In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 25: The Partial Dad (5)

Qi Sheng already had a plan in mind. To others, his best skill was clearly cooking. His eldest son only thought he had experience working as a cook in small-town restaurants, but Qi Sheng knew the true depth of his own culinary skills.

He didn’t intend to be too high-profile, nor did he plan to remain just a cook forever. Still, starting off by selling a few of his specialty snacks seemed like a solid option.

The next day, Qi Sheng took his eldest son around the city, mainly exploring areas near factory clusters and schools. These places had heavy foot traffic, which meant better chances of sales. Considering the frugal habits of people in this era, he decided it would be best to start by selling snacks near a school.

After explaining his idea, Qi Xiangdong still seemed a little hesitant.

“Dad, how about I go ask around some of the nearby small restaurants? My cooking’s not as good as yours, but I could probably get a job at a little place like this. Isn’t jumping straight into starting a business a bit too hasty?”

Qi Xiangdong was full of mixed emotions. He knew his father was capable—he was one of the rare few in their area who could find work even in the county—but this wasn’t their home turf anymore. His dad really dared to think big!

What he feared most was that his dad might act on impulse, start a business, and if it failed, they’d lose money and he’d stubbornly return to the village and never come out again. Qi Xiangdong truly wanted to stay in this big city. Just these past couple of days had already exposed him to more than what he’d seen in the past twenty years back home. Normally, he’d go along with whatever his dad said, but this time he couldn’t help but think it over carefully.

“No need to make it so complicated. Snacks don’t cost much to start with. We’ll try first, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll consider other options.” Qi Sheng found it rather amusing—his usually reckless, short-sighted eldest son now actually wanted to take a more stable approach.

“…Alright then.” Qi Xiangdong scratched his head and reluctantly agreed. He was already used to his dad’s decisive way of doing things. Seeing that he couldn’t change his mind, he simply nodded. After all, as long as they could stay in Beijing, it was fine. Even if the business failed, he’d find a way to stay somehow.

With his own little plan forming, Qi Xiangdong asked, “Dad, what kind of snacks are we selling? Sugar cakes? Fried dough twists? Crispy fritters?” Those were the more popular snacks back in their hometown. Aside from that, there were steamed buns and fried dough sticks, but when they were walking near the school earlier, they already noticed several stalls selling those. He didn’t think the snacks he listed would sell well—sure, they were good as occasional treats, but who’d eat them for every meal?

“We’re selling roujiamo,” Qi Sheng said, already having decided on the way back earlier. He remembered students really liked that kind of snack, and conveniently, no one near the school was selling it.

“Roujiamo? Dad, are you sure that’ll work?”

Qi Xiangdong couldn’t help but feel nervous. There was a small restaurant in their county run by someone from the west side of town that sold roujiamo, and it was pretty tasty. But making it themselves—wouldn’t it taste less authentic?

Qi Sheng thought about the matter of renting a place, then turned to answer his son’s concern. “Of course it’ll work. I’ll make it for you to try when we get back.”

“Let’s go. First we’ll get everything ready. Once we’ve rented a place, we’ll go buy a stove and some pots.”

“We’re renting already?!” Qi Xiangdong’s eyes widened. He never realized his dad was this decisive in action.

When he saw his dad rent a fifty-square-meter single room on the ground floor for 150 yuan per month, Qi Xiangdong was still in a bit of a daze. If they couldn’t make money… how much were they going to lose from this whole venture?

But watching his dad make bold decisions and spend hundreds of yuan without even blinking, Qi Xiangdong… gradually started getting used to it.

The place they rented was part of a self-built house owned by the landlord. Aside from the main room, there was just a narrow private bathroom and a small kitchen. For Qi Xiangdong, who was used to the spacious courtyards of rural homes, it felt a bit cramped. But then again, this was the capital of China—his discomfort didn’t seem like much in comparison. In fact, just having a place to stay made him feel more grounded.

Qi Sheng was quite satisfied with the place too. It was the early stage, so hardship was to be expected. For someone like him, who was slightly obsessive about cleanliness, a private bathroom was already good enough.

The room was fairly bare—just a bed, a wardrobe, a small dining table, and a few stools. Qi Sheng checked the bed and found it a bit cramped for two grown men. Since he wasn’t used to sleeping with his son every night, he asked the landlord to help add another bed. Father and son then cleaned the place thoroughly inside and out. They bought two comforters for now and used bedsheets that Qi Sheng had brought from home. Only then did Qi Xiangdong realize—his dad had actually planned all of this in advance!

