Chapter 35 Tonight, those two will definitely...
"Set up a stall?" Su Shi's small face was full of surprise. He pointed at Fusu, then at himself: "You mean, the two of us?"
"Uh-huh!"
"But we were unfamiliar with the night market."
"You can ask Master Jingjue for help."
"You're right!... So what should we put there?"
As Fusu answered the questions, he walked deeper into the pile of luggage: "You'll see when you come over and take a look."
After a moment, he rummaged through his luggage and pulled out a dark red wooden box. It was very similar to the gift box he had given to Mei Yaochen before, but a size larger: "Do you think anyone would like this?"
The box was lined with translucent glutinous rice paper, and a sweet aroma emanated from the translucent, golden-brown paste. Su Shi leaned in and took a light sniff: "It smells so good, is it honey?"
"It's syrup. You can use it to draw."
"Painting!" Su Shi's eyes lit up suddenly. He hadn't forgotten that the person in front of him was the big spender who appreciated his painting skills: "You mean, we can use this syrup to paint, and then set up a stall together to sell them?"
“That’s right!” Fusu said, snapping his fingers lightly.
"!!!"
Su Shi's eyes lit up again: "How did you do that just now? Teach me, teach me!"
"Uh, you mean snapping your fingers?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Fusu opened his round, white, steamed bun-like hands: "Like this, then like this, and then..."
Su Shi imitated Fu Su's posture, put his fingers together, and tried to strike more than ten times. He only heard the muffled sound of his knuckles rubbing together, without any crisp sound of air exploding.
"What's going on? Why isn't it snapping?" He was fixated on snapping his fingers, and Fusu also found it strange. He leaned closer and examined it carefully for a while: "Could it be because your hands are too small?"
Isn't yours smaller?
"That's right."
The two men looked at each other in bewilderment.
Fu Su glanced at the sky outside the window and said, "Never mind that for now, let me pack my things out first."
Since setting up a stall at the night market was a last-minute decision, all other materials could be obtained from Master Jingjue, whether borrowed or purchased, but the syrup itself was the most important. Fusu observed the state of the syrup; because it had cooled and solidified, it was difficult to paint on it freely. So Fusu heated the wooden box over the wick of a candle.
"How extravagant!" Su Shi exclaimed in surprise.
"It's the same if we heat it with firewood. It's just that we're short on time now and it's not so easy to get some. We'll go to the canteen next time and ask for a couple."
"That's true. You're so cute, someone would definitely be willing to give it to you."
Fusu remained silent, but thought to himself: "Su Dalang, do you think you're not cute or likable? You really have no self-awareness."
As they spoke, the translucent syrup began to melt, and the sweet aroma of the honey became even more intense.
"Now I finally believe it can be used for painting." After getting permission, Su Shi dipped it in syrup and put it in his mouth: "It's delicious!"
After seeing the finished product, he gained great confidence in his street vending business and even became eager to try it out: "What should we draw?"
"Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, flowers, birds, fish, and insects?" Su Shi said, "I have no problem with these, but wouldn't it be strange to pair them with sugar?"
Xiangguo Temple Night Market, what a bustling, vibrant place! There are probably not many people who can appreciate literati paintings there.
"What about the person in the painting?"
If we're talking about historical figures, the most popular IP today is undoubtedly the Three Kingdoms period. Especially popular are Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and Zhao Yun from the Shu Han dynasty. Later figures like Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Guo Jia are relegated to a secondary position.
"Um……"
Su Shi hesitated, "I've never painted this before, shall I give it a try?"
However, selling figurines is really not cost-effective. Not only do they require a lot of materials, but they're also prone to mishaps, inevitably leading to high prices. With so much spare money spent on candy, it's much more enjoyable to go to a brothel and listen to a storyteller recount "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
Suddenly, memories of Fusu's past life surfaced in his mind: "I've got it!"
He gestured a circle in the air: "We can make a spinning wheel in advance, and whatever spins on the wheel, we'll draw for the guests!"
