Early the next morning, as the sun began to rise, the streets were already bustling with lively activity.
Wen Ranran’s Jianbing stall was as popular as ever. No sooner had she set up her wares than a queue had already formed.
The Jianbing stall across the way had pitifully few customers. The stall owner glared viciously at Wen Ranran, still unable to comprehend why he couldn’t sell his seemingly identical products.
But what new creation had that young lady made today? It smelled absolutely divine!
First in line was a regular customer, Da Niang, who smiled as she made small talk with Wen Ranran: “How come you’re here alone today, Wen Xiaoniangzi? Where’s your father?”
As she spoke, she peered into the Lu pot, the aroma so enticing she couldn’t tear herself away, yet she didn’t dare ask the price.
Something this fragrant must contain plenty of expensive spices – she could never afford it!
Wen Ranran handed her the wrapped Jianbing, replying with bright enthusiasm: “Father went to register at the Academy today!”
“Oh! Studying is a wonderful thing.” Da Niang collected herself and smiled. “I can see you’re a blessed young lady – perhaps one day you’ll become the daughter of the Zhuangyuan Residence!”
“We dare not aspire to become Zhuangyuan Lord. Just passing the Xiucai exam and teaching at a private school would already be Buddha’s blessing!”
Nevertheless, Wen Ranran was pleased to hear such pleasantries. Noticing how Da Niang had been staring at the Lu pot earlier, she picked out a Lu egg, wrapped it, and gave it to her: “This is my new recipe for Lu eggs. Please take it to try.”
Today’s Braised Dish came in two flavors: Five-spice and Sweet and spicy. She hadn’t made much, but it suited all ages.
Da Niang accepted the Lu egg, grinning from ear to ear: “Many thanks, young lady!”
The man waiting behind had long caught the scent of the Braised Dish – that numbing, spicy aroma made his stomach growl with craving. He swallowed hard, gathered his courage and asked: “How much for your Braised Dish?”
Wen Ranran explained each item, making him click his tongue in astonishment: “Good heavens! So expensive! Four coins could buy so many potatoes!”
Most customers at the morning market were ordinary folks mindful of their budgets. They instinctively compared prices with raw ingredient costs, so finding it expensive was quite normal.
“They’re all premium spices – you can tell just from the aroma.” Wen Ranran said calmly, but no sooner had she spoken than she heard sneering remarks from the stall across the way.
“You say they’re premium spices, so they must be? Don’t think us common folks are easily fooled. You must be money-crazy.”
The opposing stall owner scoffed and jutted his chin: “Spices are so precious – how could a small stall like yours afford them? Probably passing off inferior goods as quality, cheating customers!”
Hearing this, people grew hesitant. Already thinking it expensive, they now abandoned the idea, deciding to just buy a Jianbing to eat.
Seeing that no one was interested in Wen Ranran’s Braised Dish anymore, the opposing stall owner wore a look of smug satisfaction.
Wen Ranran remained unruffled. She took out some Braised Dish and cut it into small pieces, planning to offer samples to everyone.
Whether she used genuine ingredients or not – everyone would know after tasting.
Just as Wen Ranran was cutting, suddenly a man in a long gown rushed over excitedly, his face beaming with delight: “Hey! Isn’t this the Wen Xiaoniangzi who sells Bo Zai Gao and Braised Dish in the Wazi!”
Pointing eagerly at the Braised Dish in the pot, he said: “Give me one portion of each Braised Dish! Last night, the Fu Family Master bought everything – I didn’t even get a crumb. That tiny sample I tasted was so incredibly fragrant! I’ve been craving it all night, tossing and turning. Never thought I’d run into you here, young lady – truly, our ancestors are watching over me!”
From the crowd, someone suddenly asked, “The Fu Family Master? The Fu family that runs the jewelry business?”
“Exactly!” the long-gowned man nodded. “Madam Fu was also there last night. After tasting a piece of dried tofu, she immediately bought one of each variety. In the end, Master Fu bought all the braised dishes, and Madam Fu even asked Wen Xiaoniangzi to deliver braised dishes every few days—they even paid a deposit in advance!”
The vendor across the way, who had been watching the commotion, froze upon hearing this, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Impossible! You must have been hired by her to spout nonsense.”
The long-gowned man turned to look at him and retorted impatiently, “What happened last night is already common knowledge. If you don’t believe it, just go to the Wazi entertainment district tonight and ask around. Surely not everyone on the street has been hired by this young lady to deceive you.”
