Early that morning, at the very first crow of the rooster, Ding Baozhu rose impatiently.
The final step for the Cold Cakes was wrapping the fillings into the dough. Using a piece of silk thread, she sliced the Brown Sugar Jujube and Matcha Red Bean rolls into individual pieces. For the Broomcorn Millet with Chestnut and Peanut Sugar cakes, however, she rolled them into small round spheres, making them look dainty and adorable.
Hooking the deep baskets onto her shoulder pole, she found several wooden trays that fit the mouth of the baskets perfectly. She arranged the Cold Cakes on the trays and stacked them tier by tier, leaving enough space in between. In the other basket, she placed a new earthenware jar, several coarse bowls, and a stack of cleaned leaves. She was fully prepared.
After a quick word with Ding Hong and Liu Ping, who were also up, she tested the weight of the shoulder pole. Once she felt steady, she stepped out of the house. Fortunately, the original owner had built up a fair amount of brute strength; these two baskets weren’t particularly heavy for this body, let alone for a walk from the house to the main road.
By the second rooster crow, she reached the main road leading to the town. Looking around, she saw that many vendors had already claimed spots to set up their stalls. She found a location near the middle, beneath an apricot tree in bloom. She set down her pole and pulled out a small stool she had brought along.
However, she didn’t sit down immediately. Customers wouldn’t just come to her on their own; a stall owner had to hawk their wares first.
If she were still a shy “introvert,” she might have been too embarrassed to speak up. But in her past life as a food blogger, Ding Baozhu was used to appearing on camera. Hawking was something she could handle. After a moment’s thought, she cleared her throat and shouted:
“Take a look, come and see! Cold Cakes! Delicious Cold Cakes! Soft, glutinous, sweet, and tasty! Come and have a look!”
The original owner truly had a powerful voice. Ding Baozhu felt like she hadn’t even exerted much effort, yet her shout carried far into the distance, drawing the curious gazes of nearby vendors.
Because this main road led to Xiang’an Town, it connected many villages of various sizes. Since many of the local women and elderly didn’t set up stalls every day, and because her “reputation” was mostly contained within Xiangshan Village, people from other villages didn’t know much about her—and thus didn’t recognize her.
Most people on this road sold daily sundries; those selling food were few, so the competition wasn’t nearly as fierce as in the town. One shout wasn’t enough, so she continued:
“Freshly made Cold Cakes in many flavors! Samples available! Come and take a look!—”
Words alone weren’t enough, so she specifically emphasized the “samples available” keyword. Sure enough, someone approached. However, this person wasn’t a traveler on the road, but a neighboring vendor. The vendor peered down at her wares, glanced at her, and asked, “How much are these Cold Cakes?”
Ding Baozhu had watched him walk over, though she couldn’t see what he was selling. But to her, a customer was a customer. She immediately laid out the trays of Cold Cakes and replied:
“Three wen for one piece, five wen for two. You can mix the flavors.”
The vendor saw the cakes neatly arranged on the trays: golden-yellow ones, snowy-white ones, and even some vibrant green ones. They looked very appealing, but he didn’t buy them immediately. Instead, he asked, “Didn’t you say we could sample them?”
“Of course! Which one would you like to try, Uncle?” Ding Baozhu asked with a smile.
The vendor looked very unfamiliar, likely not from Xiangshan Village. He pointed and said, “I’ll try the white one.”
“Coming right up!”
Ding Baozhu nodded, pulled a small knife from her other basket, and cut a thumb-sized piece from a Brown Sugar Jujube cake. She made sure to include the filling, pricked it with the tip of the knife, and handed it over.
The vendor took it and ate. He found the outer skin soft and the jujube paste inside smooth. The rich sweetness wasn’t cloying at all; it truly left a lingering fragrance in his mouth. But the piece was far too small; it melted in his mouth and slid down his throat in an instant. Wanting more, he said:
“I’ll take two. I want… this white one, and that yellow one.”
“Certainly,” Ding Baozhu said. She took a leaf, wrapped the two cakes, and handed them over. The vendor handed her five wen.
Those five copper coins felt almost hot in her hand. After all, this was her first successful sale—her first bit of gold! Suppressing her joy, she said to the vendor:
“I can tell you got here early, Uncle, and worked hard to snag such a good spot. Since you’re eating Cold Cakes to tide you over, why not have a bowl of something to wash them down?”
“Since it’s my first time here and you’re my very first customer, I’ll give you a bowl of tea on the house.”
The vendor hadn’t had a chance to eat the cakes yet. Hearing this, his attitude toward her warmed significantly. He laughed and said, “That would be wonderful.”
Ding Baozhu took out a bowl, opened the lid of the jar in her other basket, and used a long wooden ladle to scoop two servings. Once the bowl was full, she handed it over.
The vendor took it. A faint, unique fragrance hit his nose, and the liquid had a subtle reddish tint. He took a sip; the aftertaste was indeed that of tea, but very light. It was just a hint of flavor, yet it highlighted a mysterious note of peach kernel.
Is this nut-steeped tea? But I don’t see any nuts in here…
He finished the entire bowl without figuring it out, yet the taste lingered. Smacking his lips, he asked, “How much do you sell this tea for?”
