This, this is too popular!
Xiao Qing looked at the pile of money resembling a small mountain, her mouth agape and her eyes gleaming with gold. There was so much money that there was almost no place to put it.
Most of the bills were tens and twenties, with fifties and hundreds also being quite common. The exact turnover for today has not been calculated yet.
"We need to figure something out; otherwise, the soup base will turn into plain water," Dong Xiao Rou said as she counted the money while looking at Li Zhi. After reducing the soup base, they continued to add water to the square pool. Eventually, the soup base in the pool had completely turned into water, and there was no longer any taste of the old soup. It truly became a "clear water boiled fish ball." Despite this, the people who bought the fish balls still enjoyed them. To put it bluntly, no one dared to drive them away.
It was already ten o'clock at night, and even though the three of them had the energy to cook soup, there was no place to buy ingredients.
Furthermore, two out of the three were too tired to move.
"What do you think?" Li Zhi asked Dong Xiao Rou.
Dong Xiao Rou thought for a moment and said, "If it's not possible, we can cook the fish balls in advance." If anyone complains that the freshly cooked fish balls take too long, they can buy the ready-made ones. "Although the flavor may be slightly inferior, there is no alternative!"
"Alright, let's try it your way first!" Li Zhi did not object.
"And in terms of manpower, the three of us are not enough," Dong Xiao Rou continued.
Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, I'll find someone to help us!"
Dong Xiao Rou nodded, and the three of them began to tidy up the money on the floor!
Once, they had also thought about the days when they would count money until their hands cramped. But when those days truly arrived, they realized that perhaps counting too much money was not a pleasant thing after all!
"How much?"
"Sixty-seven thousand!"
Looking at the pile of money, Dong Xiao Rou calmly stated, "Sixty-seven thousand is today's turnover." "It's only the beginning, and tomorrow it may be even more!"
Gurgle!
Li Zhi was taken aback, turned to look at Xiao Qing, and asked with a smile, "Are you hungry?"
Xiao Qing's face turned red, and she felt a bit embarrassed.
Li Zhi stood up from the ground, walked to the refrigerated cabinet, took out some large yellow croaker fish balls, and placed them in the oven to cook. He said, "These are really good." They are much more delicious than regular fish balls. "You haven't tried them yet, so today is the perfect opportunity!"
After counting the money, it was almost midnight. At this hour, where could they go to eat? Even if there were places open for business, the three of them didn't have the energy to go looking. They decided to cook some large yellow croaker fish balls to fill their stomachs.
The cooking time for the fish balls was short!
"Is it delicious?" Li Zhi looked at Xiao Qing, who was eating with her mouth full, and asked with a smile.
Xiao Qing nodded and mumbled, "Mm, it's delicious." "It's different from the fish balls we usually cook!"
Li Zhi smiled. Naturally, the cost of these wild, large yellow croaker fish balls was not low. If sold individually, they could fetch at least one hundred yuan each.
After finishing their meal, the three of them returned to their rented house.
Lying down on the bed, they found it so comfortable that they didn't want to move.
At that moment, Li Zhi took out his phone and checked it. There were nine missed calls, the first one at eleven in the morning and the last one half an hour ago, all from Mu Xiao Mei.
It was almost one in the morning, and he didn't know if she was asleep at this time. After thinking for a moment, Li Zhi decided to call Mu Xiao Mei back.
"Why didn't you answer my call?"
The phone rang twice, and Mu Xiao Mei answered, her voice sounding annoyed and questioning.
Li Zhi smiled wryly and said, "My phone was on silent, and I was too busy to check it, so I didn't hear it." "I just saw it and called you back, didn't I?"
Mu Xiao Mei hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Is the 'Happy Fish Ball Shop' near the school gate yours?"
Mu Xiao Mei also went to buy fish balls today, but she went at noon, and there were too many people. She had been waiting in line outside. As it was almost time for her afternoon class, she hurried back without making any purchases or seeing Li Zhi in the shop.
"Hehe, how did you know?" Li Zhi asked with a smile.
Mu Xiao Mei rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not stupid." The cartoon logo on the sign was designed by me. "Do you think I would forget it?"