The crowd had initially been skeptical upon hearing the vendor’s words, but after the man’s explanation, their doubts vanished. After all, such claims could easily be disproven, and Wen Ranran’s business had always been thriving—she had no reason to risk her reputation.
Everyone glanced at the pot of braised dishes and exchanged looks: The Fu family! What kind of people were they? They were renowned wealthy households in Bianjing—hadn’t they seen all the finest things? If they said it was good, then it must be truly exceptional!
This proved that Wen Xiaoniangzi’s claims about using premium spices were genuine—otherwise, how could it have caught the Fu family’s attention?
Wen Ranran wrapped up the braised dishes the long-gowned man had ordered and placed the sliced samples in a bowl. “Everyone, have a taste! Whether you decide to buy or not afterward is up to you—let’s all act within our means!”
As she spoke, she handed out bamboo skewers to the crowd.
Hearing it was free, everyone seized the opportunity—after all, why pass up a good deal? The moment the food entered their mouths, they were struck speechless by the rich aroma. They savored it slowly, reluctant to swallow. “Good heavens, this is incredibly fragrant!”
A woman crunching loudly on potato slices couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so aromatic—she must be using top-quality spices!”
“Of course! Otherwise, why would the Fu family buy it? They’re well-traveled and surely know quality when they taste it!”
After sampling, some found the flavor so irresistible that they gritted their teeth and asked, “Young lady, can I buy just half a portion of these potato slices?”
“Of course!” Wen Ranran replied with a smile.
Hearing her approval, the customers eagerly pulled out their money to place orders:
“I’ll take half a portion of potato slices too!”
“Half a portion of lotus root slices for me!”
“Wrap up half a portion of bamboo shoots for me!While a full portion was beyond their means, half a portion was something they could barely afford!
Wen Ranran was bustling with activity, serving both jianbing and braised dishes, when suddenly a loud crash erupted from the stall across the way, followed by angry shouts and blows:
“You wretched scoundrel! My son ate your jianbing and now he’s vomiting and having diarrhea—I’ll make you pay with your life today!”
“Your son must have eaten something else—don’t blame me for it!”
“My son only had your jianbing yesterday!”
“Where’s your proof?” The vendor shoved the sobbing woman aggressively, his tone menacing. “Get lost! Don’t ruin my business!”
The woman, pushed to the ground, clung desperately to his leg, weeping and threatening to report him to the authorities.
At the mention of involving the authorities, a flicker of panic crossed the vendor’s eyes. He roughly shoved her away and began hastily packing up his stall.
By then, a crowd had gathered around. A kind-hearted passerby helped the woman to her feet, demanding, “How dare you hit someone?”
Wen Ranran noticed something off about the stall owner’s expression and quietly moved closer to investigate. When she spotted the faint greenish tint in the basin of shredded potatoes, her brows furrowed tightly. “Green potatoes are poisonous! How could you still sell these to customers? In severe cases, this could kill someone!”
The man was both foolish and wicked—using discarded green potatoes to cut costs, yet too stingy to properly trim the discolored parts, making the flaw obvious at a glance.
The woman who had been crying paused upon hearing this, then burst into even louder sobs.
“None of your damn business! What do you know? These potatoes are just a bit old—how could they kill anyone? Stop fearmongering!” The stall owner, exposed by Wen Ranran, tried to defend himself before raising a hand to strike her.
Wen Ranran swiftly and firmly caught his descending arm, squeezing until he yelped in pain. “Whether I’m fearmongering will be decided by the authorities.”
She might not have many skills, but her previous life of daily wok-tossing and farming had built considerable strength.
Bystanders stepped forward to restrain the man and escorted him to the magistrate’s office. The weeping woman followed behind, kicking him twice in furious resentment.
A spectator who had witnessed the entire scene sneered, shouting mockingly at his retreating figure, “So the one passing off shoddy goods was someone else after all!”
“Exactly! How heartless—he’s not afraid of divine retribution!”
“Wen Xiaoniangzi’s Jianbing is much better—affordable, delicious, and clean. Now that’s an honest business!”
Seeing the matter resolved, Wen Ranran turned to leave but suddenly found herself swarmed by growing crowds—some wanting Jianbing, others Braised Dish—until she was overwhelmed by the frenzy.
