Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 023: Excuse me, could you point the way (1/2)

Chapter 23: Chapter 023: Excuse me, could you point the way

Translator: 549690339

“Miss Ning, Miss Sui.”

From afar, Mrs. Liu waved her hand, “Come over quickly, I’ve saved a spot for you.”

Upon seeing this, Zhuang Qingning hastily led Zhuang Qingsui over, and put down the bamboo basket she was carrying: “Thank you, ma’am.”

“What’s there to be polite about?” Mrs. Liu chuckled, pulling a small bench from beside her, “There’s too much to fit in my basket, so 1 brought an extra bench. You two can take turns sitting. It would be too tiring to stand the whole time.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui expressed their gratitude once again.

“Did Uncle Ge not show up today?” Zhuang Qingning asked, looking at the empty spot beside her.

“He hasn’t shown up yet, but don’t worry about him. He’s always messing around, one moment he’s fishing and the next he’s mending his nets. Who knows what’s detaining him today.”

Mrs. Liu commented dismissively, “His family doesn’t really need the little money he makes here. He’s always loitering around, and his wife can’t stand it, all she does is nag him to go out and work…”

While she was in the middle of talking, someone came over to buy her fried chop rice cakes, so Mrs. Liu got busy catering to her customer and dropped the subject.

Zhuang Qingning wasn’t particularly interested in gossiping about others, so she quickly set up her tofu stall with Zhuang Qingsui.

“Tofu, selling tofu! A coin for a pound, two coins for two and a half pounds…”

“Free samples, taste before you buy. Don’t miss out as you walk by, come and try our delicious tofu.”

They continued using the successful strategy of offering free samples for people to try before they buy, in order to attract a crowd.

Today, the town wasn’t hosting a market, so there weren’t as many people around as the day before. However, letting people taste before they buy still attracted some customers, ensuring that they wouldn’t regret buying the tofu.

Those who decided to buy after tasting the tofu usually accounted for about sixty to seventy percent of all customers.

Zhuang Qingning observed the people coming and going, and noticed one or two familiar faces from yesterday.

Soon, half of their tofu was sold.

As the sun slowly rose, the dry spring weather made their throats sore from shouting so much. Zhuang Qingning bought a few bowls of tea for Qingsui to quench her thirst, and also gave some to Mrs. Liu.

Seeing that the time was right and that Zhuang Qingsui was getting pretty adept at selling tofu, Zhuang Qingning turned to Mrs. Liu and said, “Ma’am, could you watch over Qingsui and the stall for me? 1 need to run an errand.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Mrs. Liu immediately agreed, “Miss Sui will be fine with me, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Zhuang Qingning offered a grin, instructed Zhuang Qingsui to watch the stall and she herself cut a piece of tofu weighing about a pound, wrapped it in cloche, and set off in the opposite direction.

Across the way was a restaurant, the largest and oldest one in town, called Fushun Tower.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, so there weren’t many customers at Fushun Tower. The staff were cleaning the entrance and wiping the doors and windows. Seeing Zhuang Qingning heading their way, a waiter named Li Fang hurriedly draped a cloth over his shoulder and approached, “Can I interest you in a meal, sir? What would you like?”

“No, I’m not here for a meal.” Zhuang Qingning shook her head.