Back to 1980: Please Love Me Again

Chapter 45 The Vegetable Seller Comes Again

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was still scorching the earth.

Zhao Wenmu went out in a mule cart. This time, instead of wild vegetables, the cart was loaded with three big barrels full of crayfish and a big pot of crabs.

As well as pots and pans and a large bundle of firewood.

This time he came to the gate of the sugar factory, and he stopped under the locust tree two or 300 meters away from the gate.

The workers hadn't left work yet, and there were only two guards patrolling the gate of the factory.

Zhao Wenmu drank some water first. It was so hot that he wished he could stretch out his tongue like a dog and pant for breath.

Before going out, Zhao Jing filled him with two large cups of mung bean water, and told him to be careful of heatstroke.

As soon as Zhao Wenmu moved the firewood down, a security officer came over.

"Comrade, no open flames are allowed within 200 meters of the factory!"

He said seriously, but he didn't drive Zhao Wenmu away, he should just remind him not to approach the factory.

Then he asked curiously:
"What are you going to do?"

"Comrade, it's delicious, you'll know later."

Zhao Wenmu said with a smile, and moved a tin bucket from the car. This is the stove he specially asked someone to make.

Firewood can be burned in a tin bucket, and the cauldron is placed on top of the bucket, which makes it much more convenient for transportation, use, and cleaning after closing.

He quickly got the tools ready and scrubbed the pan clean.

I glanced at my watch, it was almost time to get off work.

Zhao Wenmu turned on the stove, and when the pot was hot, he added the seasoning, ginger, and garlic and started to stir-fry. After a while, a strong aroma was released.

The crayfish in the bucket have been cleaned up in advance.

Zhao Wenmu directly took a whole bucket and poured it into the pot, and stir-fried it with a special large spoon.

There is an air inlet at the bottom of the tin bucket. Zhao Wenmu adjusted the air inlet to the maximum, and the fire in the stove became more vigorous in an instant.

After a while, the spicy and delicious taste spread.

"smell good!"

Even the security officer couldn't help but admire.

At this time, some workers who were stepping off work came out in twos and threes.

There is a staff canteen in the sugar factory, but only for lunch and dinner, everyone goes to their own houses and solves it by themselves.

"What's the smell? It smells so good!"

"It seems to be over there."

Several people came over.

It was quite surprising to see that it was Zhao Wenmu.

Isn't this the guy who sells wild vegetables?It's been a long time since I came here to sell wild vegetables. Is this a new job?

"Boy, what are you doing?"

A big sister pointed to the crayfish in the pot and asked.

Zhao Wenmu looked up.

Yo, fate, isn't this the eldest sister who was the first to buy her own wild vegetables?

"Sister, this is spicy crayfish."

The frying of the crayfish has come to an end, Zhao Wenmu took out two bottles of beer, opened them and poured them in, and then continued to collect the juice over high heat.

The biggest difficulty in selling crayfish in this era is that there are no plastic bags, let alone packing boxes.

There is only that kind of aluminum lunch box, but it is a rare thing. It is impossible for Zhao Wenmu to use that thing to pack crayfish.

Therefore, he could only slightly improve the crayfish recipe to make the soup less.

When the store opens in the future, it may be better for customers to dine in.

"Crayfish? What is a crayfish?"

Another elder sister asked curiously, they know about lobsters, but what is this crayfish?
"Crayfish is also a kind of shrimp. It is rich in protein and delicious. It can regulate Qi and blood and improve immunity."

Zhao Wenmu introduced with a smile.

More people were attracted by the strong aroma of crayfish, and Zhao Wenmu was gradually surrounded by people.

"Comrade, how do you sell this crayfish?"

"1 yuan a catty!"

Zhao Wenmu said unhurriedly, this pot of spicy crayfish was about to come out, and he was already sweating profusely from the heat.

In fact, I have wiped it many times, but the sweat is endless, and it covered my forehead immediately after I wiped it.

"So expensive!"

There was an exclamation all around.

Zhao Wenmu had expected this reaction from the masses.

1 yuan is not a small sum.

"It's all the freshest crayfish, and the ingredients are also my exclusive secret recipe. I guarantee you won't regret it!"

Zhao Wenmu yelled loudly:
"Dear comrades, freshly baked spicy crayfish! It's not delicious and free of charge! Authentic Lao Zhao's spicy crayfish, don't miss it when you pass by!"

The workers were obviously hesitant. No one wanted to be the first to eat crabs, er, no, crayfish.

The crab hasn't appeared yet!
Zhao Wenmu was not in a hurry, he first picked up the water glass and drank a big one.

Finally regained the lost moisture.

Then brush the pot clean and prepare to fry the second pot.

He is going to fry crabs in this pot.

The crab is actually a little problematic, not very fresh.

Because if the crabs were cut, marinated, and fried on the spot, he would definitely not be able to handle it by himself.

But if it is marinated at home, it takes nearly an hour to transport it. It is summer now, and he does not have ice to keep it fresh, so the freshness of the crab is a little bit worse.

I can only make do with it.

Most of the people present have bought his wild vegetables, and even more people have eaten them. Almost one of them has eaten them all.

I have already been deeply impressed by the fresh wild vegetables he sells and the delicious recipes he teaches.

It can be said that among the employees of the sugar factory, Zhao Wenmu has a high degree of credibility.

Therefore, for the spicy crayfish, everyone's expectations are still very high.

