Chapter 7: Booming Business on Day One

Once decided, Xiao Naiwang got straight to work. He heated the oil in the wok, arranged the other seasonings, bowls, and chopsticks neatly on the small cart, and scooped a bowl of wolf-tooth potatoes to drain.

As Xiao Naiwang began his preparations, several nearby stall owners wandered over to take a look. Ning Xuan also glanced his way and smiled, saying, “Brother Xiao, you’ve cut those potatoes beautifully.”

“And they taste good too.” Xiao Naiwang smiled, ignoring the disdainful smirks from a few of the stall owners. Once the oil was hot, he used a large round ladle to scoop out a portion and dropped it into the wok to fry.

As soon as the wolf-tooth potato strips hit the oil, a large, golden, fluffy “mushroom” formed from countless bubbling oil droplets. Xiao Naiwang stirred the “mushroom” with a spatula, spreading the wolf-tooth potatoes evenly. The enticing sizzling sound spread through the wok, and soon, the irresistible and unique aroma of fried potatoes wafted through the air.

Some of the stall owners couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Even without knowing how it would taste, this was deep-fried food—golden and glistening in a wok full of oil. How could it not be fragrant?

People living nearby gradually came over to buy food. Drawn by the mouthwatering aroma of fried potatoes, they couldn’t resist stopping by, watching curiously as if witnessing something rare. An elderly woman carrying a bag of steamed buns asked curiously, “Young man, what are you selling?”

“Wolf-tooth potatoes, ma’am. Would you like to try some?” Xiao Naiwang replied with a smile as he scooped the potatoes out of the wok, shaking them to drain the excess oil. He then quickly transferred them to a small bowl, sprinkling them with special chili powder, Sichuan pepper powder, a small amount of special chili oil, and garlic-infused Sichuan pepper oil, mixing everything thoroughly.

Finally, he garnished the dish with bright red chili flakes, tender green scallion slices, and a spoonful of fragrant, golden-brown crushed peanuts.

It looked incredibly appetizing.

“How much is a serving?” The elderly woman couldn’t help but swallow her saliva. The aroma was simply irresistible—the rich scent of fried potatoes blended with an enticing mix of spicy and numbing flavors, making her stomach growl uncontrollably. She wondered what seasonings and oils he used—they smelled nothing like what she could make at home.

“Five cents, very affordable.” Xiao Naiwang smiled.

“Five cents? That’s enough to buy a whole pound of potatoes!” Upon hearing the price, the onlookers began murmuring discontentedly. The wonton stall owner who had smirked earlier raised his voice, “Young man, that’s not fair. Your serving probably doesn’t even weigh half a pound of potatoes. When doing business, you should be honest, not greedy…”

“That’s right, that’s right…” some echoed. After all, fried potatoes were something anyone could make at home.

“You can’t say that.” Xiao Naiwang looked over. “The oil, chili peppers, scallions, peanuts, and all the seasonings I use are top quality. Not to mention the coal stove and coal briquettes—everything costs money. The total cost is quite high. I’d be lucky to make a single cent of profit from a serving of wolf-tooth potatoes.”

For someone who was already causing trouble before he had even made a sale, Xiao Naiwang saw no need to be polite. He added, “You probably make at least ten cents from a bowl of wontons. If my pricing isn’t fair, then yours…”

“Bullshit! How could I possibly make ten cents from a bowl?” The wonton stall owner’s eyes widened in anger, and he stormed over, ready to pick a fight. “Are you new here and don’t know the rules?!”

“What are you doing, Uncle Liu?” Ning Xuan, who was nearby, hurried over. “Uncle Liu, why are you picking on Brother Xiao? What Brother Xiao sells doesn’t conflict with your business. Let’s all get along and prosper together, get along and prosper…”

Xiao Naiwang gritted his teeth inwardly, realizing he had acted impulsively. As a newcomer, even if he was in the right, he might not be able to stand up to this fat man. Still, those two sentences he had just spoken… he had indeed felt quite satisfied.

“Uncle Liu, is it? I’m new here and really don’t know the customs…” Xiao Naiwang smiled, picked up a prepared portion of wolf tooth potatoes, and stuck a few toothpicks into it. “You’re the elder, magnanimous and generous. Don’t be angry with me. This is the first serving—please try it and give me your opinion?”

“Pah! Who knows if it’s clean or not!” Fat Liu spat on the ground and turned to leave.

Xiao Naiwang held back his anger, reminding himself to endure, endure. He turned to Ning Xuan beside him and smiled. “Little Ning, why don’t you try Brother Xiao’s cooking?”

