Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

After finishing her breakfast, Yunniang went to catch up on her sleep; her job required her to work at night and sleep during the day.

"Let's go, Ya Ya, it's time to set up our stall."

"Yes!" Ya Ya responded and quickly followed beside Li Chunsheng.

The morning air on Qianmen Street was still chilly, and vendors selling cut cakes, soy milk, and other snacks called out their wares one after another.

Li Chunsheng's stall has a good location. Although it is just an open-air stall, it is backed by a windproof wall. Even before it opens for business, there are already several regular customers waiting there.

"Hey, Manager Li, you're up early today!"

The speaker was a worker at a nearby grain store named Dazhuang. He had eaten Li Chunsheng's noodles last night and came back early this morning.

"Isn't this so that everyone can have a hot meal sooner?" Li Chunsheng said with a smile as he unloaded the utensils and set up the stove.

Ya Ya wasn't idle either; she took a rag and wiped the tables, chairs, and benches again and again.

"Hey! Manager Li, is this little girl your new hire?" Da Zhuang teased, watching Ya Ya bustling around. "Or is she your little wife?"

These days, it's common for poor families to send their daughters away to be raised as child brides. Li Chunsheng was twenty years old and still unmarried. Suddenly, a seven or eight-year-old girl appeared by his side, serving him tea and water. It was hard not to think the wrong thing.

Upon hearing this, several other diners waiting for noodles joined in the laughter.

"I think so! This little guy has a handsome face; Manager Li is truly blessed!"

"It's just a little too small, Manager Li, you'll have to take it easy on it, don't overwork it!"

These men weren't actually malicious; they just said all sorts of things, making all sorts of jokes, both crude and innocent.

But Ya Ya is a girl after all. Although she is only seven years old, she is sensible. When she heard these words, even the roots of her ears turned red.

She lowered her head, somewhat at a loss, afraid that Li Chunsheng would be angry, and also afraid that Li Chunsheng would really treat her as a child bride.

Li Chunsheng was kneading dough when he heard this. Without stopping, he glanced at Ya Ya, whose face was flushed, then at the group of laughing diners, and chuckled, "Go away! So immature this early in the morning! Do you even want to eat your noodles?"

"It's only because the girl is thin-skinned. If it were a shrew, she would have thrown swill at you long ago!" Li Chunsheng said, slamming the kneaded dough heavily onto the cutting board.

"This is my neighbor's daughter. She's busy at home, and the child is sensible, so she came to help me earn a little money. You grown men, don't make fun of this young girl. If you scare her away, who will clean the table and serve you food in the future?"

Da Zhuang chuckled and scratched his head: "Alright! Manager Li is being considerate! Let's not talk about it anymore! Um, hurry up, give me a big bowl of chicken noodle soup, plus a few wontons! I'm starving!"

"Alright! A big bowl of wonton and chicken noodle soup!"

Ya Ya pursed her lips and wiped the table even more vigorously with the rag in her hand, as if she wanted to polish the table into a flower.

As the sun rose higher, business at the stall became increasingly brisk. In the past two days, Li Ji's noodle stall had become famous throughout the Qianmen area. After all, if Boss Mei said it was good, it must be good.

Besides the laborers carrying heavy loads, even some well-dressed shopkeepers and employees with briefcases would stop and order a bowl of noodles to try when they smelled the aroma.

"Ah! Good noodles!"

"tasty!"

"So fresh!"

Praises were endless, and the proficiency level on the system panel kept fluctuating.

Ya Ya was busy clearing away the dishes, wiping the table, and washing the dishes. She also had to help Li Chunsheng by handing him a clove of garlic or a bottle of vinegar from time to time. Although the girl was tired, she was beaming with joy.

Every time she received a copper coin, she would carefully put it into the iron box that Li Chunsheng had specially prepared. Hearing the crisp clang of the coin made her feel especially at ease.

However, just when business was booming, a discordant voice suddenly broke the festivities.

"Ouch! I can't take it anymore! It hurts so much!"

In the crowd, a man wearing an old gray cotton robe and with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face suddenly clutched his stomach and let out a scream.

He was sitting in the corner eating noodles when he suddenly threw down his chopsticks, rolled on the ground, clutched his stomach tightly, and writhed on the ground, groaning in pain.

"This is dirty! My stomach hurts! Ouch!"

This shout startled the diners around them who were enjoying their meal.

The once bustling stall fell silent instantly. Everyone stopped eating and stared in astonishment at the man rolling on the ground.

Li Chunsheng frowned, put down the dough in his hand, and strode over.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You still have the nerve to ask what's wrong!" Seeing the person in charge arrive, the man yelled even louder, kicking his legs on the ground. "Everyone, look at this! This heartless boss! His face is filthy! I've only eaten half, and my stomach hurts like it's being twisted! Is this even fit for human consumption? Ouch! I can't take it anymore!"

The surrounding crowd immediately stirred, pointing and whispering.

For those in the food service industry, the most feared thing is these three words: uncleanliness.

If this is confirmed, no matter how good your food is, your reputation will be ruined.

Although his stall was simple, its hygiene standards were definitely the best in the area. Although it didn't have the kind of sterilizing cabinets that exist in later generations, the bowls and chopsticks were scalded with boiling water, and the ingredients were bought from the morning market every day.

"Brother," Li Chunsheng said calmly, "you say my noodles aren't clean? Where exactly are they dirty? Is there a fly in the noodles? Or sand in the soup?"

"Hmph! What do you mean, flies and sand!" The man's eyes darted around as he argued, "The problem is with the oil you're using! It must be gutter oil! Otherwise, why would it smell so good? Otherwise, why would I get diarrhea after eating it? Everyone, don't eat this! This guy is heartless!"

That's incredibly hurtful!

Several diners nearby changed their expressions upon hearing this.

"That can't be right, can it? I think Boss Li is a pretty meticulous person..."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. These days, what unscrupulous things won't they do to make money?"

A wavering voice emerged from the crowd.

Just as Li Chunsheng was about to retort, Dazhuang couldn't hold back any longer, slammed his chopsticks on the table, and stood up.

"Bullshit!" Dazhuang was a burly man with a loud voice; his roar was like thunder. "I ate two bowls of noodles here yesterday. If there was something wrong with the oil, I would have fucking died in the outhouse by now! I bet you're just trying to freeload and deliberately causing trouble!"

"Exactly!" several longtime neighbors chimed in. "We all watched Manager Li simmer the soup; the bones were all fresh. Where would you get dead pork from? Stop spouting nonsense!"