

Lin Quan had already planned ahead: he would teach the techniques to Liu Yu, Ma Tao, and Li Xiong, and once he had saved enough capital, he would take over a shop and open a noodle restaurant.

What makes cold noodles so difficult? It's simply a matter of whether the broth is rich and flavorful, and whether the chili oil is fragrant and delicious.

"I heard that learning a skill at a noodle shop starts at least at ten thousand, and some even cost twenty or thirty thousand. We feel bad if you don't charge us." Ma Tao frowned slightly.

"Yes, tuition fees must be paid," Liu Yu immediately replied.

"I'll waive your tuition, just work for me for ten days for free," Lin Quan suggested.

"Ten days isn't enough! A month!" Ma Tao blurted out.

"At least a month." Liu Yu nodded. "You only make a little over 8,000 a month working in the factory. It may seem like you're making 8,000 less this month, but you'll gain real skills in return."

They witnessed firsthand how they earned over four thousand in just two or three hours.

"I'll work for a full month," Li Xiong said.

"Okay." Lin Quan didn't argue further—after being colleagues and brothers for several years, they would still need to keep in touch frequently, so either they would be even or neither of them would take advantage of the other.

"Liu Yu and Ma Tao can resign tomorrow. I'll have my wife come and work with them for a few days first..." Li Xiong said.

"Okay." Lin Quan smiled. "Remember to get a health certificate..."

"It's almost 6:30, time to go back to the factory and clock in." Li Xiong glanced down at his phone.

As soon as the three left, Lin Quan pulled down the roller shutter and packed up his stall.

"Yesterday it was over 3,100, today it was over 6,200, for a total of 9,500 over the two days."

"One bundle of dry noodles makes nine bowls. The noodles cost one dollar and one cent, the box costs five cents, and other miscellaneous items add up to two dollars and three cents per bowl. The rest is all net profit."

After taking a shower, changing his clothes, and finishing typing, Lin Quan went straight to sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, he went straight to the market and bought ginger, garlic, scallions, and more than ten kilograms of tender cucumbers.

Back in his rented room, Lin Quan made three phone calls.

Not long after, the noodle stall owner delivered two hundred bundles of dried noodles, the cardboard box wholesaler carried in two thousand packing boxes, and the deliveryman from the nearby supermarket brought in five buckets of cooking oil.

"Someone came to lend a hand this afternoon."

He first simmered the broth and made the chili oil, then washed and chopped the scallions, and scrubbed each cucumber clean.

Lin Quan cooked sixty bundles of dry noodles and placed two large buckets of cold noodles on the counter.

Around 10 o'clock, Liu Yu and Ma Tao arrived on their electric scooters.

"You haven't gotten the certificate yet?" Lin Quan asked.

"If we rush over now, the windows will almost be closed. We'll go this afternoon," Ma Tao replied.

"Pack them for me later." Lin Quan handed over three masks and three pairs of disposable gloves.

A dozen minutes later, customers began to arrive.

"Lay out a level spoonful of broth and a spoonful of chili oil—I specially chose this spoon, it's the perfect size; fill the noodles to about eight-tenths full." After saying that, Lin Quan turned around to take charge of slicing the cucumber into strips.

With Liu Yu and Ma Tao assisting, their movements became noticeably more efficient.

In less than two hours, all 500 bowls of cold noodles were sold out.

"Sorry, we're sold out." After seeing off the last few customers, Lin Quan smiled and patted his apron. "Come on, let's grab a couple of drinks."

They moved their belongings inside, locked the door, parked the car, and the three of them went out together.

Passing by a small supermarket, Lin Quan went in and bought three packs of cigarettes.