Tan Tao slurped his soup. "Maybe next time. My cousin has to help her mom pack."

"Youyou, are we making boneless chicken feet this afternoon?"

"Not just boneless chicken feet. There are a few snacks that would go well with the ice jelly. See which ones you like. We’ll make them this afternoon. Just selling ice jelly by itself is a bit plain."

Tan Deming chuckled. "I had to buy several whole chickens just to get these few feet."

Tan Tao felt bad. "Should I buy the chickens from you, then?"

"No need. I have other uses for the chicken meat," Tan You refused flatly. She did, in fact, have other uses for the chicken. She’d already figured it out. ’A fried chicken cutlet business has a lot of potential.’

Tan Lin’s eyesight was poor, so supporting the family would ultimately fall on Cheng Wenhui. Therefore, Tan You couldn’t choose a business that was too complicated, or Cheng Wenhui wouldn’t be able to manage.

All Tan Tao could see were dollar signs now. He leaned a little closer to Tan You. "Youyou, what snacks are we making?"

Tan You was very calm. "Crispy potatoes, boneless chicken feet, and spicy stir-fried rice cakes."

Tan Tao practically drooled. "I’ve had stir-fried rice cakes, but I’ve never had the others. I haven’t even heard of them."

Tan You said, "They’re just some newer recipes, that’s all. But once we start making them, there will definitely be plenty of copycats. When you start making money, other people will want a piece of the pie. It’s the same everywhere."

Tan Tao wasn’t surprised. "I know. When we were coming back yesterday, someone was already asking us for the ice jelly recipe."

Tan You said, "You can’t hide the recipe for long. The jelly powder isn’t that rare of an ingredient. If you really want to keep customers, you need to put more effort into the toppings."

Tan Tao took her words to heart. "I get it. I’ll figure it out on my own."

’I have to stand on my own two feet. After all, I’m a year older than Tan You. I can’t have her worrying about everything for me.’

Tan You couldn’t take it anymore. "Didn’t you see the grape ice jelly I made for Grandpa yesterday? Do I need to spell it out for you?"

It clicked for Tan Tao instantly. "I get it! I’ll try making some tomorrow."

Tan Tao was taking this business very seriously. He had finally managed to earn some money yesterday, and of course, he wanted to earn even more in the future. He was willing to endure any hardship to make money.

Tan Deming listened to the two of them talk, and Wang Hunv didn’t say a word either. ’But she was curious. What delicious things was Tan You planning to make with all that chicken?’

After lunch, Tan You took Tan Tao to the kitchen to get busy.

"Deboning these chicken feet is a real pain." Tan Tao grumbled, a small knife in his hand, looking as though he were locked in a mortal struggle as he worked.

Tan You had demonstrated once and then hadn’t touched them again. Now, she just said coolly, "If you’re afraid of a little trouble, you’ll never make any money at all."

Tan Tao replied, "That’s not it. I’m just worried that if this is too much trouble, I won’t have time to make the other things."

Tan Deming said, "If you think it’s too much trouble, you can just make a small batch each day and set the price higher."

Tan You said, "Wow, Grandpa, you even know about scarcity marketing."

Tan Deming’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He decided to take it as a compliment.

Tan Tao grew pensive. It was true. If he was afraid of trouble, he’d never get anything done. He pursed his lips and continued his battle with the chicken feet.

After spending the whole afternoon busy in the kitchen with Tan Tao, Tan You successfully recreated all the snacks she had mentioned. Besides the crispy potatoes, Tan You also made a variety of other fried foods.

For example, tornado potatoes, fried eggplant, and various fried vegetables and bean products.

When Tan Tao left Tan You’s house, the floorboard of his electric scooter was loaded with a bag full of finished products. He rode away in a daze, wondering, ’Why are business recipes and all that so difficult for other people, but so simple for Tan You?’

After Tan Tao left, Tan Deming suddenly spoke up. "You want your parents to come back and run this fried chicken business?"

"Mhm, Grandpa gets me." Tan You nodded, glancing toward the paddy fields. "I see Grandma heading back. I won’t cook a full dinner tonight. We’re having a chicken feast."

"Can’t really call it a ’chicken feast.’ Didn’t Tan Tao take all the feet?"

Tan You said, "A chicken feast doesn’t include the feet, of course. Besides, the feet aren’t good for deep-frying. You can make lots of different things with the chicken meat. You’ll see tonight."

Tan Deming also saw Wang Hunv’s thin, wiry figure in the distance. He smiled. "I wonder if your grandma will have any appetite left for dinner after she tries all these snacks."

Tan You said, "I only kept a small portion of each. Besides, if we can’t finish it, we can just put it in the fridge."

After exchanging a few more words, Tan You went to the kitchen to get busy. Soon, she had neatly butchered the chickens, separating the meat by part and arranging it all to one side.

Thighs, drumettes, wingettes, breast meat—everything was in its place.

Tan Deming smacked his lips. "What about all these chicken bones?"

"We can fry the chicken carcasses. I left some meat on them on purpose." Tan You glanced at the pile of bones. "It won’t be a waste. We can sell them cheap, maybe as a freebie with other orders. We can still make a little money."

Tan Deming’s gaze swept over the bones. "Should we get a dog?"

Tan You said, "We’ll see what Mom and Dad think later. A dog would make the house safer. I reckon once their business gets going, they won’t be stingy about feeding it a bite or two."

After going to the fields that afternoon, Wang Hunv had kept an eye on the house. The moment she saw Tan Tao leave, she started right back. As she reached her doorstep, she caught a fragrant aroma. The smell of fried food was always wonderfully overpowering.

An unconscious smile spread across Wang Hunv’s face, and her pace quickened. Sure enough, when she got inside, she saw several small plates arranged on the table, thoughtfully protected by food covers. Needless to say, this had to be Tan You’s handiwork.

Tan You just glanced at her. "Wash your hands before you eat."

"I know," Wang Hunv’s sharp eyes crinkled into a smile. After washing her hands at the well, she went into the kitchen. She didn’t even sit down, simply picking up a plate of fried food and eating it next to Tan You, all while watching the chicken cutlets, drumsticks, and wings bobbing in the hot oil.

"So much meat." Wang Hunv swallowed hard. Tan You silently brought out a few boneless chicken feet from the cupboard. "I saved these for you."

Wang Hunv was tempted but still made a polite show of it. "Have you had any? You’re the most important one in this family."

"You eat them," Tan Deming said, also standing by the stove. "None of us eat spicy food. Tan You saved them just for you."

Wang Hunv was completely satisfied. As long as no one was competing with her for them, she wasn’t in a hurry. She took her time, only eating one chicken foot after a good while. Tan You said, "If you want to eat them, I can make more for you later. You don’t have to savor them so much..."

"This stuff takes a lot of effort. You should be using your time to make money with it. It’s a waste to spend it on this." Wang Hunv had her own logic. She looked at Tan You again as she spoke. "I’m not trying to force you to make money, it’s just that..."

She wanted to explain something, but because she wasn’t very literate, she couldn’t express herself clearly and became flustered.