*pa pa pa*(sound of making noodles)
For those curious about the whole process
Qin Fang obviously did not take Tang Fei Fei's compliments seriously. That bowl of ramen was the first bowl he had ever made, and perhaps it was because Tang Fei Fei had already been starving for a while, that's why as long as it was not too bad, anything would taste delicious.
But Qin Fang still courteously started moving his hands again, and a strip of thick dough lump quickly became fine noodle strands in his hands. He then threw the noodles into the boiling hot soup, and after a short while, another bowl of fresh ramen was ready.
"Qin Fang, the ramen you make is really delicious, more delicious than most of the ramen shops out there! If you take your ramen out to sell, business would definitely be very good…"
Tang Fei Fei complimented as she was wolfing down the bowl of ramen.
Qin Fang calmly smiled, but his smile quickly stiffened, and he suddenly thought of something. He immediately took up another lump of dough and flipped it with a *pa pa pa*. Not long after, another bowl of ramen was ready again.
This bowl was obviously not intended for Tang Fei Fei. Even with Tang Fei Fei's huge appetite, and even when she was famished, two big bowls of ramen was already her limit. This bowl was made for himself. He hasn't even tried what his own ramen tasted like until now.
*slurp~*
As he lightly sucked the ramen, extremely springy ramen immediately entered his mouth, and he chewed it for awhile. Noodles that entered his mouth smoothly but yet had a springy texture, combined with the soup, indeed made the ramen quite good. If he accompanied the dish with some better side dishes, then the flavour would not be just delicious. The ramen was definitely better than the country renowned Lin Zhou Ramen.
As Qin Fang was shocked about how unexpectedly delicious the ramen he made was, Tang Fei Fei had already vanquished the second bowl of ramen, and seeing Qin Fang's shocked expression, laughed.
"How is it? Do you believe it now? I can't believe that you are acting as if you are tasting your own ramen for the first time."
"Haha, I could have been too hungry."
Qin Fang didn't say anything to correct Tang Fei Fei's misunderstanding. His relationship with Tang Fei Fei was good, but was not that good. But after hesitating for awhile, he still asked,
"Tang Fei Fei, if I were to sell ramen at a stall, would I really have business?"
Tang Fei Fei first slightly jerked. Her pair of eyes which were round expressed her surprise at Qin Fang's question. She then looked at Qin Fang's eyes, and with uncertainty, asked,
"Errrr…you are kidding, right?"
What she said about selling ramen just now was meant just to compliment Qin Fang's ramen, and she did not literally mean it.
"En, I'm serious."
But Qin Fang said so seriously, while nodding his head.
When he went out to go cooking, he also noticed that the desktop, as if it had been struck by lightning, was burnt like charcoal, and was literally a piece of junk now. With the money he had on his hands, buying another desktop would be enough. However, if he was to do that, even if he completed the contract and got the money, it would still not be enough for his plans.
In contrast, the risk of earning money by selling ramen was much smaller. Simple seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar was not very expensive, and flour was still manageable, and for every bowl of noodles sold, he would reap quite a big profit. Qin Fang believed that if he just worked a bit harder, then he would definitely accomplish his goal.
(TL Note:In case you forgot, his plan/goal was earning enough money to pay off his school fees by himself)
"This…I think it's quite delicious, so business would definitely be quite good."
Seeing Qin Fang's serious expression, combined with the fact that she knew of Qin Fang's family's financial situation, she knew that Qin Fang was not joking. Thus, she said so after seriously thinking for awhile and concluding that selling ramen was feasible.
"However, if you want to set up a stall, then you would have to choose a good location. If human traffick is poor, then no matter how delicious your ramen is, business would still be quite bad."
Since she knew of Qin Fang's difficulties, being his classmate and friend, she felt the responsibility to think up of ideas for him.
"That's a given….A pity that it's the summer holidays now, or else there would be business from selling ramen to students…"
Qin Fang nodded his head. The first location he thought of was naturally his alma mater Third City High School, with other high schools and primary schools surrounding it. There were also many stalls around there, and their business was quite good. However, it was the summer holidays now, which meant that it was the slow business season there now too. Business would only get better when school reopens, but Qin Fang obviously could not wait until then.
"There definitely will not be much business during the summer holidays, and perhaps it will be better at the universities…"
Tang Fei Fei concurred while nodding her head, but her eyes suddenly brightened and she said,
"Oh right! I know of a place where business would definitely be good!"
"Where?"
Qin Fang was taken aback, and urgently asked her. So urgent, that he acted improperly by grabbing hold of the small and tender hands of Tang Fei Fei.
"It's the South Gate Big Street in front of us! It is close to the South Gate Market, and also very close to the surrounding university campuses, thus having a huge human traffick. But with very little food outlets, as long as you find a suitable spot to open up shop, you wouldn't need to worry about having no business."
Tang Fei Fei didn't even notice that Qin Fang was holding her hand, and continued to say excitedly. In the end, they were still students, and did not have much knowledge about businesses. Thus, having such a great breakthrough such as this naturally got her excited, causing her to forget about other things.
"Right, why didn't I think of that?"
Qin Fang's eyes also brightened when he heard Tang Fei Fei's suggestion, and he also recalled Big Sis Pan complaining about the lack of food stalls too.
Big Sis Pan had a wholesale stall at South Gate Big Street, but doesn't have places to go to settle her meals. Thus, she had no choice but to either prepare her lunch beforehand, or go back home to make it herself. However, it was quite troublesome, and it was because of this that she did not have time to buy vegetables sometimes. When that happens, she will go get some from Qin Fang, and every time, she will complain to Qin Fang about the inconvenience.
"If you were to start a stall there, the ingredients would be simple, but you will still need chairs and tables and the like…"
Perhaps because Tang Fei Fei really had talent in business, after organising her thoughts, she immediately thought up of a new problem.
At the same time, she also found out that her hand was grabbed by Qin Fang. Her snow white face flushed red, and after lightly struggling, pried her hands away from Qin Fang's hand.
"Oh, sorry."
Qin Fang was first dazed, but after noticing what he did, also blushed and apologised embarrassedly.
"It's okay, let's talk about the more important matter first. If the problem about tables and chairs are not solved, then there might be some negative impacts…."
"That's simple, I will solve it by myself…"
However, Qin Fang only furrowed his brows, and after thinking for awhile, had a plan already.
At where Qin Fang lived, there were people from all walks of life. He recalled that there was somebody who sets up a stall nearby which sold snacks. However, something cropped up at his home town and thus he rushed back, leaving a small stall and some tables and chairs in the storeroom. The landowner took quite good care of Qin Fang, and if it was him asking, then borrowing the things should not be too difficult.
At this point, most of the problems have been resolved. Qin Fang only needed to take out some money from his own pocket to buy bowls, utensil, gas stove, etc. As long as business was not disastrously horrible, then earning money should not be too hard.
Seeing Qin Fang's embarrassed and bashful figure, Tang Fei Fei's heart suddenly warmed up, and instead of scolding Qin Fang, became magnanimous, did not pursue the matter anymore, and started talking about the important matters.