Chapter 29: Relying on This Mouth to Make a Living

Zhang Yan was busy drawing in customers while flaunting to Shangguan, “Check it out, big brother! With your style, you won’t attract many customers.”

Shangguan didn’t think there was anything wrong with his method; why use a lengthy explanation when a few words would suffice? To him, the two words that came to mind were “noise.”

However, Xu Nuo was overjoyed. Not having to do the attracting herself saved her a lot of hassle. As she concentrated on making pancakes, a bright smile lit up her face. “Zhang Yan, from now on, you’re in charge of bringing in customers. Sister-in-law will give you a share of the profits!”

Zhang Yan had always been interested in business, and upon hearing “profit share,” he became even more motivated to perform.

“Let’s all have a try!”

“Make one for me too!”

“Me as well!”

“Don’t forget me!”

With exuberance built around the first-time experience, everyone crowded in around Zhang Yan, who was zealously promoting their wares. A long queue quickly formed in front of the snack stall.

“Ziqian, it’s almost time for school. You and Zhang Yan should hurry inside. Your mother and Nuo Nuo can handle things here,” Wang Shi told them, noticing the other students making their way to the academy, eager to not delay their studies.

Zhang Yan and Shangguan exchanged glances, both indicating they were not in a rush. Zhang Yan wanted to attract as many customers as possible to earn more money, while Shangguan was wary about potential disruptions, reminiscent of disturbances they’d faced back at home.

Xu Nuo found Shangguan as immobile as a wooden post, staying put at the stall. Her patience was wearing thin, given that he’d been there for quite some time.

She shoved the pancakes they had prepared together into Zhang Yan and Shangguan’s hands, nudging them toward the main gate. “You two, stop worrying! My mother and I can handle this. Take these pancakes and distribute them to the teachers to show our appreciation.”

Having grown up in the fiercely competitive climate of a major exam province, Xu Nuo understood all too well how parents would go to lengths to ingratiate themselves with teachers. While she didn’t condone any unethical practices, she believed teachers would appreciate the food they made themselves.

At this time, the relationship between teachers and students wasn’t as strained as it would become later. The teachers who received the pancakes from Shangguan were all too willing to reach into their pockets to pay. Although Shangguan was eloquent when it came to discussing theories, he wasn’t as adept in social interactions as Zhang Yan. Despite his protests of “no need, absolutely not,” Zhang Yan could see the desperation in his eyes.

“Teachers, you don’t have to be so courteous! As the saying goes, ‘one is shorter when eating from others’ hands.’ Our pancakes aren’t free,” Zhang Yan insisted confidently.

No one dared to eat after that, and soon the teachers were stuffing money into Zhang Yan’s hands.

Seeing how things unfolded, Shangguan shot Zhang Yan a fierce glare.

Zhang Yan, however, was unfazed. “We’re using the space in front of the academy for free. Additionally, we’re benefiting from the academy’s reputation; therefore, all of the money earned is essentially from the students here. So, in theory, we owe the academy nothing. Still, since the teachers might not want the money, let’s settle it with these pancakes instead.”

“What do you think, teachers?”

After hearing Zhang Yan’s reasoning, the teachers were finally willing to accept the pancakes.

“This pancake looks so uniquely shaped!”

“Hm? The flavor and texture are completely novel! This is really delicious!”

The teachers were genuinely surprised by the rich taste of the pancakes. No wonder Zhang Yan had been so enthusiastic in promoting their stall; it definitely had the quality to back up his claims.

“See? I wasn’t exaggerating! Please come back often to our little stall—you’ll be pleasantly surprised each time,” Zhang Yan said, proudly toting the name “Top Scholar Snack Stall.” He made it a point to introduce their business to anyone he encountered, making Shangguan instinctively keep a distance out of embarrassment.

In no time, thanks to Zhang Yan’s loudmouth nature, everyone at the academy knew that the “Top Scholar Snack Stall” was run by them.

Zhang Yan even devised a clever promotion: buy five, get one free, exclusively for academy students. This further stimulated their desire to purchase, and many expressed their intent to arrive early to queue.

Not only the students but also the clerks from the nearby official offices joined in the fray. Even the local magistrate, once he arrived at the county office, spotted several clerks munching on pancakes. A few were even balancing their writing brushes in one hand while devouring pancakes in the other, as the delicious aroma filled the entire office.

“What’s this?” Magistrate Qi Zhengxing, who was easygoing and often engaged with his subordinates to understand the recent public sentiment, noticed the commotion.

“Sir, this is a new pancake stall that just opened at the academy’s entrance. We all bought these from there. If you like, I can go stand in line for you,” a young constable offered.

Qi Zhengxing felt the name sounded somewhat familiar, waving his hand. “No need, no need. You go on with your work. I’ll take a look myself.”

As he spoke, he stepped out to head toward the academy, also curious about how his nephew was doing and hoping to catch up with the teachers who could look after him while he was studying there.

Even though the sun was already high and breakfast time had long passed, Qi Zhengxing discovered a significant line still forming at the academy entrance. Wait—those two people look familiar! Qi Zhengxing rubbed his eyes, leaning closer to recognize that it was indeed his sister and daughter-in-law.

Could it be they really managed to open this stall? His surprise grew as he noticed how close he was getting to the stall.

“Excuse me, sir, if you’re not buying, can you step aside? You’re blocking our view!” A young man nearby, noticing Qi Zhengxing leaning in and obscuring their line of sight, called out.

Startled, Wang Shi looked up and exclaimed, “Cousin?”

“Uncle? What brings you here?” Xu Nuo asked, taken aback by his presence.

The magistrate, feeling disheartened, regarded Wang Shi and Xu Nuo with concern. “Yuniang, why put yourself through this? You could just come with me. Our family can afford to take care of you; why go through extra trouble for yourself?”

Wang Shi knew well by now that her cousin could drone on, so she decided it was better to let him taste the pancakes she made and resolve all issues at once.

As they chatted, the people queued behind began to urge them to hurry along. Xu Nuo apologized with a grin, speeding up her preparations. Wang Shi promptly made a pancake and thrust it into Qi Zhengxing’s hands. “You’ll know once you try it!”

She then moved on to the next customer, hardly taking a moment to chat with her elder cousin.