Hua Bao nodded like a well-behaved child and patted her chest, promising, "Hua Bao will be good and won't go into the tub."
Zhang Liunian stroked her head and watched her run into the shop, then plop into the basin and roll around.
"This child," Jiang Qingqing, standing beside him, watched her daughter leap into the iron basin, treating it like a toy, and smiled helplessly.
Seeing his daughter so happy, Zhang Liunian suddenly wondered if he should get an iron basin to take home for her as a toy.
As he thought this, he said, "Later, we'll get a basin for Hua Bao. Maybe she can play with the little yellow chicken with it."
"Pfft!"
Jiang Qingqing let out a burst of laughter upon hearing this, then looked up at Zhang Liunian with a smile, "She certainly will. Hua Bao treats the little yellow chicken as her friend."
Zhang Liunian reached out and gently supported her shoulder, "It's rare to find a toy Hua Bao likes this much."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Qian and Du Ziteng, having finished hanging the sign, came down from the wooden ladder.
"Brother Liunian, when can we start setting off firecrackers?" Zhang Qian asked Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian had planned for today. Now that they had the lobsters and the sign was hung, he glanced at Liu Sanniu, Zhang Qian, and Du Ziteng and smiled, replying, "We can start now."
With that, he led Jiang Qingqing into the shop.
Zhang Qian and Du Ziteng were about to light the firecrackers, with one taking out the firecrackers and the other the matches, when Du Ziteng noticed Liu Sanniu behind him and said to her, "You should go inside too! Be careful not to get injured by the explosion."
Liu Sanniu's small face inexplicably blushed at his words. She nodded and turned to enter the shop.
Then, a series of crackling sounds followed.
The noise drew many people out of the adjacent restaurant, as well as from shops on all sides, to see what was happening.
When they clearly saw the sign above, they realized it was a lobster shop.
"For our grand opening, buy one jin of authentic Daming Lake lobster and get one liang free, for a limited time..." Du Ziteng, spotting the crowd gathering, shouted at the top of his lungs.
Liu Sanniu, a shop assistant, was startled by his shout. She watched Du Ziteng repeat the phrase and felt quite impressed by his boldness.
Jiang Qingqing inside the shop hadn't expected this and looked at Zhang Liunian, asking, "Will this work?"
Zhang Liunian smiled at her and said, "It definitely will!"
As if on cue, just as he finished speaking, someone stepped forward to inquire about the price. Upon learning that it was only four mao per jin, they immediately felt it was much more cost-effective than buying ready-made ones.
Then, they inspected the goods and found them indeed different from what they had seen in the ditches; the lobsters were not only large but also clean.
"Give me a jin to try."
"I'll try some too. There are so many people selling lobsters here lately, it's made me crave them."
"Those people sell cooked ones, and they charge seven to eight mao per jin. It's much better than the ones sold at the construction site. Those are pure meat, no shells, and cheaper."
"You're right. I've also had the 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' from that construction site. I didn't know what it was at first, but later I heard it was made from lobster. It was delicious and cheap, one mao a bowl. It was truly affordable."
"I know that place too. They sell a bit less each day."
"..."
The conversation had veered off course. As Zhang Liunian was feeling speechless, someone recognized him.
"Hey, isn't that the young comrade who first sold 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' at the construction site?"
"It really is him. Why is he here?"
Seeing that he had been recognized, Zhang Liunian stepped forward with a smile, "I opened this shop."
Everyone suddenly understood. It was his shop, and this further increased their good impression of it.
But just then, someone suddenly spoke up, asking about the preparation method, "Comrade, can you tell us how to cook this?
We didn't know this could be eaten before. Now we know because we saw people selling it in the county town.
Since you've opened a lobster shop, can you teach us how to cook lobster?
Otherwise, we won't know what to do with it after buying it!"
At these words, everyone fell silent, their gazes turning to the man who had spoken.
They wondered who gave him the nerve to ask such a question about stealing someone's craft.
The man met everyone's gaze, seemingly unaware that he had asked something inappropriate, and asked blankly, "What's wrong? Can't I ask?"
"Actually, the method is quite simple. Peel the shells, then stir-fry them. Those who have eaten my cooking know that adding more ginger, garlic, and scallions can enhance the flavor..." Zhang Liunian, unsure if the man was asking intentionally, directly revealed the method.
The man listened and wrote it down earnestly, appearing to be a genuinely studious person.
As for the others, after hearing Zhang Liunian's words, they not only benefited greatly but also developed a much stronger liking for him.
Earlier, when the man had asked for the recipe, they had expected Zhang Liunian to refuse. They didn't expect him to reveal it so readily.
How could this not make everyone feel favorably towards Zhang Liunian!
Moreover, many people present had eaten Zhang Liunian's "Flying Dragon in the Sky" and knew how delicious it was and how affordable.
Now that Zhang Liunian had shared the recipe, they naturally wanted to try it themselves.
"Give me two jin to try."
"I'll take one jin."
"I was here first, weigh mine first."
"..."
The shop immediately became busy. Seeing Liu Sanniu still flustered, Zhang Liunian had to take his wife and daughter to the back, saying, "You and Hua Bao rest here for a while. I'll go help."
He then turned and rolled up his sleeves to help. After a busy period, Zhang Liunian saw that the customers had dwindled and Liu Sanniu and Du Ziteng could handle things. He washed his hands and took his wife and daughter to wander through the market.
As Mu Mingliang had said, many unfamiliar people were setting up stalls in the market, all selling lobsters, prepared in various ways like steamed and braised. However, Wang Xiao'e's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Looking at so many people selling lobsters, Jiang Qingqing felt a pang of worry for Zhang Liunian, "Liunian, with so many people selling, can our shop still do business?"
Zhang Liunian, holding Hua Bao with one arm, smiled and said, "You should be happy. When they run out of lobsters, they'll have to rely on us for supply."
The lobsters these people were selling were all caught from the ditches, incomparable to his Daming Lake lobsters. Once they had caught all the lobsters from the ditches, wouldn't they have to order from him?
Jiang Qingqing understood his point and immediately beamed with a smile.
"Daddy, Hua Bao wants to eat an ice pop." Just then, Hua Bao spotted an old man selling ice pops from a distance and excitedly held out her little hand.
Hearing his daughter's words, Zhang Liunian looked up and indeed saw someone selling ice pops. "Let's go, Dad will buy you one."
"Okay, okay!" Hua Bao's eyes twinkled with joy.
"Grandpa, three ice pops, please." Arriving behind the old man, Zhang Liunian took out some change and handed it over.
Hearing that he had a customer, the old man happily produced three sugar water ice pops.
"Qingqing, you can only lick it, not bite it. Eating it too fast and too cold is bad for your health, understand?" Zhang Liunian handed the ice pops to his wife, afraid that she couldn't handle very cold things.
Jiang Qingqing heard the concern in her husband's voice, her little face blushed slightly, and she softly said "Mmm." She took the ice pop and licked it lightly. That single lick made Zhang Liunian's eyes widen.