Chapter 46: Tired
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Alright, this guy had fallen for money. Xiaoxiao did not realize that she was the one who had caused Ning Erlang to change at all. She spat a few times perfunctorily.
After two days, the noodle stall owner was already familiar with them. They sent a small jar of sour bamboo shoots, and the boss sent them a large bowl of noodles. Their relationship also increased. Today, Xiaoxiao chatted with him about the rules of setting up stalls in the county.
The busiest part of the market was the area where the government allowed business. However, there was one thing the stall owner had to report to the government office and pay 50 copper coins monthly for the stall fee. Ning Erlang was speechless. “It’s that expensive?”
Xiaoxiao kicked him. “Can you understand the situation? We also earn money by selling every day. The stall fee is 50 copper coins a month. There’s only two copper coins for the stall fee per day!”
She leaned close to Ning Erlang’s ear and whispered, “Do the math. We’ve earned hundreds of copper coins in two days. In comparison, isn’t a mere fifty copper coins nothing? If we earn money every day, won’t we be able to save enough silver on credit soon? When the time comes, we’ll return the money to the village chief and the harvest in the fields will belong to our family. Then, we can continue to earn money…”
Ning Erlang did not want to be taught by his sister again, but he roughly followed his sister’s train of thought and his eyes lit up uncontrollably!
Xiaoxiao then continued to chat with the noodle stall owner. Ning Dalang was not as easy to trick as his younger brother. He knew very well that the unexpected gains these few days were only because they had come at the right time. The usual business was not that good. Moreover, sour bamboo shoots were only a novelty. Fewer people were coming to ask today.
However, he did not remind his brother. He only patiently tidied up the cushion that his sister had pulled askew.
After an entire morning, very few people still came to buy sour bamboo shoots. Ning Erlang was full of confidence and brought all the stock from the home, but he had only sold half a jar so far. He could not understand. When he saw a familiar old woman from afar, he stood up and waved his hand.
“Aunt Wang, over here!”
Xiaoxiao propped her chin on her hand and looked at him, shouting. It was good that her brother had become bolder, but his judgment was still not good enough. That old woman was so close to them. If she wanted to buy something, she would have come long ago. Why did she have to wait for him to greet her so hard?
As expected, Old Madam Wang’s tone became much colder after not seeing her for a day. “It’s you. 1 won’t buy bamboo shoots today. My young master was tired of eating it.”
So soon? Ning Erlang’s excited expression suddenly became dispirited. Xiaoxiao felt a little pitiful, so she took over and asked, “If we can always have fresh food here, do you want to buy it back and try again?”
Old Madam Wang asked suspiciously, “You guys?”
Xiaoxiao nodded. “That’s right. Anyway, the things we sell aren’t expensive. It’s not a loss to try them. For example, the prawns we have today are full of meat and fresh. Look, they’re still alive and kicking. Perhaps your young master will like them when he sees them and eat more mouthfuls when he’s happy?”
There were many fish sellers, but there were very few shrimp sellers. Just as the little girl had said, the prawns were very energetic. Most importantly, each of them was very big. They looked different from others. She fiddled with them and asked, “What’s the price?”
Xiaoxiao’s expression was calm. “30 copper coins per catty.”
Ning Erlang was shocked again. The fat was only 25 copper coins. His sister dared to say it. Wasn’t she afraid of scaring the guests away?
As expected, Old Madam Wang f rowmed and was about to stand up. “1 don’t think others are as greedy as you.”
Xiaoxiao was calm and unhurried as she lied, “Don’t tell me theirs isn’t as big as ours. This is a carefully selected high-quality prawn that only nobles can enjoy. Moreover, we’ve worked hard to catch them for a long time and picked the best. Only ten catties can produce such a portion. Do you not want it?”
Her eyes were sincere. “If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else. But let me make it clear first. If you go shopping now, it’ll be sold when you return later. Don’t be angry with us. After all, we don’t dare to keep such good prawns..”