Moreover, the fragrance is right here, and it's not like everyone can't smell it!

Finally, someone decided to give it a try.

"Young man, give me a catty."

"Okay!"

Zhao Wenmu weighed the crayfish neatly with his hands and feet. He used a bamboo shelf to ensure that he would not touch the crayfish with his hands during the whole process.

The weighed crayfish was wrapped in lotus leaves, and some side dishes such as potatoes and lotus roots were added, which should be given away for free.

In this case, what the customer actually gets is about a pound or so.

Originally thought that the side dishes were weighed together with the crayfish. At this time, the customer also felt that he had picked up a bargain.

Zhao Wenmu's original plan was to sell it mixed with side dishes.

But when he was preparing the tools, he realized that there was no plastic bag or packing box, and it became a luxury to pack and take away the crayfish with rich and delicious soup.

Without the soup, the soul is missing, and the spicy crayfish is not perfect.

What he sells for 1 yuan a catty is the perfect spicy crayfish in his heart.

Since the goods are not perfect, let’s lower the price a little bit and send the side dishes for free.

So it became like this.

Someone started it, and others followed suit.

The second customer is the eldest sister who buys wild vegetables.

"Young man, give me a catty too."

The spicy crayfish is bought to take home and eaten by the whole family, so most customers buy it by the catty.

In fact, a catty is not a lot, Zhao Wenmu said it was high, and there are at least 22 or three crayfish per catty.

There are also about three or two side dishes.

A big bag full.

The factory area is only about one mile away from the family area, and it takes a few minutes to walk home.

The crayfish was still hot when I got home and tasted just right.

It's summer now, and cold crayfish are fine.

There were also some workers who brought lunch boxes, probably their own lunch. Zhao Wenmu weighed the crayfish and put them in the lunch boxes, and gave them some extra soup.

From the second day onwards, the number of people who brought lunch boxes to buy crayfish obviously increased a lot.

A pot of spicy crayfish is sold out.

Many more are watching.

Zhao Wenmu started to fry the spicy crab.

He made a batch of Spicy Crab Base this morning.

The base of the fried crab adds some "numbing" and "spicy" spices, which is slightly heavier.

After all, crabs are not easy to taste, and there is little soup.

The sun was slanting in the west, but there were still heat waves on the ground.

Zhao Wenmu had already put on a second towel, just wrapped it around his mouth and nose, and wiped his sweat from time to time.

The short-sleeved vest on his body was already drenched with sweat, and was even dripping.

But he was careful not to let a drop of sweat fall into the pot.

Always wipe the sweat off in a timely manner.

"Comrade, are you married?"

A girl in the crowd asked boldly.

There was a burst of laughter all around.

"Married, my daughter is almost six months old!"

Zhao Wenmu answered loudly.

"Look, it turns out that all the good men are married."

The girl who asked the question said to another girl beside her who was blushing and didn't dare to look up.

Surprisingly, crabs are much more popular than crayfish.

Just as Zhao Wenmu closed the furnace door, before the crabs were out of the pot, someone shouted:

"I want a pound of spicy crab!"

"I want a catty too!"

"I also want!"

Maybe people are more familiar with crabs.

Or maybe it is a crab cut in half, clearly showing its plump crab roe and crab meat to people.

Crayfish look like alien monsters, they don't look like they have meat.

The crab at least exposed the meat.

And the crabs are better packaged, and the crabs wrapped in lotus leaves will not spill out the soup.

It is cleaner in hand.

Zhao Wenmu felt that the spicy crayfish was temporarily lost due to inadequate packaging.

no way.

Tomorrow half crab, half crayfish.

After drinking another large glass of water, Zhao Wenmu started frying crayfish again.

"Comrade, can you get me a glass of water?"

Zhao Wenmu asked the security officer to help him get a glass of water while frying the crayfish.

The other party took the water glass happily, and went back to the guard room at the door to take a big glass full.

Some people also recognized Zhao Wenmu's crayfish as crayfish.

After all, this thing didn't come from the deep mountains and old forests. People who have stayed in the countryside have generally seen it.

So some people left quietly.

I thought about taking some time to go to the countryside to grab some crickets, and fry them myself, so why buy them?
But they were not stupid enough to smash Zhao Wenmu's place.

After all, when you are showing off your little cleverness, have you ever thought about what those people who have already bought spicy crayfish think?
Such an offending thing, so clever!
And when they finally caught the crayfish and wasted a lot of materials, but found that the ones they made were fishy and hard and not tasty at all, they were even more fortunate that they didn't talk too much at first.

When the last pot of spicy crayfish was fried, there were only a few people waiting here who wanted to buy it.

When they were sent away, there were still two or three catties of crayfish left.

Zhao Wenmu packed the remaining crayfish and side dishes and carried them to the sugar factory guard room.There are still a few people on duty here, including the one who helped him pour water.

"Comrade, there are some spicy crayfish left. If you don't mind, I will give it to you to try!"

Zhao Wenmu's attitude is gentle and easy, neither humble nor overbearing.

There is neither the aloofness of giving alms to others, nor the submissiveness of fawning on others.

"How funny is this!"

This is a good thing, it costs 1 yuan a catty.

Several people declined, but finally accepted it.

Zhao Wenmu completely extinguished the fire, put all the things back into the car, and took all the garbage away.

Only then did he get on the mule cart and return home.

(End of this chapter)