Today, she obviously made a hundred more than yesterday, but they still sold out very quickly. To be honest, even Qiao Wei was surprised at the level of popularity.
It’s not that I didn’t think it would sell well, but I didn’t know that it would sell this well.
If this continues, it won't be long before she would be able to save next year's land rent.
Qiao Wei was in a good mood.
The children were also in a good mood. Although they didn't know how to do business, they couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and joy when they see other people's stalls being deserted and their own stalls s0 busy.
Qiao Wei bought three candied haws for the children as usual. After that, she and Aunt Luo began to close the stall.
Halfway through their work, a well-made carriage stopped in front of the stall, and a maid wearing a light green skirt descended. She was the one who was traveling with Mother Fang.
She rushed over: "Madam, I want twenty red bean glutinous rice cakes!"
Qiao Wei smiled: "Sorry, girl, you are late. We’re all sold out."
The maid frowned in disappointment: "Ah? Sold out? How come so fast? I set out from the capital early in the morning and came here especially to buy your snacks!"
Although Qiao Wei didn't like Mother Fang and that girl, she had a good impression of this upright and simple maid. "I would have saved some for you if I had known you were coming."
The maid thought for a while and took out a couple of silver from her purse, "Then can you save some for me tomorrow? I'll make an advance deposit."
They had only met once and had had a dispute with her master at that time. Yet she actually dares to place a deposit?
Qiao Wei couldn't help laughing: "This is a stall, not a shop. Are you not afraid that I will take your money and run away?"
"Ah? Will you?" The maid's eyes widened.
Qiao Wei didn't know what to say and smiled helplessly: "No."
The maid patted her chest in relief.
Qiao Wei said again: "What snacks do you want to order and how many?"
"Don't you only have red bean glutinous rice cakes? Is there anything else?" the maid asked.
Qiao Wei put the stool away and tied it up: "I made some sweet taro snowballs today, and they sold well."
The maid said without hesitation: "That too then, twenty!"
"You eat so much by yourself?" Qiao Wei asked in surprise.
The maid said: "It’s not for me, it’s for Mrs. Ji. You don't know, do you? My lady gave the cakes I bought from you last time to Mrs. Ji. The Old Madam liked it, so Miss asked me to buy some more. But it seems that you can't buy it today. I will definitely come tomorrow!"
"Good." Although she didn't know who the Old Madam Ji was, the person paid court to by the Enbo Palace’s daughter must be rich or powerful. Qiao Wei returned the silver to the maid, "A hundred coppers is enough. Do you have any change?"
"Yes!" The maid took the money and took out a small bunch of coins from the purse, precisely one hundred coppers.
Today, they failed to run into Father Shuan Zi. Qiao Wei and Aunt Luo rented a carriage in the town. Now that the business was good, they were not stingy with the fare.
Excluding the round-trip transportation expenses, there were still 300 coppers left from today’s earnings, which is enough to buy 100 catties of rice.
Just half a month ago, the family of three did not dare to expect to eat white rice every day. Now, not to mention rice, meat is also available every day, and the children look much better. But they were still skinny, so they need to eat and gain more nutrients.
Qiao Wei bought some pork belly. She also wanted to purchase some shrimps to increase calcium intake for the children. But because winter was not the season for shrimps, and since it was shipped all the way from the south, its price can not just be described as expensive.
Buy seven or eight catties, and she can go bankrupt.
Finally, she settled on buying a fish.
The fish was stewed and scalded, the pork belly was braised with carrots, and the family of five (the little ferret is also counted as a member) feasted to their hearts’ content.
After eating, Qiao Wei went to the mountain forest to check if any small animals had been caught and to change to fresh bait.
To her great surprise, the doors of both cages were closed today, and the bait in them was gone. However, while there was a pheasant inside one of them, the other had nothing but a couple of silver.
This... was her prey bought again?!
Who the hell is it?
After thinking about it yesterday, Qiao Wei ruled out the villagers one by one. Everyone was poor and would not spend a couple of silver on buying a game animal. Even if they wanted to buy it, they would go find Xu Dazhuang and never just take it from a cage.
Could it be that… Are there people still living in this forest?
Qiao Wei went back to the yard suspiciously.
Aunt Luo had just finished washing the children's hair. Both had a mop of wet hair, like a chicken coop, and their eyes were watery and cute.
Qiao Wei couldn't help rubbing their heads.
Aunt Luo looked at the pheasant in her hand and said: "You caught it? This chicken is about three to five catties and can be sold at a good price."
"I’m not selling it." Qiao Wei put the chicken into a cloth bag and handed it to Aunt Luo, "You have worked hard these days. Take it to make up your body."
Aunt Luo didn't want it.
Qiao Wei said: "I know you’re not looking for any benefits by helping me, but I want to honor my elders. You must fulfill my wish."
When she put it like this, Aunt Luo was not upset. She hesitated, and said: "There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while."
"What's the matter?" Qiao Wei asked.
Aunt Luo said: "Your sister-in-law’s brother's celebration; you should go with me. I could see that your elder brother wanted to invite you but didn’t for fear of making you uncomfortable."
"She" used to be notoriously unsociable in the village. Luo Yongzhi was afraid that if he invited her, she would attend even when she didn’t want to, to honor his kindness, which would be uncomfortable.
Qiao Wei was worried that she had no chance to repay Aunt Luo. Even if Aunt Luo hadn’t mentioned it, she was ready to say it, and she readily agreed.
After Aunt Luo left, she went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for tomorrow morning. She didn't sell anything left overnight, and all the snacks were cooked in the early morning.
Considering that she must go to Cuiyun's brother's house the day after tomorrow, she decided to prepare more tomorrow.
When she was ready, she entered the house and suddenly remembered about the prey.
I wonder if that person will come tomorrow.
Wouldn't it be wrong to charge him a couple of silver each time?
A hare costs only a hundred coppers, but she is selling them a thousand now! This is a *Qingdao prawn in disguise!
(*T/N: Refers to a famous scandal where a diner in the Chinese city of Qingdao was caught charging a humongous price for “freshly- caught” prawns. Click here for more.)
Her conscience is a little disturbed.
Qiao Wei stroked her chin and decided to create a price list.
She has read the words of this era in the town, which is a bit like Xiaozhuan. Her regular script of traditional Chinese characters was good enough, but the small seal script was a bit too difficult for her.
(T/N: Xiaozhuan/Small Seal Script is an archaic form of Chinese calligraphy, standardized in ancient China around 220 BC under Qin Shi Huangdi’s rule, the First Emperor of Qin. Click here for more.)
After hesitating, she decided to use stick figures.
First, she drew a rabbit on a thin wooden board and then drew a white mosquito next to the rabbit - homophonic to one hundred wens.
As for a pheasant’s price, she drew a black mosquito and added eight small stones under the black mosquito. This should be obvious enough.
[T/N: Don’t worry, it’ll be obvious once I explain. In Chinese, 一百文 (Yi bai wen = 100 wen) = 一白蚊 (Yi bai wen = white mosquito). Also, 八十文 (Ba shi wen = 80 wens)= 八石 (Ba shi = eight stones) + 蚊 (wen = the black mosquito she drew). By the way, one wen is the same as one copper coin.]
After finishing the painting, she put the wooden sign in the cage in the mountain forest.