Chapter 56 Chicken Noodle Soup Supplier

The next morning, Ning Jia got up early, made breakfast, washed and dried the clothes, and bought groceries. Before the sun became too strong, she quickly rode her electric scooter out and headed straight for the pharmacy called Huimin.

"Good morning, Sister Sun."

Ning Jia greeted the pharmacy owner, Sun Jie, then took out a simple and elegant cardboard box from her bag and handed it over.

"This is just a little gadget I made when I had nothing else to do. If you don't mind, feel free to wear it and play around with it."

"I can't accept this. You're being too kind."

Sun Jie casually opened it and exclaimed, "Oh, isn't this the... flower bracelet you posted on your WeChat Moments?"

"I remember this bracelet was quite expensive, you should take it back."

Sun Jie glanced at the contents of the box, quickly estimated the approximate price, and declined.

Ning Jia smiled slightly:

"Sister Sun, you've really helped me a lot by letting me consign these sachets in your shop. These little things aren't worth much, please accept them."

Ning Jia spoke from the heart.

Because she was introduced by an acquaintance, Sun Jie was very accommodating, only charging a symbolic handling fee and putting in a lot of effort to help promote the sachets; otherwise, the mosquito-repellent sachets wouldn't have opened up the surrounding market so quickly...

Sun Jie couldn't help but laugh, "It's all the best we can do. Besides, thanks to your mosquito repellent sachets, we've had more customers lately. It's a win-win situation for us."

Ning Jia shook her head, "The sachets are selling so well thanks to your promotion. This little gift of mine isn't worth anything. If you don't accept it, I'll be too embarrassed to ask you for help again..."

The two exchanged pleasantries, and Sun Jie declined several times, but was eventually persuaded by Ning Jia to accept the gift as a token of her gratitude.

"Okay, then I'll accept it, Xiao Ning, thank you."

Sun Jie couldn't help but take another look at the bracelet in the box. It was indeed small and exquisite, and very beautiful. If Ning Jia hadn't been there, she would have already taken it out to try it on.

My daughter usually likes these delicate little things, I'll get her one sometime...

"Oh, right—"

Sun Jie suddenly remembered something:

"Xiao Ning, about that herb farmer you asked me to inquire about selling fresh herbs, I've found you a fairly reliable one..."

He then picked up his phone and sent her a WeChat ID, saying, "Just add me on WeChat and tell me I introduced you."

"Wow, it's been found already? Thank you so much, Sister Sun."

Ning Jia thanked him repeatedly, her face beaming with delight.

Actually, she came here today specifically to find out about this matter.

With the weather so hot these days, it would be too much work and too time-consuming for the little people to gather herbs. It would be better to buy them in bulk directly from the herb farmers. Although we would have to pay for the herbs, it would save a lot of time and energy, and the production of sachets could be greatly increased, so it would be a worthwhile investment.

And Sister Sun, being a seasoned businesswoman, not only provided the contact information of the herb farmers who supplied the raw materials, but also pulled out a large bag from behind the counter, smiling as she said:

"These are herbs grown by Liu Min's family. There's moon orange fragrance and ice heart grass. I asked her to bring some for you to try first, and she handed over this much. She's so honest."

Moon Orange Fragrance, also known as Good Man Grass by the Lilliputians, is the raw material for mosquito repellent sachets. As for Ice Heart Grass, it is the official name of "Devil Grass" in the world of Giants.

Ning Jia was also seeing such a large package of "trial packs" for the first time, and was immediately shocked:

"This is too much... I feel bad about it. Maybe I should just buy it at market price."

Sister Sun smiled and waved her hand, "No need, no need. If you like it, just buy more in the future."

As she spoke, she quietly revealed a secret:

"This Liu Min is a loyal fan of your sachets; she's bought quite a few from me! She was so happy to hear you wanted to buy herbs, saying she really wants to work with you..."

Ning Jia smiled knowingly, "Please ask Sister Sun to tell her thank you for me. As for the cooperation, I will give it serious consideration."

