10:Market Research
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Early the next morning, Zhao Liniang opened the earthenware pot to check that the rice porridge had not gone off. After a simple breakfast, the two set off, leaving Tao Qingmiao to look after the house.
Taking advantage of the cooler morning air, the mother and daughter hurried along at a brisk pace and reached the county town gates in less than half an hour. It was Tao Qinghe’s first time seeing an ancient city gate; she scrutinised the plaque, which was now covered in a layer of dust, and could barely make out the three characters ‘Baiyi County’.
The two soldiers guarding the gate looked utterly listless; they didn’t even glance at passers-by. As for the city walls, several bricks were already broken! Tao Qinghe’s heart sank. If the county town was this poor, would her plan to earn money still work?
No identity checks were required to enter the town, and whilst Tao Qinghe’s thoughts were racing, she and her daughter had already reached the city gate.
“Excuse me, sir, where in the town are foodstuffs sold?” Tao Qinghe asked, stepping up to one of the gatekeepers.
The man had been yawning, but the sudden question jolted him awake. He looked at the person before him—clearly a country girl. Good heavens! She was almost as tall as he was. He couldn’t help but glance at her twice before replying, “Once you’re inside the city, just keep going straight. When you see Zhou’s Pastry Shop, turn there, and you’ll reach the street where the food stalls are.”
Having said this, he seemed to realise the potential awkwardness of his words—the girl was likely illiterate—so he added, “The first pastry shop you see when you go straight ahead is the Zhou family’s shop.”
Tao Qinghe understood; it seemed the county town wasn’t very large, and its layout was simple. She thanked the man, then took Zhao Liniang by the hand and led her into the town.
Even before they drew near, the clamour reached their ears. Both sides of the city gate were already lined with all manner of stalls, displaying farm produce and bamboo baskets, all laid out in rows, waiting for customers to come and choose.
Tao Qinghe’s mind was elsewhere; she merely glanced briefly at the scene before her. Finding nothing of interest, she took Zhao Liniang by the hand and hurried on.
Zhao Liniang had only visited the county town a few times over the years; how could she possibly have spoken to the officials? Ever since Tao Qinghe had asked her, she had been so frightened that she had frozen in place, paying no attention to what the two had said. It was only after the mother and daughter had walked through the town for quite some time that she finally came to her senses.
Tao Qinghe kept pulling her along at a brisk pace, paying no heed to the stalls lining the street, as if they were heading somewhere in particular. Zhao Liniang was thoroughly baffled by this behaviour. “Why are we walking so fast?”
“Let’s make a quick round. Once we’ve bought what we need, we can head back before the sun gets too high.” Tao Qinghe’s eyes were still scanning the area, but she didn’t forget to reply.
Hearing this, Zhao Liniang had no choice but to pick up the pace and keep up. Before long, the two of them arrived at the door of the Zhou family’s pastry shop.
No sooner had they reached the entrance than waves of sweet fragrance wafted out from within. Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but swallow hard—it looked so tempting! Having eaten nothing but porridge for the past few days—and only twice a day at that—the sudden sight of pastries made her mouth water uncontrollably.
Seeing her like this, Zhao Liniang felt a pang of pity. She took her hand and said, “If you fancy some, we… we’ll buy a piece to try.”
Tao Qinghe was somewhat moved by these words. Although Zhao Liniang had a somewhat timid nature, she certainly doted on her own daughter. But they were so poor at the moment; she could only shake her head. “We’ll eat them once we’ve earned some money. For now, we must focus on the matter at hand.”
Having said this, she took Zhao Liniang by the hand and stepped forward to ask, “What sort of pastries do you have here?” The aroma was all she could detect; she couldn’t tell the types apart.
The man inside the shop was in his thirties, short in stature, barely rising halfway above the counter. He had a long, gaunt face and sported a tuft of goatee; though a smile played on his lips, his eyes betrayed a shrewdness.
Hearing Tao Qinghe’s words, he looked up and sized her up. Seeing that she was a country girl, he replied casually, “My Zhou family’s shop has been in business for a hundred years; naturally, we have all manner of pastries. What would you like, young lady?”
“…Could you perhaps give me a brief introduction? That way, I’ll know what to buy,” Tao Qinghe said in a polite tone.
Seeing that this country girl showed no fear of him, the shopkeeper cleared his throat, twirled his moustache, and began: “As for the Zhou family’s pastries, our mung bean cakes are by far the most popular. There isn’t a soul in Baiyi County who hasn’t tasted them. Just think of our mung bean cakes…”
“Hold on a moment!” Tao Qinghe, seeing the man beginning to boast, hurriedly interrupted him. “Apart from the mung bean cakes, what else do you have?”
Interrupted by a country girl, a look of anger flashed across the confectioner’s face. He replied in a sharp tone: “The cheapest of our Zhou family pastries costs thirty coins a packet; not everyone can afford them. You’d best check first whether you have enough silver in your purse before we go any further!”
Tao Qinghe hadn’t expected the man to be so condescending in his dealings, so she had no choice but to pull out her cloth bag and wave it vigorously in front of the shopkeeper. “Just listen—is this little bit of silver enough to buy your cakes?”
Zhao Liniang was panicking inside. There was no money in that bag at all; it was clearly just a handful of pebbles the eldest daughter had picked up along the way! What on earth would she do if he saw through her?
The shopkeeper had no inkling of this; upon hearing the jingle, the smile on his face instantly became genuine, and he couldn’t help but feel excited: could this be a big sale today?
He said impatiently, “Please do not take offence at my earlier rudeness, young lady. As for the pastries at Zhou’s Confectionery, they are truly…”
After quickly running through the shop’s range of pastries and their prices, the shopkeeper turned to Tao Qinghe with a beaming smile.
Having listened to his introduction, Tao Qinghe quickly assessed the situation in her mind. Although the shop offered a wide variety of goods, there were no pastries resembling the flower cakes; her plan stood a very good chance of success!
Regardless of her inner thoughts, she maintained her smile as she looked at the man in the shop. “Just a moment ago, when my mother and I arrived at the city gate, we heard people saying that your pastries are the most famous in all of Baiyi County. Having heard your introduction, I can see that the reputation is well-deserved!”
Tao Qinghe’s flattery struck a chord with Shopkeeper Zhou, and he nodded repeatedly. “I won’t hide the truth from you, young lady. Were it not for our ancestral roots here in Baiyi County, my Zhou family’s pastry shop could easily have opened in the prefectural capital.”
Seeing that the shopkeeper was in high spirits, Tao Qinghe seized the opportunity to ask, “Do you sell these pastries individually?”
Shopkeeper Zhou was abruptly roused from his reverie and, momentarily taken aback, repeated, “Sold individually?”
“Ahem… what I mean is, could you sell me a single pastry?” Tao Qinghe looked at him with a perfectly serious expression.
“You’re really joking, young lady! If you can’t afford it, just go home! Don’t come here and embarrass me!” Shopkeeper Zhou’s face turned ashen with anger. He’d thought he was in for a big order today, but instead he’d been made a fool of by this country girl—what a waste of breath!
Tao Qinghe felt rather disappointed upon hearing this; it seemed she wouldn’t be able to sample the goods after all. She could only say, “If you won’t sell it, then so be it. I’ll just go to another shop.”
With that, she took Zhao Liniang by the hand and turned to leave.