Chapter 29 2/3

When someone glanced at her, even if it was just a slight pause in their steps, Sang Luo would smile gently and ask, “Have you ever tasted fairy tofu? It’s the must-have delicacy during hot weather. Whether you prefer it cold or hot, sweet or savory, it’s suitable for everyone. Just two copper coins per piece. Would you like to try it?”

With her clear and pleasant voice and captivating words, several women carrying baskets quickly approached.

Seeing Qin Fangniang stunned, Sang Luo finally woke her up, “There are some small pieces mixed with sugar water for tasting; you can try them for free.”

Perhaps influenced by Sang Luo, Qin Fangniang tried to open up her voice a bit more when she spoke. At first, it was awkward, but as she spoke more, her voice became louder and more confident, no longer as soft and timid as usual. She gradually got the hang of it.

Then Qin Fangniang noticed that more and more people were coming over, and several women were willing to try the tofu.

Feeling like her communication channels had opened up, she handed out the tasting samples and started calling out, just like Sang Luo. At first, it wasn’t very smooth, and she only remembered “fairy tofu, two copper coins each” to repeat several times. But soon enough, she found her own rhythm.

Cooling in the summer, sweet and savory, suitable for both cold and hot dishes.

They had eaten it several times at home, so Qin Fangniang knew what she was talking about.

Praising—it was all about praising!

She also talked to the women who came to buy it about how to make the fairy tofu delicious.

Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. Qin Fangniang herself didn’t realize her mouth could be so smooth. The key was that, with such a smooth tongue, she could sell goods and make money. It made her feel light-hearted.

Seeing her transition from being unfamiliar to proficient, Sang Luo gradually took a step back and quietly withdrew, letting Qin Fangniang take the lead. She became just a spectator.

It turned out that for a new and fresh food that no one had tried before, as long as you dared to speak up and let people know about it, and understand it, business would be difficult to avoid. Especially in this county market, the purchasing power was obviously stronger than that of the village market.

The remaining eighteen pieces of fairy tofu were sold out in less than a quarter of an hour.

Looking at the empty buckets and pinching the money in her purse, Qin Fangniang was a bit dumbfounded.

This was too fast.

Those who didn’t make it in time but saw that there were still some tasting samples left all expressed their desire to try them.

There was nothing to say about this. Qin Fangniang quickly regained her focus and called out to attract more people, giving out the remaining tasting samples. She had already started promoting for tomorrow’s market.

When all the tasting samples were gone, she looked at the sundial standing in the middle of the East Market, and it wasn’t yet noon.

Qin Fangniang looked at the still lively East Market with a look of regret, “Alie’s wife, can you make a few more tomorrow? I’ll bring a few more pottery pots from home. Since there are so many people in the county, I think we can sell more. It’ll also save you from carrying them on the road.”

She had seen several carts being pulled into the market.

Sang Luo smiled, “Sure, but we’ll have to go buy another pair of wooden barrels first.”

The carts Qin Fangniang mentioned were somewhat similar to the carts of later generations, but just having the cart wasn’t enough. The pottery pots couldn’t hold much.

“Yes, yes,” Qin Fangniang snapped back to reality and remembered that she hadn’t given the money to Sang Luo yet. She quickly handed over the purse and said, “All the money from selling the goods is here. You count it.”

She had only brought the entrance fee today, and she didn’t have any extra coins. This empty purse was specially given to her by her mother-in-law last night for collecting money today.

Sang Luo didn’t hesitate to take the purse and began counting the money by the side.

Sang Luo handed over eighty copper coins—not too much, not too little.

Taking out twenty copper coins, Sang Luo handed them over along with the purse, saying, “Auntie, here’s yours. Forty pieces of fairy tofu, twenty copper coins. You count it too.”

Qin Fangniang wasn’t usually in charge of the household finances, so this was the first time she had handled so much money. She smiled widely, showing all eight teeth.

After counting the twenty coins, she took out one copper coin and handed it back to Sang Luo, saying, “Ariel’s wife, I’ll pay the market tax myself. I didn’t plan to accept it earlier, and I haven’t even reacted yet, and you’re already leaving. If I spend your money, my mother-in-law will scold me when I get back.”

After deducting the entrance fee and market tax, she had earned eighteen coins. Her husband wouldn’t make this much money even if he worked as a day laborer in the county in the winter.

Qin Fangniang was overjoyed and satisfied, putting the market tax money back into Sang Luo’s hands. She then put the remaining nineteen coins into the purse, tucked them into her bosom, and finally felt relieved.

Sang Luo thought about Mrs. Chen’s straightforward personality and smiled without refusing. She put the sixty-one copper coins into another sleeve pocket. Now she had a total of one hundred and thirty-three copper coins.

She invited Qin Fangniang to accompany her to buy wooden barrels.

At this moment, the market tax collector arrived. He glanced at Qin Fangniang and said, “Have you sold everything? Return the tax plaque.”

This was one of their tasks as tax collectors. They had to keep an eye on these vendors. When their goods were almost sold out, they had to collect the tax plaque. Otherwise, they might sneak out with the plaque mixed in with the buyers in the market, and they could use it to deceive others next time.

Qin Fangniang was also new here and didn’t know about this, but nine out of ten common folks had a common characteristic: whatever the officials said was what they would do.

Without a word, she took out the tax plaque from her sleeve and respectfully handed it to the tax collector.

…

Wooden barrels were available in the East Market.

They were made by old craftsmen themselves and were tested on-site for leaks. Each wooden barrel cost fifty copper coins, and buying a pair would also come with a carrying pole. Overall, it was a few copper coins cheaper than the wooden shops outside, and you also got an extra carrying pole. There was no significant difference in quality.

Sang Luo decisively bought a pair, and her one hundred and thirty-three copper coins quickly became only thirty-three.

Carrying the new pair of wooden barrels and stacking the carrying pole on top of the baskets, Sang Luo went to another old man selling grains with a pushcart. She spent twenty-one copper coins to buy three liters of grain. Of course, when buying things from a small stall, the old man gave her a little extra as a goodwill gesture.

Qin Fangniang couldn’t help but feel a chill when she saw Sang Luo spending money. Setting up a household without land or property meant that even buying some grains required spending money on the spot. In just a short while, they had spent one hundred and twenty-one copper coins.

Qin Fangniang didn’t know exactly how much money Sang Luo had, but she had a rough idea of how much they had brought to sell today.

Was it all spent?

Was it all spent?