After finishing her work and returning home, Ding Baozhu went back into the house. Liu Ping and Ding Baoqin were still there. Seeing her return, the former said:
“You’re back? We’ve already eaten. We didn’t know when you’d be home, so the food is still being kept warm.”
“Big sister!” Ding Baoqin asked excitedly, “You were gone all morning; how much money did you make?”
“I haven’t counted it yet. I came back as soon as I finished selling everything.”
Ding Baozhu set down her carrying pole. On the table sat warm rice and a dish that looked dark and murky. Upon closer inspection, it was braised preserved mustard greens with salt pork, which looked like it would go very well with rice.
She untied a semi-bulging pouch from her waist. These pouches were made by Liu Ping for her daughters to wear, at least until they learned needlework themselves and could make their own. Since Ding Baozhu had always been poor at such skills, she still carried the one Liu Ping had made.
The pouch was filled with copper coins. Baozhu took a few bites of rice, then opened the drawstring and poured out all the money, counting it while she ate.
She calculated how much glutinous rice she had bought and roughly how much flour it produced. Materials like dried jujubes and red beans increased in weight when turned into filling, so the batch she made the first time was enough for several more large strips of cake. The prices for these ingredients were all relatively similar. Brown sugar was inexpensive, and she had bought very little white sugar. As for the package of green tea, though it was this year’s fresh harvest, it wasn’t a high-grade tea, costing only a few coins more than grain.
Thus, after deducting costs—including the jar of peach blossom tea—she had earned about several dozen copper coins today. It didn’t seem like much, but it was enough to cover one person’s daily expenses. Furthermore, since today was her first day setting up a stall, being able to turn any profit at all was good.
Liu Ping and Ding Baoqin watched this scene, and Liu Ping smiled. “I didn’t expect you to make money on your very first day.”
Ding Baozhu said bashfully, “It’s not a lot.”
“It’s still a profit. Besides, who starts a business and becomes wealthy overnight?” Liu Ping comforted her. “The most important thing in this business is not to give up halfway. Wealth is accumulated slowly; you can’t rush it.”
“Yes, I understand, Mother,” Ding Baozhu agreed.
Ding Baoqin spoke up then. “Big sister, why don’t you make other types of food? For example, breakfast items. There are definitely more people buying those than snacks.”
“I’ve thought about that, but I don’t have the right tools or containers right now. If the food is hot, it starts to cool down while I’m carrying it on my shoulder pole, and by the end of the day, it would be freezing.”
“Then you can start with something simple,” Ding Baoqin said quickly. “For example, use a wooden bucket, put the food inside, and then cover the top with something to keep it warm. You can find the village carpenter to make the bucket—”
Before she could finish, Liu Ping glared at her. Ding Baoqin immediately shut her mouth, remembering something and looking awkward.
Ding Baozhu also understood. The original owner of this body had been in love with the young village carpenter. Therefore, after her recovery, that word had practically become a taboo in the house, something they avoided mentioning whenever possible.
“Have you forgotten that your elder sister is about to get married? Why are you bothering with tools at a time like this?” Liu Ping’s tone was slightly displeased.
Ding Baoqin remained silent.
Ding Baozhu pretended not to hear and laughed it off. “Mother is right. Besides, after I finished selling today, someone asked if I would be back tomorrow. It seems these cold cakes are quite popular. I’ll go check things out again tomorrow.”
Hearing this, the other two stopped talking about the matter.
After eating, she checked her remaining ingredients. She found that aside from the glutinous rice flour and fillings, there were still a few ounces of dried jujubes left unprocessed because she hadn’t continued after making a jar of jujube paste earlier. Since she hadn’t run out of flour or fillings yet, she didn’t need to buy new materials for the time being.
If she had only earned a little this time, if things went smoothly tomorrow, her profits might double. As for the remaining jujubes, Ding Baozhu didn’t intend to make more paste; instead, she planned to make something new to see if it would sell.
She made the three flavors of cold cakes as usual, identical to the first day, along with the jar of peach blossom tea. For the jujubes, she soaked them until they softened, then used scissors to cut them open and remove the pits. She then stuffed them with small pieces of glutinous rice dough and steamed them. These were “Smiling Open” dates—bright red and auspicious.
Although the red dates were already naturally sweet, Ding Baozhu boiled some thick brown sugar syrup and rolled half of the dates in it. Once dry, they became shiny and crystalline. The other half she left original. This snack was very simple to make; even if she woke up early the next morning to do it, there would be enough time.
When she carried her shoulder pole back to the main road the next day, the spot under the apricot tree was vacant, so she set down her stall there again.
After a short while, the uncle from the previous day indeed arrived. Seeing that Ding Baozhu had opened her stall, he approached with a smile, clearly intending to buy something.
Ding Baozhu greeted him with a smile. “Uncle, you’re here so early today?”
“How could I not be? I was afraid that if I came late, you’d be sold out. Besides, your cold cakes really do last a long time.” The uncle continued, “This time I want three pieces of jujube paste and two pieces of millet. I’ll take them back for my wife and children to try.”
