Chapter 204: Small Matters within One’s Power
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
With the sound of "Hua Hua", the granny took the packed trash in one hand and the small broom in the other and began to go back. She didn’t throw the trash until she came to the garbage recollecting station.
It was then 4:50 in the morning when the sanitation workers began to work. In the street lights and the dawn light, the granny began to walk back.
After she returned to her house, she first changed clothes and washed for a while before going to make the steamed buns.
With the steam curling up, the white and plump steamed buns emitted a heavy fragrance from the steamer pot.
"Although I don’t know what the young boss will sell today, the business is nevertheless getting better and better," the granny muttered with a smile while laying the dough.
An expression of happiness was then revealed on her face.
The first thing that Yuan Zhou did after he got up at 4:30 was to pull open the curtain with a sound of "Hua". The ground in front of the door had been swept very clean while the sanitation workers were still cleaning from afar and had not arrived.
"There’s really someone who helps with the cleaning. And he seems to move quickly," Yuan Zhou frowned and said to himself.
Then he got himself washed and prepared to head out for jogging. It was not 6:00 a.m. yet when he returned to his restaurant. At this time, he preferred to make the Steamed Assorted Vegetable Buns, which, as breakfast, was good for the health.
With Yuan Zhou’s speed, 100 steamed buns were merely a piece of cake.
Just when Yuan Zhou was making the steamed buns, the granny carried the two insulation barrels and set off from her home.
Inside the insulation barrels were the steamed buns and cooked soybean milk, which seemed to be fairly heavy. The granny rested for a while for every 50 meters and then continued walking.
This time, the granny spent almost 50 minutes on the way while she had only walked for 15 minutes previously without taking anything. It was slightly after 7:00 a.m. when she arrived and many customers had been waiting outside of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. Having no time to take a rest, the granny started to go up and peddle her dishes.
"Steamed buns for sale, hot steamed buns and warm soybean milk," the sound of the granny was clear and loud, with a hint of respite.
At this time of the day, the customers basically wouldn’t buy the hawkers’ foods unless they were very hungry. Since the customers were all around, however, the granny likewise wouldn’t give up. She just walked around the crowd waiting outside slowly and could occasionally sell out one or two cups of soybean milk.
As soon as it reached the opening time, Yuan Zhou’s restaurant was opened on time.
"That’s great. The breakfast today is the Steamed Assorted Vegetable Buns, which I didn’t manage to eat last time. I can finally savor the taste this time," the customer who first entered the restaurant immediately got to know Yuan Zhou’s breakfast and then told others waiting behind him happily.
That started a heated discussion.
"I heard the steamed buns are all with vegetable stuffing. And the vegetables are so fresh and tender that even the water could be pinched out. The taste is so fresh." Those who could not eat it now started to talk about the rumors.
"Please stop it. I was originally hungry and now I become hungrier," another customer said discontentedly.
"This is to increase your appetite. You could definitely eat it with more gusto shortly," that man said in a shameless manner.
"Come on. Even if you say so, it is unlikely that Boss Yuan will sell an extra steamed bun to me," the customer felt rather speechless.
"That does make sense. If only he had no restriction someday, I will definitely eat 10 at a time," while he was saying, he became more expectant.
"I don’t think that can happen. Boss Yuan cooks alone in the restaurant. If there’s no restriction, those people will buy 8 or 10 at a time and then we probably couldn’t get any." It was beneficial to obey the rules. Customers obviously knew about that after eating here for a long time.
"You are right. Just forget it. Let’s work hard for more money and come to eat every day in future and take the restaurant as our canteen, like the small mustache," looking at Wu Hai who entered the restaurant earlier, they said expectantly.
While these customers were discussing the delicious food and getting quite eager to eat it, the hawkers outside the restaurant nevertheless didn’t have such a wonderful feeling.
Every time Yuan Zhou served steamed buns, the hawkers who were selling the same food normally had worse business.
After all, the steamed buns prepared by the hawkers were merely for filling the stomach if compared with those made by Yuan Zhou. With such a sharp contrast, who would eat theirs?
"It seems the steamed buns can’t be sold out today again," the hawkers selling steamed buns heaved a sigh and then prepared to go somewhere else for business.
"The boss is so frustrating. Since he has such booming business, why can’t he leave some opportunities for us small business dealers?" A hawker said with discontent while pushing a handcart on which characters of soybean milk and steamed buns were written.
"You can’t say that. The young boss brings about more business to us. Look, our business has been much better than before," the granny happened to be resting at the side. When she heard that, she revealed a disapproving expression on her face and hence said straightforwardly.
"I’m just complaining unintentionally," the hawker was still reluctant to admit that. Now that nobody around chimed in with him, he became silent then after grumbling two sentences.
Since they all met with each other every day for business, it was unnecessary to debate over such small trifles.
Yuan Zhou made only 100 steamed buns every day including several for his own breakfast, therefore only 96 or 97 could be left for sale. As the girls originally can’t eat much, a steamed bun and a bowl of Lotus Root Starch were sufficient for each of them. However, for men, they probably could easily eat up two more.
As a result, the business of the hawkers around was really not bad. In the end, the granny had only 5 steamed buns and 3 cups of soybean milk unsold. Such a result was nevertheless quite satisfactory to the granny.
"Now I get my food for today." Looking at the cold steamed buns that were unsold, the granny didn’t really feel worried and still said that with a smile. After all, she could eat them by herself.
Every single day, the granny cooked steamed buns and soybean milk, went to clean the ground and sell the steamed buns and soybean milk. Her schedule was regular and reassuring.
After getting up earlier than earlier each day, Yuan Zhou finally caught the sight of the person who did the cleaning. That achieved what he had wished.
With a sound of "Hua", Yuan Zhou pulled open the curtain at about 4:00, when the granny happened to be cleaning.
Watched quietly by Broth at the door, the granny swept the ground and picked up the trash carefully. The scene was slightly touching under the streetlights.
"She’s a hawker doing small business outside my restaurant," with Yuan Zhou’s extraordinarily sensitive five senses, he immediately recognized her when he saw the granny’s appearance clearly.
She was just one of the hawkers at the door of his restaurant. Yuan Zhou was a little shocked at the very beginning, but soon he understood. However, he didn’t go out and greet the granny, nor did he go to wash and change clothes. Instead, he started to make something in his room.
On the next early morning, a sigh was found by the customers who came for the breakfast to be erected at the door of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.
Yuan Zhou’s Code: Please Take the Trash Away.
"This is another rule of Boss Yuan," a customer let out a sigh with emotion and then said.
"That’s true. Boss Yuan is really like a compass, doing things precisely." This was a complaint.
"It’s not too bad, though. I mistakenly thought the sign was asking for leave just now. So scary. It’s good that it isn’t." This was a customer who had been frightened by Yuan Zhou’s various ways of asking for leave.
"With your logic, it stands to reason. The matter of trash is really a trifle." Having considered for a while, they suddenly felt everything was negotiable if Boss Yuan didn’t ask for leave.
The granny nevertheless also saw the sign. With a smile revealing on her face, she looked at the inside of the restaurant and muttered to herself, "The young boss is so kind."
Other hawkers who didn’t comply with this rule would all be blamed by customers. Anyhow, it was understood deep in everyone’s heart that only by conforming to the rules of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant could they have a chance to eat the yummy dishes.
As a result, the trash on the ground outside Yuan Zhou’s restaurant became less and less. Although the granny still went there to clean every day, she nevertheless felt more relaxed.