Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Tuan Tuan's Taste Test Turns into a Grand Opening
"Sweet potato flavor 1.5 yuan."
"Purple potato flavor 1.5 yuan."
"Brown sugar 1 yuan."
"White sugar 1 yuan."
"Black sesame 2 yuan."
Chen Yu was very adept at setting the prices and placed the sign to one side.
His life in recent years, filled with the basics of daily needs, had given Chen Yu a firm grasp of the entire price system in Suzhou City.
This pricing was definitely reasonable!
"Daddy! I'm a little hungry!"
For a child of Tuan Tuan's age, who was growing, and having participated in a regional competition today, burning lots of energy, hunger had already set in.
However, aside from the envelope Tong Ya had returned, Chen Yu had nothing on him.
Years of instinct told him that this money absolutely could not be touched.
Besides, the system-provided RV had nothing extra besides the raw materials for the fried cakes.
Seeming to sense Chen Yu's awkwardness, Tuan Tuan moved closer to him in an obedient manner.
"Daddy! Why don't you make me two fried cakes? This way, I can check out your cooking skills in advance, otherwise, the business tomorrow morning might be ruined!"
Chen Yu pinched Tuan Tuan's nose, both annoyed and amused.
"It's as if I've never made them for you before! Just wait!"
Chen Yu rolled up his sleeves and headed to the kitchen area, following the skill information provided by the system to mix the water and dough.
While the dough was resting, he prepared some filling to use.
Even during a minor trial run, beads of sweat had formed on Chen Yu's forehead.
The steps provided by the system were not overly complicated, but there were so many details to focus on that Chen Yu felt a bit overwhelmed at first.
Fortunately, he had some previous experience and quickly adapted.
As the oil heated up and the cakes began frying, a rich aroma immediately began to spread.
"Wow, Daddy! It smells so good! The sugar cakes you fried before never smelled this good! Did you learn some new skills from somewhere?"
"Of course! It's all from your dad's self-researched efforts!"
Pleased with himself, Chen Yu was also slightly taken aback internally; just changing a few details made such a huge difference in the final product.
When the first batch of sugar cakes was ready, Tuan Tuan eagerly grabbed one with oiled paper.
She took a bite and the flavor was fragrant, tender, and crispy, sweet but not cloying, and the filling seemed to melt in her mouth, effortlessly sliding down her throat.
"It's so delicious! Daddy, I want more, I want more!"
Chen Yu too couldn't quite believe it and ate one himself, the taste giving him an inexplicable sense of elation.
"Young man, is this a mobile food cart? What are you selling here? It smells wonderful."
An elderly lady dressed in red, fanning herself, approached, drawn by the smell, and looking like she was heading to join in the square dancing.
"It's just ordinary fried cakes, but we haven't even started..."
Before Chen Yu could finish saying the words about officially starting business, Tuan Tuan had grabbed a small stool and placed herself at the window, holding up the price sign Chen Yu had written.
"Grandma! Would you like to buy one to try?"
That adorable voice blossomed joy in the elderly lady's heart.
"Oh my, what a lovely girl! Then give grandma a black sesame one!"
Chen Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness seeing Tuan Tuan looking like a little money-grubber.
Fang Yuan's departure had hit Tuan Tuan hard, but it seemed to have spurred some growth in the little girl.
Tuan Tuan decisively took Chen Yu's phone, opening the payment page.
Chen Yu wrapped a black sesame sugar cake in oiled paper and handed it over.
As soon as the elderly lady paid, she eagerly put the sugar cake into her mouth.
"Oh my, this is tasty!"
The old lady shouted loudly and then opened her fan, waving it a few times in the distance.
"Hey, come over here, this handsome young man's sugar cake is delicious!"
With one call, she attracted a large group of elderly men and women.
They were all dressed in uniform, clearly a group that often danced together in the square.
Chen Yu's head was full of black lines; he had only made ten for his first batch, nowhere near enough for all the seniors.
"Well, Granny..."
Just as Chen Yu was about to explain, Tuan Tuan adorably brought her hands together in salute, making a curtsey.
"Dear grandpas and grandmas, we just opened for business! Don't rush, please wait patiently for my daddy for 15 minutes, the tasty fried cakes will be ready in no time!"
Who could resist such a cute, adorable, and pretty little girl? Especially a bunch of elderly folks.
"No problem, child, we'll wait!" The first grandma who arrived slapped her thigh and then began telling the others how delicious the fried cakes were!
Seeing that the seniors agreed, Tuan Tuan quickly nudged Chen Yu.
"Hurry up and make the fried cakes, Daddy! Business is here."
Chen Yu didn't say much, just cracked a slight smile and turned to get busy.
"Dear grandpas and grandmas, just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll write it down right away!"
Saying so, Tuan Tuan took out paper and pen, while holding up a QR code for payments with her other hand.
"I'll have 5 purple sweet potato ones!"
"Two plain sugar, two black sesame!"
"Three red sweet potato, two brown sugar!"
...
As Tuan Tuan noted down the orders, she also calculated the prices, and the seniors conscientiously scanned to pay.
"Account credited with 7.5 yuan."
"Account credited with 6 yuan."
"Account credited with 6.5 yuan."
...
Listening to the sounds of payments coming from his phone, Chen Yu felt invigorated.
Batch after batch of fried cakes were quickly laid out.
"Oh my, eating such delicious fried cakes in my lifetime, I could die happy now. Give me another 20, any flavor will do, I want to take them home for my family to try."
The first old lady who had come didn't even stop for her square dancing; she grabbed 20 fried cakes and rushed back home.
Several young women working the night shift at the factory also followed the scent; each bought ten fried cakes.
But by the time they reached the shuttle pickup point, the fried cakes in their hands had been polished off, all of them still looking unsatisfied.
"Wow, these are so tasty, I've never eaten anything this delicious before."
"Have all of you eaten your fill? Should we go back and buy a few more?"
"Oh no, the shuttle bus is here, we don't have time!"
"It's alright, these are meant to be an early morning treat anyway, maybe they'll still be selling them here tomorrow morning!"
As they spoke, the young women boarded the bus with faces full of regret.
In the nearby square, a bewildered teenager with a skateboard stood there, looking around.
"What's going on? How come those old men and women aren't here fighting with us for the spot today?"
"Strange, very strange, they all seem to be gathered over there, what are they doing? What's that?"
"Who knows? Maybe that shop is having a promotion, giving away eggs or something!"
"That's not right, it smells so good! How can the scent of fried cakes drift this far?"
"Let's go have a look. Without the old folks fighting for our spot, I suddenly feel like something's missing."
...