Chapter 29 New Zongzi Products Arrive
"I'm not going home for the Dragon Boat Festival. The company is offering triple pay for the extra work."
With the holiday approaching, Ning Jia made a video call to her mother back in her hometown.
Working overtime was just an excuse, but the mother and daughter tacitly agreed, and neither of them revealed the truth.
Even so, Ning Fang couldn't help but add a few more words of advice such as "Take care of yourself" and "Don't overwork yourself."
"Don't worry," Ning Jia waved the bamboo leaves in her hand at her phone screen, "I'll still celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival properly. I'm planning to make zongzi at home tonight. I also bought a few salted duck eggs."
Ning Fang glanced at the kitchen counter behind Ning Jia and asked in confusion, "Jiajia, why does it seem like your kitchen has gotten much bigger?"
"Oh, I've been so busy lately that I forgot to tell you. I moved houses. I'm living in a two-bedroom, one-living-room bungalow now," Ning Jia said casually. "That way, when I bring you over, you'll have a place to stay."
Ms. Ning immediately replied, "I'm doing quite well staying at home, and your Aunt Wang often comes over to take care of me."
Ning Jia didn't argue with her about it, only saying, "I didn't say you could stay here permanently. Once you're better, you can come to H City occasionally to relax and unwind."
Seeing that Ning Fang didn't speak, Ning Jia changed the subject and asked about the precautions for wrapping zongzi...
On the Dragon Boat Festival, Ning Jia got up before dawn, ate zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), salted duck eggs, and multigrain porridge, and then rode her tricycle to the park to pick up the little people.
She brought two large bamboo baskets this time, one to hold the little people and the other to hold the new products that had been agreed upon beforehand.
After successfully bringing the people and goods home, Ning Jia took out a special dish for the little people, offered them some water, and after consulting with Chief Canglan, went to the kitchen to open the steamer containing the hot rice dumplings.
"Wow, it smells so good!" "It's a scent I've never smelled before!" "It must be something delicious!" The little ones sniffed expectantly.
Among all the little people, He Meng was the most excited. She kept showing off to her clansmen, "This zongzi is made with the fragrant leaves I found!"
Canglan then cautioned, "This food called zongzi is made of glutinous rice and is not easy to digest, but since it is a festival, it is fine to try it. Just be careful not to eat too much."
"Okay, okay." The little people all nodded, but it was unclear how much they actually listened to.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, the zongzi are here."
Under the watchful eyes of many, Ning Jia made a dazzling entrance carrying a plate of peeled zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
To make it easier for the little ones to eat, she removed the jujubes from the rice dumplings beforehand, scooped out small portions with a spoon, shaped them into triangles, and then sprinkled a little white sugar evenly on them. The large rice dumplings then turned into clusters of crystal-clear mini rice dumplings.
"Here, one for each of you, eat it while it's hot."
The little tribe's version of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) was quickly distributed to everyone's small plates.
The little children observed the rice dumplings in front of them with curiosity for a while. One little one even gently touched the glutinous rice ball with his hand and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it's soft!"
Another little one couldn't resist licking the white sugar off the glutinous rice and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, so sweet!"
"This is white sugar; you should eat it with rice dumplings."
Ning Jia picked up a whole large zongzi with her chopsticks and took a bite as an example, saying, "Look, like this."
The little ones exclaimed "Oh~" and eagerly began to taste it, followed by a burst of surprise and admiration.
They had eaten corn-based foods before, but this beautiful white corn, fragrant, sweet, soft, slightly sticky yet chewy, was so special and delightful!
The little people quickly fell in love with the new food, zongzi. Even Bai Su, who was usually self-disciplined, originally only intended to have a small bite, but after taking one bite, she couldn't stop and soon finished all the zongzi on her plate.
She put down the two toothpicks that she was using as chopsticks, reached out and picked up a few grains of glutinous rice stuck to the plate, and smelled them carefully. "Does the fragrance in this glutinous rice come from those fragrant leaves?"
"Yes, there's a legend about this zongzi."
