Chapter 14: The Art of Selling

Mrs. Diao bypassed the empty table at the entrance and deliberately chose to sit where customers were gathered.

The small shop was not big, with a total of only six tables. At this moment, three of them were fully occupied. Having gotten up early in the cold, everyone was each holding a bowl of steaming hot wontons, eating with great enthusiasm.

Mrs. Diao sat in front of them, holding her food box in one hand, while the other hand lifted and tucked in some fallen gray hair. Somehow, the nervousness in her heart just wouldn’t go away.

Before long, the shop owner came in carrying a bowl of wontons, smiling warmly as he walked towards her.

The wontons were simply boiled in plain water, with a few green scallions floating on top. Since it was a vegetarian filling, the edge of the bowl was free from any greasy residue.

“This bowl will be five wen,” he said, tossing the towel over his shoulder as he smiled and nodded at Mrs. Diao.

Chu Chaoyun had discussed the pricing of the fish balls with Mrs. Diao last night. After pondering for a moment, the woman took out some silver coins and handed them over, then asked, “This vegetarian bowl is five wen, but how much is the one with meat per bowl?”

Previously, when she came to buy, she only ordered the vegetarian wontons because the meat-filled ones must be more expensive. Mrs. Diao could never spend a whole month’s salary to satisfy a craving, so she had never asked the price before.

But now, since she was still thinking about those fish balls, she had to pay attention.

The owner glanced outside the door, seeing there were few customers at the moment and wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Still friendly, he replied, “The one with meat is eight wen, and it contains pork.”

The owner explained carefully, and Mrs. Diao understood the reasoning.

Great Qi prized mutton the most, beef second, and pork the least. This was just an ordinary noodle shop by the Rui River; naturally, they couldn’t afford to use beef or lamb.

Mrs. Diao hummed softly, then lowered her head to open the food box. She picked out one fish ball from the plate, thought for a moment, then took out another and put them into the bowl, then covered it again. Mimicking the girl from the yard, she used a wooden spoon to stir the soup a few times.

After all, it was for selling; she didn’t want to eat too much.

The owner looked a bit helpless but said nothing, only a few more smiles appeared in his eyes.

But soon after, his smile faded.

He had been selling wontons for years; he knew well how vegetarian wontons tasted without even trying. But the few additions Mrs. Diao made changed the wontons like magic. The aroma was several times better than before.

The owner’s usual fillings were just ordinary radish and tofu, but now with those plump white little balls in the soup, the combination gave off a fish and vegetable aroma along with hints of pork lard fragrance.

Surprised, he stood there stunned watching Mrs. Diao eat a fish ball, then couldn’t help swallowing hard.

This act not only amazed the shop owner but also prompted some curious customers who smelled the fragrance behind them to start asking in low voices.

“What kind of filling are these wontons? Why do they smell so good?”

“Hey, is there a hint of fish meat flavor too?”

The more the customers talked, the more curious they became. Mrs. Diao took the opportunity to look up at the owner with eyes saying, "If you don’t buy, I’ll sell to them."

The owner frowned slightly, then relaxed. Seeing the customers beginning to stand up and seemed like they wanted to peek into Mrs. Diao’s bowl, he no longer cared about formalities and, in a hurry, pulled Mrs. Diao toward the door.

When he saw Mrs. Diao didn’t forget to take her food box, the owner awkwardly said, “Madam Diao, may I try the fish ball you just ate? You know this is a small business, and I simply can’t afford any mistake. If the taste is good, I will buy them all immediately!”

Chu Chaoyun had said it was okay to try, so Mrs. Diao agreed readily.

The stove was set up right outside the shop. At this moment, a large iron pot still had some noodle soup left; the firewood was not yet burnt out. The noodle soup was simmering and steaming warmly.

Eagerly, the owner took a pair of chopsticks, scooped some soup, chewed half a fish ball dry, then soaked the other half in the soup while eating carefully, tasting it thoroughly.

As the food entered his mouth, the aroma he smelled before flooded again, even lingering as it went down.

The owner couldn’t help but praise loudly, “Madam Diao, you have excellent skills!”

Mrs. Diao waved her hand hurriedly, not taking credit, “It’s not me; it’s… my child at home who made them.”

Speaking the word “child” made the woman feel a bit sad inside.

She had been away for a long time and could not afford to waste time, so she said straightforwardly, “Boss Liu, if you want to buy these fish balls, my daughter said two cost one wen, so here it’s just ten wen… Oh, I forgot, there are three less, so I’ll just sell them for eight wen.”

The owner’s name was Liu Xincai, but the people on the street all called him Boss Liu.

Since Boss Liu had some experience in the food business, now knowing these fish balls tasted delicious whether eaten plain or in soup, he was naturally willing to pay. He took out nine wen and handed it over saying, “No problem, no problem. We’ll keep in touch in the future.”

Boss Liu was a good businessman.

Mrs. Diao’s hand trembled slightly as she took the money and quickly asked Boss Liu to pack up the wonton bowl as well.

The plate that had held the fish balls emptied, Mrs. Diao drank all the soup from the bowl, and then placed the uneaten wontons and the remaining fish ball back into the plate.

Before bidding farewell to Liu Xincai, she asked specifically because Chu Chaoyun wanted to make this a long-term livelihood and hoped to have a stable place to sell the fish balls. But Liu Xincai was cautious and only said, “If the sales go well, I’ll naturally need them all the time.”

After saying this, he also ordered thirty more fish balls, hoping to bring some home for his wife and children to taste.

