By the time Su Zhen and her brother arrived, Liang Er had already set up his stall and sold several bowls.
This was the difference between living inside and outside the city!
While setting up her stall, Su Zhen secretly vowed that once she earned enough money, she would rent a shop in the city and buy a house so the whole family could move there.
“Delicious and nutritious porridge here! Tasty and affordable, only eight wen a bowl!”
As soon as Su Zhen finished setting up, Liang Er’s irritating hawking rang out.
Su Anyu clenched his fists angrily. “Sis, he’s doing it on purpose!”
Why else would he start hawking only after they had set up their stall, if not intentionally?
Su Zhen glanced coldly at Liang Er’s lame leg, regretting that she hadn’t hit him harder yesterday—she should have beaten his face into a swollen mess so he couldn’t even show his face outside. “It’s fine, we’ll hawk too!”
After setting up their stall for nearly half a month, Su Anyu was no longer the shy boy who blushed at the slightest word and hid when it was time to hawk.
He cleared his throat and shouted loudly, “Don’t miss out if you’re passing by! All kinds of nutritious porridge, tasty and affordable!”
Su Zhen followed right after, “Red bean and peanut porridge for nourishing blood and strengthening the spleen, perfect for young ladies and married women!”
“Yam and lotus seed porridge for calming the nerves and aiding digestion, suitable for all ages, don’t miss it!”
“Millet and pumpkin porridge for nourishing the stomach and replenishing qi and blood, no need to fear greasy meals!”
The siblings’ hawking grew louder and more creative with each call. Although they had introduced these porridges before, this was the first time they had shouted them out so boldly.
Sure enough, many discerning commoners gathered around, asking eagerly about the effects of the nutritious porridge.
Attracting customers was only the first step; retaining them was the key!
Su Zhen pointed to the row of steaming, fragrant nutritious porridges and introduced them one by one.
When she reached the last pot, she smiled at the crowd. “Everyone, this is our newly introduced lily and lotus seed porridge. This porridge is extraordinary—it can reduce internal heat, soothe dryness, and freshen your breath!”
Freshen breath?
Everyone perked up at this.
A young man was the first to ask, “Miss, can a bowl of porridge really freshen breath? Is it more effective than tooth powder?”
Su Zhen nodded seriously and even scooped some into a small bamboo tube for him to taste. “I’m not exaggerating. My porridge not only tastes good but is also rich in nutrients. A bowl of lily and lotus seed porridge every day will definitely make your breath as fresh as orchids, freeing you from the embarrassment and annoyance of bad breath!”
The young man grew more excited as he listened. He quickly took the bamboo tube, drank it all in one go, and couldn’t help but praise it. “This porridge has a faint sweetness and even a floral aroma. How strange—I don’t see any flower petals, but it tastes so fragrant and sweet?”
“It’s actually the natural fragrance of the lily and lotus seeds, along with the aroma of the rice. Simmered slowly over low heat, the inherent sweetness of the ingredients is brought out, resulting in this bowl of nutritious porridge.”
Su Zhen smiled warmly, her attitude sincere. Most of the surrounding customers were older women, who had always favored well-behaved young girls like her.
Everyone chattered and tried the newly introduced nutritious porridge.
However, when they heard that this bowl of porridge cost as much as fifteen wen, they hesitated again.
“Miss, your porridge is indeed delicious, but it’s a bit too expensive. Wasn’t it ten wen? How did it become fifteen?”
“That’s right! The porridge stall across the street has already lowered their price to eight wen a bowl. Not only haven’t you lowered yours, but you’ve actually raised it?”
Su Zhen had long anticipated such comments. She immediately pointed to the other three types of nutritious porridge: “Aunties, the three kinds of porridge I sold before haven’t increased in price; they’re still ten wen. Only the new lily seed and lotus seed porridge is fifteen wen. There’s no helping it—the lilies and lotus seeds I bought are of the highest quality. Since the cost has gone up, I have to charge more.”