At this point, it wasn’t a matter of whether he was thirsty. Ding Baozhu’s words had hit the mark—he had indeed come out very early and hadn’t even had breakfast, leaving him quite parched. But now, he simply wanted to know what kind of tea it was.
Ding Baozhu smiled. “This is fragrant Peach Blossom Tea. It’s two wen a bowl.”
She had made use of local materials. While preparing the Cold Cakes, she had sent Ding Baoqin to the peach trees to gather as many petals as possible. Although the younger girl didn’t know why, she did as she was told. Finally, Ding Baozhu removed the stems, bases, insects, and dirt, washed them thoroughly, and filled the jar to simmer them over water. The resulting tea had both the color and the fragrance of peach blossoms.
The vendor nodded upon hearing this, but he didn’t order another bowl. Instead, he took a large bite of the Cold Cake in his hand.
The Brown Sugar Jujube filling paired with the glutinous rice skin was stretchy and resilient. The rich filling coated his tongue, smooth and sweet. Since he had a large appetite, he finished it in a few bites and moved on to the broomcorn millet ball.
The texture of the broomcorn millet was a bit coarser, but the specially prepared chestnut and peanut sugar filling inside was incredibly fragrant. The more he chewed, the better it tasted. The vendor couldn’t help but praise her:
“The flavor is good. We rarely have people selling food here, since most go home by noon. If you keep coming back, I’ll have a place to get breakfast in the future.”
The goods sold on the main road were usually simple and few in number. If they sold quickly, a vendor could go home by midday, spend the afternoon preparing tomorrow’s stock, and repeat the cycle.
Ding Baozhu smiled. “Thank you, Uncle. If you liked it, please come back again.”
After seeing off the vendor, she continued her hawking. By this time, the number of travelers on the road was gradually increasing. Some looked like they were heading to town, while others were browsing the roadside stalls. Ding Baozhu even saw the mule cart she and Ding Hong had taken earlier pass by, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the crowd grew and she continued to call out, several people stopped at her stall to inquire. She explained everything patiently. Before long, she ran into an acquaintance. It was none other than Ding Baozhen, who was on her way to the neighboring village to learn her craft.
She stepped forward and asked with a smile, “Big Sister, how is business?”
“It’s going well. I’m making sales.”
Ding Baozhu pointed and laughed, “Have you had breakfast? Why not buy a piece to try? This is my best batch yet.”
“…Big Sister, I never knew you liked doing business so much,” Ding Baozhen asked with feigned dissatisfaction, but she ultimately said, “I’ve already eaten at home, but I can help you promote them. I’ll take one of each flavor.”
Ding Baozhen didn’t study weaving and needlework alone; much like the village school, she was surrounded by other girls who had little resistance to sweet pastries.
Ding Baozhu agreed, wrapped up three pieces for her, and held out her hand with a smile. “Eight wen for three pieces. It’s a small business, so no credit.”
Ding Baozhen rolled her eyes but eventually pulled out eight wen and took the cakes. Ding Hong and Liu Ping usually gave them allowance, and since they had few expenses, they were always able to save up.
As her sister left, Ding Baozhu checked her baskets. The Brown Sugar Jujube and Chestnut-Peanut ones were selling well—especially the latter, likely because the broomcorn millet and heavy filling were more filling. She scratched her head. Does the Matcha Red Bean flavor have no market? Was I wrong?
Regardless, she had to keep hawking. Without it, how could she attract people? She decided to focus her energy on the Peach Blossom Tea for a moment.
During this time, several children and teenagers passed by with bookbags slung over their shoulders, much like Ding Sheng. Some were nine or ten, others a bit older. It seemed they brought breakfast from home to eat on the way to the village school.
Children who could afford to attend school either came from families like the First Branch, who would sacrifice everything to send them, or from families with a decent foundation. The younger ones, hearing there were sweets for sale, instinctively gravitated toward Ding Baozhu’s stall. The small children specifically wanted the sweet fillings, while the older ones bought them with the thought that Cold Cakes wouldn’t spoil by the afternoon when they got hungry again. Some even came over to buy tea because they were choking while eating on the go.
Ding Baozhu couldn’t help but marvel—no matter the era, students always seemed to be the backbone of business…
The village school was located in Yuanshuo Village, the neighboring village. From Xiangshan Village, it took at least fifteen to twenty minutes to walk there. Because of this, Ding Sheng had to wake up before dawn every day, eat a quick breakfast, and head out, meeting several classmates along the road.
Today, he was still rubbing his sleepy eyes when he saw a group of students gathered around a vendor. He walked over curiously to take a look, only to realize his eldest cousin was the one doing business!
The memory of stealing the bamboo shoots and the resulting compensation to the Second Branch was still fresh. Ding Sheng’s face flushed red, and he turned to leave immediately, terrified that the loud-mouthed Ding Baozhu would embarrass him in front of his classmates.
However, as he left, another person approached. Seeing the figure busy at the stall from a distance, the newcomer arched an eyebrow. After a moment’s hesitation, they continued forward.