Chapter 98: Chapter 098: Speak Up If Something Is Wrong
Translator: 549690339
He had originally thought that a girl who could manage a tofu stand on her own must surely have a rugged and robust physique, like that of a man, but he was surprised to find that the girl before him was an exceptionally slender and delicate little thing.
Moreover, she was quite good-looking.
Dong Dazhu gave her a few more glances, and his cheeks quickly reddened. Fortunately, his skin was dark, and it was not very noticeable.
But he felt embarrassed staring at the girl in such a manner and quickly lowered his gaze.
Zhang Yongchang had already negotiated the price for two hundred catties of tofu which was one hundred and fifty coins, plus a deposit of seventy-five coins to be paid the next day, making it a total of two hundred and twenty coins, not a penny more, not a penny less.
“We’ll weigh the tofu, and it’ll be ready soon.” Zhuang Qingning took the money, brought out the large scale, and called Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Qian over to help weigh the tofu.
Two hundred catties of tofu was a lot and wouldn’t fit on the scale in one go. According to the helpers, four households were buying, each wanting fifty catties, so they decided to simply split it into four equal portions of fifty catties each. This way, there wouldn’t be any disagreement about the weight.
Dong Dazhu was helping on the side. Seeing how proficient Zhuang Qingning was with her work and how detailed she was, he couldn’t help but smile and say, “Miss Zhuang really has planned this all out.”
“I’m just trying to make it convenient for everyone.” Zhuang Qingning laughed, adding a piece of tofu weighing about two to three catties on top of each pile.
“It’s the first day of business, please tell this to everyone, Brother Dong. This is a gift from me. If the people in the kitchen want to try it, they can have a bite.”
Not only did she have an eye for detail, but she was also enterprising in her business.
Dong Dazhu felt that Zhuang Qingning really was perfect in every way. He just smiled and nodded, “Alright, I will certainly pass on your words.”
“Thank you, Brother Dong.” Zhuang Qingning handed over a bamboo pipe with freshly made soy milk, “I suppose you haven’t had breakfast yet after running around so much. Drink this on your way.”
“I wanted to offer you breakfast, but I’m only renting this tofu stand and there’s no place to cook, so you’ll have to make do with some soy milk.”
“The soy milk is enough, thank you, Miss Zhuang.” Dong Dazhu was caught by surprise and gratefully accepted, “You’re right. I left in a hurry this morning and didn’t have breakfast. I was just thinking about buying a bun in town. This soy milk will go perfectly with it.”
“Thank you, Miss Zhuang.”
Dong Dazhu thanked her again, securely tying the tofu basket onto the bullock cart, ensuring it was completely safe. He then cracked his whip and slowly left.
The handover on the first day went smoothly overall.
Zhuang Qingning breathed a sigh of relief and then put away the remaining tofu.
What was for Zhuang Yonghe’s family was taken back by Zhuang Mingliang, and what was meant for the town would be waited for Bai San to bring later. Zhuang Qingning specifically cut off two pieces of tofu, each weighing about one catty, for Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Qian to take home to cook.
The two of them hadn’t expected that they would also get tofu for their work and were pleasantly surprised. They happily took the tofu and went home.
Zhuang Mingliang also carried the tofu and left for home.
Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui ate their bread while sipping on hot soy milk. After Bai San’s bullock cart arrived, they tidied up and headed for the town.
Upon arriving in town, they saw from afar that the usual spot for setting up their stall was already bustling with activity.
“Is that Aunt Liu?” Zhuang Qingsui leaned forward on the bullock cart and peered ahead, chuckling, “It must be Aunt Liu coming to set up her stall now that she’s feeling better. I’ve been missing her these past few days without seeing her.”
Mrs. Liu was kind and had taken good care of the sisters, and Zhuang Qingning was also very fond of her.
Thinking that she must have recovered well, she felt elated.
But as they got closer, they realized that the person busying themselves was not Mrs. Liu, but Ge Hetong, who was once again selling his pea cakes, Uncle
“I thought it was Aunt Liu, but it turns out it wasn’t.” Zhuang Qingsui, with her childlike demeanor, was disappointed and muttered to herself.
“Uncle Ge has been quite considerate towards us before. Although he hasn’t been setting up his stall with us recently and hasn’t been talking much, he’s a good person. If you talk like that, he might think we are not happy to see him.”
Sometimes, things spoken carelessly can cause misunderstandings. Many small disputes arise from such things accumulating over time.
“I understand.” Zhuang Qingsui stuck out her tongue, then turned her head and asked, “But why is Uncle Ge setting up his stall with us now after avoiding doing so for so long?”
“I don’t know, he probably had some things going on before…” Zhuang Qingning shrugged.
By the time they finished their conversation, they had reached Ge Hetong.
Seeing Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui, Ge Hetong broke into a smile, “Miss Ning, Miss Sui, you’re here just in time. I’ve cleaned up the spot for your stall.”
“Look, I’ve prepared stools for you. You can sit down and rest for a bit when you’re tired.”
“Thank you, Uncle Ge.” Zhuang Qingning thanked him with a smile, and she and Zhuang Qingsui moved the tofu from the cart.
Ge Hetong also hurriedly offered his help.
After Bai San left with the tofu, Zhuang Qingning’s stall also started to get busy, and the customers started arriving one after another.
After all, it was known that if you arrived late, you might not get any tofu. You had to get there early.
“Miss Ning, your tofu business is really booming.” Ge Hetong looked at the bustling trade, smiling contentedly.
“It’s alright.” Zhuang Qingning smiled back and was too busy serving customers according to their requests—cutting the tofu into appropriate-sized pieces, weighing it, and receiving payment—to chat with Ge Hetong.
“If this is just ‘alright,’ other people’s businesses must be unbearable.” Ge Hetong laughed heartily and used the quiet stretch between customers to cut a piece of pea cake and pass it to Zhuang Qingning. “Don’t work yourself too hard. Have a piece of pea cake and rest a bit.”
Zhuang Qingning paused her work, smiled at Ge Hetong, and blinked her eyes.
Since they arrived, Zhuang Qingning had noticed that Ge Hetong’s attention and thoughts were not on his own pea cake business at all, but were focused entirely on her and her tofu stall.
As for Ge Hetong’s warm offer of pea cake at this time, Zhuang Qingning was certain there was more to it.
“Uncle Ge, if you have something to say, just say it.” Zhuang Qingning smiled.
Ge Hetong’s hands holding the pea cake froze in mid-air. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, put the pea cake on the counter, and chuckled awkwardly.
“Since you saw through me, Miss Ning, I won’t beat around the bush anymore.”
“I was thinking, your tofu tastes so good that I bet it would sell well even outside of the town. So, I was wondering if I could buy tofu from you and sell it in our village every day..”
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