Seeing everyone still frowning, she added, “Look, my porridge is thick and packed with ingredients. I carefully monitor the cooking time and materials, and I absolutely won’t use poor-quality ingredients to cheat you all, nor will I serve watery porridge to fool everyone.”
People leaned in for a closer look and nodded in agreement. Compared to the porridge stall across the street, Su Zhen’s porridge was indeed richer in ingredients and more flavorful.
The first young man to try the new product didn’t hesitate. He directly took out fifteen wen and slapped the coins into Su Anyu’s hand. “Give me a bowl! I think this porridge looks delicious—fragrant and sweet, and it can freshen your breath. After I finish eating, I’m definitely going to give my wife a good kiss. Hmph! Let her complain about my bad breath. I’ll make her so enchanted she’ll want to kiss me every day!”
Pfft!
This crude remark made Su Anyu blush bright red, and she didn’t dare look up at anyone for a long time.
In contrast, Su Zhen responded openly and cheerfully, smiling as she spoke: “Big brother and sister-in-law must have a wonderful relationship! All you aunties and grannies, if you have unmarried young ladies or lads at home, they should try this porridge too. When you’re out and about, having bad breath is such a turn-off! Not to mention, having a clean mouth makes it much easier to find a wife or a husband, doesn’t it?”
These words struck a chord with them. In these times, many people suffer from bad breath, but everyone is too embarrassed to talk about it.
If this porridge really works, wouldn’t it solve a major problem?
An older woman squeezed forward and also slapped fifteen wen into Su Zhen’s hand. “Give me a bowl! My son was just rejected by a girl he was set up with last month because of his bad breath, and I’ve been so worried! He’s taken plenty of medicine prescribed by the doctor, but it hasn’t helped. Now I’m willing to try any method—I can’t let my son stay single just because of bad breath!”
Su Zhen took the money and, while ladling porridge for her, comforted her: “Don’t worry, Granny. With such a generous mother, your son must be even more outstanding. Why worry about not finding a wife? Go back and try it first to see if it works. If it does, come back again. For minor issues, it should clear up in three to five days.”
The older woman was so excited she grabbed the bowl of porridge and was about to leave.
Su Zhen quickly stopped her, but before she could speak, Liang Er, who had been watching enviously from across the street, loudly called out again: “Selling porridge! Delicious and affordable nutritious porridge, seven wen a bowl! Only seven wen a bowl!”
He actually lowered the price again!
The customers gathered around Su Zhen’s stall, who were already wavering, felt their scales tipping once more toward Liang Er’s porridge stall.
Seeing everyone starting to move away, Su Zhen hurriedly shouted out what she hadn’t finished saying: “Granny, big brother, don’t leave! Although we’re not lowering our prices, we’re running a promotion. Today, it’s buy one, get one free—buy a bowl of porridge and get a bowl of ophiopogon tea for free!”
Buy one, get one free?
Even though it wasn’t free porridge, it was still much better than getting nothing at all.
Of course, some people questioned it: “I’ve heard of Longjing tea and flower tea, but what’s ophiopogon tea?”
Su Zhen filled a small bamboo tube with some ophiopogon tea: “Brewing ophiopogon into tea can also freshen breath and relieve dryness and bitterness in the mouth. After meals, have a cup of ophiopogon tea to keep bad breath away!”
Su Anyu cleverly shouted loudly: “Buy one, get one free! Buy one, get one free! Purchase any porridge and get ophiopogon tea for free! Limited quantity, first come, first served!”
Only a fool would pass up a bargain, especially when supplies were limited.
Everyone gathered around, pulling out money to buy porridge, afraid they would miss out on the free ophiopogon tea if they were even a step too late.
Su Zhen was happily busy, even finding a moment to raise an eyebrow at Liang Er, who was fuming with rage across the way: “What other tricks do you have? Go ahead and use them! I’m not afraid of you!”