Of course, the price for each spin of the wheel must be such that they can still make a profit even if they draw the most complex sugar painting.
"This is good!"
"You can draw patterns of several zodiac animals, and gourds, peaches, and ingots can also be added." These are all auspicious elements popular in the Song Dynasty.
"As for the grand prize... how about drawing a dragon?" Fu Su originally wanted to joke, "No, don't look at me like that, I didn't really intend to draw one!"
Su Shi patted his chest: "What if you eat a dragon? You really scared me."
"Don't worry, even if something goes wrong, I'll be the one who suffers, not you!"
"How could that be? You came up with the idea, but I wrote the drawing." Su Shi didn't take Fusu's boasting to heart: "How about this, the grand prize will be a painting of a carp, how about that?"
Carp were also a common auspicious symbol in this era. Unlike other fish, it also carried the connotation of "carp leaping over the dragon gate," signifying success and smooth progress in imperial examinations. In the scholarly Song Dynasty, this was considered the most auspicious sign.
"Okay, this is it."
Fusu then counted on his fingers: "There should also be finished products, preferably with a straw display stand, and tastings..."
"Let's not worry about that now!" At this moment, it was Su Shi who was urging us to hurry up: "It's almost dark, let's get to the night market first and then talk about other things. Let Master Jingjue find us a better stall!"
Let's go!
"Walk!"
The two, aged seven and three, harbored mature business plans, but to outsiders they were still children. Running one after the other along the soon-to-be-bustling Xiangguo Temple night market street, they attracted considerable attention.
The two little ones are extremely cute, with bright, intelligent eyes.
The elder brother carried a huge wooden box, while the younger brother, a little boy, had candles, paper, and other odds and ends tucked into his sleeves. They rushed into the Great Xiangguo Temple, seemingly familiar with the place, and no one stopped them.
"Could he be a young master's son who sneaked out to stroll through the night market?"
"them"
"I guess they're brothers."
"Someone will probably come looking for them soon. Everyone saw them heading south of Xiangguo Temple."
The vendors who regularly set up stalls near the night market chatted casually. They weren't worried about the two children encountering any danger while out alone. Daxiangguo Temple was a temple worshipped by the imperial family; the road they walked along had even welcomed a royal procession not long ago. Anyone who dared to cause trouble nearby was practically courting death!
Of course, no one believed that the two students belonged to the Imperial Academy.
Where in the Imperial College would you find such a young child?
A moment later, the two little ones returned from the direction they had disappeared, and at the same time, a third person appeared. No, to be precise, it could no longer be called a person; it was practically a human-shaped storage shelf.
Tables, stools, a straw display stand... he carried them all on his back. The sheer amount of work left the onlookers speechless.
This is quite a show of force?
No way...
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the group of one adult and two children set up a table and chairs, wooden boxes, bamboo skewers, and a huge straw bundle almost half a person's height at an empty stall. They actually looked like they were going to set up a stall.
Jingjue hesitated for a moment, then extended his palm: "The stall rental fee is three hundred coins, and the rental fee for the rest of the items is fifty coins per day, so the total is three hundred and fifty coins."
Fusu thought for a moment, counted out four hundred coins, and put them in Jingjue's hand: "Use the rest of the money to treat the little master to some late-night snacks."
The latter involuntarily flinched.
Jingjue's feelings towards Fusu were complex: the future crown prince and his savior, he certainly dared not and could not disrespect him. But when he thought about how his miserable days without a moment's peace were all thanks to Fusu, Jingjue found it hard not to feel resentment. Fortunately, His Highness Prince Cheng hinted to him that he was in a state of disguise, and Jingjue breathed a sigh of relief, happily pretending that nothing had happened.
But charging His Highness a stall fee is a bit excessive, isn't it?
He shakily stuffed the four hundred coins into his pocket.
Fusu misunderstood Jingjue's meaning and secretly comforted him: "It's okay, we can make back our money by selling a few."
