Chapter 168:
Little Miaomiao put her little hand to her mouth, “Selling baked bread! Selling crispy, various flavors of baked bread!”
“Yo, little yellow oriole is here again!” The pancake seller across the way teased!
“Miaomiao, have your mother save two pieces of toast for me today, to take back as snacks for the little children.”
“Okay, Granny Xie!”
“Uncles and aunties passing by, brothers and sisters, deliciousness can’t wait, wait any longer and there’ll be none left!”
This baked bread didn’t need hawking; people nearby had already noticed.
That big guy showed up, giving a bit of brand feel around here; after all, last time many people didn’t get any.
…
“Luo Niangzi, why haven’t you come for several days? Quick, give me one of these baguettes!”
“Okay! Uncle Zhou!”
“Give me a bean paste flavored one, and one toast.”
“Eh, what’s this?”
“This is called egg tart! So delicious it’s smoking! Eat one and want another!” Old Lady Zhao had no business, saw the mother and daughter too busy to reply, and quickly chimed in!
“Six of them!” Didn’t even ask the price.
Others saw almost none left, “Don’t grab! Take this whole basket back for me, it’s mine!”
“Hey, don’t grab! Don’t grab!”
People squeezed against people, sales situation great; in no time the bamboo baskets that had some turned into empty baskets spinning in circles on the ground.
Li Sanmao parked the mule cart, came over and looked around, saw so many people crowded at the stall ahead? What was going on?
“Make way!”
The person behind yanked him aside!
Looking closely, a fifty-to-sixty-year-old auntie was also running toward their stall.
“Is there tasting today? Save some for me, save some for me!”
Looking again, the crisply speaking person in the gap wasn’t Miaomiao?
“Uncles and aunties, don’t rush, slower, slower! Safety first!” Why were so many people squeezing at his wife’s stall?
Miaomiao was handing out bread; this girl knew how to do business now?
Weren’t those people holding the baked bread his wife was selling?
No way? This baked bread had so many people buying? It was his first time seeing such a scene.
Afraid Miaomiao would get squeezed or trampled, he quickly took big strides over, “Make way, make way!”
“Who are you?”
“Line up to buy, it’s already gone!”
The person in front scolded him, and as he spoke, looked ready to raise a fist to beat him.
“Hehe, oldest brother, I’m not buying bread, I’m Luo Niangzi’s man, trouble letting me through.”
“Excuse me, excuse me!”
Li Sanmao was sweating, quickly explained.
That person grumbled unwillingly and made way; he had to explain to several more aunties before finally squeezing in.
“Father, you’re late! Look, this basket is all sold out!”
Miaomiao raised her little hand and pointed at the ground for him; he was a bit shocked—did this baked bread have so many buyers?
He had even said maybe he’d go up the mountain these couple days to hunt some wild game and sell it in town.
Home probably had no silver left; he saw his wife had used up the corn flour to ease the family’s urgent needs.
It seemed this baked bread was absolutely not the small-time livelihood his wife had said; he also saw a huge business opportunity.
But
“You woman, really, is this how you do business? Bringing so little each time, enough for who? Made me line up so long, shouted till my throat’s hoarse, and didn’t save me even one baguette!”
“Sorry, oldest brother, next time I’ll try to make more!”
“Who believes you? Last time I didn’t get any either!”
“Sorry!”
That person angrily glanced at the grannies and women around, couldn’t squeeze through the crowd, and left grumbling!
“Exactly, now it’s not even tasting? Sold just a few days and already cocky with tail up to the sky!”
“Next time make more, do some tasting, otherwise who knows if it’s good?” It was that auntie who had yanked Li Sanmao aside earlier.
Others saw none left and dispersed; thinking this old woman was really delusional, still tasting? Without tasting they were fighting over heads to buy.
Those who bought the bread they wanted were happy; those who didn’t were extremely unhappy like that uncle just now.
“Wow, Luo Niangzi your business is too good; in my opinion, auntie, wouldn’t it be great if you came to sell every day? What’s the point of staying home?”
Granny Xie saw Luo Zhi’er stuffing silver into that little bag, bulging; tsk, must be two strings of cash, said with a face full of envy.
“There’s other important things to do at home, Granny Xie; I also want to come to town to sell every day, but this baked bread handicraft is quite complex.”
“Operating alone with Miaomiao helping, if baking every day and then coming to sell, no time at all; at least every two or three days, but can’t leave home!”
“Like that? No one else at home to help?”
Indeed, this stuff looked like many varieties, not easy to make!
“Very hard work, Granny Xie; Mother made it till late last night!”
Miaomiao said too.
Granny Xie wanted to suggest renting a stall, but thought better; glanced at the hands-off shopkeeper nearby, standing there half the day like a wooden post.
Nowhere to be seen when selling.
Anger rising, you good-for-nothing man who did nothing, said flatly: “You’re Miaomiao’s father, right?”
Li Sanmao politely nodded to her!
“Your wife is fat but good; tell me, I’ve seen her and the girl come several times, never saw you come once.”
“Honestly, you unwilling for a woman to come to town exposing face doing business, right?”
“Hehe, no such thing.”
Looked like it; she was young but because of this fought with the man at home; that old guy still said sour words mocking her, saying she’d broadened horizons and looked down on him and such.
“See, earning money and still like this is wrong; so do you despise her for being fat, treating her and the girl badly?” So no deliveries or pickups this time.
“Ah, no, no!”
This was his heart and soul baby; he couldn’t say he’d just gotten out of jail.
“Since so, you should fork out some silver to rent her a stall in town, let her bake and sell on site; wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?”
Li Sanmao didn’t know how to respond for a moment, embarrassed; he had no silver on him, last time when they were detained, the silver on him was taken too.
Penniless.
Li Sanmao hung his head, face flushed, listening to her lecture!
“Don’t mind me talking much; with this old woman’s years of doing business experience, your baked bread has good prospects; as her man you should support her, not hold back.”
“Yes, yes!”
Evening back home after dinner, Miaomiao ran tired and fell asleep; before bed, Luo Zhi’er took out all the earnings from this period’s livelihood, including silver left from buying raw materials today, put on the table.
Gave Li Sanmao an account; excluding the two hundred taels banknote from selling vegetable recipes, took out all the silver she had on her so far; Li Sanmao was stunned.
Looking at the copper coins piled like a small mountain on the table, plus banknotes, small silver fragments, no less than thirty taels.
How did his wife have so much money?
“Husband, this is from deliveries this period, plus selling two vegetable recipes, selling bread money.”
Li Sanmao widened his eyes, “Wife, you keep it; why take it out for me?”
Mother had nagged in the prison cell that she spent the delivery silver, secretly hid private savings, ran off with another man; wasn’t this all laid out for him to see?
Even beat up that Li Daniu!
Luo Zhi’er quietly looked at the man before her; she wanted to know his attitude, his actions.
She knew he was penniless; wanted to know if he’d take it away, or choose to trust her?
“Oh? You want me to keep it all?”
Luo Zhi’er said flatly.
“Wife, this is money you earned; money you earned yourself, you keep it.”
