They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 15 A good start

Aunt Zhu'er quickly agreed.

Zeng Xiaoyan felt there was no need to pay her husband's wages. "I've already taken a cut, there's no need to pay Mingliang's wages as well, that would be too distant."

Liang Mingliang benefited from his wife's influence, and he always slacked off when doing chores at home. Except during the busy farming season, his two older brothers turned a blind eye to him and didn't say anything. He was eager to go and help so he wouldn't have to go up the mountain or down to the fields, so he hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, why should I ask for wages to help Xiaoyan? I don't need any money."

What if his wife dislikes him and doesn't want him to go if he asks for money?
Zhao Shi grew anxious and couldn't help but interject, "Father, this is all true and false. Since that's the case, let's just accept the money. Otherwise, they won't feel at ease."

Anyway, they said they'd pay the wages, so they had to. The majority of that money naturally went into the public coffers, which she was more than happy about. She didn't care whether they earned it or not, as long as the wages weren't less.

Liang Lizheng glanced at her indifferently, which made Zhao Shi shrink back.

"Even if you want money, we won't ask for it today. You can try it out today, and we'll talk about it in a couple of days."

Xu Zhichun felt a warmth in his heart and said with a smile, "How about this, if we don't make money today, we'll shamelessly refuse to pay. But if we do make money, then we'll pay."

After thinking for a moment, Liang Lizheng had no choice but to nod.

With the matter settled, Liang Mingliang happily drove the oxcart, helped load the konjac tofu, konjac knots, and ice jelly onto the cart, and the three of them rode off into the city in a grand procession.

Three women make a drama. It was the first time we had done something like this, so we were nervous, excited, and looking forward to it. We talked a lot along the way, chattering and laughing.

Liang Mingliang didn't find it noisy at all. Instead, he would turn around from time to time and say a few words of participation with a smile. He didn't care when Zeng Xiaoyan glared at him and retorted, and he still smiled.

Xu Zhichun chuckled to himself, thinking that Xiao Yan was doing quite well in her husband's family's eyes.

Once inside the city, everyone became even more nervous, so nervous that they dared not laugh or talk, and they didn't know where to go or what to do. All six eyes of the three people were fixed on Xu Zhichun.

Subconsciously, she decided that Xu Zhichun was the backbone of her family.

Xu Zhichun was also a little nervous, but said with a smile, "Let's find out where the market is and head over there."

"well!"

The market has a special area for farmers from the countryside to sell their agricultural products; for just two coins, they can reserve a stall for a whole day.

However, oxcarts were not allowed to enter the market; they had to be gathered in a fenced-off area outside the market, where government officials would guard them. For one coin, you could exchange two numbered tags. The oxcart owner would take one tag and tie the other to the oxcart.

They have a lot of people, so it's not a problem.

After paying, a small, foldable rectangular table was set up at Aunt Zhu'er's house, with two basins on it: one containing konjac tofu and the other containing konjac knots, both soaking in water. A large bucket was placed on the ground, also soaking konjac tofu.

The shouts rose and fell. Xu Zhichun took the lead, and Zeng Xiaoyan also started shouting. Aunt Zhu'er was a little shy, so Xu Zhichun considerately asked her to help watch the things while they shouted.

Aunt Pearl breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully, indicating that she would definitely take good care of everything.

They were selling something new, something they'd never seen before. It was the time of year when city dwellers were buying vegetables, and the market was bustling with people. Soon, a woman carrying a vegetable basket came over and asked what was going on.

The konjac tofu, cut into squares, is slightly larger and half an inch thicker than regular tofu. A block of tofu costs three coins, and their gray tofu also sells for three coins a block. Two blocks are stir-fried into one bowl.

Since it's also called tofu, and it looks smooth and tender, it's more cost-effective than regular tofu. You'd need to buy three pieces of regular tofu to have enough for one meal.

Besides, I've never tried it before, so I can give it a shot.

