Chapter 283: The Xiao’an Village Stall

Yan Yu had prepared three pots: one for boiling eggs, one for braising them, and a spare, just in case business was too good for a single pot to keep up.

That’s right—both Yan Yu and her daughter were that confident.

Not once did they consider the possibility that their goods might not sell.

As it turned out, the extra pot came in handy. They used it to braise tofu.

Thick tofu strips were cut and tossed into the pot. Before long, it was bubbling away.

The aroma of braised food was irresistible, the kind that awakened every craving.

The first to be drawn in were the children of Xiao’an Village.

Yan Xiao’er had made it clear: the food stall at the market was the Young Scouts’ own business. They had to run it themselves. But it didn’t take that many people, so this time, a few of the girls helped Yan Yu with the work.

The girls were quick and capable. Despite their young age, they were used to chores at home. After their time with the Young Scouts, carrying basins and pots was nothing to them. Their hands were steady and sure.

Yan Yu herself couldn’t be trusted to wash the chicken and quail eggs—she was afraid she’d crush them with a single squeeze.

Cutting tofu wasn’t her strong suit either. She couldn’t get the slices even.

So she turned to Granny Rong for help.

Granny Rong picked up a knife and, without even using a cutting board, sliced the tofu right in her hand. A few swift cuts, and the tofu strips were all the same thickness and size.

Just like her mother, she ended up in charge of collecting payment.

And just like before, the first coins to come in were from their own villagers.

Especially the Young Scouts.

They were the most supportive.

The braised eggs sold out first, followed by the tofu.

They didn’t even get a chance to sell to outsiders—just feeding their own village took everything.

Yan Yu had no choice but to ask Liang Fengnian, who had come to the market with his mother, to take over collecting money for her.

Then she called over Brother Er Tie and Brother San Tie to restock the eggs and tofu.

By now, the Grand Market was bustling.

Farmers were early risers. As soon as the sky brightened, people started arriving.

Yan Yu headed straight to the tofu vendor.

The woman recognized the boy who had bought half a slab of tofu from her earlier.

She gave him a once-over and, seeing he hadn’t brought the tofu back, let out a breath of relief. Not here for a refund, then.

“Auntie, you only brought two slabs of tofu today?” Yan Yu asked.

“Of course not. The Grand Market only comes once a month. Two slabs wouldn’t be enough. Around midday, my family will bring two more. You just bought half a slab, so I’ll probably pack up early today. That’s rare for me—I might actually get to walk around the market for once,” the tofu vendor said cheerfully.

She never missed a Grand Market, but she rarely had time to enjoy it.

This time, she’d lucked out. That new kid from Xiao’an Village had taken half a slab. Looked like she’d get a break today.

“Auntie, I’ll take this whole slab too. And when your family brings the other two, don’t sell them right away. Go ask at the steamed bun stall at the west end—it’s ours. They might want more.”

“Whoa! Your family can eat that much tofu?” the woman asked, surprised and skeptical.

“It’s not just my family. Everyone from our village is stuck manning their stalls, so they asked me to run errands,” Yan Yu replied with a grin.

“You folks from Xiao’an Village really stick together. Always doing things as a group.” The tofu vendor finally asked the question everyone at the market had been wondering. “With so many of you at that steamed bun stall, how do you split the money?”

Yan Yu grinned. “My mom says we’re not making money. Before we even head home, we’ll trade the coins for grain. Then we’ll divide the grain.”

The tofu vendor nodded, feeling like she understood now.

After the two slabs were carried off, the wooden boards were returned to her.

She turned to the neighboring vendors and said, “That Xiao’an Village bunch are all refugees. Even when they get coins, they trade them for grain. Poor things must’ve been starved half to death.”

“I heard the lord gave them three months’ worth of rations.”

“Yeah, but that was three months ago. Not nearly enough. Once winter hits, they’ll have it rough. If they don’t stock up now, it won’t be easy later.”

“I’ll go ask later if I can trade some grain for a few buns. I saw they’ve got fish for sale too.”

“Not just fish. They’ve got all sorts of stuff. I took a quick look—there’s even a cloth bundle that looks brand new. That same kid who bought your tofu was carrying it, just a bigger one.”

“There’s candied hawthorns too. My man took our daughter to buy some. Had no choice—she was crying from craving.”

“Lucky you, sold out your tofu. Now you can shop as you please.”

The tofu vendor beamed. “Exactly! I’m off to take a look around. Don’t worry, if I find any good deals or rare stuff, I’ll come back and tell you all.”

With that, she followed the crowd toward the Xiao’an Village stalls.

If you asked what the most interesting part of today’s Grand Market was, it had to be the newcomers from Xiao’an Village.

…

The steamed bun stall had quieted down.

After the breakfast rush, Li Xuemei decisively stopped serving the wild vegetable and egg soup.

Now, the few people who came by were just looking to trade for some cheap buns to take home.

All of them were bartering with grain, or sometimes eggs. These were the real hard currency of the Grand Market.

The earlier wave of copper coins had just been villagers passing money from one hand to the other.

Weighing grain and negotiating exchange rates—these were Madam Qi Da and the others’ specialty.

Li Xuemei stood nearby, listening in and gradually getting a sense of the going rates for various grains.

Er Tie and San Tie passed by the stall carrying tofu slabs. It was impossible not to notice them.

The braising pot, which had just cooled down, was now heating up again.

The kids, with their dog-like noses, caught the scent and gathered once more.

Soon, the eggs were restocked too.

With both braising pots going at once, it was hard for anyone to tear themselves away from the area.

The smell was too much for some to resist, and people started asking about prices.

“Three chicken eggs for two braised eggs,” Yan Yu replied to someone who wanted to pay in eggs.

She answered yet another person who wanted to trade beans for tofu: “One liang of beans for six pieces of braised tofu.”

“If you’re paying with coins, it’s one wen and five for a braised egg, and one wen and five for five pieces of braised tofu.”

There was no need to think twice. At the Grand Market, if you could avoid using copper coins, you did. Yan Yu felt the same way.

Rather than earning copper coins, she’d much rather receive various agricultural and sideline products in trade.

Besides, when it came to spending money, people would hesitate, weighing the pros and cons.

But if it was a straight barter, they were much more decisive.

All the stalls in Xiao’an Village were swept up in a mini boom of bartering.

Daya and a few of her girlfriends manned the backpack stall. Besides the bags, they also had handkerchiefs, coin purses, and embroidered pouches.

The embroidered pouches were clearly more refined, the handiwork of the Qi sisters.

They were frequently admired by young ladies and newlywed wives.

They looked them over again and again, touched them, examined them.

Though no pouches had sold yet, quite a few hair ties had been snapped up.

Yan Xiangheng sat among several sacks of charcoal.

Next to him was the Cui Family’s stall.

Madam Cui had spent the morning steaming buns. Now that things had calmed down, she came over to check on Physician Cui’s stall.

The moment she arrived, she was fuming.

Physician Cui and the Yan family’s eldest boy were sitting there, backs straight.

One sat among sacks of charcoal, the other among bags of herbs. The two were even chatting, and seemed to be getting along quite well.

The most infuriating part? Not a single customer stood in front of their stall!

(End of chapter)