Chapter 12: Business

Uncle Wang and Wang Ming were strong and didn’t fear hard work, but in the end, they only managed to make two hundred pounds of tofu.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t work anymore, but making tofu required soaking the beans in advance, and that was all the soybeans they had.

Before the sky was even bright, Zhao Mengcheng and Wang Ming prepared to set out.

“Mengcheng, are you home?” Just as they were about to head out, they heard a voice. Looking over, they saw the Old Village Chief approaching.

The Village Chief said with a smile, “Your family’s tofu tastes quite good. Even those with bad teeth can eat it. Give me another piece.”

As he spoke, he handed over the money.

“Uncle, you’ve looked after me so much. How could I take your money?” Zhao Mengcheng tried to decline.

But the Village Chief insisted on paying. “If you open a shop for business, you must take money. Besides, if you give it to me for free today, what will you do when the other villagers come tomorrow? It’ll make business difficult. The rules cannot be broken.”

“Listen to me and take it. Just consider it my way of helping you start the day’s business.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled and accepted it, but the piece of tofu he cut was exceptionally large.

The Village Chief also accepted it with a smile. Before leaving, he patted Zhao Mengcheng on the shoulder and said, “Work hard. There’s no shame in running a small business to support your family.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes flickered slightly, realizing the Village Chief might know why the original owner had been driven back by his master’s family.

When he went out to do business that day, Zhao Mengcheng brought bowls and chopsticks with him. Fearing he wouldn’t have enough, he borrowed a few more from the Wang Family.

They set out early, so by the time they reached the market, there were many empty stalls.

“Brother, let’s grab a good spot today,” Wang Ming said excitedly.

But Zhao Mengcheng stopped him and insisted on going back to the same corner as yesterday.

Wang Ming couldn’t understand. “The stalls aren’t fixed. Why don’t we go somewhere more crowded?”

“The stalls aren’t fixed, but I observed yesterday that the owners of those prime spots all know each other. If we barge in, it’ll be easy to cause trouble.”

Zhao Mengcheng set up the stall and explained, “Besides, the space here is larger. It’s enough to set up a separate table for samples. Didn’t we sell out everything here yesterday?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming no longer objected.

It was still early, and there were few people buying groceries in the market. Zhao Mengcheng looked around, carrying a bowl of sample tofu in one hand and a block of tofu in the other.

“A-Ming¹, I’m going to the teahouse for a bit.”

When he arrived at the teahouse, he saw that Zhang Dahu, who was responsible for managing the Changhe Town market, was indeed there, drinking tea and chatting with others.

“Brother Hu,” Zhao Mengcheng called out.

Zhang Dahu remembered him as soon as he saw the tofu and broke into a smile. “It’s you. What’s wrong? Is someone giving you a hard time?”

“No one is bothering me. I just didn’t see you, Brother Hu, so I thought I’d bring you a bowl of my homemade tofu.”

Zhao Mengcheng set down the bowl and added, “Please try it and see if you like it.”

Zhang Dahu raised an eyebrow. As the Shiyuan², they were a local power.

Usually, the small vendors in the market would try to curry favor, but few were genuinely friendly with them. Seeing that Zhao Mengcheng looked refined and could write, Zhang Dahu immediately thought better of him. “I’ll send the bowl back to you once I’m finished.”

“Sure, I’ll head back then.” Zhao Mengcheng didn’t linger.

It wasn’t that he was being overly cautious, but the Great Zhou had reached its most chaotic period.

Although Changhe Town seemed stable, it was only because the mountains were high and the Emperor was far away³. In reality, the princes in the capital were fighting like roosters. Things would only get more chaotic from here, making life miserable for the people. With the imperial power’s control over local administration at its lowest point, it was essential to maintain good relations with the local powers.

He was a newcomer, and the Zhao Family was poor and lacked a benefactor. Building a relationship with the local power was necessary.

Zhang Dahu looked down and took a bite of the tofu. The taste was indeed good. Seeing that there was still a large piece left aside, his impression of Zhao Mengcheng improved even further.

By the time he finished his meal and strolled over, the tofu stall was already surrounded by people. There were those trying samples, those looking for something new, and even some returning customers.

A generous man ordered ten wen worth in one go and said, “This tofu is delicious and fresh. It tastes especially good when stewed with meat. My parents are old and have bad teeth, so they usually can’t eat meat, but they can eat tofu.”

Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile, “I’m glad you like it. You were here yesterday, weren’t you? Here, let me cut a bit extra for you.”

The piece of tofu he cut was indeed larger than what others received.

The man left, satisfied with his tofu.