The konjac knots were even better; they were snow-white like vermicelli, tied into small clumps, clean, small, and cute, and looked delicious.

When someone comes to inquire, Xu Zhichun quickly smiles and enthusiastically introduces the gray tofu and gray bean strips, describing how to cook them, what they taste like, and so on. Her vivid and engaging descriptions pique the person's curiosity, making them eager to buy some and try it. After all, buying groceries is a daily necessity; what's the difference between buying whatever you want? Every day you see the same old vegetables, so why not try something fresh, inexpensive, and that sounds delicious?

"Are you coming to sell again tomorrow? Will you come every year? If you like it, I'll buy it again next time."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Come on, I'll come every other day or every two days, I definitely will. Sister-in-law, you have to keep your word and patronize our business often. This gray tofu and gray bean shreds must be delicious."

The fifty-year-old auntie felt twenty years younger after Xu Zhichun called her that, and she couldn't help but feel pleased. She laughed heartily, "Okay, okay, as long as it's delicious, I'll definitely come again. You just said this gray tofu keeps well, right? Give me two more pieces!"

"Okay, sister-in-law."

New things always arouse curiosity. After all, even in the city, there aren't many new things. Soon, their stall was surrounded by people. Passersby couldn't help but take a second look. Almost half of the people stopped after taking a curious look and asked what it was.
After listening to their explanations and seeing others buy it, people have a herd mentality and decided to give it a try.

Suddenly, all three women were busy.

"Sister-in-law, please take this. If you like it, come again next time. We'll come often."

"Grandma, I've put it in the basket for you. If you can't eat that much in one meal, don't forget to soak it in clean water. Before you eat it, take it out, rinse it with clean water, and cut it into thin slices or strips."

"Yes, yes, this is gray tofu. It's delicious stir-fried alone or with meat. It's also good when blanched and served cold. If you like spicy food, add some chili peppers for an even better taste with rice."

"You can stew or make spicy shredded gray beans; they're very appetizing."

"."

Xu Zhichun had a sweet tongue that warmed people's hearts, leaving them satisfied. Zeng Xiaoyan admired him so much that her eyes lit up. She tried to imitate him, initially a little reserved, but gradually she became more natural. Watching the goods sell quickly and the money come in so fast, she was overjoyed, and her smile became increasingly cheerful.

Aunt Zhu'er was still shy, but her smile was sincere, her movements were nimble, and she was beautiful. Her gentle and kind nature made her easy to approach, and she was also very popular with the older women and grandmothers.

As for Liang Mingliang, he stood silently behind the three women, watching them collect the money with a broad smile.

As long as he's here, no local thugs or hooligans will dare to come over and make lewd jokes or say anything inappropriate.

Business was better than they had imagined. They thought that selling half of the products would be a good start, but in just over an hour, they had sold out all five kilograms of konjac noodles and fifty kilograms of konjac tofu.

Everyone received a heavy bag of copper coins, put it in the bucket, and covered it, feeling a little uneasy.

"Zhichun, shall we go back now?"

Xu Zhichun laughed and said, "Didn't we specially save a few pieces of konjac tofu and some ice jelly? Let's go to the restaurant and ask. Let's go to Sifang Restaurant first."

Zeng Xiaoyan's face fell, but she still gave a muffled "hmm".

Sifang Restaurant is a restaurant owned by the Zeng family. Zeng Xiaoyan didn't want to go, but since she had a share in the business, she couldn't refuse, otherwise people would gossip.

She knew that Sister-in-law Zhichun was doing it for her own good.

Xu Zhichun gently patted her hand: "Don't worry, you don't need to show up. We're just making money. As long as the price is right, it doesn't matter who we cooperate with."

Zeng Xiaoyan immediately said, "Sister-in-law is right. You don't need to give me a discount."

I'll be updating once every two days, then it'll be back to normal.

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(End of this chapter)