Chapter 573: Chapter 556: Northeast Boxed Meals Arriving on the Battlefield (Part 2)

Grandpa Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, since you’re asking for a large quantity and it’ll save us some hassle, we’ll give you a discount. How about we all give the young lad a 20% discount?"

The latter part of his words was directed at the surrounding grandmas and grandpas.

These elderly folks discussed amongst themselves; offering a 20% discount was still profitable because, come afternoon, when the vegetables wilted, even at half price some might find them undesirable.

"Alright, alright, let’s do as Brother Jiang suggested, sell to the lad at a 20% discount."

"Grandma here still has over twenty pounds of green peppers; I’ll charge you two yuan per pound, let’s say forty yuan in total."

"Grandpa here has over fifty pounds of potatoes; isn’t that a bit too much? Young lad, maybe take a bit less; they might be too much to eat otherwise."

Wang Fan didn’t care how much these grandmas and grandpas had left; he took everything as it was. He had absolute confidence that none of his stock would remain unsold due to his own capabilities.

He had never been in a surplus situation; it was always limited quantities.

Soon, Wang Fan’s stall was piled high with these vegetables, making others think he was switching from retail to wholesale.

Regarding Wang Fan’s request for free meals, Grandpa Jiang and the other elderly folks firmly refused: "You haven’t even made money yet, and you want us to eat for free? Where’s our dignity supposed to go?"

Wang Fan thought for a moment and said: "How about this, Grandpa Jiang? There are so many vegetables here; I’m a bit overwhelmed. What if you dear folks help me wash and peel the vegetables? If you help me, I’ll save time, and then it’ll be reasonable for me to invite you for a meal. It’s called a win-win."

Grandpa Jiang laughed: "Helping you with some tasks is no problem, but as for the meal, we’ll pass on it. We’ve all brought our own."

With that, a group of elderly people aged over seventy or eighty washed their hands and started helping Wang Fan wash vegetables. These vegetables were grown by them, so they handled them with particular care, like their own little grandchildren.

Wang Fan categorized the vegetables quickly: potatoes, green peppers, cabbage, Hangzhou peppers, carrots, eggplants, celery, white radish, bamboo shoots, lettuce, spinach, ginger...

Wang Fan ordered half a pig directly from the nearby meat shop, whose owner often exchanged small change with the elderly folks.

The owner, surnamed Chen, in his forties, had a friendly appearance, slightly dark-complexioned. Hearing Wang Fan asking for half a pig made him quite startled: "Young brother, take it easy. Can you use that much? By tomorrow, it won’t be fresh anymore. Do this: when you finish it, let me know; I’ll send you more."

Wang Fan laughed: "No need, just get it ready for me. If you have time, help me cut it into pieces, the kind for braised pork. As for the tenderloin, I’ll take it back to shred."

Chen watched Wang Fan walk away, still unable to wrap his head around the situation.

What kind of person is this?

Running a food stall is one thing, but to ask for half a pig! In the market now, besides us shop owners, there’s no soul in sight; who are you going to sell to?

These shop owners typically cook for themselves in their shops; he didn’t think other owners would flock to this young man’s business.

Brother shook his head and could only oblige, deciding not to cook lunch for himself today to help this seemingly kind young brother get started.

In the past, Northeast-style lunch boxes were directly packed in iron boxes, also in insulated containers. Wang Fan got a few insulated containers and three big pots, two for stewing and one for frying. An hour would yield over a hundred servings without issue.

The elderly folks didn’t leave, as the vegetables were sold and it was time to rest. They had gotten up at two in the morning, so fatigue was setting in; they rested while watching Wang Fan with slight naps.

They quite adored this young man; their own children mostly weren’t in the countryside, so seeing Wang Fan felt like seeing their own grandson. They thought if the meals didn’t sell, they’d have a meal here at noon to help the lad start up.

Wang Fan first tackled the white radish.

All thirty-plus radishes had been cleaned meticulously, appearing fresh and tender.

Without peeling, Wang Fan cut the radish with the skin into long strips.

If the radish can be washed clean, it’s best not to peel it; it offers a richer taste and texture.

The cut radish strips were placed in stainless steel bowls, and a layer of sugar was sprinkled to draw out moisture.

Sugar and salt both draw moisture, but salt drains water rapidly, resulting in an overly strong base flavor, so Wang Fan preferred sugar.

Sugar not only removed the radish’s pungency but made it crisper and more flavorful, improving its texture.

While waiting for the radish moisture to be drawn out, Wang Fan started concocting the pickling liquid.

The water in the nearby pot was boiling, so he added rock sugar at a ratio of 80 grams per kilogram of water.

Once the rock sugar melted completely, salt was added at a ratio of 15 grams per kilogram of water.

After the two seasonings dissolved, Wang Fan added white vinegar, at a ratio of 200 grams per kilogram of water.

Once he added the vinegar when the water boiled, Wang Fan promptly removed the pot from the heat; boiling too long might cause the vinegar to evaporate, weakening the flavor.

But it needed one boil; raw vinegar had a harsh acid taste, negatively affecting the flavor.

While the pickling liquid cooled, Wang Fan took the bowl with radish strips. By then, the bowl bottom had lots of juice from the radishes.

Wang Fan poured away the juice, rinsed the radish strips again, drained them, and placed them in glass pickling jars nearby.

The jars resembled Sichuan-style pickling jars in shape but were made of glass to see the contents more clearly.

It took eight jars to hold all the radish strips, and by then the pickling liquid temperature had decreased.

Wang Fan poured the pickling liquid into the jars until the radish’s top layer was submerged, then added peeled ginger slices, garlic slices, and chili peppers.

Finally, washed cinnamon sticks, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns were added before placing the lids and sealing with cold water, ready to go.

This pickled radish generally takes three to four hours, but with finer slices, it would be ready by lunch.

Although this dish seemed simple, as an appetizer, its effect was formidable; even plain rice paired with radish strips made a delightful meal.

Having finished the radish strips, Wang Fan started braising the meat.

Braised pork usually used pork belly, combining fat and lean for ease of cooking.

Wang Fan noted that many, especially the younger crowd, preferred leaner cuts, liking braised pork from the front or back cut even more.

But braising with those cuts required better skill than with belly pork.

Sauté, season, add water, toss in potatoes, cover, and let it slowly simmer.

Wang Fan’s swift actions left the elderly folks watching in surprise; Grandpa Jiang even remarked, "Young lad, your speed beats the head cook of our mess hall back in the day!"

"It’s incredibly smooth watching you cook; even if the taste isn’t good, seeing you work feels great." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Certainly delicious, this lad’s skills are obvious; no matter what, lunch must be had here today."

"But the lad bought hundreds of pounds of vegetables; can he sell it all? If he loses, it’d be quite unfortunate."

"No way, we should buy some before leaving, no need to cook tonight; we can’t let this kind-hearted young lad suffer too much loss."

The elderly were still worried about Wang Fan’s vegetables potentially not selling, unaware that many customers were already running towards them in excitement.