After a brief pause, she continued with a smile, "You don't know, but your fish ball shop has become famous." It has been all over my friends' social media feeds all day, receiving all kinds of praise and compliments. It is described as a rare delicacy, hard to find anywhere else. "Is it really that delicious?"
"Is it?" Come and try it tomorrow, and you'll find out. "By the way, do you have classes tomorrow?" Li Zhi's eyes lit up as he smiled and asked.
"I have two classes in the morning and none in the afternoon." "Are you asking me out?" Mu Xiao Mei smiled and asked.
Li Zhi chuckled and said, "Sure, then in the afternoon, I'll take you to experience what it's like to count money until your hands cramp." It's a date. After class, come to the Happy Fish Ball Shop, and I'll treat you to some fish balls!
They were already worried about finding additional assistance!
Early the next morning, Li Zhi was woken up by Dong Xiao Rou before five o'clock. After talking to Mu Xiao Mei on the phone until two in the morning, he had barely slept for three hours. He had dark circles under his eyes and kept yawning.
"The soup hasn't been made yet!" Dong Xiao Rou didn't care and dragged Li Zhi to the market.
Although it was too late to make the soup now, it was better to start now than not at all. Boiling fish balls in plain water was definitely not as delicious as cooking them in a rich bone broth.
Li Zhi also dared not buy bone broth from a restaurant, as he couldn't be sure if it was truly made from bones.
They ordered two gas stoves and bought four stainless steel barrels with a diameter of one meter and a height of one and a half meters, as well as several dozen pounds of bone-in fish and two old hens.
There was space in the shop, so they could simply cook it over a low flame. They might not need it today, but they will definitely need it tomorrow!
Upon arriving at the shop early, before it opened, Li Zhi prepared dozens of fish balls in advance and arranged them in custom-made trays. After cooking another batch, Dong Xiao Rou, Xiao Qing, and Li Zhi put on their uniforms and officially opened for business!
"Do you deliver takeout here?"
The first customer was a male student who bought ten fish balls and then asked.
Takeout?
With only three people, the shop was already busy, and they didn't have time for takeout.
Li Zhi smiled wryly and shook his head, "We can't do takeout for now, but we might consider offering that service in the future."
"I see." Well, you should get on that quickly. Nowadays, small nearby restaurants are responsible for delivering food to the dormitories. A phone call or an online message is all it takes. With that, he turned and left.
Lazy people!
In today's world, there are many lazy individuals, and providing takeout services is a highly promising business opportunity.
From the moment the first customer entered the shop, the flow of people never stopped. Boiling fish balls in plain water allows customers to savor the natural flavor of the fish balls. As for the soup base, it was merely a seasoning and not essential. However, without a rich broth, the flavor of the fish balls themselves would be lacking.
"Are the fish balls in your shop homemade?" Sophie asked when she bought fish balls. She had spent the entire night thinking about the shop and the delicious fish balls. How could such a small fish ball taste so good?
So, she hurried over early in the morning, and her inner thoughts were probably known only to herself.
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Yes, the fish balls are made in our own factory, using freshly caught fish from the sea." The fish balls are made entirely of fish meat, without any other added ingredients. "Our fish balls can withstand any inspection and verification."
"Pure fish meatballs?" "May I ask, who are you?" Sophie looked at Li Zhi, puzzled.
"Me?" "I am the founder of Happy Fish Ball, and my name is Li Zhi!" Li Zhi said with a smile. She was definitely a beauty, with a figure and appearance that could easily score over ninety-five points, just like Mu Xiao Mei, a campus beauty.
"Founder?" "Did you create these fish balls?" Sophie looked at Li Zhi with disbelief. This man seemed quite young, only a couple of years older than herself, right?
"Yes, I researched and created them!" Li Zhi nodded confidently.
A strange look flashed in Sophie's eyes as she smiled and said, "Great fish balls, great taste." Nice to meet you. "I'm Sophie!"
"If you enjoy the flavor, we would appreciate your help in further promoting it on social media." Happy Fish Ball not only tastes good but also comes with a 100% quality guarantee. "I want to reiterate that we welcome any supervision and inspection from anyone or any organization!" Li Zhi said with a smile.