Chapter 14 Business is Booming
People who went to the market today noticed that there was a new wonton stall there.
Selling wontons is not unusual; there are three or four wonton stalls in the whole market, and even more stalls selling other foods.
What's unusual is that the stall owner is a young woman. Although it was her first time setting up a stall, she was very efficient and showed no signs of nervousness about making a living in public.
Sheng An ignored the stares from all around her. Hearing the bubbling sound from the pot, she put down the wontons she had just wrapped and went to lift the lid.
A large plume of steam billowed out, and the domineering aroma of meat instantly filled the air, hitting people right in the head.
Glug—
A series of swallowing sounds rang out around them. Some passersby who hadn't had breakfast yet suddenly felt their stomachs rumble and stopped to look at the source of the aroma.
No one could describe how tempting the aroma was; they only felt an intense urge to eat.
Sheng An was also hungry, so instead of rushing to attract customers, he cooked himself a bowl of wontons first.
The aroma of meat in the air grew stronger and stronger, attracting more and more passersby. This was something that homemade meat soup could never compare to.
Sheng An was holding a steaming bowl of wontons and was about to sit down and start eating when a well-off old man approached, staring longingly at the wontons in his bowl: "Boss, how does it taste?"
Sheng An didn't expect anyone to ask that question.
She glanced at the old man, then got up and brought a clean bowl and spoon, dividing out a small half-bowl of soup and wontons: "You're the first person to ask since it's my first day setting up a stall, please try it."
The old man was delighted to hear this, and he lifted his hem and sat down without ceremony: "Boss is so generous, then this old man will not stand on ceremony with you."
Sheng An smiled, pushed the bowl and spoon in front of him, and buried her head in her food.
The old man didn't eat the wontons right away; instead, he picked up a spoon and carefully took a sip of the soup.
The moment the hot soup touches your mouth, it's like a hundred flowers blooming in spring, instantly blossoming in your heart.
The old man suddenly opened his squinting eyes, staring at the wontons in the bowl as if in disbelief.
In a hurry, he scooped up another spoonful of soup and drank it down, closing his eyes to savor the taste. Gradually, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Good, good, excellent!"
Without hesitation, the old man immediately scooped up a wonton.
Looking at the wontons, so thin they were almost transparent and the filling was clearly visible, the old man couldn't help but admire them and continued to savor them with great anticipation.
The old man's eyes lit up with even more surprise as he tasted the fresh, tender wontons, which had no trace of meaty smell. He gave Sheng An a thumbs up and said, "Young lady, you have excellent skills!"
Sheng An remained calm: "I think so too."
The old man was taken aback, as if this was the first time he had encountered such an unhumble person.
He then burst into laughter, which attracted the attention of countless passersby: "Okay, give me a bowl, a large one!"
"Okay, I'll cook after we finish eating."
The first order came in, but that didn't stop Sheng An from having a meal first.
She sped up her work making the wontons and quickly finished most of the bowl.
When Sheng An arrived at the stove to cook wontons, several people who knew the old man came up to him and asked, "How does it taste?"
The old man answered truthfully, "Excellent."
This time, the person who asked no longer hesitated and immediately shouted to Sheng An, "Boss, another bowl, please."
Seeing this, the remaining three shouted, "Five bowls, five bowls in total, large bowls!"
Sheng An was delighted with the great success of his first day at the stall. He quickly and efficiently cooked five large bowls of wontons: "Eight coins for a large bowl, a very reasonable price."
Eight coins is the market price for a large portion of pure meat-filled wontons, while a small portion costs six coins.
The old man and his companions weren't short of money for a meal of wontons, so they paid readily and began to enjoy the wontons that had whetted their appetites.
With forty coins in hand, Sheng An happily pocketed the money.
Whether it was because the old man and his companions were enjoying their meal so much, or because they couldn't resist the aroma, a new group of customers soon gathered around.
"Boss, a small bowl, please, with extra soup, I love it."
"Boss, I have a big appetite, so I'll have two portions, one large and one small."
"Boss, your wontons smell so good! I'd like to get some for my son. Can I bring the bowl back to you tomorrow?"
In response to customers' requests for takeout, Shengan promptly offered takeout services:
"Okay, but you'll need to pay an extra four-cent deposit. The deposit will be fully refunded once the bowl is returned."
This request was reasonable, and the customer immediately paid an extra four coins as a deposit.
With so many people, the small square table and four stools are simply not enough.
The customers didn't care at all. They just squatted down in the corner with their bowls and started eating, enthusiastically praising the delicious wontons along with the people next to them.
People have a herd mentality. When passersby saw so many people crowding around the wonton stall, ordering large portions as if they were free, they also joined in to watch.
Once they started watching, they couldn't resist the aroma and unconsciously opened their money bags, holding up copper coins and stuffing them into Sheng An's hands.
Sheng An hadn't expected business to be so booming on the first day. The more than two hundred wontons she had prepared were all cooked in no time, and there wasn't even time to make the rest.
When Xu Cuilian arrived, she could see from afar that the stall was surrounded by people, and she couldn't see Sheng An at all.
She was startled, thinking someone was there to cause trouble, and immediately rolled up her sleeves and aggressively pushed her way into the crowd:
"Shameless bastards, how dare you bully a young wife! I'll beat you to a pulp!"
When Xu Cuilian finally managed to squeeze in, she saw Sheng An, who was busy and sweating profusely and being constantly urged by the guests. She immediately understood what was going on and stared in shock.
This niece-in-law, whose breasts and buttocks barely add up to two ounces of flesh, is actually so good at business?
Look at these grown men gathered around, they look like starving ghosts who haven't eaten in eight hundred years.
Sheng An, with his sharp eyes, spotted Xu Cuilian and immediately rushed to her aid as if she were his savior:
"Auntie, come help me wrap wontons, my hands are too busy!"
Xu Cuilian would never refuse. Under Sheng An's guidance, she washed her hands, took over the task of wrapping wontons, and urged her to hurry up and serve the guests.
With an extra helper, Sheng An's pressure was greatly reduced. She was busy cooking wontons, collecting money, washing dishes, and disinfecting them with boiling water.
Soon, the remaining two hundred or so wontons were sold out, with no filling left, only the bone broth in the pot was enough to fill two bowls.
The customers who couldn't buy wontons were disappointed, but someone actually bought two bowls of meat soup for only three coins.
This scene left Xu Cuilian speechless.
After working intensely for nearly an hour, Sheng An felt completely exhausted and plopped down on a stool, not wanting to get up at all.
Xu Cuilian clicked her tongue, looking at the bustling market with a sense of regret:
"We can still sell them for another hour. Prepare more wontons tomorrow; I think we need at least a thousand."
Sheng An said quietly, "Is it that I don't want to? It's that I don't have three heads and six arms. My aunt saw it too; I can't handle it all by myself."
She underestimated the allure of delicious food.
People of this era, especially those who haven't experienced the baptism of various delicacies in their previous lives, are completely powerless against a bowl of wontons with added benefits.
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