Zhang Dahu watched with interest and waited until the crowd thinned out before approaching. “Your bowl.”

“Brother Hu, how was the taste?” Zhao Mengcheng asked with a smile.

Zhang Dahu nodded and asked, “Did you write those characters yourself? Since you’re literate, why don’t you find work as an accountant?”

“I studied for a few years and used to work as an accountant,” Zhao Mengcheng said simply.

Zhang Dahu didn’t press further but instead suggested, “Selling like this is too slow. You’d be better off asking at the restaurants in town. If they want it, just one of them could buy up all your tofu.”

Clearly, he thought well of Zhao Mengcheng and was intentionally doing him a favor.

Zhao Mengcheng had exactly that in mind and expressed his gratitude again. “Thank you for the advice, Brother Hu.”

Having received the thanks, Zhang Dahu left with a chuckle.

After selling most of the tofu that day, Zhao Mengcheng had Wang Ming pack up the stall.

Wang Ming asked curiously, “There’s still some left. We won’t be able to finish all this if we take it back.”

“Let’s go ask at the restaurants,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

There were several famous restaurants in Changhe Town. They were expensive, places where ordinary people wouldn’t dare to enter.

Once they reached the entrance, Wang Ming felt his legs trembling. “Brother, are we really going to ask? What if we get kicked out?”

“Business owners aren’t that unreasonable. If you’re afraid, wait at the door.”

Wang Ming indeed didn’t dare to enter. He had a natural fear of such places, so he waited outside with his head tucked in.

Zhao Mengcheng looked around and chose a busy one to enter.

Seeing his plain cloth clothes, the waiter didn’t drive him away, but he wasn’t warm either. “What would the customer like?”

“Is the manager in? I have something I’d like to discuss with him,” Zhao Mengcheng asked politely.

The waiter looked him up and down, his face darkening. “The manager is busy. You should head back.”

Seeing that the waiter wouldn’t even announce him and ignored him after a few words, Zhao Mengcheng had no choice but to turn and leave.

Wang Ming heard it too. Fearing Zhao Mengcheng would be disappointed, he comforted him, “Those waiters in the city are all snobs who look down on people. How about we try the shop where my big brother works?”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t agree. Wang Ming’s older brother was an apprentice in a grocery store, they had no use for tofu.

Barging in like that would only make things difficult for people and might even ruin their neighborly relationship.

“Let’s go. I don’t believe every restaurant is like this.”

The two of them pulled the cart further. Every time they passed a restaurant, they went in to ask. Most people just waved them away upon seeing their clothes, and their words were unpleasant.

After several places in a row, Wang Ming’s head hung lower and lower. He couldn’t help but say, “Brother, let’s forget it. We can sell it all at the stall. Why come here to take this kind of abuse?”

“They just don’t recognize quality. They don’t know how good our tofu is. They’ll regret it later.”

Zhao Mengcheng continued, “Setting up a stall is fine, but the volume won’t grow. If we want to expand, we need to find stable buyers.”

Most importantly, running a stall took up too much time, and Zhao Mengcheng didn’t want to waste all his time on it.

Zhao Mengcheng refused to believe that in a place as large as Changhe Town, there wasn’t a single person who recognized quality.

Hard work paid off.

By the time he asked at the sixth place, Zhao Mengcheng’s luck arrived. The manager of this establishment was behind the counter. Hearing their voices, he asked, “Aren’t you the ones selling tofu? What do you want with me?”

Seeing that the manager recognized him, Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes lit up. He asked with a smile, “Manager, your restaurant’s business doesn’t seem to be doing very well.”

Hearing this, the manager’s expression soured. “Leave quickly. I asked you out of kindness, and you come here to insult me.”

Before he could get angry and drive them out, Zhao Mengcheng added, “I have a way to make your business thrive.”

The manager raised an eyebrow. “With just you?”

“Yes, with just me,” Zhao Mengcheng said confidently.

The manager glanced at the cart, and a thought flashed through his mind. He stepped out from behind the counter. “Come, let’s sit and talk slowly.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t beat around the bush. “Since the manager knows I sell tofu, you must know that tofu is a novelty that came from the capital. If you use tofu to create new dishes, you won’t have to worry about customers not coming.”

The manager was clearly listening. “Your tofu is indeed a novelty, but that’s all it is. Ordinary people might want to try something new, but for those of us in business, we can’t rely on novelty alone.”

After all, the families who could afford to eat at a restaurant usually had spare money and high standards.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled slightly. “Novelty alone is certainly not enough, but I have a way to make customers come to you of their own accord.”

“Tell me quickly,” the manager said, pricking up his ears.

Translator’s Notes