novelhk Chapter 86 A Sudden Idea
Chapter 86 A Sudden Idea
Chapter 86 A Sudden Idea
"Mmm—delicious, but very spicy, spicier than kimchi." Han Shangyun fanned his tongue with his hand, frowning in confusion, "It's not the same kind of spiciness, this flavor—um—is a bit strange, but it smells very good!"
Hu Yi nodded in satisfaction and asked Li Baoqing, "What do you think? How does it taste?"
"Hey, I thought it was something fancy, but it's just Lao Gan Ma stir-fried instant noodles. That prince actually used it to entertain his friends. Looks like he's never seen anything like it." Li Baoqing ate with sweat streaming down his face, smacking his lips and saying, "But it tastes really good. I'll show off my skills to Dali when I get back using your method."
"Hmm, it doesn't matter if the food is expensive or cheap, as long as it tastes good." Hu Yi put down his chopsticks thoughtfully. "I have an idea. How about we start a stir-fry noodle delivery business in our dorm? You're free after class anyway, so why don't we earn some pocket money together?"
"Huh? Takeout?" Li Baoqing was stunned for a moment: "Stir-fried instant noodles? This—is that even possible?"
"Why not? Old Fang can make a fortune selling steamed buns, so why can't we sell something else?" Hu Yi said, looking at Wang Shen, "What do you think of my idea?"
Wang Shen bit his lip and hesitated for a moment, then pondered, "It should be okay, there are so many Chinese people at school, there must be some demand for takeout. But this stuff—how much should it cost?"
"It's not just for Chinese people, foreigners like it too." Hu Yi turned to Han Shangyun and asked, "Cang Weng, if you were to buy this dish, how much would you be willing to pay?"
"Walter?" Han Shangyun was greatly surprised. "Do I need to pay?"
"No, no, I meant hypothetically. If I were to sell this noodle dish, how much do you think would be appropriate?" Hu Yi added, "Omar next door bought six servings for 300 rubles today. Do you think that's expensive?"
"Fifty rubles a plate? Li Erlei?" Han Shangyun hesitated and shook his head. "A bit expensive. I think thirty or forty would be acceptable."
"That's pretty much what I was thinking." Hu Yi nodded and smiled at Li Baoqing, "Today we're making two packs of instant noodles and two eggs, which can be considered a large portion and will cost thirty rubles; if it's one pack of instant noodles and one egg, that'll be a small portion and will cost twenty rubles. What do you think?"
"That sounds good. You're quick-witted." Li Baoqing chuckled and scratched his head. "But isn't selling only fried noodles a bit too monotonous? What if nobody eats them?"
"What's there to be afraid of? This stuff cooks quickly, and besides, almost all the ingredients can be bought at the store downstairs. If someone orders, we'll make it; if not, we'll keep it for ourselves. We'll make whatever we can, why worry about losing money?" Hu Yi became more and more confident as he spoke, getting up to grab a cigarette and lighting it. "Although the variety is limited, we can change the flavor and side dishes. For example, spicy or non-spicy, with cabbage or carrots?"
Li Baoqing seemed somewhat tempted as well, following Hu Yi's train of thought, he said, "That's right, there are quite a few people from Shanxi at the school, and they like vinegar, so we can add a sour flavor."
"Okay, let's add a hot and sour flavor then. And make a non-spicy one too, how about we call it—Vinegar-Braised Instant Noodles? We'll think about it when we have time, and we can make a few batches to try and adjust the flavor."
Hu Yi's idea came on a whim, but after chatting with everyone for a few minutes, he found it surprisingly worthwhile. The two discussed it enthusiastically for a while. After helping Hu Yi clear the dishes, Li Baoqing saw Wang Shen sitting idly to the side, chin in hand, so he slung his backpack over his shoulder and said to Hu Yi, "I'm going home first. Come find us sometime when you're free, and ask Dali to help you control the amount of vinegar." Then he reached out and pulled Wang Shen, "Let's go! The Mongols must have all left; you should go home too."
Young people are impatient; they get so eager to implement any new idea that they can't wait to get it going.
Without further ado, Hu Yi spent the entire weekend at Zhou Dali's apartment researching ingredients with Li Baoqing, causing Zhou Dali to eat several meals of fried instant noodles with them. Although he complained, he did offer a few practical suggestions from a diner's perspective, slightly improving the taste of the finished product.
A week later, the two had stocked up on various condiments such as Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, and bought a lot of disposable lunch boxes and plastic bags. Feeling that everything was ready, they went to Yu Feifei's house and designed a simple GG (Girlfriend/Girlfriend) on the computer:
Fried noodles delivery – delicious, affordable, and delivered right to your door – satisfaction guaranteed.
Spicy fried noodles, five-spice fried noodles, hot and sour fried noodles, and vinegar-cooked fried noodles – a variety of flavors are available for you to choose from.
Large portion: 30 rubles; Small portion: 20 rubles. Servings available from 17 PM every evening. Welcome to try! Phone number for reservations:
8926.
Hu Yi carefully adjusted the font and layout until everything looked pleasing to the eye, then printed twenty copies and went with Li Baoqing to post them in various dormitory buildings.
Chatting and laughing, they took the elevator downstairs and stood in front of the information board for Building 11, looking for a suitable spot. Just as they glanced at the various "GG" (male/female) names, Li Baoqing suddenly exclaimed in surprise, his mouth agape, "Hey! Lao Hu! Look!"
Hu Yi looked over and saw Li Baoqing staring at one of the Chinese messages, the content of which was exactly the same as the message on the GG in his hand:
Convenient fast food, various flavors of stir-fried instant noodles.
Stir-fried instant noodles with eggs, stir-fried instant noodles with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, hot and sour instant noodles, and vinegar-braised instant noodles. Large portion: 25 rubles; small portion: 15 rubles. Unique flavor, delicious and affordable. Students are welcome to call 8903 to order.
The two men looked at each other, completely bewildered. After a long while, Li Baoqing finally murmured, "This—this? I've never seen anything like this before. What happened? A car accident? Did someone try to get ahead of us?"
"Four flavors just like ours? What a coincidence!" Hu Yi reached out and gently pressed the four corners of the GG card. The parts of the paper soaked in glue didn't seem to be completely dry yet, so it shouldn't have been up for too long. He frowned and thought for a moment, then sneered, "This guy probably knew our plan."
"Who would know our idea?! Could it be Dali?" Li Baoqing shook his head repeatedly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Of course it couldn't be Dali. Why would he do something like that behind our backs? Besides, he wouldn't have the time or inclination for such a small business." Hu Yi turned to look at him: "Think about it, who else would know?"
"Who else?" Li Baoqing paused, then suddenly roared, "Wang Shen?!"
"That's right, it's most likely him." Hu Yi stared at the text on GG and pondered, "He was listening the whole time we were talking about this, and he even remembered the prices we were thinking of, so both the large and small portions were 5 rubles cheaper than ours."
Li Baoqing stared wide-eyed at him for a moment, then cursed, "You little bastard!" and turned to walk towards the elevator. Hu Yi quickly called out to him, "Hey, where are you going?"
"Go find Feifei to reprint it! Let's change the price to the same as hers!" Li Baoqing angrily shook the stack of GG in his hand: "Or just make it 20 for the large and 10 for the small!"
"Use your brain!" Hu Yi pursed his lips impatiently. "If we work together, how can we make money if we lower the price so much? What's the point? Just to spite him?"
"Damn it!" Li Baoqing, hands on his hips, gasped for breath. "Then let's call him! Ask him what he really means! The phone number on the paper for ordering food should be his!"