...

Ning Jia returned home with a large bag of herbs, announcing that there would be no need to go to the forest to pick herbs anymore.

"Wow, great!" "Hehe, awesome!" "Ning Jia is so amazing!" "Yay, yay!"

The little ones cheered excitedly. Making sachets was already tedious and laborious, and now that they were spared the task of picking the sachets, they were overjoyed.

"Now that we have the raw materials, let's start making sachets immediately."

Canglan, who had already led everyone to make quite a few blunders, said.

"Yes!" the little people responded in unison.

Because of yesterday's chaotic living room incident, and because Bai Su made Ning Jia's financial situation sound so pitiful, the little people all felt a bit guilty and had an urgent desire to make it up to Ning Jia, so they worked extra hard.

Ning Jia was somewhat puzzled:

Why does everyone seem so enthusiastic about work today? And their efficiency is surprisingly high too!

Inspired by the little people, she felt less sleepy. After making herself a cup of coffee, she picked up a pen and paper and began to write and draw, thinking about the future plans for her sachet business.

For example, she received information from Sun Jie in the morning that, based on customer feedback, the current mosquito repellent sachets are too plain in appearance and not very suitable for carrying around. Perhaps these aspects could be improved...

Ning Jia considered it carefully, and by the time her notebook was full, it was almost noon.

"Oh no, I have to cook!"

She sprang up from the sofa and turned off the TV on the wall, eliciting a murmur from the little ones:

Ugh! Why did they just turn off the TV like that?!

Is this something a good giant would do? I've only watched half of this episode of Tom and Jerry, how annoying!

Ning Jia pretended not to see her, humming a song as she went into the kitchen and started cooking rice.

Today's lunch is, of course, chicken.

After simmering the old hen soup on a low flame for several hours, the kitchen was immediately filled with a fragrant aroma that seemed to be tinged with oil after it was taken out of the refrigerator and heated up.

Ning Jia took a deep, blissful breath of the oily aroma, and looking at the bright yellow oil in the chicken soup, she was overjoyed:

Wow, it's been so long since I've had such a plump and delicious chicken.

She must make the most of this plump and juicy hen and not waste a single bit of it!

Ning Jia carefully removed the two large drumsticks from the old hen, which were the most prized parts of the chicken.

One of the chicken drumsticks was made into teriyaki chicken drumstick by Ning Jia. The rich sauce, combined with the local honey she brought back, gave it a golden color and an irresistible aroma. She then lavishly sprinkled it with lots of sesame seeds and served it with freshly cooked rice, making it a delicious plate of teriyaki chicken drumstick rice.

The other chicken leg was used to make lunch for the little people.

Chicken thigh meat is carefully cut into small pieces, coated with flour and deep-fried twice until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Then, it is sprinkled with just the right amount of salt and pepper, and a plate of delicious salt and pepper chicken cubes is ready.

Although the non-essential chicken breast meat becomes a bit dry after being cooked for too long, it shouldn't be wasted. Ningjia shredded it, marinated it simply, added shredded carrots and celery, and drizzled it with lemon juice, sesame oil, and chopped green onions to make a refreshing and delicious cold shredded chicken salad.

Salt and pepper chicken cubes, cold shredded chicken salad, a large plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a big pot of winter melon and dried shrimp soup—it's another hearty lunch.

"Waaaaah, it's so delicious..." "How can it be so delicious!" "It's so delicious I want to cry!" "It's an absolute delicacy!"

After eating "pre-made meals" for many days, the little ones were now enjoying a delicious feast with perfect color, aroma, and taste. They ate heartily, almost to the point of tears:

None of the family members understand; the family chef is back, and so is their happiness.

With the healing power of delicious food, the little people were incredibly efficient that day, producing a large batch of mosquito repellent sachets and energizing sachets in just half a day.

Ning Jia even went out to deliver goods once around noon.

