Return to 1983 and be a detective

As a poet wrote, everything is slow these days.

This bus drives very slowly. When we took the bus in the morning, it was already noon when we arrived in Xiyang.

After getting off the bus, Xu Shan felt hungry, so he found a small restaurant called Lotus Hotel next to the station and ordered a bowl of noodles. As he was eating, he saw the proprietress bringing out a bag of duck heads and duck feet from the kitchen. Processing.

Later generations of Xu Shan especially liked to eat the duck head of a certain black duck. When he saw this duck head, he couldn't help but salivate: "Mrs. Boss, how can I sell this duck head?"

When the lady boss heard Xu Shan ask, she was slightly startled: "You want to buy this to eat? We don't sell these kinds of things. They are all leftovers. You can make them yourself to satisfy your cravings, but they can't be put on the table."

Xu Shan was stunned: "Why not sell it? Why can't it be on the market?"

"This thing is free. Look, there is a market across the street. Duck heads and duck feet are processed every day. Because no one eats these things, they are all disposed of. We feel sorry for these leftovers, which are also meat. We pick them up while they are fresh. Come back, get some peppercorns, aniseed and other ingredients and stew them together, then eat them by yourself."

"Is there any braised food?"

"Yes. If you want to try it, I'll give you two to taste. This thing has no meat and is not delicious."

The landlady said and went into the kitchen and brought Xu Shan a plate with two braised duck heads.

Xu Shan couldn't wait, so he grabbed the duck head and gnawed it. He was very good at nibbling the duck head. After three strokes, five divided by two, he gnawed the duck head clean.

Seeing Xu Shan chewing the food so quickly and cleanly, the lady boss couldn't help but praise: "You know how to eat, why are you so good at eating duck heads?"

While nibbling on another duck head, Xu Shan gave the boss lady some advice: "Boss boss, your duck head is pretty good, but it still lacks taste. Xiyang cuisine is very spicy, and the spiciness can mask the ingredients." It’s not fresh, and your duck head just lacks spiciness. In addition, if you add some cloves and a spice called caoguo, and braise it again, the taste will be gone, and it will definitely sell well.”

What Xu Shan said is very different from the most famous three-head and one-palm braised method in Xiyang.In fact, the three heads and one palm dish in Xiyang originated from the scraps processed in the market, such as rabbit heads, duck heads and duck feet. Since these processed ingredients were not so fresh, spicy brine was used. , to cover up its taste, and over time, it formed a local characteristic. Then a spicy braised fish head was added to it, and it became the famous three heads and one palm.

But the lady boss couldn't help but said: "Look what you said, I'm not selling, why do I have to work so hard?"

Xu Shan was obviously not joking. He put down his chopsticks and calculated an account for the boss lady: "Boss lady, how much money can you make in a day by selling noodles? I estimate that a bowl of noodles is [-] cents, and you can sell fifty bowls in a day. It’s incredible, it’s only [-] yuan. After taking into account the labor cost, I guess you can make less than [-] yuan a day? That’s [-] yuan a month.”

"But you can't make that much, and you still have to pay the rent." The boss's wife was worried that Xu Shan would be jealous if he figured out this, so he made a lot of money, so she went out of her way to say less.

But she did work hard, and the hard work involved is not something outsiders can appreciate.

Xu Shan was noncommittal: "As for these duck heads and duck paws, when you get them back, there is basically no cost. After they are stewed, you can sell them for a dime each. This money can be regarded as free money, and there is basically no cost. But you see Ah, if I just eat a bowl of noodles in your store, it seems a bit not enough, and if I order another dish, I don’t seem willing to spend the money. At this time, duck head and duck feet are the best choice. Eat some noodles, eat some The spicy duck head and duck feet are equivalent to having a meal. If it’s too spicy, you might want to order an extra bottle of beer, which will make you more money.”

The landlady's name was Ma Hehua. The man passed away early, and her husband's family couldn't tolerate her. She took her three children to Xiyang to make a living. With her cooking skills, she made a little money, and then she bought a store. Small restaurants were opened early in this era.

With the spring breeze of reopening, her business is getting better and better, and with more people in contact, her horizons have broadened a lot. Now she is worried that her store will be lost to more and more homogeneous fans. Impacted by noodle shops.

After Xu Shan settled the accounts for him, the boss immediately smiled happily. Isn't this why someone gave him a pillow when he wanted to fall asleep?She combed her hair and smiled brightly: "You're right, just wait a moment, I'm going to get some chili peppers and grass fruits, and you can taste them for me after they're cooked."

Just do it. Ma Hehua left Xu Shan behind and went to buy peppers. He also went to the Chinese medicine store to grab some grass fruits and added them to the previous brine. After boiling them again, he took out a few duck heads and duck feet. , brought it to Xu Shan respectfully.

Xu Shan was not polite, he picked up a duck paw with his chopsticks, and he ate the duck paw cleanly. He ate the duck paw as fast as wind and clouds, and spit out the bones as fast as big beads and small beads. Dropping onto the jade plate, the duck bones spit out were as clean as jade, and the little boss lady was stunned by the operation.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"It's delicious. Even if it costs [-] cents each for this duck head and duck paw, I'm willing to buy it." Xu Shan praised, taking out a five-yuan note from his arms, "Please wrap these up for me." , I’ll take it away.”

However, Ma Hehua said that she was unwilling to accept Xu Shan's money, and forcefully stuffed the money back: "Brother, you gave me such a good idea, how can I have the nerve to accept your money? Brother, if you don't dislike it, , I often come to my sister’s place to sit and give her advice.”

Xu Shan saw that Ma Hehua was so sincere, so he collected the five yuan: "Okay, sister, you don't need to tell me, if I want to eat duck heads and duck feet in the future, I will definitely come to your house, but you can't I have to collect money, otherwise I won’t dare come to your door.”

"From now on, just come here with peace of mind and treat it as your own home." Ma Hehua exchanged names and addresses with Xu Shan, and drew him a route to the free market in Xiyang with her own hands, and then wrapped the duck head and duck paws in oil paper. , personally escorted Xu Shan out of the house, and reluctantly said goodbye before leaving.

Xu Shan sighed as he walked, as the ancients said, the hair is as old as new and the hair is as old as before. The fate between people is really magical. He and the proprietress of the Lotus Hotel just met each other, but they seemed like old friends whom he had not seen for many years. Generally congenial.

It seems that I may have unintentionally catalyzed the three heads and one palm industry in Xiyang. If Ma Hehua wants to develop further, I might be able to help her become a certain black duck or a certain flavored duck neck. The chain's annual sales can reach more than one billion.