Chapter Bonanza (2/10)

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Perhaps word had spread yesterday, for business was booming today. No sooner had Yan Xiaoyu and the others set up their stall than customers began flocking straight to them.

Morning chicken soup and tofu skewers proved more popular than the spicy dried tofu, with many diners buying breakfast. This dish wasn’t filling enough on its own, so customers needed a main staple. Consequently, the steamed buns and mantou from the neighboring stall sold well too.

Some customers even invented a new way to eat it: dipping tofu pudding into the chicken soup tofu skewers. Yan Xiaoyue watched with envy, tried it herself, and found it quite tasty.

The two-wen tofu pudding came without syrup, just pure bean aroma. Soaked in milky-white chicken broth, then topped with the chili sauce, shredded mustard greens, and aromatic vinegar, Yan Xiaoyu prepared the chicken broth tofu skewers—a mouthful of broth and bean curd brought pure comfort.

Unfortunately, Yan Xiaoyue could only take one bite of the chicken soup tofu before being swept away by the rush.

Fortunately, the siblings had eaten breakfast at the ox cart, so they weren’t starving.

Yan Xiaoyu’s stall was bustling with customers all afternoon. The neighboring stall owners watched the siblings constantly taking payments and serving customers, so busy they barely had time to rest. They were green with envy.

Each stall sold different foods, so varying quality was to be expected. But they’d never seen a stall this busy after only two days of opening.

“Madam Yin, look!” The pickle vendor leaned toward the drink seller, his eyes darting toward Yan Xiaoyu. “Since he opened, we’ve been crushed! My stall only made a few dozen wen yesterday—everyone’s buying his spicy dried tofu and fermented tofu instead! Now that his tofu pudding is selling well, your drinks aren’t moving either!“

”My drinks don’t rely on early customers either.“ The drink vendor smiled, subtly moving further away from him. ”They draw in more patrons. As long as our food is good, we’ll benefit too. Look at Mr. Bao’s buns and steamed bread today—aren’t they selling more than usual?”

As if! Yesterday, several customers who couldn’t handle the spicy tofu came over to buy drinks.

People are like that—after something spicy, they crave something sweet, and after something sweet, they crave something spicy. It’s only human nature. Brother Yu’s stall is right next door. She’s reaping the benefits. She should be thrilled.

And this Tan fellow, of all people, had to go and stir up trouble between him and Brother Yu. How could he?

Worried that Yan Xiaoyu might see and misunderstand, Mrs. Yin pointed to the passersby nearby: “Oh, aren’t those people heading toward your stall? You’d better hurry back to help! Your sister-in-law probably can’t handle it all alone!”

Tan was skeptical. Those customers seemed to be peering around and measuring distances—hardly like they wanted pickled vegetables. Still, afraid of missing a sale, he hurried over.

No sooner had he reached them than one shouted, “Whoa! We passed it! It’s not here!”

After a flurry of commotion, they turned around and headed back toward Yan Xiaoyu’s stall.

Tan, now thoroughly annoyed, returned to his own stall and gritted his teeth as he snapped at his wife, “I don’t know what’s so great about that spicy dried tofu or chicken soup tofu. They’re so expensive, yet people are lining up to hand over their silver!”

“These are all new delicacies the town never had before. I heard the chicken soup tofu skewers even have medicinal herbs for nourishment. The taste is genuinely good—it’s only natural they sell well.” His wife sighed. “I was thinking of buying some for our son to try!”

Hearing this, Tan grew even angrier: “You’re not going!!”

“Fine, I won’t go then.” His wife sheepishly abandoned the idea.

Tan’s resentment lingered: “Didn’t Qian’s daughter-in-law say those siblings were from the village below? Their father’s a cripple, their mother stutters—how did that family concoct delicacies the town’s never seen?”

Qian’s daughter-in-law watched his expression, uneasy: “Let’s just mind our own business and run our shop properly. No need to meddle in others’ affairs.”

“I wish I could be as generous as you,” Tan shot his wife a sidelong glance. “But with their spicy dried tofu and fermented tofu around, how can our pickled dishes compete?”

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

In the afternoon, the siblings finally settled down. This time, Yan Xiaoyue went to buy their afternoon snacks, and Yan Xiaoyu told her to pick his favorites and get extra.

Yan Xiaoyue was afraid. Asking her to do other chores still made her hesitate, but when it came to buying food, she’d grit her teeth and go.

Little did she know she’d prove even more popular at the market than her brother.

Yan Xiaoyu charged about like a whirlwind, having even exchanged harsh words with Yan Yongfang yesterday. The market vendors were sharp-witted folk and quickly realized this boy wasn’t someone to mess with.

His sister, however, was quiet and gentle, harmless as can be—easy to deal with. Most importantly, she could eat like a horse.

Good heavens! Yesterday alone, she polished off two bowls of bean curd pudding, a bowl of wontons, and two huge meat buns. When idle, her mouth never stopped—one moment she’d pull a dried sweet potato from her pocket to munch on, the next she’d nibble half a candy bar. Not a single item at their stalls escaped her hungry jaws.

Clearly, she was a big spender.

So whenever Yan Xiaoyue approached a stall, the vendor perked up instantly, beaming as they greeted her: “Hey, what’d you like to eat?”

Their attitude was incredibly warm.

Yan Xiaoyue, flattered by the attention, browsed the nearby food stalls and bought two orders of pan-fried buns, two orders of pot stickers, four sugar cakes, and a large portion of grilled pork.

Wherever she went, the stall owners smiled until their eyes crinkled.

Yan Xiaoyu felt a bit parched, so she went to Madam Yin’s stall and bought two cups of pomelo honey water.

