Early the next morning, when Li Yi woke up, he found his parents had already gone out to work in the fields!
After washing up and having a light snack, Li Yi got to work!
Since Nianzishan Village was a full 15 kilometers from the county seat—a journey that would take at least two hours by mule cart—he had to prepare the liangpi and chop the toppings within two hours to arrive before noon.
Fortunately, he was well-versed in all of this, and it didn’t take long for everything to be ready!
After loading everything onto the mule cart, Li Yi drove straight toward the county seat.
Traveling along the dirt roads of the countryside, gazing at the lush green crops lining both sides of the path, and breathing in the freshest air of nature, Li Yi felt incredibly happy.
Although he was currently poor—he didn’t even have a single penny in his pocket—his inner world was rich.
Thinking back to his previous life, although he had built his own business empire—with assets reaching tens of billions at its peak—whenever the night was deep and quiet, the guilt he felt toward Tang Xue and the child who had never been born would constantly gnaw at his heart. Even though he possessed the entire world and was adored by thousands, he could not overcome the loneliness within his heart, and he spent his entire life struggling with guilt and solitude.
But now, Tang Xue was still alive, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she was carrying his child. There was still a chance to make amends for everything.
At 11:00 a.m., the mule cart arrived in the county seat, but instead of heading to the town center, Li Yi drove it to the entrance of the sugar factory on the outskirts of the county.
Although the county seat was bustling with people, the reforms had only just begun. Moreover, Qing Shan County was a small, remote inland county where people held conservative views and were not yet fully receptive to the private sector.
If he were to openly sell liangpi in the city center, he might very well end up getting arrested.
The situation at the sugar factory, however, was different. Although it was located on the outskirts of the county, the factory employed seven or eight hundred workers—all of whom were permanent staff earning thirty to forty yuan a month—giving them strong purchasing power.
More importantly, Li Yi knew that the sugar factory didn’t have a staff canteen; the workers had to go home for dinner after work or bring their own meals to work every day.
With a safe environment and a ready consumer market, this was definitely a prime spot for a street stall!
After finding a suitable spot, Li Yi arranged the prepared liangpi and all the various toppings and condiments neatly on his cart, then waited patiently for customers to arrive!
At 11:50 a.m., as a crisp electric bell rang out, the workers were off duty!
Li Yi immediately perked up—his business empire was about to set sail from this mule cart right outside the factory gates!
A few minutes later, workers began streaming out of the sugar factory gates!
Seizing the opportunity, Li Yi called out loudly, “Authentic Shaanxi-style liangpi, 20 cents a serving—first come, first served!”
“Don’t miss out—authentic Qin Province Liangpi, delicious and perfect for beating the heat!”
“For just two cents, you can’t go wrong—you’ll get a refreshing, delicious serving of Liangpi…”
The novel cries quickly drew a crowd of onlookers. When everyone saw the liangpi and various toppings and condiments laid out on the cart, they couldn’t help but swallow hard!
Finally, someone couldn’t resist any longer. A middle-aged man turned to Li Yi and asked, “Young man, what kind of food is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Bro, this delicacy is called liangpi. It’s the most famous and classic summer treat in Qin Province—guaranteed to have you coming back for seconds after your first bite!” Li Yi replied with a smile.
“How much is it?”
“With broth and toppings, it’s 20 cents plus two liang of grain coupons per serving!”
“Two mao plus two liang of grain coupons? That’s so expensive!”
“Bro, it takes a pound of white flour to make one serving of liangpi. Right now, the supply and marketing cooperative sells white flour for 16 cents a pound. Add in all the seasonings—is 20 cents really too much?” Li Yi explained.
“I guess that makes sense. Give me one to try!”
“Sure thing! Just a moment!”
Li Yi deftly peeled a large sheet of liangpi off the tea tray, then sliced it into strips on the cutting board, tossed it with various seasonings, and drizzled a small spoonful of chili oil on top.
He placed it in a bamboo tube and handed it to the middle-aged man, tossing him a pair of bamboo chopsticks as well.
The middle-aged man, in turn, deftly pulled out two 10-cent notes and a 2-liang local grain coupon, then squatted down beside the mule cart and dug in!
After just a couple of bites, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re something else, kid—this tastes absolutely amazing!”
“Thanks for the compliment, big guy. In the summer, I wouldn’t trade this liangpi for a pig’s trotter!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Is it really that good? Give me a serving too…”
“I’ll have one too…”
With the middle-aged man leading the way, Li Yi sold out all 62 portions of liangpi in less than ten minutes—the turnout was absolutely staggering.
After agreeing to come back tomorrow at noon to sell more liangpi, Li Yi finally managed to break free from the workers’ enthusiastic “surrounding”!
On the mule cart, Li Yi counted the loose change in his hand while sorting out the grain coupons.
After tallying his earnings, a satisfied smile spread across Li Yi’s face.