After the old man sat down, he took a sip, and then his eyes widened in amazement.
The rich and intense flavor of the spicy soup explodes on your taste buds, so delicious it's like you're about to fly away.
"What does this taste like... My God, I've never tasted anything like this before! It's so unique! Five coins, worth it! Absolutely worth it!"
As he spoke, he couldn't wait to continue eating.
The crowd, already tantalized by the aroma, couldn't resist the old man's amazed expression and rushed forward.
"I want a bowl too!"
"Me too, add some chili."
"Add some vinegar for me, I like it sour."
Grandma Ye was overjoyed; such a scene was something she never dared to dream of when she was a street vendor in her youth.
Ye Huan'er lined the bowls with lotus leaves, Grandma Ye ladled out the spicy soup, Ye Caiping seasoned it, and Ye Jin'er collected the money, all working in an orderly fashion.
Some customers initially thought it was a bit pricey, but after taking a sip, they felt it was worth the money.
This bowl of spicy soup may not look like it has any meat, but it's even more delicious than meat!
One bite is delicious, and it keeps getting delicious as you eat it!
"Boss, another bowl, this time a large one!" Some people were still not satisfied.
"Me too, me too."
Ye Caiping's business is booming. In less than half an hour, she has already sold one bucket and is now opening the second bucket.
The plump aunt next door stared in disbelief, a surge of resentment welling up inside her.
Because customers who originally intended to eat at her breakfast stall changed their minds and went to eat spicy soup instead, seeing how lively and novel the food was here.
By noon, the hot and sour soup was almost gone, with only three or four bowls left. It had gotten cold, so Ye Caiping stopped selling it.
Ye Caiping scooped up two bowls and brought them to the breakfast stall: "Brother and sister, you should try some too."
The plump aunt was furious: "I'm not eating."
"What are you doing!" Auntie's husband glared at her, then smiled apologetically at Ye Caiping, "I'm sorry, she didn't mean it. Thank you!"
As he spoke, he took the spicy soup from Ye Caiping and placed it on the table. He then gave Ye Caiping two steamed buns as a return gift.
Ye Caiping accepted the money: "Big brother, I'll buy eight more meat buns."
Okay.
Ye Caiping paid the money and said with a smile, "Don't worry, your business will get better and better in a few days."
The fat aunt's husband took it as a polite remark, smiled, and said nothing more.
As Aunt Pang packed up her stall, she was shoving and banging things around. She hadn't sold half of her breakfast that day.
The fat aunt's husband whispered to her, "Alright, everyone has to rely on their own abilities to do business."
Aunt Pang wouldn't have it, and things were smashed with a loud bang.
Ye Caiping and Grandma Ye tidied up everything, separated the two steamed buns, and each of them had two meat buns, which they ate with the remaining spicy soup.
"Jin'er, Huan'er, you stay here and watch over things. Mother and I are going to buy some things."
At this time, Ye Bajin was escorting the villagers back to their village, and it would take him at least half an hour to return.
Ye Jin'er handed a large bag of copper coins to Ye Caiping: "Mother, take this."
Ye Caiping tossed the large bag of copper coins; it was quite heavy.
Ye Caiping carried a basket on her back and left with Grandma Ye.
Walking down the street, Grandma Ye said, "What should we buy? Like some wood ear mushrooms?"
“We still have these at home. The pork and bones won’t be fresh if we buy them now. Judging from today’s customer traffic, business will be even better tomorrow. Let’s buy another big bucket and make more.”
Grandma Ye was a little worried; they'd only been selling until noon, and the hot and sour soup would be cold by then. If they added another bucket…
But she still believed in Ye Caiping's decision.
Just then, Ye Cai saw a roadside stall selling chicks packing up, with twenty or thirty chicks left unsold.
Ye Caiping's eyes lit up: "Mom, let's buy some chicks! It's time to raise our livestock."
The chicken seller was a simple-minded man with a thick beard. He smiled and said, "Auntie, young lady, buy some chicks!"
Grandma Ye hesitated because she had no money.
Ye Caiping noticed her predicament: "The livestock at home were sold by me, so I will buy them back."
Grandma Ye felt a surge of warmth and comfort, both touched and gratified: "Alright. How much for these chicks?"
"Five coins each."
Grandma Ye nodded, "The price is fine: Let's buy ten, and you can give one away for free!"
The bearded man, thinking that the market was over for the day and that he would have to feed them for another day if he took them home, said, "Auntie, how about this: you buy eighteen, and I'll give you two for free?"
Grandma Ye was overjoyed: "Okay, then we'll take eighteen, plus two more, that makes twenty."
Grandma Ye squatted down happily, picking out the chicks.
Ye Caiping paid ninety coins, put the chicks in her basket, and left.
Ye Caiping said, "After the New Year, we'll catch two more piglets and raise them."
Grandma Ye smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared from her grin.
After buying the wooden bucket, Ye Caiping also bought some dried lotus leaves and flour, and then headed back.
Back at the stall, Ye Bajin was already there, carrying tables and chairs onto the oxcart.
"Thank you for your hard work," Ye Caiping said.
"Hehehe, it's not hard work, it's not hard work."
After everything was loaded onto the cart, the oxcart headed towards the village.
Ye Jin'er and Ye Huan'er sat at the very back, swinging their legs as they watched the scenery rushing past.
"Bajin, did the village head go to the county town today?" Ye Caiping asked.
"I went there and returned to the village with the villagers at noon."
"You'll be making another trip this afternoon, right? Then in the evening, go to the butcher shop and buy me 10 jin of lean pork, a pig's head bone, and 3 large pork bones. I'll pay you how much it is then."
"OK."
In this era without refrigerators, butchers would slaughter pigs twice a day to ensure people could buy fresh meat.
One time it was around 4 a.m., after slaughtering the animals, I sold them in the morning. Another time it was around 3 p.m., after slaughtering the animals, I sold them at the evening market.
So the meat I bought in the evening was fresh.
...
Fifteen minutes later, they returned to the village.
Old Man Ye and Ye Daquan stared in disbelief at the two empty barrels.
"Sold out completely?" Ye Daquan was the first to exclaim in surprise.
"Yes, yes." Old Mrs. Ye smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared.
"My goodness, these things really can be sold! It's actually true..."
Ye Daquan felt as if the whole world was unreal.
In his mind, selling things was difficult. His mother used to cook porridge that was thick and fragrant, and they only sold two bowls a day. He used to make wontons with thin wrappers and generous fillings, but they went bad and nobody bought them.
Now, my younger sister brought two large buckets of goods, and they were all sold out!
The whole family breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
In this way, Ye Caiping wouldn't lose all her silver, and might even be able to save some more for her dowry.
When Du and Wei saw that there was a group of chicks in the tattered straw cage in Grandma Ye's hand, they were overjoyed and quickly ran to clean the chicken coop.
Ye Peng, Jin Hua, and Yin Hua dashed out the door, saying they were going to find food for the chicks and catch insects and grasshoppers.
Grandma Ye looked at the lively family. Although everyone was busy with their own things, everyone had a smile on their face and was relaxed. The corners of their lips couldn't help but purse.
These days are getting better and better, and there's more and more hope for us.
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