The sun gradually rises.
Cheng Wanwan’s ice powder stall opened.
A table is placed in front for guests to sit and eat.
There are five bowls placed on another table. Put a small piece of ice powder in each bowl, then pour it with brown sugar that has been boiled into black, and then put two pieces of hawthorn pulp.
When she started her business, she just ran the market and attracted customers. How to attract customers was not a difficult problem for her.
With a smile on her face, she shouted loudly.
"I sell ice powder, refreshing ice powder!"
“Free trial, limited quantity, first come, first served!”
Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu followed suit and started shouting.
Thanks to the efforts of the mother and son, someone finally stopped in front of the stall. She was a woman in her thirties or forties.
She stared at the thing at the bottom of the bowl and said hesitantly: "I've never seen this thing before. It looks weird..."
Cheng Wanwan kept her business smile: "Hello, sister-in-law, this is ice powder. It is most suitable for eating when the weather is hot. One bite will make you feel cool!"
The woman looked questioning: "You don't have ice here, how can you feel cool when you eat it?"
Cheng Wanwan said with a smile: "You can try it for free. If sister-in-law doesn't believe it, just take a bite. It doesn't cost anything anyway, right?"
Zhao Dashan picked up the tasting food with a wink, handed it to the woman, and even gave it a spoon.
In the porcelain bowl with pink plum blossoms reflected, there is light yellow transparent ice powder and brown sugar that exudes a sweet smell. It is not a waste to eat this stuff.
The woman put the spoon to her lips, and she felt the coolness almost as soon as the ice powder was put into her mouth.
The coolness spread from the lips and tongue to the throat, and then rolled into the abdomen. The sweat from walking in the town all morning seemed to disappear in this moment.
She licked the brown sugar water on her lips and asked, "You just said, what is this thing called?"
"This is called ice powder, and it costs two cents for a big bowl." Cheng Wanwan quickly took out an empty bowl, "If you want, I will serve you a bowl. Since you are the first customer, I will give you two more." piece."
The woman was a little hesitant at first. Two pennies can buy a big steamed bun, which can cover a full meal. It is not worth buying this thing. But when Cheng Wanwan said that he would give her two more yuan, she was a little tempted again. This thing It will cool down after you eat it, and it won’t be too hot when you walk all the way back later... It would be great if you could take it back to your children.
The woman asked, "Can I take the bowl with me? I'll bring it back to you in the morning."
Cheng Wanwan smiled bitterly: "We only have ten bowls, I'm afraid some are not enough."
In ancient times, productivity was limited, there were no disposable tableware, and there was no way to take out, and then the first customer was lost right before his eyes.
Zhao Dashan's face was full of disappointment: "This aunt looks like she likes it, why don't you buy it?"
Zhao Sanniu scratched the back of his head: "Do you think it's too expensive? Otherwise, mother, the price will be reduced and sold for a penny a bowl?"
Cheng Wanwan shook his head, this is not about money.
In ancient times, these women put the men and children in their families at the forefront of their hearts. When they saw delicious food, they were more willing to take it back to their children and men.
Something flashed through her mind, but she didn't catch it.
She said: "Da Shan, San Niu, you two continue to shout for free samples, I will sit on the side and think about it."
Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu were afraid that so much ice powder would hit their hands, so they screamed at the top of their lungs. As expected, several more women came around. There were many who tried the food, but only those who were willing to spend money to buy it A woman with a child and a burly middle-aged man.
After a whole morning of hard work, he sold two bowls of ice powder and earned four cents, which was enough to cover the rent for renting a table.
After the morning market, the crowds on the street slowly dispersed.
Zhao Dashan returned the table, and Zhao Sanniu squatted on the ground to wash the dishes. From time to time, he secretly glanced at Cheng Wanwan, who was standing on the street in deep thought.
"Mom, it's okay." Zhao Sanniu comforted awkwardly, "I can carry the big bag. I can earn 20 cents a day to buy meat for my mother."
Zhao Dashan walked back and spoke in agreement: "I just heard from the manager of the restaurant that the king of the town hired workers to build a granary. He paid twenty-two cents a day and took care of a meal. San Niu and I went to work, and we could earn five dollars a day. For ten cents, mother doesn’t have to work so hard.”
Cheng Wanwan's eyes suddenly lit up.
She finally understood what the problem was. The consumer group was wrongly positioned, so things naturally couldn't be sold.
In modern times, the market for these desserts is girls, but in ancient times, women had a low status, and a girl was not even qualified to buy snacks. Her consumer group should be men with the ability to work, or the favored boys in the family. Especially in this disaster year, when food prices soar, it is even less possible for the copper plates at home to be used indiscriminately.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said: "Dashan Sanniu, pack your things, let's go to Wang Yuanwai's house to try our luck."
After staying in the market for more than an hour, she also listened to many people's discussions. After the grain of Wang Yuan's wife's family was stolen last time, the Wang family decided to rebuild the granary. Construction started three to five days ago. In order to speed up the progress, they are still recruiting people recently. Man, there should be a lot of mature men over there.
The mother and son took their belongings to Yuan Wang's outer house.
The wall at the back of the house was torn down and rebuilt. Thirty or forty strong men were building the wall in the bright sun. There was a vat of water outside the yard. You could drink it if you were thirsty. However, the vat of water had been exposed to the strong sun for a long time, so you couldn't drink it. Going down to quench the thirst but not the heat, a group of men in their twenties and thirties were sweating profusely. The sweat fell to the ground drop by drop, and was dried by the sun in an instant.
Cheng Wanwan set up the stall twenty meters away in the yard. There was no table to borrow, so he brought bricks to build it up. Then he took off Zhao Sanniu's blouse and spread it on the bricks, treating it as a small table. table.
"I sell ice powder, refreshing ice powder!"
“Free trial, limited quantity, first come, first served!”
A group of men were working, and suddenly they heard someone shouting from the side. Looking over, they saw a woman and two young boys selling things.
These men heard the words "free trial", and several young guys in their early twenties who were nearby came over.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said: "The most suitable ice powder for summer, there are ten free samples available. If you come late, it will be gone."
Ten bowls, each with a piece of ice powder, shiny jelly-like things, making people salivate just looking at them.
Several men picked up the bowl and drank it. They didn't taste anything, but the cold feeling spread from their lips to the tip of their hearts.
Cheng Wanwan said at the right time: "A bowl of two cents, do you guys want it?"
The man at the front took out a few copper coins from his trousers, picked out two and threw them over: "Give me a bowl quickly!"
"okay!"
Cheng Wanwan put away the copper plate.
Zhao Dashan had already filled out a bowl. She took it and asked with a smile: "Do you like sweet or sour?"
The man said it was sweet, so Cheng Wanwan added a large spoonful of brown sugar to him, put a spoon on it, and handed him a bowl of ice powder.
The man couldn't wait and drank most of the bowl. He exhaled a refreshing breath and couldn't help but praise: "This thing relieves the heat. After eating it, I feel alive... Auntie, you have to come again tomorrow..."
The first bowl was sold, and soon the second, third, and fourth bowls were sold...
