Zhu Yuanting came up with a plan. He took out one tael of silver, found several beggars, and arranged for them to spread information in the four major districts of the capital.
In just two short quarters of an hour, the news had already spread.
“Yu Zhizhi has gone crazy—she’s actually setting up a stall right outside the Sixth Prince’s mansion!”
“Rumor has it she’s selling some kind of snack that smells extremely foul.”
“Yu Zhizhi must have lost her mind. With all the lively streets available, she chose a deserted spot outside the Sixth Prince’s residence. What is she even thinking?”
“I’m going to go take a look. I want to see what exactly she’s up to.”
……
At this moment, Yu Zhizhi was still happily dreaming, sleeping soundly.
She didn’t know that two groups of people were already heading toward her stall.
One group was attracted by the stinky tofu after tasting it earlier, while the other came purely out of curiosity after hearing the rumors.
“Miss, wake up!” Xiao Tao gently shook Yu Zhizhi awake.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Yu Zhizhi stretched and asked, “Did you bring the buns back? I’m so hungry.”
“I brought them, but you’ll have to eat later. There are already more than ten customers here to buy stinky tofu.”
Following Xiao Tao’s pointing direction, Yu Zhizhi saw a group of people standing in front of her stall, their faces full of anticipation.
She immediately beamed with joy.
The free tasting strategy had worked!
Yu Zhizhi called out warmly, “Everyone, please wait a moment. I’ll start frying the stinky tofu right away.”
Because she was frying a large batch this time, the smell became even stronger.
Within a hundred-meter radius, people were all covering their noses, their faces twisted in discomfort.
Those dozen customers, who had not long ago tasted the stinky tofu, would not have dared to come otherwise—the smell was simply too strong.
The curious onlookers slowly approached. The closer they got, the more they regretted their curiosity.
Too smelly.
It was torture.
Could this even be eaten?
Zhang Lei, Zhu Yuanting, and Yu Shujin were also among the crowd. After Zhu Yuanting spread the rumors, he went to Zhang Manor, and coincidentally Yu Shujin was there as well. The three rushed over immediately to watch the joke unfold.
“Yu Zhizhi, what kind of weird thing are you frying? It’s all black.”
While working, Yu Zhizhi glanced at the speaker.
Zhang Lei was smiling wickedly, with Zhu Yuanting and Yu Shujin behind him.
Good.
Come to watch the show, fine—but if they dare interfere with her business, she won’t be polite.
“You’re blind? Can’t you see it’s tofu?” she replied.
Zhang Lei immediately shot back, “Then why is it black and so smelly? Are you selling spoiled tofu? Yu Zhizhi, are you this black-hearted?”
“I’ll report you to the authorities! This disgusting thing—let alone people—even pigs wouldn’t eat it!”
Yu Zhizhi chuckled lightly. “You think it smells bad, but it tastes amazing. As for why it’s black, I don’t need to explain deep principles to a useless idiot like you.”
“And how do you know pigs wouldn’t like it?”
At that moment, dozens of cold stares fell on Zhang Lei.
A middle-aged man shouted, “Who are you insulting? I’ve already tried it. It smells bad but it’s harmless—I’m standing here perfectly fine!”
The other customers also chimed in.
“Exactly! Don’t talk nonsense.”
“This is delicious—better than anything I’ve ever eaten.”
“Stop blocking the way!”
Zhang Lei was completely speechless.
Yu Zhizhi didn’t even need to argue anymore; the customers did it for her.
After the stinky tofu was fried, she handed the first portion to a man.
“Sir, mild, medium, or extra spicy?”
“Mild.”
“Alright!”
Xiao Tao smiled as she took payment. “Sir, one portion is 20 wen.”
The crowd immediately began complaining.
“20 wen? That’s robbery!”
“I could buy four large blocks of tofu with that!”
“I’d rather buy meat!”
But the man calmly paid and took his portion.
He sniffed it and was surprised.
“Strange… it smells foul at first, but the deeper scent is actually fragrant.”
Then he took a big bite.
Someone nearby urgently asked, “Sir, how is it?”
He replied without hesitation, “So delicious I can’t stop eating. Don’t disturb me.”
Soon, others also started eating.
There was no table, so they all stood and ate.
Praise began to spread everywhere.
“This is my first time eating black tofu!”
“Crispy outside, tender inside, even juicy!”
“20 wen is not expensive at all!”
Soon, customers were lining up again.
“Don’t cut in line!”
Business was booming.
The stall quickly formed a long queue.
Originally, everything was well organized—Yu Zhizhi frying, Yu Yang serving, Xiao Tao collecting payments.
But someone was missing.