Chapter 64

Ye Baizhi pondered aloud, “I suppose all the good stalls have already been rented. If we end up in a quieter spot, so be it. Good wine needs no bush, after all.”

“And judging by the time, it’s not exactly early. Might as well set up sooner rather than later.”

The stalls here were only open in the mornings. Generally, after midday, everyone would pack up. Many of the beastmen came early to shop. Some who represented their tribes would return in the afternoon after buying what they needed, and some wandering beastmen would also shop in the morning and head back in the afternoon.

So, the vendors typically packed up by noon. Over time, this became an unspoken rule. After midday, everyone closed up shop and used the afternoon for other tasks; only the shops beside the market stayed open into the afternoon, but even those closed by dusk.

Shops didn’t stay open into the night, since candles for lighting weren’t widespread. And for most ordinary beastmen, candles were an expensive luxury.

Lighting candles to keep a shop open at night isn’t cost-effective. So, in the Beast Continent, everyone still follows the rhythm of rising at dawn and resting at dusk.

“We should hurry and set up the stall!”

Winter’s already here—there was even a light snowfall yesterday. If it keeps getting colder and the mountain gets sealed off by heavy snow, even fewer beastmen will come out to trade or buy things.

Ye Wulan spoke gently, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Since they’d decided to set up a stall, they went to the guard station to pay for the booth rental. Once they received the booth token, they could begin preparing their spot. Each stall came with a large stone table to help display goods easily.

Ye Baizhi, Ye Wulan, and Da Bao started by placing the tanghulu on a straw stand at home.

“Tanghulu is cheap to make, so let’s try selling those first.”

“We can also carry the straw stand around to guide customers to our booth inside.”

“These few can be cut into small pieces for free samples.”

Ye Baizhi knew there were no sweets here—especially nothing like Tanghulu. That made her business easier: no competition at all.

Still, since people weren’t used to new things, she’d have to offer free samples at first.

“Once folks get a taste for the gourds and more customers come by, we can introduce other goods.”

Things like hawthorn rolls, tomato jam, and canned foods could wait until later. For now, tanghulu would help test the waters.

Da Bao’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the tanghulu. His belly rumbled a little, and he pointed at the straw rack. “Mother, I want to eat that!”

Da Bao never just took things—he always asked his mother first. Naturally, he also wanted to ask Father Ye, but because he always doted on him—if he wanted to eat something, Father Ye would let him. But in the end, Father Ye listened to his mother, so he had to ask his mother instead.

Ye Baizhi thought for a moment and said, “Not yet. Wait until we get to the market—I will let you eat then.”

Once they got to the market, Da Bao could eat the tanghulu next to the display rack, letting the customers see it and creating a “live tasting” effect.

Da Bao nodded obediently. “I will listen to Mother.” He also knew that now, living outside, they needed to earn spirit stones—so he had to help too.

They arrived at their booth just as the sky had brightened and the sun had come up. Around them, other vendors were also gradually setting up their goods. Nearby stalls were selling wild beast meat, pelts, bone knives, wooden wares, umbrellas, oiled paper, herbs, wild fruits, and more.

Ye Baizhi noticed a prime spot closer to the center, where a beastman was selling salt. There were many beastmen browsing the market, and a crowd had gathered around the salt stall.

Everyone was eyeing the salt. After all, salt was an essential item for every tribe.

Ye Baizhi’s space-farm had plenty of salt, more than enough for their needs, so there was no need to buy any. Besides, the salt used here was coarse and unrefined—and very expensive.

“How much is the salt over there?” she asked.

Ye Wulan, with his sharp hearing, focused on the sounds in that direction and easily picked out the words.

“Two hundred blue spirit stones per jin of salt.”

Ye Baizhi was stunned. “I knew salt was pricey, but I didn’t think it’d be this expensive.”

“I only priced the candied gourds at two blue spirit stones per skewer.”

Ye Wulan responded gently, “Even if it’s expensive, people still need to buy it. And since there’s no salt in this northern region, all of it is brought in from the east and south. In those regions, it might only cost a little over a hundred blue spirit stones per jin—but once it’s transported here, the price goes up.”

Ye Baizhi nodded. “I know there are transport costs, but even so, the price shouldn’t double.”

“This is basically a monopoly.”

“No wonder the other districts are more prosperous than the northern one.”

She recalled how, back in the tribe, she once mentioned that salting meat could help preserve it longer—but even then, no one would use salt that way. To the people of the tribe, salt was an incredibly precious commodity; even their own family only had a single small jar.

That said, when she cooked meals, she didn’t use that home stash of salt—she used the salt from her space-farm kitchen.

Ye Wulan more or less understood what she meant by “monopoly.”

Ye Baizhi looked around and saw many people clad in tattered beast hides, carefully hauling their wild beast meat to the market stalls just to buy a single jin of salt—then tucking it close to their chests as if guarding treasure. She couldn’t bear to look at the sight any longer. Quickly turning her gaze, she murmured, “If the northern region had some kind of unique specialty—something the others didn’t—then maybe it could outshine them someday.”

As she and Ye Wulan were speaking, a well-dressed woman, holding a child by the hand, happened to be buying wild fruits at the neighboring stall. Catching sight of theirs, she paused and curiously asked, “Little sister, the mountains are full of red berries—you’re actually selling red berries here?”

She had a basket hanging from her arm filled with some wild fruits, and her child was gnawing on one in their hand.

Ye Baizhi smiled and explained, “Pretty sister, these may look like red berries, but they aren’t just berries—they’re made from berries, into a snack called tanghulu. It’s very sweet, like honey-sweet. Two blue spirit stones per skewer. Would you like to try one?”

The woman froze for a moment. “You mean as sweet as honey? That’s impossible—honey is so expensive. You used honey to make this snack, and you’re only charging two spirit stones per skewer?”

She didn’t believe it—she thought Ye Baizhi was trying to trick her. However, upon examining the color and glossy shine on the surface, it was definitely different.

Ye Baizhi quickly handed a skewer to Da Bao. “Da Bao, eat!”

Da Bao held it with excitement and bit in happily. His little cheeks moved with every bite, his eyes sparkling as he said over and over, “So yummy, Mother! So delicious!”

The woman’s daughter suddenly found her fruit less appealing. She stared at the skewer in Da Bao’s hand and tugged at her mother. “Mother, I want to eat that!”

The woman looked at Da Bao’s skewer—especially when he bit into it and revealed no seeds inside.

“It’s hollow in the middle?”

Ye Baizhi explained, “Yes. It’s seedless. The seeds could get stuck in a child’s throat, so I remove them.”

“There are free samples here too—everyone can try a small piece. You’re welcome to taste it.”

As she spoke, Ye Baizhi started calling out, “Tanghulu! As sweet as honey! Two blue spirit stones per skewer! First come, first served—free samples available…”

Using her special ability, she amplified her voice so that even distant beastmen could hear.

Da Bao couldn’t focus on eating anymore—he loudly joined in, shouting, “Tanghulu! Tasty tanghulu…”