Ning Jia told the children the story of Qu Yuan drowning himself in the river. Everyone listened attentively, and some children even licked their empty plates, remarking:
"If I were a fish in that river, I would definitely choose to eat zongzi too. Zongzi is so delicious."
The little ones had sticky glutinous rice grains all over their mouths and faces from eating. They found it funny to look at each other, laughing and joking, and even started comparing whose face had more glutinous rice grains.
He Meng had already finished her portion and had been watching Ning Jia longingly. At this moment, she immediately raised her hand and said, "I'm the one who found this fragrant leaf. As a hero, shouldn't I be rewarded with another zongzi?"
Before Ning Jia could speak, Cang Lan shook her head mercilessly, "No, what if I get indigestion again?"
"Besides, we have important things to do today."
The important thing Canglan was talking about was, of course, making money.
"Okay, I need to hurry up and set up my stall," Ning Jia glanced at the time, quickly poured yogurt for the little people, and brought over a large plate of fruit. "We're short on time today, so everyone can work here, or you can go to the yard. Thanks for your hard work."
When Ning Jia arrived at the market, many vendors had already set up their goods, and the large bamboo basket she was carrying attracted a lot of attention.
Ning Jia placed the large bamboo basket directly on the stall, and then took out a large pile of small, bright green rice dumplings tied with colorful threads. Holding them in her palm, she found them to be small, exquisite, and adorable. They could be put directly into a pocket or hung on a bag or car.
These small rice dumplings hanging on the stall quickly attracted the attention of the stall owner next door. "Wow, so cute! Are these real rice dumplings?"
Ning Jia smiled and shook her head, "No, it's actually a sachet with refreshing herbs inside."
That's right, Ning Jia's main product at this stall is the 2.0 version of the energy-boosting sachet.
When Ning Jia was setting up her stall before, the energy packs just wouldn't sell, which puzzled her greatly. Later, Xue Cao revealed the secret:
"This sachet looks alright on its own, but when placed next to a flower wreath, it becomes inconspicuous and even ugly."
Yes, that's it! It's all about looks!
Ning Jia suddenly realized something and came up with an improvement plan overnight: to make the sachets both beautiful and practical, so as to attract the attention of customers.
It begins with its appearance and ends with its effectiveness.
Only by attracting customers to buy the sachet and experience its effects will they realize how good it is.
Sure enough, the revamped sachets were no longer ignored. The small and cute zongzi sachets sold nearly a hundred in just one morning, thanks to the Dragon Boat Festival.
Seeing that the Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings and sachets were almost sold out, Ning Jia took out the flower wreaths and jewelry she had prepared beforehand and placed them on the stall.
To cater to the Dragon Boat Festival atmosphere, the design of this year's floral wreath jewelry has been slightly adjusted:
The main color of the wreaths has changed to green. Not only are there the previously popular floral bracelets, but even the pure flower bracelets are mainly green, with some small flowers in other colors. The appearance is fresh and elegant, attracting the attention of many customers.
In addition, Ningjia also launched a new product – straw-woven coasters. This thing is a floor mat for the little people, but for the "giants", it can only be considered a coaster.
The coasters are small and exquisite, with refreshing colors, but because of their small size, the designs are rather simple. However, Ningjia's sign also mentions that they can customize large grass mats made of fresh flowers and grass, which would certainly add a natural touch to any home.
Ning Jia took a picture of the flower and grass mats that the little people wove in bamboo baskets before, and this time she specially printed them out and pasted them on the signboard.
Many customers looked at the photos of the "all-natural floral decorations" with curiosity, thinking it was just a gimmick:
"How can there be such a beautiful grass mat? Boss, how are the flowers and grass woven together? Is it dyed?... This picture of yours, is it AI-generated?"
An elegant middle-aged woman looked closer and examined it for a long time. The more she looked, the more she felt that the color matching was just right. It was just ordinary green grass, combined with pink, white and pale yellow flowers. Why did she like it more and more?
She raised the same question, "...Can these straw mats really be made?"