After organizing their things, the two of them decided to move their belongings from the inn and then prepare to buy the stove and cooking supplies.

“Dad, you’ve already rented the place?” Just two days ago, you said we were still checking out different spots!

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. We only rented it for six months. Even if it doesn’t work out, we’ll just lose a little over a thousand yuan. I’ve got enough savings to cover that,” Qi Sheng replied calmly.

Qi Xiangnan nodded helplessly, then asked, “Dad, is there anything I can help with?” He was worried—figuring an extra pair of hands could make a difference.

Qi Sheng finished the rice in his bowl and looked at his worried younger son with a smile. “You just focus on school. Isn’t your brother here to help me?”

This time, Qi Xiangdong didn’t argue. Even though staying in the capital city came with a high cost, his dad hadn’t said anything about giving up, so at the very least, he could stay for a few months longer.

Qi Sheng chose a spot to set up his stall on a street between a middle school and a high school. There was a large student crowd. While the street already had quite a few food vendors, it wasn’t fully saturated yet. The place he rented was nearby, and the added bonus was that it wasn’t far from his younger son’s school—about a half-hour bus ride.

After dropping off their luggage at the house, they headed to the nearby wholesale market to buy everything they needed: a handcart, stove, coal, cooking pots, long tongs, oil, vegetables, eggs, chicken, pork…

They didn’t just buy a lot of equipment—the ingredients were piled up too. It left Qi Xiangdong feeling a bit confused.

“Dad, we’re selling roujiamo, right?” Why did it feel different from the ones he’d eaten back in their county?

“Of course. This is my version, adjusted from what I’ve seen others do. Just follow my lead.”

Right now, street food was still pretty simple. There weren’t many people selling things like fried chicken tenders or chicken cutlets, but kids were crazy about that stuff. For a regular roujiamo, he’d add egg sauce, tossed vegetables, and a few slices of meat. If someone wanted something more filling, he’d throw in extras like egg, chicken cutlets, spring rolls, or fried sausages. Qi Sheng had tried something like that near a school before and had been amazed at how many students loved it.

Father and son divided the work—Qi Xiangdong started kneading the dough as instructed, while Qi Sheng lit the stove and began preparing the ingredients and sauces.

“Dad, isn’t that a bit too much egg sauce?”

Qi Xiangdong had already finished the dough and was now washing lettuce. Seeing a large porcelain vat filled with egg sauce, he worried they’d never be able to sell it all.

“It’s not too much. We’re going to sell three times a day starting tomorrow. For all you know, this could be gone in two or three days.”

Hearing that, Qi Xiangdong started feeling hopeful. If that were true, wouldn’t that mean they’d sell a ton of roujiamo every day? At this point, he was torn between worrying they wouldn’t sell anything and hoping their roujiamo would be a hit.

The marinated meat was just about ready too. Qi Sheng started cooking it over the fire while both of them busied themselves, the room filled with the quiet rhythm of their work. Even Qi Xiangdong was now full of energy.

By a little past 7 p.m., the flatbreads, meat slices, mixed veggies, and egg sauce were finally ready. Qi Sheng picked up a freshly cooked flatbread, sliced it open with a knife, spread on some egg sauce, added three or four slices of pork, a leaf of lettuce, and a scoop of the mixed veggies, then closed it up and handed it to his eldest son.

“Here, try this. Tell me what you think of the flavor.”

Qi Xiangdong excitedly accepted what would be their “product” starting tomorrow. He took a big bite, chewed a few times, and before he’d even swallowed, he was already grinning and nodding nonstop.

“Dad, this egg sauce is so good, and the veggies are delicious too! I think it tastes better than the roujiamo from that shop in our county!” Finally finding a chance to speak, Qi Xiangdong couldn’t help but shower praise. He was now full of hope for the next day’s sales. After finishing one, he savored the lingering taste, smacked his lips, and found himself craving another. So he followed the same steps Qi Sheng had taken—spread the sauce, added the veggies and meat—and made one himself.

Once he was full, Qi Xiangdong rubbed his belly and looked at the ready-to-cook chicken cutlets and tenders with shining eyes, already growing impatient for tomorrow to come.