The grandchild and grandfather quickly ate breakfast, tossed the bowls and chopsticks into the pot, thinking they would wash them when they returned; there was no time to do it now.
Taking all the things, Bai Dan went out with Bai Zhi. Since the food was easily spoiled, all the Green Bean Cake was in the basket carried by Bai Zhi,
It was somewhat heavy, but her face was adorned with an expectant smile, thinking it would be great once everything sold out.
They hadn’t walked far when the bus arrived. Yes, there was a bus to town from their place, two yuan per person. It was a bit expensive. Normally, Bai Dan would definitely not take the bus.
Bai Zhi originally wanted to say that she could walk, but on second thought, getting there earlier and selling out sooner was better. So, she didn’t refuse.
The grandfather and granddaughter sat on the bus, bumping along on the muddy road, Bai Zhi swaying so much that if Bai Dan hadn’t been holding her, she might have hit the window.
Bai Zhi stuck out her tongue, embarrassed. The rocking made her feel sleepy. She really didn’t mean to.
Bai Dan looked at his lively granddaughter and smiled as well. It had been so long since he had seen his granddaughter smile so happily. When he used to visit her, she was either sweeping or doing laundry,
Diligent? Of course, his granddaughter was always the best-behaved. But then again, Old Man Mao said that Xingxing would face a tribulation this year. If she got through it, she would be blessed later on. If not, she risked a life of hardship. He had been keeping an eye out, hadn’t he?
That blood the other day had nearly blinded him, it was so frightening. He feared for his granddaughter to end up like his wife, never returning home.
He didn’t realize it, but his eyes began to sting. Something fell from his eyes. He reached up to wipe them and found they were tears.
He was getting old, wasn’t he, lacking in resilience?
They soon arrived in town, and Bai Dan went with his granddaughter to their stall. Bai Zhi set out the Green Bean Cake, placing it in the basket her grandfather had woven,
There were also bags of potato chips, not freshly made but she had kept them well, and they still looked appetizing.
It wasn’t long before some children came over.
They weren’t asking about the Green Bean Cake but about the potato chips. Bai Zhi handed out a bag for them to sample.
Of course, each child could only take one chip. After trying them, the children’s eyes lit up, and they immediately tugged on their mothers, wanting to buy.
“Mom, Mom, I want this, it tastes good.”
That mother thought, isn’t it just potatoes? What’s so tasty about that?
“It’s just potatoes, what’s so tasty? I’ll make some for you at home.”
She probably thought they should be fried; she wouldn’t indulge in that. Boiling them in water would be the most she’d do.
Yes, it was only 1996. Frying food, if not for holidays or festivals, was considered quite wasteful.
Bai Zhi was not in a hurry. If this parent was stingy, there would always be others willing to buy for their children. And these potato chips were not only for kids; they were fried to a crisp, preserved well, and even adults would find them irresistibly crunchy and fragrant!
Just like herself, she had resisted for a long time, not daring to taste them for fear of not being able to stop. After all, she was a complete foodie through and through.
“Mommy, I want this!”
Another mother and child approached, and Bai Zhi smiled, immediately offering a chip to the little one, naturally wearing disposable gloves,
“Little friend, please have a taste, courtesy of your sister.”
The little one appeared tempted but didn’t take it, instead glancing at his mom,
A very well-behaved child indeed.
His mother, unlike the previous one, looked at the potato chips, wrapped in oil paper, and noticed Bai Zhi’s disposable gloves, as well as her son’s longing look,
“How much for a bag?”
Opportunity knocked!
“1.5, because my bags are quite big, pouring them out you get at least the amount of two bowls!”
Despite being small bowls, it was indeed a generous quantity.
The woman frowned slightly, then the boy pulled at her hand, his eyes filled with desire,
The woman bit the bullet, decided to buy.
“Alright, I’ll take a bag!”
The woman felt a pang spending the money, but seeing her child leap with joy eased her regret. It really did seem like a lot, she thought, considering it a reward for her child.
The boy happily followed her, eating as he walked, while the woman frowned; her child was always well-behaved, not the type to eat on the go like this. Could it really taste that good?
“Son, let Mommy have one,” she said, crouching down. The boy obediently fed her one,
and upon tasting it, her eyes lit up—it was delicious indeed!
“Son, this is a good deal at $1.50. Let’s buy two more bags, one for your little uncle,”
the woman said, leading the boy to buy two more bags.
Others followed suit and tried them out; some bought, and some did not.
The fries sold out quickly,
but the Green Bean Cake did not; Bai Zhi frowned. It was quite a hassle to make, and she was somewhat reluctant to offer samples, but…
Biting the bullet, Bai Zhi cut a slice into bite-sized pieces with a bamboo stick for sampling.
Some did try it, but because it was priced too high at $5 a pound, only two people bought it,
leaving three pounds unsold…
She hadn’t expected her first venture to fall short like this.
Bai Zhi felt a touch of disappointment, but then she thought that if everything was immediately successful, that would be strange. It was just three pounds; she could take them home and eat them slowly.
Yet, it was still frustrating. Should she switch to something else?
Make a different product? But what?
She didn’t want to make too many fries—it would have been difficult to manage the timing,
as they would turn soggy if left too long. What to do?
Bai Zhi’s gaze wandered over the marketplace. What to make?
Naturally, her first thought was to make something edible, preferably something that children would like. What could it be?
Candied haws?
Hmm, that seemed unreliable—too expensive and no parent would want to buy; too cheap and she wouldn’t make a profit.
What then? Think, think…
“Hello, how much are you selling your Green Bean Cake for?”
“$5 a pound!”
Distracted, Bai Zhi answered without thinking,
“Then I’ll take them all!”
“What?”
Bai Zhi stared in astonishment at the person before her—a very neat-looking young girl, who seemed to be only in her teens.
“Do you really want all of them? I have three pounds here!”
Though happy to make the sale, Bai Zhi didn’t want the young girl to get scolded for buying too much—that wouldn’t be good!
“Yes, I’ll take them all,”
the young girl nodded seriously again. She had tasted a piece and found it delicious, which is why she wanted to buy more and savor it.
It looked very pretty, the color of mung beans, and when she tasted it, the mung bean’s fragrance and red bean’s sweetness marvelously blended together in her mouth. To her, it was incredibly tasty, and in comparison, the Green Bean Cake from her home tasted quite awful.
“But with so much, it will go bad.”
Bai Zhi hesitated; while the Green Bean Cake was tasty, she was worried it wouldn’t keep well and would spoil.
“Don’t worry,” the young girl reassured her, not expecting the little kid selling Green Bean Cake to be so honest. She smiled at her.
“My family owns a cake shop in this town, you understand now, right?”