Chapter 18 Making Money is Like Catching Ghosts

Amidst the constant shouting, buyers carrying baskets started from the stall at the entrance, looking, asking, or tasting, and unknowingly walked to the tofu stall of Yang Wenying and Huang Dongsheng.

But most people just take a look, ask the price and move on.

No one who came to ask bought it. Huang Dongsheng was like a deflated ball. No matter how high his fighting spirit was before, he was now as listless as ever.

Huang Dongsheng looked in the direction of Chen Yao: Cousin, two cents a piece is too expensive, how about we lower the price?

Chen Yao shook her head at him and said, "We can't break the market rules. Tofu is sold for two cents in the city. If we sell it for only one cent, won't we be beaten?"

Don’t be anxious, there are so many people here. If it doesn’t work, we can just stay there all day.

Yang Wenying tugged at Huang Dongsheng's sleeve and whispered to him, "Don't keep looking at A Yao. It would be bad if others knew we knew each other."

Upon hearing this, Huang Dongsheng immediately turned his head and stared at the people coming in. Whenever he caught someone asking about it, he would try his best to explain to them that this was freshly ground tofu made in his home. Occasionally, he would glance at the crowd watching his cousin's stall, feeling extremely envious.

Compared to the deserted tofu stall of the two people, Chen Yao's Ruyi dish, bean curd sheets, did attract quite a few people. Coupled with the free tasting, most of the bean curd sheets they brought were almost sold out.

Even a basket of bean sprouts was only half sold.

Bean curd sheets at two cents a piece and bean sprouts at one cent a pound are something that most city dwellers are willing to try for the freshness of the food.

What's more, Chen Yao also gave away a few free recipes on how to prepare these foods. If someone has great cooking skills, they can make these fresh foods and sell them at a stall, which would be unique.

You ask Chen Yao why she didn’t do it?

Isn’t it because of insufficient start-up capital, nothing is available, and there is famine everywhere?

"Ruyi vegetables, Ruyi vegetables cost one penny per pound. If you eat Ruyi vegetables, everything will go well and everything will go smoothly!"

"Yuba, free tasting yuba, the most delicious yuba among vegetarians!"

Chen Yao's hawking rhymes were mixed in with the cabbage, carob, leeks and eggs she was selling, which attracted special attention.

I saw people picking out pieces of the cold bean curd in the bowl one by one to try, and some people complained that the taste was too bland.

Chen Yao immediately explained to him that our family is poor, so we simply soaked it in water, cut it into cubes and sprinkled some salt on it. If you buy it home and stir-fry it, stew it into soup, or mix it with sesame oil, it will not only taste tender and refreshing, but also have a bright golden color.

Do you see the honeycomb shape of this bean curd sheet?

Whether you braise it as a main dish or use it as a side dish, it is easy to absorb the flavor, and it is salty, fragrant and refreshing, and goes well with rice.

What is the meat in the vegetarian diet?

It tastes like meat and is loved by both the elderly and children.

Hey, you want to buy it?

Okay, just buy it. Do you want two?

Chen Yao collected the copper coins with her left hand and handed over the neat and clean bean curd sheets with her right hand, then asked casually, "Would you like some Ruyi dishes?"

One penny per pound, and everything will go well for the family after eating it.

Oh, you want to try something new too?

Okay, no problem.

Want a pound?

Then I'll shake some water out for you, and I guarantee it will be exactly the same, no more, no less.

Yang Wenying and Huang Dongsheng squatted behind the tofu stall, staring at Chen Yao who was busy working, their eyes wide open.

Huang Dongsheng secretly gave his cousin a thumbs up, and his heart was filled with admiration.

"How about we make up a catchy rhyme?" Huang Dongsheng glanced at Yang Wenying. How could she attract anyone by just shouting "selling tofu" in such a dry voice?

But it's not as good as staying in the village, exchanging needles, thread and cloth for tofu. That won't work.

Yang Wenying nodded in agreement.