As dusk fell, Ning Jia returned exhausted and sweating profusely after delivering the goods, and the little ones collapsed onto the sofa, completely worn out.

“Well, let me say something,” Ning Jia couldn’t help but say, “Selling sachets is a long-term business, there’s no need to rush.”

“I know everyone really wants to help me make more money, but there’s no need to go to such lengths. I’ll find other ways to increase my earnings.”

Xuecao's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "That's great! I don't want to be this tired every day!"

He Meng lay back on the edge of the sofa, asking weakly:

"Ning Jia, are you hungry? Want some food?"

Ning Jia patted her little head with her index finger, "Wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon!"

...

Dinner will, of course, be chicken again.

The chicken soup was oily, so Ning Jia didn't dare to give it directly to the little people. Instead, she diluted it with twice the amount of water, added a large basket of chopped greens, a lot of bean sprouts, and a lot of mushrooms, and made a mixed chicken soup rice dish for the little people to try.

Ning Jia herself happily ate the pure chicken soup noodles without adding a drop of water, paired with two tender chicken wings. It was so fragrant, so delicious, with the pure aroma of chicken soup that brought her happiness!

Everyone, young and old, ate their fill at dinner, their bellies full and their fatigue from the day gone!

After dinner, while Shi Ying and the others were washing the dishes, Xue Cao couldn't help but run over and ask:

"Ning Jia, what exactly was that little activity you mentioned yesterday?"

Ning Jia chuckled, "You'll find out soon enough."

After tidying up the kitchen, Ning Jia quietly spoke with Cang Lan for a while, and then Cang Lan called the clansmen together for a small meeting.

Taking advantage of the break, Ning Jia ran to her room, opened the large suitcase she hadn't had time to open yesterday, and took out all the contents.

Ning Jia's "second-hand small commodities" stall had just been set up when the Lilliputian meeting over there ended.

Canglan came over and whispered something in Ningjia's ear. Ningjia opened her eyes wide in surprise and exclaimed:

"so much?!"

Canglan stroked her chin and smiled, "Didn't you just tell me that the amount of this shopping voucher can be refunded if it's too much and collected if it's too little? So it's okay if the price is a little higher, since it can be refunded anyway."

“That’s true.” Ning Jia nodded.

But with just these few small items she brought from home and 200 yuan shopping vouchers per person, is she trying to buy nothing? She probably won't even be able to spend them all.

But since this was a collective decision of the Lilliputians, she didn't say anything more. She took out a stack of thick white paper sheets and wrote a large "200" on each one. After thinking for a moment, she also wrote a series of numbers in the lower right corner: 320829001, 320829002, 320829003...

This way, the little people's cards won't get mixed up.

"Alright, everything is ready, you can come over now."

Ning Jia sat cross-legged on the floor next to the coffee table and spoke. In front of her was a large living room rug, and on the stall were all sorts of trinkets neatly arranged.

The little people watched from a distance, whispering among themselves: "I wonder what fun things will happen this time?"

Welcome to my private flea market!

Ning Jia smiled and addressed the children who were lining up, handing each of them a freshly issued shopping voucher.

"This is a shopping voucher for purchasing items. It represents a total amount of 200 yuan. When you buy things, you can use this voucher to exchange with me. I will note the amount used on the card. Does everyone understand?"

"I understand!" "Understood...?" "Understood..."

Hearing the varying responses, Ning Jia suddenly realized that the little people's math skills seemed to be a bit uneven? Shouldn't it be... alright?

Seeing the bewildered faces of the little ones, she made a last-minute decision to round down all the prices to make it easier to compare prices.

A few minutes later.

The little figures holding shopping coupons stared wide-eyed at the various goods on the stall with great curiosity.

Ning Jia smiled slightly. These were all trinkets that were popular when she was a child. Back then, they were sought after by many students. If they were placed among the little people, wouldn't they quickly acquire them?

The result was beyond her expectations.

The little people stood around the stall for a long time, chattering and discussing it, but not one of them came forward to buy anything.