Well, another day of selling out early…
Preoccupied with her father’s Academy plans, Wen Ranran hurried home after closing shop. She arrived early, before noon.
After parking her cart, she entered the house to find Wen Yiliang and Shen Shi sitting opposite each other with bowed heads, sighing intermittently.
Her heart clenched. “What happened?”
Wen Yiliang looked up at his daughter, his voice heavy. “Green Deer Academy charges forty taels of silver for Shuxiu annually.”
“Isn’t that enough?” Wen Ranran relaxed slightly.
“Admission isn’t guaranteed—there’s an entrance exam first,” Shen Shi added softly. “The exam registration alone costs five taels.”
Wen Yiliang’s brow remained furrowed, his clothes crumpled from anxious clutching. The recently rekindled hope in his heart flickered weakly. After much deliberation, he sighed. “Forget it. I won’t take the exam. If I fail, those five taels would be wasted.”
“Take it!” Wen Ranran sat beside him, gently smoothing the wrinkles in his robe. “Father should try—you must at least try.”
Shen Shi turned away to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes, her heart aching.
Wen Ranran’s lips curved into a smile, her sparkling eyes bright with determination. “Father, just focus on studying at home. Leave the stall to me!”
“Absolutely not!” Wen Yiliang refused sternly. “The morning market is one thing, but the night market is chaotic. How could I let a young woman handle it alone?”
“Exactly!”
A voice suddenly sounded at the doorway. Wen Ranran looked up in surprise. “Third Uncle?”
Wen Junliang had just heard that Wen Ranran had returned and immediately sprang out of bed, rushing out excitedly to tell her that the traded hen had laid two eggs. Unexpectedly, he overheard their conversation at the door and jumped in to object: “The entertainment district is crawling with thugs and ruffians. A young girl like you, and a pretty one at that—wouldn’t you be like a piece of meat delivered straight to their doorstep?”
Wen Ranran glanced at Wen Yiliang and Shen Shi’s pale faces and couldn’t help but rub her forehead: “Third Uncle, stop scaring my parents already.”
Shen Shi’s eyes were filled with worry: “How about Mother goes with you?”
Wen Junliang chimed in gloomily: “Great, now there are two pieces of meat!”
Wen Ranran: “…”
Seeing the three of them fall silent, Wen Junliang put on a reluctant expression and was about to suggest that he accompany San Yatou instead. But just as the words reached his lips, Wen Ranran spoke up.
“The streets are full of people, and there are City Patrol Supervisor officers on patrol. Who would dare cause trouble? Father, Mother, don’t worry—I can take care of myself.”
“Why won’t you listen to reason!” Wen Junliang, seeing that Wen Ranran would rather go alone than think of him, felt she didn’t consider him family and flew into a shame-fueled rage. “Treating my words like farting, are you? Go wherever you want—I’m done caring!”
He grew angrier as he spoke, flicking his sleeve and storming off.
Wen Ranran stared blankly at his retreating figure: “What’s wrong with Third Uncle? Who upset him?”
“No one upset him…” Wen Yiliang thought for a moment but still felt uneasy. “But… your Third Uncle does have a point.”
“Third Uncle was just trying to scare you. You’ve seen it yourself these days helping me at the stall. Just take the day we caught the kidnapper—so many people stepped in to help. It shows everyone has good hearts.”
Wen Ranran tugged at him with a smile. “I’m counting on you to pass the imperial exams and become the top scholar soon, so I won’t have to work at the stall every day!”
Wen Yiliang gazed at his daughter’s warm, obedient smile and fell silent for a long while before nodding firmly, declaring word by word: “Alright. Your father will work hard!”
By evening, the setting sun gradually sank, painting the sky with brilliant rays of twilight that gilded the wooden gate of the courtyard.
As the day cooled slightly, Wen Ranran finished packing her things and was pushing her cart out when she heard someone behind her sneer oddly: “Going to run the stall all by yourself? Tsk tsk, San Yatou is so capable!”
Wen Ranran turned and scanned Wen Junliang, who stood with his chin raised and head tilted, glaring at her indignantly.
She stared back, utterly baffled: “Third Uncle, are you alright? If something’s wrong, ask Uncle to fetch a doctor for you. I don’t have time right now.”
With that, she walked away.
Wen Junliang watched her retreating back, hopping mad: That little brat called me crazy! I’m done with her! If I care about her again, I’m a dog!!!