Chapter 186 Do Not Misbehave
Several more customers arrived and everyone was busy. Bai Ruozhu was making pancakes, Bai Zehao was hawking and serving soup, Lin Ping’er was washing dishes, and Bai Yihong was carrying a wooden bucket to fetch water from a nearby well.
After setting up the stall, Bai Zepei went to Mr. Xie’s residence.
However, Bai Ruozhu didn’t forget the tofu seller next door who constantly gazed at her pot of soup. She filled a bowl of soup and had her mother deliver it.
Fusa thanked them profusely as she and Laifu took turns sipping the soup. Their faces showed that they wanted more, but they were too shy to ask Bai Ruozhu for more.
The first man to arrive had finished one pancake but drained all his soup. He appeared unsatisfied and asked Bai Ruozhu, "Miss, if I buy one pancake it comes with a bowl of soup. So if I buy two pancakes, would that come with two bowls of soup?"
Bai Ruozhu smiled and replied, "It would be our honor if you enjoyed our soup. Yes, buying two pancakes entitles you to two bowls of soup."
The burly man, pleased, scurried over. Bai Ruozhu ladled him a full bowl of soup, careful not to spill any because the soup was steaming hot.
"Miss, your business runs with integrity. You are honest with both young and old. I will definitely come again!" exclaimed the man happily.
"You’re welcome anytime. Don’t forget to introduce your friends too." Bai Ruozhu thought in her heart, hoping he would come often. His booming voice was akin to a live advertisement.
Another customer loved the soup but felt embarrassed to ask for more once he finished his portion, as he was full already. "Boss, can I have another serving of soup even if I’m done with it?"
Bai Ruozhu apologetically smiled, "I’m sorry, but our small business offers one bowl of soup for every pancake. If you especially love our soup, you can purchase it separately. A large bowl cost ten wen, but we guarantee it to have meat."
Teases from the crowd prompted the man to order the large bowl for ten wen. He watched Bai Ruozhu carefully to see if she really served him meat. To his surprise, not only did she scrape meat from the large bone for him, but she also gave him two pieces.
The man felt cheerful and believed the ten wen was worth spending.
The first day of business was going extremely well, Bai Yihong couldn’t help but smile while carrying water. Anyone who saw him would think he has stumbled upon good fortune. Bai Zehao’s hawking skills were also improving, Lin Ping’er, known for her quick movements, found dish-washing trivial and utilized the rest of her time on watching over Dengdeng.
To everyone’s surprise, the business went smoothly, and by midday all the pancakes and soup had sold out, not a single one left.
"Ah, if only we knew in advance to prepare more, see, people are still inquiring. What a pity." Lin Ping’er was hitting her leg, regretting deeply.
Bai Zehao couldn’t help but laugh, "Mother, you were the one who insisted on Ruozhu not to over prepare."
Lin Ping’er blushed and playfully hit her elder son, "I just wanted to play it safe, who knew that the townsfolk would like handheld pancakes so much."
Bai Ruozhu was laughing quietly on the side. How could they not? In her salt, she secretly added fresh soup powder which made her pancakes certainly more aromatic than any other. However, for cost and safety reasons, she only added a small amount. Even so, this was enough to distinguish her pancakes from the others.
Fusa, seeing that Bai Family’s stall was closing, hurriedly walked over. Bai Ruozhu smiled at her and complimented, "Your tofu has a good reputation and business is booming."
"Your business is also thriving and even brought us good luck. Many people bought a piece of tofu to take home after eating your pancake." Fusa was particularly pleased.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t want her stall to be too conspicuous and draw any unnecessary attention or jealousy, so she sought to have a good relationship with her neighbouring Lin Family, who fortunately, were sensible people.
"Ruozhu, don’t you have any tables? Although there are stools to sit on, it would be more convenient for the customers if they did not have to hold the bowl of soup in their hands," Fusa curiously inquired.
"Sister-in-law, my home is not located in town. It’s feasible to bring carts and chairs, but it would be difficult to bring tables," Bai Ruozhu answered with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Fusa immediately said, "We have an extra table at home. It’s just gathering dust. You can borrow it."
Bai Ruozhu felt a little embarrassed to accept, after all, they had just become acquainted with Lin Family. Even if it was borrowed, the table would suffer from wear and tear.
Fusa sensed her hesitation and with a laugh said, "In the past, we used two tables at our stall, but since we’ve been too busy and reduced our goods, we have a table to spare. It’s actually being wasted. We could even give it to you."
"That won’t do. It’s better if I buy it from you," Bai Ruozhu said, feeling awkward.
"There’s no need. If you insist, I won’t mention it again. You make it seem as if I’m trying to profit from you," Fusa made a face, implying Bai Ruozhu was being overly polite.
In the end, Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to agree and promised to invite Fusa and her husband for a meal the following day. Fusa gleefully accepted the invitation.
Soon after, Lin Laifu led Bai Yihong and Bai Zehao to fetch the table. According to Fusa, they could simply chain the table at the stall. Nobody would dare to touch it as it was the norm in the marketplace.
Soon, the table was brought over. Bai Ruozhu noticed it was fairly new, probably not used for long as it looked more new than the one Lin family was currently using. Bai Ruozhu felt more embarrassed and suggested, "Why don’t we exchange? You can lend us the table you’re currently using."
"It’s not necessary. I’m a lazy person and don’t want to do the hassle of changing tables. It’s too much trouble!" Fusa declined outright.
Lin Ping’er chattered with a smile, "We’ve indeed met noble people on our journey today. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lin are truly good people."
Bai Ruozhu wanted to chat more with Fusa, but Dengdeng began crying. Fusa quickly said, "The child might be hungry. You should go and tend to him. We have plenty of days ahead to chat."
Bai Ruozhu quickly excused herself from Mr. and Mrs. Lin, picked up Dengdeng, and accompanied by her mother, they went to a secluded alley to breastfeed. Even though her mother was on watch and the alley was quiet, Bai Ruozhu still felt uneasy. After all, they were outdoors in broad daylight. But given the primitive conditions of ancient times, it wasn’t feasible for them to rent a private room in a restaurant either. The money they made from selling handheld pancakes wouldn’t even cover that expense.
Neither of them noticed a figure flashing above. Jiang Yichun, wearing a mask, looked down. His face flushed crimson instantly. Fortunately, his mask hid his change of color.
He was secretly investigating a possible spy using his light skill to hide when he noticed a familiar figure below. Initially wondering what she was doing here, he was embarrassed to realize the situation. How could he forget the saying, "Do not look where you should not look!"?