Seeing her serious expression, Ning Jia replied seriously as well:
“You may not know this, but I have been selling these natural handmade products for a long time, and I have many repeat customers. There is no need for me to use this kind of gimmick to deceive people.”
Seeing that the customer was still skeptical, Ning Jia casually said, "If you still don't believe me, you can order one now. If I can't make such a beautiful straw mat, I won't charge you a penny, and I'll even give you a free flower wreath bracelet."
The customer's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Really? Can I order one right now?"
Ning Jia recalled the speed at which the little people made grass mats and answered with great certainty:
"Sure, the straw mats will be ready before the market closes today."
The woman laughed, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes. "Okay, I'm willing to wait. If this straw mat does match the picture, I'll buy it for ten times the price."
Ten times the price? Ning Jia thought she was joking, but the lady paid the deposit on the spot and even brought the market's management staff and a group of onlookers to witness it. This grand gesture made Ning Jia feel uneasy.
But now that he was in a difficult position, with most of the market already aware of the bet, Ning Jia couldn't back out.
Because of this little incident, the customers who came to watch the excitement were attracted by the trinkets on Ning Jia's stall, and after picking and choosing, another batch was taken away, and the stall was soon empty. Ning Jia quickly packed up and left, arriving home in no time.
"I'm back."
As soon as Ning Jia entered the courtyard, she saw the rattan chair in the yard creaking and swaying back and forth eerily, which startled her.
Upon closer inspection, several tiny figures sat in the middle of the rattan chair, while He Meng held a spear and jumped up and down on the back of the chair. Each jump caused the rattan chair to sway, and the little figures giggled. The group of children, both big and small, were having a great time.
When Ning Jia returned, He Meng cheerfully called Ning Jia over to "help." Although the rattan chair was light, it was quite tiring to make it swing like a swing. He Meng jumped around for a long time, and her little face was covered in sweat.
Ning Jia was also exhausted, but she still went over as instructed and started pushing. She didn't control her strength well and pushed too hard once. The little ones gasped in surprise, then giggled nonstop.
"So fun! So much fun! It's so much fun!"
Guoguo laughed loudly, and Xingxing, who was sitting to her left, also smiled and squinted. The child to her right was a little smaller, and when he was jolted so suddenly, he couldn't help but cry out "Waaah!"
Ning Jia quickly stopped, reached out and grabbed the child around the waist, freeing him from the swaying wicker chair and placing him on the ground.
The other little ones quickly jumped off the rattan chairs and gathered around, asking, "Tuantuan, are you alright?"
Tuantuan? Ning Jia looked closely and saw that the little guy who was still wiping away tears seemed to be a boy. His chubby little face was white and tender, and he really looked like a cute little dumpling. She couldn't help but say:
"Don't cry, Tuantuan. I'll make you something delicious."
The other children tried to comfort her for a long time, but none of them had as effective an effect as Ning Jia's words. Tuan Tuan immediately stopped crying and looked at Ning Jia curiously:
"Sister, what delicious food are you making?"
Ning Jia couldn't help but reach out a finger and touch his soft cheek. "Go inside and have some water first, and you'll find out soon enough."
"What? Dinner's ready? Come in right away!"
He Meng became anxious upon hearing this and herded the group of little ones into the room like chicks.
However, they didn't go through the main entrance; to be precise, they went through the small door specially installed for the Lilliputians on the windowsill.
As the weather got warmer, Ningjia bought a security screen online to replace the old one. She also bought an oval cat door and installed it in the lower left corner of the screen. She then placed a potted green ivy on the windowsill, the drooping leaves serving as both decoration and a ladder for the little ones to climb.
At this moment, under He Meng's watchful eye, the little ones are climbing up the pothos leaves in an orderly line, then one by one they squeeze through the cat door and into the living room. He Meng, the last one to enter, carefully looks back at the small door, pushes it, and closes it tightly.
Ning Jia watched with great interest, then suddenly realized that these little people were going in so earnestly to eat, and that she was the one cooking. She quickly changed her shoes and went inside to cook.
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