Chapter 3: The First Battle

With the first one, there came the second, and before long, the small hall was filled with guests waiting to enjoy the oil-splashed noodles.

There was no expectation that the tool would be highly efficient; it was sufficient as long as it could extract rapeseed oil. I found a piece of wood about one foot in size and began carving it with a knife. After a little more than half a day, a simple wooden bowl took shape. Although the bottom of the bowl was not very even, it could still be used adequately. I carved an oil channel on one side of the bowl, and the tool was essentially complete, just waiting for the oil extraction.

"Jia Yi, can you guess how much we earned today?" Lin Meiyu almost bounced in front of Jia Yi, her smile squinting her eyes into slits, and it was evident from this alone that today's profits were indeed substantial

This type of meal is generally only consumed during lunch when people are on the go. In the evening, they either return home or find an inn to have some food and drink before going to sleep, so it is rare for anyone to come to a restaurant for a meal. Therefore, when Jia Yi said this, it indicated that he was preparing to close the doors.

Before the door panel was properly set by Jia, the eager guests rushed into the hall, and after selecting their seats, they all began to order the oil-splashed noodles from yesterday.

In response to the guests' complaints, Jia Yi maintained a smile of apology on his face. This is how the service industry operates; you simply listen to what others say without retorting or offering explanations. Although Jia Yi had not previously worked in this field, he had worked in a restaurant during his school days. The hardships of being a waiter are truly not for outsiders to understand. However, to sum it up in one sentence, it is: "The more you say, the more tears you shed!" and "Illustrated Books".

In order to reduce the workload for tomorrow, Jia Yiqie cut a large piece of fatty pork, rendered it into lard, and carefully hid the meat scraps, fearing that Lin Meiyu would take them all away when she came over tomorrow. The dough, containing chopped green onions and salt, had already been placed in the dough tub, just waiting to be cut into noodles tomorrow.

Could you please bring me a bowl of oil-splashed noodles?

Alright, Miss Second, I am truly exhausted today. If you wish to be happy, please go back and enjoy yourself, allowing me to finish my work quickly so I can rest early

Until the noodles were sold out and the lard was exhausted, the guests in the hall were still seated in abundance. Jia, who was nearly exhausted, had no choice but to drag his weary body to the hall, perform a bow, and with a face full of embarrassment, said to the guests: "I sincerely apologize, the noodles prepared by our small establishment have already been used up. If everyone still wishes to eat, you may come again tomorrow"

"Oil-splashed noodles, 5 wen per bowl, guaranteed to satisfy your appetite, and you'll want to come back for more next time"

Jia Yi said a word to Lin Meiyu, asking her to keep an eye on things in front, while Jia Yi quickly returned to the kitchen to start the noodle-making process

... ...

After the last guest had left, Jia slowly closed the door and then began to tidy up the hall

What is going on? The restaurant owner has not prepared enough food.

It is just that we have all been waiting for half a day, how come no one mentioned that there is no food earlier

Due to its proximity to Chang'an, Duqu County sees a considerable number of people coming and going through the county town. However, on one hand, the local restaurants are indeed quite small, and on the other hand, having been closed for several days, passing travelers seem to overlook these establishments entirely, walking right past without even a glance.

Lin Ruyu was not present at the scene yesterday. Although Lin Meiyu must have described the bustling atmosphere of the restaurant to her, hearing about it and seeing it are entirely different matters. Now, seeing the hall filled with guests, her charming face has turned rosy with excitement, and she is responding to the requests of the numerous guests one by one

Once he has rested, it will be good for him to prepare oil-splashed noodles for our family in the evening

Shaking his sore hands, Jia Yi had no idea how many noodles he had cooked today; he only knew that his hands were about to break. As for how much money he had earned, he simply had no time to worry about that

Meiyu, let Jia Yi take a good rest; he is indeed quite exhausted today

This statement made Jia roll his eyes continuously; he thought to himself, I am not a beast of burden, to be sold at will. However, upon reflection, in a feudal dynasty, there is indeed not much difference between a slave and a beast of burden. To prevent being treated like a beast of burden again, Jia decided that once he earned some money, he would mention to Old Master Lin the matter of obtaining a good citizen registration for himself. It is not a good thing to constantly have the thought of being a beast of burden hanging over his heart.

Quickly returning to the kitchen, I began to knead the dough, adding salt and chopped green onions. Then, I cut it into strips and boiled them until cooked. Next, I heated some lard and brought a bowl of the cooked noodles and the hot lard to the area closest to the entrance of the hall. The fragrant oil infused with meat was poured directly over the noodles, releasing the aroma of green onions and meat. Coupled with the saltiness of the noodles and the addition of some vegetables, the delightful fragrance instantly filled the entire hall, and even the streets outside were permeated with this peculiar aroma.

A guest dressed in a brown linen shirt entered the hall at the first opportunity, drawn by the aroma, and approached Jia Yi, saying, "What a fragrant noodle dish! What do you call this type of noodle?"