Ning Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then grinned. “That would be great! Thank you, Brother Xiao. I’ve been drooling over it just now.” As he spoke, he picked up a toothpick, skewered a golden wolf tooth potato strip evenly coated with tempting seasoning powder, and put it in his mouth. The next second, his eyes widened suddenly.

After chewing quickly a couple of times, Ning Xuan couldn’t help exclaiming, “Brother Xiao, it’s delicious! So delicious!”

“If it’s good, have some more.” Xiao Naiwang smiled and handed the paper bowl over again. At the same time, he said to the onlookers nearby, “It’s my first day open today. This bowl is here for free sampling. If you don’t mind, feel free to try some.”

“Really?!” the man who had earlier complained about the price shouted loudly.

“Absolutely.”

As soon as Xiao Naiwang finished speaking, the people who had been hesitating surged forward all at once. Just then, the middle school’s dismissal bell also rang.

The crowd rushed forward, afraid others would finish it all. As soon as they grabbed a toothpick, they skewered a potato and stuffed it into their mouths. In the next instant, every one of them widened their eyes in delight. Without even having time to say “Delicious!” they hurriedly skewered another large piece and stuffed it in.

Faced with this situation of people eating and eating again, Xiao Naiwang didn’t stop them. Instead, he started frying more potatoes. Students who had just been dismissed were streaming out one after another, and more and more residents came to buy food. Seeing such a crowd gathered around Xiao Naiwang’s stall and smelling the enticing aroma in the air, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva and walk over.

“Boss, what are you selling?”

“Boss, your fried potatoes smell amazing! How much are they?”

“Boss…”

“These are wolf tooth potatoes. Five cents for a large serving, guaranteed to be affordable and delicious.” Xiao Naiwang deftly poured a portion of the already fried potatoes into a small bowl and began seasoning them, smiling gently. “If you don’t believe me, just ask—aren’t they tasty?”

“They really are delicious!” The auntie who had been carrying steamed buns earlier couldn’t resist taking out half a bun and started eating, her face glowing. “Young man, how did you season this? It’s so fragrant, oh my, that chili oil… it makes me want to eat it with my steamed buns. Alright, give me a portion. I’ll buy it to take back for my grandson to try. He hasn’t been eating much lately…”

Seeing the aunt enjoying her food so much, the others couldn’t resist wanting to buy some too. They crowded closer, and the aroma grew stronger, making them swallow their saliva one after another.

“Alright.” Xiao Naiwang smiled at the aunt, deftly prepared the bowl, and handed it over. “You’re my first customer, so I’ll give you extra peanuts.”

“Great, great. If my grandson likes it, I’ll come back next time.” The aunt happily took the paper bowl and left with her steamed buns.

Seeing that the “first to try the crab” aunt had already bought and left, the others couldn’t hold back either. Swallowing their saliva, they clamored one after another, “I… I want a portion too, boss, extra peanuts, please!”

“I’ll have one too, extra spicy, especially that chili oil!”

“One for me, extra scallions and chili!”

“I want a portion, less spicy. I’m taking it back for my grandchildren to try…”

“…”

The scene instantly became lively. Xiao Naiwang was so busy he barely had time to speak, swiftly frying and seasoning the potatoes. The enticing aroma from the stall grew richer and more alluring, drifting down the entire street. People who hadn’t intended to come over, drawn by the irresistible smell and the large crowd, couldn’t help but walk over.

Some started eating as soon as they got their hands on it. The wolf-tooth potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft inside, savory, spicy, and fragrant. The seasoning was perfectly layered—salty, spicy, and aromatic—harmoniously blending with the rich natural scent of the fried potatoes. In an instant, it overwhelmed the taste buds, stimulating the mouth to produce more saliva, making people unable to resist chewing eagerly and working up an appetite!

Those eating around the stall all had bright eyes and flushed faces, devouring the food in big bites and exclaiming how delicious it was. It looked incredibly appetizing, becoming the most direct live advertisement. Especially since the seasoned wolf-tooth potatoes were fragrant, colorful, and tempting, even those who had only intended to watch couldn’t help but swallow their saliva and join the queue.

As more and more people gathered around, a sleek, imposing black car drove out of the middle school, intending to turn but suddenly stopped.

Inside the car, a handsome young boy looked curious, leaning forward to take a sniff, his expression like a greedy cat. “Second Brother, it smells so good! What are they selling over there? There are so many people. I want to go take a look.”

“Go home for dinner. There’s plenty of food at home.” The man in the passenger seat didn’t even glance over, signaling the driver to keep going.

