In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 26: The Partial Dad (6)

The next morning, the father and son got up bright and early. Since students had morning self-study, they arrived at the spot by 5:30 a.m. Even at that hour, a few vendors selling steamed buns had already started cooking.
Qi Sheng had already lit the stove at home. After finding their spot, he set up the cooking pot and began heating oil to fry some chicken cutlets, chicken strips, and spring rolls. That way, when the crowd came, he could just quickly warm them in the oil and place them in the flatbread.
The flatbreads were kept warm, and most of the ingredients were ready. Before Qi Xiangdong could let his nerves take over, a student walked up and asked, “What’s this? How much does it cost?”
Qi Sheng looked at the students gathering around and explained, “This is roujiamo. We spread sauce on the flatbread, add seasoned vegetables and meat. It’s 50 cents for one. If you want extras like fried chicken strips, cutlets, sausages, eggs, or spring rolls, that’s additional.”
“Fifty cents?!”
“That’s kinda expensive!”
The students hesitated at the price. In an economy where a sesame flatbread costs only 20 cents, fifty cents could buy two and a half of those!
Because of the price, some students opted for the steamed buns and flatbreads they were used to. But a few who had money to spare, and had been eyeing the fried chicken since earlier, couldn’t help but ask, “So how much are the extras?”
Seeing a few students walk away made Qi Xiangdong anxious. His dad’s price did seem a little steep. But when he heard someone ask about the add-ons, he felt a flicker of hope—there was still interest! He quickly chimed in, “Spring rolls and half an egg are 10 cents each. Chicken strips and sausages are 20 cents. Chicken cutlets are 30 cents.”
The students winced—this just kept getting more expensive! Still, some who were really curious or just wanted meat bought the standard version. Others who had cash and wanted to try everything went all out with the “deluxe combo.”
The pork in the standard version was marinated by Qi Sheng himself. Paired with his homemade egg sauce and mixed veggies, all wrapped in freshly made flatbread, it was a hit. Students eating nearby lit up after just one bite. Several big-eating boys didn’t feel satisfied after one and clenched their teeth before buying a second. Those who went for the deluxe combo fell in love with the chicken strips after the first bite. By the time they got to the last piece, they were reluctant to finish—it felt like that one bite brought them back to life. The fried chicken strips were crispy outside and juicy inside—even Qi Sheng couldn’t help sneaking a few for himself, let alone these snack-hungry kids.
Thanks to the students eating nearby acting as live advertisements, more and more students came over, eager to try one. Qi Sheng and his son were so busy they didn’t have a second to rest. Qi Xiangdong was practically bursting with joy—these students really had money to spend!
This time slot coincided with the peak student arrival period, so by the time Qi Sheng sold the last flatbread, some latecomers were disappointed to hear they were sold out.
Qi Sheng reassured them, “We’ll be here at noon and in the evening too.”
It wasn’t even 7 a.m., and they had already sold out all the flatbreads!
Qi Xiangdong was so excited he didn’t know what to do with himself. “Dad, we prepped 100 flatbreads!”
Even without counting the deluxe combos, they made nearly 20 cents of pure profit on each standard version. In just two hours, they’d earned 20 or 30 yuan. At this rate, just selling in the mornings could match a regular worker’s monthly salary—and this was with a relatively modest preparation!
Qi Xiangdong giggled with glee, eyes shining like he could already see them striking it rich and reaching the peak of life.
Qi Sheng looked at his dazed son and said, “Pack up the cart. Let’s tough it out for a while and sell three times a day. The more we earn, the sooner we can open our own shop!”
Still stuck in dreamland, Qi Xiangdong: “…”
His dad really was a go-getter!
But thinking about it—at this pace, maybe it really was possible!
Because the future he envisioned was so wonderful, Qi Xiangdong was now full of motivation, sweeping away his previously lazy image from back home.
The father and son had each eaten a deluxe roujiamo earlier, so they weren’t hungry. When they got home, they started prepping more flatbreads and ingredients. Once they had a bit of free time, Qi Xiangdong eagerly took out the money box and counted the cash again and again with a grin on his face.
Qi Sheng didn’t need to count to know how much they’d made—he’d already done the math in his head. After all, they’d prepared a set number of items for the first day. Besides 15 portions of chicken cutlets, they had 20 portions of everything else. Even though the eggs were sold in halves, nearly everything had sold out. Watching his son gleefully count 70 yuan and 50 cents—and subtracting what they’d eaten themselves plus the 5 yuan in change they’d prepared earlier—it was almost exactly what Qi Sheng had calculated.
At noon, the two of them arrived at their spot half an hour before school let out. They lit the stove and started frying the chicken cutlets and strips. By the time they were done, the bell rang.
Most of the students here came from working-class families. At noon, their parents were usually working at factories, and while some students with grandparents at home might go back to eat, most ate near the school. There was a cafeteria, but eating there wasn’t mandatory. So as soon as school ended, waves of students headed straight to the street lined with food stalls.
Thanks to morning customers coming back, and others who had been enticed by the smell during class, by the time Qi Sheng realized what was happening, he was already surrounded by students in two full circles.
Qi Sheng’s flatbreads were solid and filling—eating a roujiamo for lunch was perfectly satisfying. Even though they had prepared another 100 portions, they sold out quickly again. By the time everything was gone, it was around 1:30 p.m.
After working hard all morning and into the afternoon, the father and son finally took a break at a nearby stall, each scarfing down two bowls of noodles before they felt human again.
Back at home, they went straight back to prepping flatbreads and ingredients. Only once that was done did they finally get a chance to rest.
Qi Sheng, being in his forties, handed off the remaining tasks to his son and went to lie down for a nap.
Qi Xiangdong, still full of energy, finished everything his dad had assigned him. Then, grinning ear to ear, he counted the money two more times before flopping onto bed for a break.
They didn’t prepare too much for the evening session, since most students went home for dinner before returning for evening study. Still, they prepped another 100 flatbreads. Some students who lived farther away and didn’t want the hassle used roujiamo as their dinner. Others, even after eating at home, still bought a few more—today’s dinner budget had been blown, so they’d have to explain themselves to their parents, maybe even sweet-talk them into raising their allowance!
Though it was only their first day, everything had gone surprisingly smoothly. Qi Xiangdong felt like he was floating as he walked home. The moment he stepped in the door, he couldn’t wait to tally up the day’s income—over and over—his grin practically reaching his ears. “Dad! We made over a hundred in pure profit today!”
“Mhm. Judging by how things went today, let’s aim to sell 600 portions daily moving forward. I noticed there’s high demand for the chicken strips and sausages, so let’s prepare more of those.”
“Got it, Dad. I’ll go knead the dough right away!”
At that moment, Qi Xiangdong was full of drive—a stark contrast to the idle version of him from just a month ago.
Seeing his son like this, Qi Sheng smiled to himself. This was a time when everything was just beginning to recover. For someone wanting to start a business, it was the best possible era. As long as one was willing to act, making money was far easier than it would be in the future—especially when you had a “cheat code” like him on your side.