There was nothing much to do in the morning, and since I had some free time, I could try to gather the tools needed for extracting rapeseed oil

How can it be opened? We have all been waiting for a long time

At the moment the door panel was lowered, the person standing behind it startled Jia Yi. The lowering of the door panel indicated that the establishment had not yet opened. Who would have thought that a mere dish could exert such a tremendous allure on people? Even before the doors had opened, the entrance was already filled with people.

In the kitchen, there was still some flour, plenty of fat, and enough vegetables for tomorrow's use. After rummaging for a while, Jia Yi found a considerable amount of rapeseed, likely collected after purchasing the rapeseed. Given that edible vegetable oil did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, rapeseed was not given much attention. Who would have thought that the rapeseed stored in burlap sacks would be the key to cooking? Finding a place to store a sack of rapeseed, Jia Yi needed to prepare for the extraction of rapeseed oil; otherwise, starting blindly could very well result in not producing a single drop of oil. Given that edible vegetable oil did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, rapeseed was not given much attention. Who would have thought that the rapeseed stored in burlap sacks would be the key to cooking? Finding a place to store a sack of rapeseed, Jia Yi needed to prepare for the extraction of rapeseed oil; otherwise, starting blindly could very well result in not producing a single drop of oil

Fried foods always emit a rich aroma, and when they are cooked in lard, an animal fat, they possess an even stronger meaty scent. In an era where merely having enough to eat can become a lifelong goal for an individual, this flavor is filled with a deadly allure

Three hundred wen, a full three hundred wen, this is equivalent to the income of four to five days in the past

"You really are childlike in your nature," Jia Yi said with a bitter smile. However, when he thought about how Lin Meiyu had taken all the earnings from today, he suddenly felt like crying without tears. Could you at least leave me some working capital...

While three people were resting and chatting, a well-dressed middle-aged man walked in. Upon seeing Lin Ruyu's exquisite beauty, an unusual gleam clearly appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly concealed.

"Hmph, if you want to go back, then go back." Lin Meiyu, seeing Jia Yi's indifferent attitude towards her, couldn't help but snort coldly. Grasping the three hundred wen she earned today, she skipped through the back door, heading towards the Lin residence.

On the second day, as dawn broke, Jia Yi opened his eyes. Despite having adapted throughout the previous day, he still felt as if he were dreaming. However, upon observing the unchanged layout and objects outside, Jia Yi shook his head, let out a soft sigh, and stepped out of the door.

As noon approached, Lin Meiyu and Lin Ruyu appeared simultaneously in the backyard. In contrast to Lin Meiyu's vivacity, Lin Ruyu appeared much more composed, suggesting that the matters in the hall no longer required Jia Yi's concern

As soon as the words were spoken, five large coins landed on the dining table without a blink of an eye. It is worth noting that in this day and age, five wen is not a small amount, which also reflects the strong allure of the oil-splashed noodles. As for that guest, he had already begun to impatiently eat the noodles.

"Miss Er, you still know how to come back," Jia Yi said with irritation as he looked at Lin Meiyu, who wore a face full of blissful smiles. He felt a deep disdain for her, as she displayed such immense satisfaction from merely consuming the most basic fried food.

Oh, come on, don't be so stingy. I'm doing this for your own good. You have no idea what my father said after tasting the meat filling. Lin Meiyu cleared her throat, deliberately deepening her voice, and said: "Hmm, quite good. It seems that this kid Jia Yi really has some skills. Let's wait and see if he still sells the illustrations and books."

I do not know

Lying on his own exclusive straw bed, Jia Yi no longer felt the discomfort of the prickly mat. He fell asleep on the bed, even though it was still bright outside, and the sound of snoring began to resonate throughout the straw house.

With a face full of gratitude, he cast a gaze filled with endless warmth at Lin Ruyu, but her next words caused the sparkle in Jia Yi's eyes to vanish completely, and he collapsed onto the table.

"What is that smell? It is so fragrant!" The person with a craving immediately halted his hurried steps and began to search for the source of the aroma

After greeting Lin Meiyu and removing the door panel of the restaurant, it was considered open for business. However, since Old Master Lin had been ill for some time, the restaurant, which already had few customers, became even more deserted. The two idle individuals waited for a while but still saw no one coming. Jia Yi felt that continuing to wait like this was not a solution; they needed to find another way to attract customers, as that was the main priority.

Seeing someone stop, Jia Yi was not hesitant and directly shouted towards the street: "Oil-splashed noodles, oil-splashed noodles, delicious oil-splashed noodles, don’t miss out as you pass by, come and have a taste."

After a busy period of one and a half hours, it finally came to an end with the completion of the dough and lard. Jia Yi had already collapsed onto the table like a pile of mud, and no matter how Lin Meiyu pushed and prodded, Jia Yi showed no inclination to move an inch.

Jia Yi watched as the lard solidified from a liquid state, taking more than two hours, almost an entire period of time. Lin Meiyu, his nominal assistant, only swayed back just before noon, which made Jia Yi grit his teeth in frustration. If she weren't the second young lady and if she weren't quite pretty, Jia Yi might have really gone up to give her a beating.