"Then think about how to praise the tofu as delicious." Huang Dongsheng drove away the blood-sucking mosquito that was about to fly over.

"I?"

"You've read a lot of books, so I'm sure you've never heard of anything you've come up with. I see these city people just love buying new things they've never tasted or heard of before."

Huang Dongsheng's reminder reminded Yang Wenying of a poem praising the deliciousness of tofu. "There's a line in 'Shan Pao' (The Mountain Kitchen) that says 'When pressed, Li Qi is softer than butter,' isn't that okay?"

Huang Dongsheng's eyes were filled with question marks. "I don't understand. What do you mean? Why didn't you mention our tofu at all?"

Yang Wenying stamped her foot, feeling like she was talking to a cow. She glared at him in anger: "Li Qi means tofu. This poem means that tofu becomes tender and delicious after being pressed, even more delicious than ghee."

Huang Dongsheng said "oh" and understood.

Then he felt a little disgusted with Yang Wenying and himself for showing off. What kind of poetry is that? Who among us ordinary people can understand it?

So he combined Yang Wenying's poem and shouted: "Liqi, tender and delicious Liqi, more delicious than ghee, only two cents."

The entrance was crowded with people, and the two stalls' jingle words made the vendors next to them unable to pronounce their own goods.

It seems that their dry shouting is not working.

How about learning how to make up rhymes?

Look, the tofu seller learned it and sold two blocks of tofu at once.

After noon, the vegetables began to wilt and people's stomachs started to growl. Not only did fewer people come to buy things, but even many of the vendors left.

The woman selling eggs glanced at the last piece of dried bean curd on Chen Yao's stall, hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can I trade your dried bean curd for an egg?"

Chen Yao looked at the old lady's empty basket and said, "Sure."

The old lady immediately said, "In a couple of days, I'll bring you another egg and exchange it with you for one, so that the children at home can have a taste of it."

As soon as the old lady left, Chen Yao tightened the drawstring of the money bag her mother had made for her, weighed it, put it in her arms, and went to the tofu stall with satisfaction.

"Watch..." Before Huang Dongsheng could even finish his sentence, Yang Wenying elbowed him. He rubbed his chest in pain and took several steps back.

"Do you want to buy tofu?" Yang Wenying pretended not to know the visitor.

Chen Yao looked at her extremely unnatural performance and said with a smile, "Could you please help me watch the stall? I'm going to the pharmacy."

Buy some lunch by the way.

Yang Wenying looked around and saw that no one was looking at them, so she nodded and went to guard Chen Yao's stall.

Chen Yao carried the last piece of bean curd out of the East Market and saw an officer in official uniform at the bun shop at the entrance, so she walked into the shop.

Because there were seven steamers stacked on the stove, the already small bun shop could only accommodate one dining table.

In fact, it is not difficult for anyone with a discerning eye to see that this is a place specially provided by the bun shop for the officers on duty to stay.

"Shopkeeper, how much are the buns?"

A plump, pale woman appeared from behind the steamer, her face dimpled as she said to Chen Yao, "Two steamed buns for one cent, one vegetarian bun for one cent, and two meat buns for two cents."

"Shopkeeper, what's the filling for the vegetarian buns?"

"They're stuffed with carob, but the meat buns are made of pure meat. Would you like two?"

Chen Yao counted out three coins from her money bag and handed them over: "Boss, give me six steamed buns first."

"Okay." The plump female shopkeeper picked up two steamed buns, picked out six steamed buns from the lower one, and handed them to Chen Yao in a package wrapped in oil paper.

Chen Yao was holding an oil-paper bag and saw the couple sitting behind the stove making dumplings again, so she moved towards the table.

Just as Liu Chuang was about to pick up the hot water on the table, he saw a long "stick" placed in front of him.

What was it called? He vaguely remembered registering it.

"Officer Liu, I'm Chen Yao from Xiahe Village, selling dried bean curd sheets and Ruyi vegetables. This is my first time in the city, and I'd like to ask you where the nearest pharmacy is."