“Coming right up. I’ll wrap them separately for you. Let’s call it twelve coins.” As Ding Baozhu wrapped the cakes in leaves, she added, “Would you like to buy some tea as well? If you brought your own container, it’s only half price.”
The uncle had been given a free bowl of tea yesterday and hadn’t returned after that, so he likely wasn’t aware of this. Baozhu was guessing whether he had a container with him.
The uncle asked, “Is a water bottle okay?”
“Of course,” Ding Baozhu replied. Most people in the village carried containers made of bamboo or wood, and the uncle’s water bottle did indeed look like a slender bamboo tube.
As she filled it with tea, she promoted her new product. “Uncle, I also made glutinous rice dates today. They are excellent for enriching the blood and nourishing one’s appearance. Adults and children alike love them. Why not take some home to try?”
the prepared glutinous rice dates were arranged in a small basket, each one small, delicate, and translucent. They looked exceptionally cute and even emitted a faint, lingering sweet fragrance.
Hearing this, the uncle instinctively asked, “How are these sold?”
Ding Baozhu replied immediately, “The original flavor is two pieces for one coin. The sugar-glazed ones are one coin each. If you buy a lot, I’ll drizzle some syrup on them for you. They’re sweet and delicious, and they keep well.”
“Haha, what counts as buying a lot?” the uncle laughed heartily. “In that case, give me one coin’s worth of each to try first.”
Ding Baozhu took a larger leaf, folded it into the shape of a bowl, placed three glutinous rice dates inside, drizzled a bit of syrup over them with a small spoon, and handed it over. “That’s exactly fifteen coins in total. Take care, Uncle.”
Having completed her first sale of the day, Ding Baozhu continued to call out from her spot.
As with the previous day, as the sun rose higher in the sky, more people appeared on the road. At that moment, Ding Baozhu saw Ding Baozhen approaching with several women who either had their hair tied up or in buns. Before reaching the stall, Baozhen pointed and smiled:
“This is the stall selling the cold cakes. It’s my family’s business; you sisters should support us.”
One of the women laughed. “Look at this! Just because we said the cakes she brought were tasty, she drags us here to support her business. She certainly knows how to take advantage of us!”
Ding Baozhen smiled. “Never mind the cakes; there are even new snacks at the stall. It would be good for you sisters to try some.”
Ding Baozhu had already overheard this. she stood up with a beaming smile and joined in. “My second sister works hard learning weaving and needlework with you all. Even if you don’t buy snacks, it’s good to buy a cup of peach blossom tea to nourish your complexion and soothe your spirit. If you bring your own cup, it’s only half price.”
the women gathered around to look. One asked, “Yesterday, Baozhen brought cakes to share with us. There was one that looked green—refreshing and not too sweet. Do you have that one?”
Nowadays, most people only thought about having enough to eat. Only those with a bit of family wealth had other desires. It was said that a textile mill had been built in Dadun Village, and many women there were busy with weaving and embroidery, creating an industry. Many families had become wealthy through this. The wealthiest family also possessed the best skills, and many women from other villages went there to seek instruction, hoping to make a name for themselves.
Once a family was well-off, these women had more to consider. Especially regarding their appearance; they could afford snacks now, but they feared gaining weight if they ate too much.
Unexpectedly, the cake Ding Baozhen had brought wasn’t as sugary as other snacks and had a unique flavor. After asking about it, they learned her family had set up a small stall using a novel method to create that flavor, so they followed her here today.
Ding Baozhu said happily, “Of course I have it! I just opened the stall, and the stock is all here. Also, I have something new today: glutinous rice dates. They nourish the complexion and replenish Qi and blood. Eating them makes one’s complexion look better than a flower. Would you sisters like a taste?”
Ding Baozhen didn’t say anything, but she hadn’t expected her elder sister’s tongue to be so capable of speaking such sweet words now.
Under her sales pitch, most of the women bought the matcha red bean cold cakes. Some also bought the glutinous rice dates, though they mostly chose the original flavor as a light snack.
Fortunately, Ding Baozhu hadn’t reduced the amount of matcha red bean cakes just because they didn’t sell exceptionally well yesterday. In an instant, half of the glutinous rice dates were also sold, making her incredibly happy.
Some people had already started eating a date. The date itself had a natural sweetness, and the center was a soft, chewy glutinous rice ball. It was bouncy and delicious to chew, with a light, natural flavor.
Seeing the shiny, sugar-glazed ones nearby, one woman—who was on the plumper side—stared longingly, but since it was a snack and easy to overeat, she hesitated.
Ding Baozhu noticed this keenly and smiled. “Sister, since you’re buying so many, I’ll drizzle just a tiny bit of brown sugar on them for you. It’s just for a bit of extra flavor; it won’t hurt.”
The woman was happy to hear this and handed back the dates she had just bought. Ding Baozhu moved her spoon, drizzling the fragrant brown sugar syrup over them.
Even Ding Baozhen bought two pieces of cold cake to eat as breakfast. Finally, after the group of women had been served and sent on their way, Baozhu contentedly tucked the copper coins into her pouch.