Chapter 58: Thriving Business

Chapter 58: Business is Booming

Su He handed the fried dough to the man, who took it with half-doubtful hesitation, almost burned his fingers from its heat.

"Ouch!" he yelped, then grabbed the bag instead, not daring to touch the fried dough directly again.

Now he had to believe it was freshly fried—it was so hot it clearly had just come out of the pan.

"If you’re in a hurry, just take the one in your hand—they’re all freshly fried," Su He said.

Who had time to wait around for food to fry? Market day—folks were busy.

Looking at the large, golden fried dough in his hand, the man said, "I'll take these two."

He then handed Su He a five-cent and a one-cent coin.

Su He took the money and smiled. "Come again if you like ’em!"

After the man left, the bystanders couldn’t hold back and started piping up to buy fried dough from Su He.

"Give me one too!"

"I want one as well!"

"Me first—I was here before them!"

Seeing the rush of customers, Su He’s grin couldn’t be contained.

"Easy now, one by one. There’s plenty to go around."

As she spoke, she fished out more fried dough from the basket beside her. Seeing she had plenty to go around, the crowd stopped pushing to be first.

Then, someone suddenly remarked, "I remember buying this last market day—it was two cents each."

Su He didn’t bat an eye. Instead, she smiled and explained, "That’s right. Last time was my grand opening, so I gave a discount. This time, since everything’s fried on the spot, it costs more, so I can’t sell at the discounted price anymore."

Hearing this, the man dropped it and simply said, "Give me five."

Su He took a closer look and realized he was the first customer from her previous sale.

A regular, it seemed—always buying five or more at a time.

Su He’s business took off, and even Aunt Niu’s vegetable sales got a boost from the crowd.

Watching Su He’s fried dough venture flourish, Aunt Niu was downright impressed.

No wonder Su He was making money. Aside from the sweet potatoes they grew themselves, they’d never shell out for the other ingredients she used.

You had to invest to earn—but most villagers were too cautious, scared to lose out, unwilling to spend. Taking that first step tripped ’em up.

Which worked out perfectly for Su He, the time-traveler—she wasn’t afraid to take risks.

Some customers, after tasting the fried dough and liking it, came back to buy more for their families.

Even passing children, lured by the aroma, whined till their folks caved.

The two kids were angels today. While Su He was busy frying, they helped bag orders or collect money from customers.

The aunt waiting for the fried dough nearby looked at the two kids and liked them more the longer she looked. She asked, "Why do these two kids seem the same age? They look so healthy."

"Hehe, they're dragon-phoenix twins," Su He replied with a smile, ma'am.

"Well I'll be! Dragon-phoenix twins! That's something special! What a double blessing!"

People really valued dragon-phoenix twins in those days.

"Yes, I sure do feel blessed," Su He said as she handed the fried dough to the aunt.

The oil kept bubbling nonstop with fresh dough. This town and all the surrounding villages made for a packed market.

Her fry-to-order system attracted many people.

Most importantly, Su He's fried dough was delicious, so regulars accounted for most of her business.

Fortunately, she had already fried over two hundred at home beforehand, but her stock was running low.

So, Su He spent the entire morning busy frying fried dough, her head spinning from all the work.

Thankfully, Zai Zai, Niu Niu, and Aunt Niu helped out, but after two hours, her stock was completely sold out.

Now customers had to wait.

"The pre-fried ones are all sold out. If you want some, you'll have to wait a few minutes," Su He said with a smile.

"How long?" someone asked.

"There's a line. These two came first—they're each getting five, so it might take a few minutes before I can fry yours."

Some people shook their heads and said they'd come back when the crowd thinned after hearing the wait would be long.

But how could the crowd thin? If you wanted to eat, you had to wait—no sooner did one crowd leave than another arrived.

It was past nine now, and the sun was gradually moving toward its zenith. Luckily, Su He and Aunt Niu had chosen a spot with some shade, keeping them out of the sun.

But those who arrived late and couldn't secure a good spot had to bake in the sun.

Though they weren't under direct sunlight, and the air in this era wasn't polluted, summers didn't get as brutally hot as they would in later times.

Still, it was summer, and with the charcoal fire burning, Su He was sweating buckets.

Zai Zai thoughtfully handed Su He the handkerchief she had prepared in advance to wipe her sweat.

"Thank you, Zai Zai." Moved by his gesture, Su He kissed Zai Zai on the cheek, turning his cheeks bright red.

"Mommy, me too!" Niu Niu called out nearby.

Su He obliged, kissing Niu Niu's cheek as well, then said, "Niu Niu is also wonderful."

The people waiting for their fried dough couldn't help smiling at the tender family moment.

"These two kids are so well-behaved," someone couldn't resist praising.

"Hehe, they sure are!" Who wouldn't love hearing their children praised? Su He beamed with pride.

"Your two fried dough pieces are ready."

Su He scooped the golden fried dough out of the pan, placed it on the iron rack to cool for a while, then packed it in a bag and handed it to the customer.

"Alright, here you go. Six cents."

After receiving the payment, Su He started making new fried dough to put in the pan.

Just then, a little boy walked up to Su He's stall and exclaimed excitedly, "Niu Niu, little sis!"

Who's this?

Su He looked up and saw the novel's male lead, Ji Liangchuan, standing in front of her stall, his eyes locked on her daughter, Niu Niu.

"...," Su He thought. This male lead was already quite the charmer—so young and already trying to sweet-talk her Niu Niu away.

If he genuinely liked Niu Niu and treated her well in the future, that might be okay. But he was destined to meet the female lead later.

"Brother Ji Liangchuan, why are you here?" Niu Niu also noticed the little boy she liked and asked curiously.

"You said last time that you'd come find me to play at the next market fair. I've been waiting for you at the bookstore since morning, but you didn't come. You mentioned your mom sells things at the market, so I came to see if I could find you."

No surprise he's the male lead material—he was just four years old, yet he spoke so logically.

The key was his memory like a steel trap. He remembered Niu Niu's casual remark and even managed to find them based on that.

No wonder he would grow up to be an outstanding police officer—his investigative skills were already this strong at such a young age.