Liu Chuang took a look at Chen Yao's attire and her sallow face, then raised his chopsticks and pointed outside: "Exit this street, turn right at the intersection, there is Yuhua Lane, the third house on the right side of the lane is where a doctor named Zeng lives. Go and look for him."

Chen Yao was delighted, knowing that she had found the right person. She regretted that she only brought one piece of bean curd sheet and should have brought the remaining bean sprouts to this kind-hearted errand boy.

"This is my homemade yuba. Officer Liu, please try it. Just soak it in warm water, cut it into small pieces, sprinkle it with salt, chopped green onions, and a little cornel powder, and pour some hot oil on it. It's ready to go with wine."

"How much?" Liu Chuang had just put down his chopsticks and reached into his pocket for his purse when he saw the country girl running out of the bun shop in one breath and disappearing without a trace.

After Liu Chuang finished his lunch, he left four cents, took the bean curd sheets and went back to work.

The couple in the bun shop pretended not to hear or see anything.

Seeing that no one was chasing her, Chen Yao took a breath, walked to the intersection, and followed the instructions of Constable Liu to find Doctor Zeng who lived in Yuhua Lane.

Perhaps it was because Constable Liu often introduced people here, so when the child who opened the door heard her purpose, he didn't even close the door, turned around and walked into the house, calling for his father as he walked.

Doctor Zeng is a young man in his twenties. Although he has a little beard on his lips, he still looks quite young. He is one of those doctors whose medical skills are not very high in the eyes of the world.

Chen Yao didn't see any woman coming out of the house, so she just stood at the door and told Dr. Zeng about her parents' illness.

Doctor Zeng frowned, holding the child in one arm, and said, "Your father has difficulty walking, so I should have come to your home to provide medical treatment, but my child is left alone at home, and I'm afraid the trip back and forth..."

Without waiting for Chen Yao to speak, he continued, "How about I introduce you to Doctor Li from Baochuntang? His medical skills are better than..."

Chen Yao interrupted him and bowed to him, apologizing: "Excuse me, if I ask the doctor to come to my house, how much should I pay for the consultation?"

Doctor Zeng looked at Chen Yao, who was dressed in coarse linen clothes, with dry hair and a sallow face, and sighed unconsciously: "Forget it, I'll go with you. Do you mind if I take the child with me?"

Chen Yao's eyes lit up with joy, and she bowed to the father and son again to express her gratitude: "Of course I don't mind. Doctor Zeng is a kind-hearted doctor, and Chen Yao will never forget him."

Doctor Zeng and Shen Yao agreed that he would go to Xiahe Village to find her tomorrow morning. Shen Yao paid half of the consultation fee, five cents, first, and would pay the rest after he came tomorrow.

After Chen Yao left Yuhua Lane, she silently calculated how much she had left in her pocket. After deducting the three people's entry fee to the city, the startup cost was fourteen cents. She earned eighteen cents from nine pieces of bean curd. She always packed a lot more bean sprouts each time, and although she sold them for fifteen cents, there was only a little over a pound of bean sprouts left in the basket.

After deducting the five-cent deposit and the three-cent steamed buns, she finally had thirty-nine cents left in her pocket.

But this money still needs to deduct the six cents of wages for my cousins, as well as Wenying and Dongsheng?

You can't calculate it, but if you count on your fingers you will know that it is really not easy for her to earn this money.

By the way, she has to go back quickly to see how the tofu they made is selling!

Chen Yao quickened her pace and ran back to the East Market, but was stopped by Liu Chuang who was on duty when she entered.

Chen Yao has a question mark face?

Isn't it said that vendors won't be charged a second fee as long as they give their names when entering or leaving? Why did they stop her?

Liu Chuang had already inquired about the price of bean curd sheets, and took out two coins and handed them to Chen Yao: "I bought it."

Oh no, it turns out he was giving her money.

He is truly a good constable serving the people, impartial and fair, and never takes a penny from the people.

"Thank you, Officer Liu!" Chen Yao took the copper coins with both hands and walked towards the tofu stall.