Mrs. Diao took the nine wen she earned to the fabric shop at home. The money would not be enough to buy a quilt, but she could buy a single quilt cover first, and when she had money later, she could stuff some cotton inside.

Looking around, even the worst quality quilt covers cost ten wen. Mrs. Diao helped Chu Chaoyun with one wen and bought it, hiding it inside the food box to take it back to the boat.

She returned just in time for meal time; the midday sun was baking and made her back hot, but the shaded side was bone-chilling cold.

Chu Chaoyun was chopping wood fiercely, working hard and getting a little warm from the effort.

Mrs. Diao didn’t interrupt her busy work and quietly went to the wooden bucket to get four bread buns. Just then, Xu Xianghe also took four buns. They looked at each other and both smiled unconsciously.

The worker in charge of meals worked under Big Zhao. He glanced at them coldly and asked sharply, “Who are these for?”

Each person was allowed only two buns per meal. The worker came every day and knew in his heart these were for Chu Chaoyun.

Xu Xianghe, being timid, immediately put two buns back when scolded.

The worker rolled his eyes and glanced at her once more, then said no more.

Xu Xianghe had been practicing rowing all morning. She heard Manager Zhong would come for inspection in the afternoon and was nervous all day, wanting to chat with Chu Chaoyun at noon for a bit.

Xu Xianghe and Mrs. Diao walked to the stern of the boat. Chu Chaoyun waved to them, signaling them to rest first, so the two descended the wooden ladder together.

Xu Xianghe simply went to the room next to Mrs. Diao to sit and wait. Mrs. Diao placed the food box aside, glanced at the scars on Xu Xianghe’s cheek, and sighed, “That worker is just the one who delivers food; you don’t have to be afraid of him. Take as much as you need.”

Xu Xianghe replied shyly.

Mrs. Diao sighed and said, “Chaoyun told me about your situation. You’re that girl who even dared to bang your head against the wall that day. How come you became timid after coming on board?”

Xu Xianghe nodded twice obediently, then blushed and said, “I was pretending that day, and besides, I don’t want my stepmother to get her way!”

While they were talking, Chu Chaoyun came down sweating profusely and overheard some of the conversation.

Xu Xianghe’s grandfather had left some farmland to his only son, not much but enough for a comfortable life compared to others. The old Mr. Xu was a true spendthrift. His legitimate wife wasn’t well; she had just passed away from illness after being upset. Soon after, he took a concubine from outside as his new wife.

Since the stepmother came in, she found chances daily to pick on Xu Xianghe. Life became hard living under her.

Xu Xianghe thought she still had some money left by her birth mother, but the stepmother was greedy. While Mr. Xu was out, she robbed Xu Xianghe’s money and even knocked her unconscious.

When Xu Xianghe woke up, she and Chu Chaoyun were locked together in the small yard.

Xu Xianghe’s eyes reddened as she spoke, almost choked with emotion, “I originally planned to bang my head against the wall and play dead, hoping Lady Li would be scared and just leave me at some graveyard without caring. But I used too much force, and now my face is—”

She put her hand to her cheek with guilt and hate.

Chu Chaoyun felt a surge of anger but was helpless, so she patted Xu Xianghe’s shoulder and said, “Your scar isn’t deep; in a few years it will heal. If it doesn’t, then we can think of other ways.”

“Okay… I understand we can’t rush this.”

Squinting, Chu Chaoyun added, “Xu Xianghe, you must live well. If one day you manage to escape and come back for revenge, that would feel great, right?”

“Yes, Chaoyun, you’re right!”

This time Xu Xianghe’s response was firmer than before.

After finishing the conversation, Mrs. Diao took out the quilt cover from the food box and recounted the whole story behind it.

Mrs. Diao spread out the quilt cover and shook it: “Let’s just make do covering with this for a few days. When the girls want you to cook again, I’ll have the chance to find Liu Xincai and exchange the money so I can buy cotton for you.”

Usually, cooking for the girls only happened under special circumstances. The fish balls were tempting, but even if the girls wanted to eat, they didn’t dare ask the steward every day.

Mrs. Diao understood this well.

Though the fabric felt rough, Chu Chaoyun was content, considering how hard it was to get.

She thought positively — even if there was no cotton now, there was a pile of freshly cut reeds. She could stuff the reeds inside and use it as a quilt.

After folding the quilt cover, she looked at Mrs. Diao and said, “Aunt, next time after selling fish balls to Liu Xincai, just give me five wen. You’ve really worked hard this time.”

Mrs. Diao counted on her fingers, confused, and asked, “Why? Didn’t Liu Xincai order thirty fish balls from you? You sell two for one wen, thirty makes fifteen wen.”

Chu Chaoyun hesitated a moment, then decided to “be the villain first, then gentleman” to avoid conflicts and damage their feelings.

She bolted the door, sat back down, and said, “Today, you ate a bowl of wontons for five wen and bought the quilt cover adding one wen, so I owe you six wen. After all, if it weren’t for selling fish balls, you wouldn’t have bought the wonton, so that money should be mine.”

“Besides, I don’t know when I’ll be able to get off the boat in the future. Liu Xincai’s side might need you to run errands still. The days are getting colder, and your legs are not good. Even if I’m unwise, I wouldn’t make you run errands for nothing.”

Her words made sense, warming Mrs. Diao’s heart, but she still declined, “Oh, Chaoyun, why bother keeping such clear accounts? I don’t mind running errands!”

“No, no,” Chu Chaoyun said seriously, “It has to be what it has to be. If you let me take advantage of you, my business won’t last…”