Yan Xiaoyue also reheated and finished the leftover bowl of chicken soup and tofu pudding from breakfast, wasting not a drop.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Fifty portions of chicken soup, tofu skewers, and spicy dried tofu were prepared today. The skewers sold out by noon, while a few pieces of spicy dried tofu remained. Later, the tavern staff came and brought them all to serve with drinks to their patrons.

Perhaps word of the Qian family affair had spread. Though the tofu and tofu pudding quantities remained the same as yesterday, sales were significantly better.

Yan Xiaoyu placed great importance on these customers snatched from the Qian family. He specially divided the tofu into two bowls—one for firm tofu, one for soft tofu—displaying them on the table. He would also recommend the appropriate tofu based on customers’ preferences and cooking methods.

This approach proved successful—several women and their Fulang promised to return for future purchases.

Yan Xiaoyu deliberately controlled ingredient quantities. Today’s supply of dried tofu, tofu skewers, and puffed tofu matched yesterday’s volume. By early afternoon, all these items sold out.

Only a few blocks of tofu and a bit of tofu pudding remained at the stall, with the most leftover being the fermented tofu. But that stuff kept well; unsold portions could simply be taken back home.

The siblings calculated the remaining goods while waiting for Young Master Yan to pass by. Unexpectedly, before the hour of You, Young Master Yan Shaoxuan arrived first, riding in Ji Wenyan’s carriage.

The market road wasn’t wide enough for the carriage to turn onto the side street where Yan Xiaoyu was, so it stopped on the main thoroughfare—fortunately, not too far away.

Hearing the commotion, Yan Xiaoyu and the others looked over to see Yan Shaoxuan and Ji Wenyan leap down from the carriage one after the other.

Two strikingly handsome youths appearing in the marketplace drew immediate attention. Diners and stall owners alike instinctively followed their movements with their eyes.

Ji Wenyuan approached Yan Xiaoyu’s stall, greeting him warmly: “Brother Yu, I’ve come to support you!”

He then scanned the stall’s wooden basins and buckets with eager eyes. But upon seeing them all empty, his smile froze. “What? Is everything gone? No spicy dried tofu? No chicken soup with tofu? All sold out?!”

Yan Xiaoyu grinned triumphantly: “It sold out ages ago!”

“Yan Shaoxuan!” Ji Wenyan turned, his expression tinged with reproach. “Weren’t you bringing me to try Brother Yu’s specialties?”

Yan Shaoxuan: “…I didn’t expect them to sell out this fast.”

Ji Wenyan’s resentment ran deep, and in the end, he had Yan Xiaoyu serve him a bowl of bean curd pudding with fermented tofu.

He grumbled while eating: “You had to lure me with food, then abandon me! The chicken soup tofu skewers had broth—hard to carry, but I won’t hold that against you. But that spicy dried tofu portion was so small! Why did you only bring me one serving?!”

Yan Xiaoyu was utterly confused. Didn’t Yan Shaoxuan bring the spicy dried tofu as an offering for the Master? Why did he specially set aside another portion for Ji Wenyan? If Ji Wenyan wanted it, why not bring more?

Yan Shaoxuan felt a rare twinge of guilt: “You stayed at my place today. If you rush to buy it early tomorrow, no one will be able to beat you to it.”

“Deal!” Ji Wenyan beamed, eating the bean curd with renewed vigor. “Brother Yu, this fermented tofu is delicious—even better than what I had back in the city. Pack me ten portions to take home.”

Yan Xiaoyu considered it: “I’ll pack it in a clay jar when I get back. Oil paper bags are too fragile.”

Ji Wenyan nodded repeatedly: “You really think of everything.”

He reached for his purse to pay, but Yan Xiaoyu stopped him.

After dining at Yan Xiaoyu’s home, Ji Wenyan promptly had Yan Shaoxuan deliver two bolts of satin to him. The fabric gleamed with a smooth sheen, clearly costly. Having accepted such an expensive gift, how could Yan Xiaoyu possibly feel comfortable taking Ji Wenyan’s hundred coins for the fermented tofu?

Soon after, a boy who looked like a servant passed by with the market constable. Ji Wenyan set down his bean curd and adopted a formal tone: “Do you recognize me?”

The constable nodded hastily: “Master Ji, I’ve seen you at your residence. You’re the second son of the County Magistrate.”

“Good to know.” Ji Wenyan gestured toward Yan Xiaoyu and his brother. “These two are my friends. See to it they’re looked after—don’t let anyone bully them.”

The constable hastily agreed.

The surrounding diners and stall owners witnessed this exchange, their gazes toward Yan Xiaoyu and his brother shifting noticeably.

Yan Xiaoyu suddenly understood, inwardly relieved that he hadn’t accepted Ji Wenyan’s silver earlier.

Yan Erlang had helped him find a powerful ally without warning, leaving him unprepared and caught off guard. Still, he was genuinely touched that Yan Erlang had set aside his studies to bring Ji Wenyan here specially.

To show his gratitude, Yan Xiaoyu planned to return early and personally cook a feast for them.

Ji Wenyan beamed with delight and immediately had his servant help carry the goods. 

Marketgoers watched in wide-eyed astonishment as the magistrate’s son helped Yan Xiaoyu carry his burdens.

Mrs. Tan nudged her husband cautiously: “Young Master Yan isn’t someone we can afford to provoke. Don’t do anything foolish!”

“Do I need you to tell me that?” Tan’s face darkened. “This lad is a good match—even the magistrate’s son can be persuaded!”

Seeing his lingering reluctance, the woman sighed helplessly.