"What?" Jingjue exclaimed in surprise, "What do you want to sell?"
"Sugar painting."
Su Shi had already lit a fire to heat the bottom of the box and started trying to paint with the syrup. Except for the first tremor that caused a little extra caramelized syrup to drip out, Su Shi proceeded with the remaining steps extremely smoothly—using his wrist, extending his elbow, and making quick and steady strokes.
Although he couldn't compare to seasoned craftsmen, he had been learning calligraphy since childhood, so his wrists and arms were very strong. He also had a foundation in painting, and soon, a lifelike little goldfish appeared.
"How about it!"
Su Shi raised his head, waiting for praise.
Fusu clapped his hands like a seal: "Amazing! As expected of you!"
Su Shi gave a smug "humph" twice and continued to bury himself in his work.
Fusu then took over the rest of the work. He used bamboo skewers to press onto the backs of the newly baked goldfish, and then inserted the skewers into the straw bundles. After repeating this process several times, the straw bundles were filled with many finished products. The shimmering, almost transparent caramel-colored sugar paintings, glossy under the night market lights, resembled works of art.
After this booth appeared, the most eye-catching thing about the entire stall was no longer the two little kids. Almost within a few breaths, the surrounding crowd was drawn to the stall like a siphon.
Su Shi was startled, and his hand trembled, ruining a sugar gourd painting he was working on. He wasn't annoyed, though. He carefully crushed the ruined piece with a bamboo skewer and handed it to the onlookers who were too afraid to ask the price: "Everyone, come and try it! This painting is made of sugar, so it's edible."
"This...this is candy?"
"It's candy? How is that possible?"
"Candy can't be transparent! You're just kidding!"
Similar sentiments to those expressed by Empress Cao and Mei Yaochen resurfaced, prompting Fusu to smile knowingly. However, this time, he didn't eat it himself, leaving the opportunity for the customers to verify: "Whether this is candy or not, everyone will know once they try it. This is on me, no need to take money!"
The moment he finished speaking, the sugar pieces in Su Shi's hand were snatched away. At that time, sugar was still considered a luxury. And then there were free samples? It was like a windfall.
For a moment, the area around the stall was filled with a series of "crunching" sounds.
The syrup used for sugar painting is produced by the imperial kitchen. Not only is the raw material itself of superior quality, but even the firewood used for burning is pear wood, which produces little smoke and burns for a long time. The caramelized sugar flakes melt instantly in the mouth, and in addition to the sweetness that makes your eyes squint, there is also a very faint floral fragrance, which was suggested by a chef as being made with honey.
Good, delicious...
It's delicious, beautiful, and interesting—and the stall owners are two children. People in the Song Dynasty have always loved this, so how could it not arouse their desire to buy? People who originally only dared to look from afar immediately started asking about the price of the sugar paintings.
"How much is one of these gourds?"
"Daddy, Daddy, I want this big rooster!" Some children who happened to be passing by couldn't resist the sight of it and would drag people to the stall.
Seeing this, Su Shi seized the opportunity to shout: "Sugar painting spinner, fifty coins per turn, you can draw whatever you land on, it's all on the spinner on the straw tray—"
Fifty coins wasn't cheap. If one only ate meat, it would be enough for a strong man to eat his fill at the Xiangguo Temple night market. Upon hearing Fusu's price, many of the onlookers shook their heads and sighed, lamenting their lack of funds. But many more had a sudden realization: they could afford it!
They even thought it was cheap.
Ask around about how much a piece of glassware is worth in the market. This sugar painting is not only as beautiful as glassware, but it's also edible. They think they've gotten a great deal for only fifty coins!
"I feel like I'm going to hit the jackpot," Su Shi whispered to Fusu, his back to the packed crowd.
“Your feeling is correct,” Fusu said.
Unlike before, when they only wanted to earn some money at the night market to fill their stomachs, the two of them were definitely going to make a fortune tonight.
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