Chapter 146 A Woman of High Status
Only then did Chen Yongliang realize that he had overlooked the little girl selling sweet soup while selling pancakes!
He quickly got up and coaxed, "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you. I'll make you some sugar water right away." He said this as he went.
Wan Qiqi couldn't help but find it funny; it seems only children can leave people at a loss!
She also discovered that it takes two people to run a stall; one person can't handle it all.
Right now, we just sell the baked pancakes directly. If we were to bake and sell them fresh, we would be in real chaos.
The little girl smiled after receiving the sweet soup, took out three coins from her purse, and handed them to Chen Yongliang.
Her little hands were white and chubby, plump and round, like little steamed buns.
The chubby little girl was dressed in a pink satin dress and wore a small pearl hairpin in her hair. She was so cute and looked like a child from a wealthy family.
Wan Qiqi wondered, whose child is this? No one watches over them when they go out. Aren't they afraid of being kidnapped by human traffickers?
As I was looking at it, a faint floral fragrance wafted towards me, and then I saw an embroidered skirt appear before my eyes.
Judging from this demeanor alone, Wan Qiqi could already guess the person's identity, and she smiled faintly as she looked up.
However, she was still shocked by the person in front of her.
With an elegant demeanor, lightly made up, and bright eyes and white teeth, she is like a beauty who has stepped out of a painting.
She was dressed in a snow-white fur coat, and the jade ornaments in her hair jingled, making her stunning at first glance.
Chen Yongliang was also shocked by the sudden appearance of this beauty, and stood there dumbfounded.
The woman smiled faintly at Wan Qiqi, bent down and gently hooked the little girl's nose. Her lips parted slightly, and a clear voice came from her throat: "Coco, didn't I tell you to stay close to me and not wander off?"
She is like a gentle stream, making people feel very comfortable.
The girl named Coco pouted, raised her cup of sugar water, and said in a sweet, childlike voice, "I didn't wander off, I'm drinking sugar water."
Wan Qiqi glanced around and saw that the surrounding vendors were all slowly lowering their heads, and the passersby were automatically making way for them, as if there was an invisible barrier here. She had never seen such a scene since she transmigrated.
After pondering for a while, she suddenly realized that this person must be of extremely noble status, perhaps not just an ordinary young lady from a landlord's family.
"Coco, buy one for your sister too, it's so delicious!" Coco said, taking out three coins from her purse and holding them up to Wan Qiqi. "Sister, I'd like another one."
Wan Qiqi put the money away, took out a clean cup, brewed some tea, and handed it over in a slightly respectful voice, "Please drink."
The woman was slightly surprised, but after taking the sugar water, she smiled gently and said, "Thank you."
A simple "thank you" greatly increased Wan Qiqi's goodwill towards him, and she became curious about who this person was and why she had never seen him before.
Her intuition told her that this person might be even more powerful than the Tang family.
However, after the two sisters finished drinking the sweet soup, they did not linger. They smiled slightly at Wan Qiqi and left hand in hand.
After they left, Wan Qiqi noticed that the people in the crowd carrying weapons moved with a light step, clearly skilled in martial arts.
It took Chen Yongliang a while to come to his senses. He looked up and asked, "Sister-in-law, was that person a fairy?"
A nearby vendor couldn't help but laugh out loud, "That's not a fairy, it's Miss Bai!"
"Sigh, I can't believe it's November again, and Miss Bai is back with her mother to visit her family again!"
"Yes, she comes every year around this time. Judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to be married yet."
"Her family is powerful and influential; suitors are practically breaking down her door. Why would she be afraid of not being able to get married?"
The surrounding chatter made Wan Qiqi curious: who exactly was this Miss Bai?
She could tell that Miss Bai was past the marriageable age in ancient times. In an ordinary family, she would have already chosen to marry into a family of equal social standing!
If someone is still unmarried at this age, it could be because they can't find a suitable family to marry into, or it could be that they have someone they like but are not a good match for, which is why they remain unmarried.
Just as Wan Qiqi was thinking about it, she stumbled upon a juicy piece of gossip.
"Judging from the snacks her maid is carrying, she's probably going to the academy to see Master Wan again!"
"Yes, it's the same every year."
"Alas, it's a pity that Master Wan stayed in the town and was unwilling to take the imperial examination. Otherwise, he would have passed with flying colors and been accompanied by red candles, a double blessing!"
Wan Qiqi never expected that her guess would come true; she really did have someone she liked, and it was her second brother!
She recalled their encounter; that person's demeanor was indeed a good match for Wan Ziyan, only their social status...
She guessed that Miss Bai must be of high status to say that Wan Ziyan's success in the imperial examination was the reason he was able to marry such a beautiful woman.
"Sister-in-law... are they talking about your second brother and that young lady from earlier?" Chen Yongliang was stunned.
Wan Qiqi looked at him and nodded.
After a while, a group of men gathered around and pointed to the sweet soup that Bai had drunk. Wan Qiqi then instructed Chen Yongliang to take the opportunity to sell the cakes as well.
Before noon, all the pancakes and honey pomelo jam were sold out, leaving only empty jars and baskets.
The uncle and aunt were so exhausted that they slumped onto the bench. Despite the biting cold wind, a thin layer of sweat covered their foreheads.
At this point, some people came over and asked if they still had any sweet soup left, wanting to buy a cup.
Chen Yongliang waved his hand, "No more, no more, it won't be available until tomorrow!"
Wan Qiqi's eyes darted around, and she said loudly, "Xiangmingxuan has it, and I also provide the sweet soup there. If you want sweet soup today, you can go to Xiangmingxuan."
Upon hearing this, the man hurriedly left.
After resting for a while, Chen Yongliang started packing his things and couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, why did you only mention Xiangmingxuan? That dessert shop also has one!"
Wan Qiqi's eyes weren't too bright; she was counting the copper coins she'd collected that day. After counting them all, she asked, "What was the attitude of the dessert shop when you went there today?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yongliang recalled that every time he went to the dessert shop to deliver dessert, the owner and the staff always looked disdainful, as if accepting the sale of honey pomelo jam in their shop was a favor to the Chen family.
That attitude made Chen Yongliang very uncomfortable.
Chen Yongliang did not answer, but his expression already answered Wan Qiqi's question.
"In a while, we should only have teahouses in two towns and academies left!"
Wan Qiqi spoke casually, as if it were no big deal, but for Chen Yongliang, it was just a loss of a dozen taels of silver!
The honey grapefruit jam can be sold for at least another forty days. At 500 coins every two days, that's ten taels in forty days, which is no small amount.
He asked hesitantly, "Sister-in-law, should I go and talk to two more companies?"
“No need, scarcity makes things valuable.” Wan Qiqi stacked the two baskets together, put the stool inside, and carried it on her back. “Now that the reputation of our sweet soup has spread, we don’t have to worry about a lack of buyers.”
Chen Yongliang listened and it seemed to make sense.
The two packed up and returned to the Wan family home.
Since the two brothers lived in a side courtyard of the Wan family, their stall tools were usually kept at the Wan family's place.
There is only one archway between the side courtyard and the main courtyard, which is usually closed and locked from the main courtyard side. So the two brothers cannot enter the main courtyard on weekdays and can only wait for Wan Ziyan to come to them to open it.
But as time went on, the servants in the courtyard became familiar with the two of them and would open the door and run over to play.
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