“Second Brother!” The boy protested. The smell had truly made him crave it. How could his second brother be so unreasonable? “Second Brother, I just want to try it. It won’t delay dinner at home. Just wait for me a moment. I’ll get out and buy some, and we can eat it together at home~”

Seeing his younger brother about to start acting spoiled, Xie Chengye sighed helplessly. After a moment’s thought, he relented. After all, it wouldn’t be him getting scolded at home. The boy cheered, opened the car door, and dashed over.

Xie Chengye, smelling the aroma in the air, couldn’t help but swallow. He felt a bit hungry too. However, many of these street stalls smelled great but tasted mediocre. His younger brother would learn his lesson once he bought some.

Xiao Naiwang was so busy that his arms had no chance to come down, yet he maintained a proper, gentle smile on his face all along. Those who came to buy couldn’t help but feel quite cheerful—after all, the vendor was handsome, his attitude was good, and just looking at him was pleasing to the eye, wasn’t it?

Not to mention the food was so delicious!

This peak period lasted for over half an hour. By the time Xiao Naiwang finally had a moment to stretch his arms and leisurely prepare wolf-tooth potatoes for customers, more than half of the prepared wolf-tooth potatoes had already been sold.

The business of the neighboring stall selling baked flatbreads and steamed buns was also boosted for a while, as the fresh, savory, spicy, and irresistibly fragrant wolf-tooth potatoes paired perfectly with these staple foods—what a delightful combination!

After six o’clock, the crowd had almost completely dispersed. Xiao Naiwang rubbed his tired arms but felt very happy inside. In just over an hour, he had sold more than sixty servings! If it weren’t for the intermittent delays in frying the wolf-tooth potatoes, he would have sold even more.

In a couple of days, once he recouped the costs, he planned to buy another coal briquette stove and a pot to fry wolf-tooth potatoes. That would speed things up, and business would surely be even better.

“Daddy…” Xiao Naiwang was rubbing his arms when the corner of his clothes was gently tugged. Xiao Baobao’s soft, milky voice came through: “Daddy…”

“Baobao.” Xiao Naiwang happily crouched down, hugged Xiao Baobao, and kissed him on the cheek, smiling as he said, “Daddy made money. Are you happy, Baobao?”

“Happy…” Xiao Baobao was caught off guard by the kiss, his little face flushing instantly. Sweet little dimples appeared on his cheeks as he smiled, looking utterly adorable. But after saying he was happy, Xiao Baobao snuggled into Xiao Naiwang’s arms, earnestly extending his small hand to massage Xiao Naiwang’s arm.

Xiao Naiwang was taken aback for a moment, then felt a warm, tender sensation in his heart. “Is Baobao massaging Daddy’s arm?”

“Daddy tired…” Xiao Baobao pursed his little lips, his big, dark eyes blinking earnestly as he clenched his small fist and rhythmically tapped Xiao Naiwang’s arm. “Baobao doesn’t want… Daddy tired…”

“My Baobao is so good.” Xiao Naiwang planted another firm kiss on Xiao Baobao’s cheek and said with a smile, “Baobao cares so much about Daddy that Daddy doesn’t feel as tired anymore.”

“Daddy.” Xiao Baobao hugged Xiao Naiwang’s arm tightly, shyly and happily rubbing his little face against it.

“Brother Xiao.” While the father and son were being affectionate, Ning Xu’an from the neighboring stall walked over, holding a small stool. He smiled and said, “Brother Xiao, congratulations. Your business is doing well, and it will surely be even better in the future.”

“Thank you.” Xiao Naiwang smiled back. “Your business isn’t bad either.”

“We benefited from Brother Xiao’s popularity for a while.” Ning Xu’an set down the small stool. “Brother Xiao, you’ve been busy for so long. Sit down and rest for a bit.”

Seeing the small stool, Xiao Naiwang realized he should bring one with him in the future. He looked up and smiled at Ning Xu’an. “Yes, thank you. I’ll remember to bring one next time.” Then he lifted Xiao Baobao onto the small stool and gently tapped his little nose. “Baobao, sit here nicely, okay? Daddy will stand up and stretch for a bit, then come back to sit with you.”

“Is the owner here?”

While they were talking, an extremely magnetic male voice came through. Hearing it, Xiao Naiwang’s eyes subtly lit up. This voice was even better than the voice actors he used to admire—truly exceptional!

Looking up, Xiao Naiwang froze—wasn’t this the big shot with the strikingly handsome profile and imposing aura who had been sitting in the car earlier?