Chapter Ten: The Barbecue Stall Officially Opens for Business

Chen Huajiang was true to his word—if he was going to treat them, he certainly had his own intentions. These people possessed remarkable skills in promotion, and since their days revolved around eating, drinking, and having fun, they were surrounded by many others like them.

As Chen Huajiang grilled the skewers of lamb in his hands, many employees who had finished work followed the tantalizing aroma and drifted over. Such a scent was irresistible.

Everyone began asking about the price. Chen Huajiang told them he wasn't selling today; the official opening would be tomorrow. If they wanted a taste, they could come back then.

Regretful, the crowd dispersed. As the saying goes, food is the people's first priority, and everyone longed to sample something so delicious.

Chen Huajiang drank with the group late into the night before finally heading home. Lin Jiayin had assumed he would return early, since he had nothing planned for the evening.

So when Chen Huajiang walked through the door, Lin Jiayin was less than pleased. The smell of alcohol that clung to him only deepened her unhappiness.

“Didn't you promise me you wouldn't drink anymore? How come you had so much tonight?” Lin Jiayin eyed Chen Huajiang’s drunken demeanor.

“I was entertaining them for our business. Besides, I didn't drink that much,” he replied. Though he appeared intoxicated, Chen Huajiang’s mind was quite clear.

“You always say drinking is for our business. Tell me, what business exactly?” Lin Jiayin, being a woman, didn’t fully grasp these matters.

“Weren’t we considering doing something at the snack bar in the evenings? I’ve decided—barbecue at night. So today I grilled some lamb skewers for everyone to try.”

Chen Huajiang saw no reason to deceive Lin Jiayin. His aim was indeed to attract more customers.

“Lamb skewers? You never mentioned this before. Can they even be sold?” Lin Jiayin sounded doubtful. She had never tasted them, and it seemed no one in the entire city sold lamb skewers.

“We’ll see tomorrow night. Most importantly, tomorrow’s Friday—everyone will be off the day after, so I expect quite a crowd.”

Chen Huajiang was confident in his barbecue stand; besides, it was a highly profitable venture. For now, he only had simple lamb skewers, but with the addition of some vegetables, sales would likely improve.

“I’ll see for myself tomorrow evening, to find out if you’re just fooling me. Go wash up—the smell of alcohol is unbearable.”

With Lin Jiayin’s words, Chen Huajiang pursed his lips and went off to wash. Now, he needed to earn his first bucket of gold as quickly as possible, so he could expand his business.

Chen Huajiang wasn’t content with just a snack bar—his ambition was to scale up, eventually going public. In this era, even if you wanted speed, things couldn’t progress quickly. Step by step, from the ground up, otherwise failure was likely.

He had already decided—he must make the barbecue’s flavor the best. Tomorrow, he would marinate the meat again, to enhance the taste.

Early the next morning, Chen Huajiang rushed to the wholesale spice market and bought some medicinal marinating ingredients. Drawing on memories from his past life, he recalled several key herbs. After purchasing them, he asked the owner to grind everything into powder. It was a secret recipe, not to be shared.

Lin Jiayin understood that as long as his lamb skewers sold well, many would imitate him later. When he arrived at the snack bar, Daguang was already there, busy preparing his braised pork. The lunchtime response to braised pork had been excellent over the past two days, so they were making extra.

Lin Jiayin placed the chopped lamb pieces in a basin to marinate. Daguang approached him, asking, “Brother Jiang, what’s this? Where did you get it?”

“Just some simple ingredients—things we’ve used before, like soy sauce, cumin, bay leaf, and so on,” Chen Huajiang replied, not giving away too much. The recipe must remain his alone; every restaurant needs its own signature technique.

Such secrets couldn’t be passed to outsiders—they were only for family. Daguang, being straightforward, didn’t pry. After a quick glance, he went back to his work.

The lunch rush was as lively as ever, with one hundred portions of braised pork sold. Their profits reached forty or fifty, but the pace was too slow for Chen Huajiang. At a hundred a day, it would take three months to earn ten thousand. His goal was to hit that mark in just one month.

But there was still the evening barbecue.

By six or seven in the evening, Chen Huajiang had set up the grill, preparing everything in advance. Many passersby watched Lin Jiayin’s actions curiously, uncertain what she was doing.

Liang Long had brought several people along again, but tonight, they had to pay.

“Brothers, you’ve never had barbecue, right? Let me tell you, my buddy’s skills are first-rate, and the prices are reasonable,” Liang Long declared, eager to boost his own income. Convincing others was his specialty.

Chen Huajiang handed each person a cigarette before focusing on grilling the lamb skewers. As soon as the skewers hit the grill, the aroma enveloped the area.

Soon, not only Liang Long’s group but also many young people off work gathered around, watching Chen Huajiang turn the skewers.

“Tonight’s our grand opening. To thank everyone for your patronage, buy ten skewers and get two free. Beer is priced just like usual—help yourself—and every purchase comes with a small plate of peanuts,” Chen Huajiang announced.

Interest surged. Normally, they’d order peanuts with their drinks, but now it was complimentary. Everyone was delighted.

They settled at the tables, ordering ten or twenty skewers each, creating a lively atmosphere. Since Daguang couldn’t barbecue, he kept track of each table’s orders and calculated the payments.

Soon, Chen Huajiang’s first batch of lamb skewers was ready. The taste was exquisite, the aroma of lamb inviting and mouthwatering.

“Brother, this tastes amazing. I’ll definitely be a regular.”

“Who knew lamb could be eaten like this? Truly eye-opening.”

“You look so proud—my dad once said he went to the borderlands years ago, and that’s how they ate it.”

The crowd ate, drank, and chatted merrily.

Lin Jiayin, worried that Chen Huajiang was deceiving her, brought Huanhuan along in the evening. Sure enough, she saw Chen Huajiang busy and thriving.

Huanhuan caught the scent and ran to Chen Huajiang’s side. “Daddy, is this delicious?”