“Alright!!”
Now that everyone had agreed, they weren’t just talking about it—they were serious.
That afternoon, Gu Xiaoxiao taught Xu Yan and Old Madam Gu how to prepare the dough.
The next morning, they would only need to knead the dough early and bring it to town to sell.
Both Xu Yan and Old Madam Gu had spent years working in kitchens, so they mastered the process easily.
That meant Gu Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have to worry about the dough tomorrow.
They would only need to cook the flatbreads at the market.
In the afternoon, Gu Xiaoxiao decided to make ketchup.
That way, it would be ready for use the next day.
She gathered the tomatoes that Old Madam Gu had grown in the yard.
After blanching them in boiling water and peeling off the skins, she chopped them into small pieces and simmered them in water.
Once the tomatoes had completely broken down into a thick puree, she added sugar and continued cooking.
When the mixture became thick and sticky, the ketchup was ready.
It was a simplified version, but after tasting it, Gu Xiaoxiao found it remarkably similar to modern ketchup.
With the ketchup finished, everything now depended on tomorrow.
Before she knew it, evening had arrived.
At some point, Old Master Gu had returned from the fields.
Not wanting to waste anything, Old Madam Gu turned all the practice dough into savory sauce flatbreads.
Gu Xiaoxiao only needed to guide her a little before Old Madam Gu learned how to make them herself.
In reality, savory sauce flatbread was quite simple.
The true key was the sauce.
As for her cooking skills—
Gu Xiaoxiao had absolute confidence.
If there was one thing she excelled at, it was cooking.
The finished flatbreads were arranged on the table.
Everyone ate enthusiastically.
Old Madam Gu watched happily.
The fact that everyone enjoyed them meant her flatbreads were delicious too.
For the first time, she felt genuinely confident about tomorrow’s business.
The next day, Old Madam Gu, Gu Xiaoxiao, Xu Yan, and Gu Zhenzhong would go into town to sell the flatbreads.
Originally, they had wanted Gu Yong to go.
But it was spring planting season, and if he left for town, the farm work would fall behind.
So the job went to the three women and Gu Zhenzhong instead.
Gu Xiaoxiao woke up before dawn.
Today was the day they would start their business.
She was excited.
Even though she had stayed awake late into the night, she still managed to get up early.
Meanwhile, Gu Yong had prepared a market stall for them.
It was a folding stall that he had built himself the night before.
His woodworking skills were excellent.
He had once apprenticed at a carpenter’s shop.
But because the family had fallen on hard times, he had returned home to help and never continued the trade.
Seeing that, Gu Xiaoxiao felt a little regretful.
Once we make enough money, I’m definitely opening a carpentry shop for Dad.
After everything was prepared, Old Madam Gu called everyone together and they set off.
Their village wasn’t far from town.
It only took about half a shichen—roughly an hour—to walk there.
However, no one wanted Gu Xiaoxiao to tire herself out.
They planned to let her ride an ox cart instead.
But Gu Xiaoxiao didn’t want people to know about their new business just yet.
Otherwise, it might create unnecessary trouble later.
So she insisted on walking.
Old Madam Gu looked at her with concern.
“No.”
“You’re too delicate.”
“You can ride the cart while your mother and I walk.”
“When you get there, just wait for us at the city gate.”
“We’ll arrive soon.”
But how could Gu Xiaoxiao possibly sit comfortably on a cart while the rest of her family walked?
A family should stay together.
No one left behind.
“No.”
“We’ll all walk together.”
“It’s not that far.”
Seeing how determined she was, Old Madam Gu finally relented.
Still, throughout the journey, she kept a close eye on Gu Xiaoxiao’s condition.
Gu Xiaoxiao had originally thought the walk would be no problem.
An hour wasn’t much.
Back in her previous life, when she was building her business and didn’t have money for transportation, walking for an hour had been normal.
But she had completely underestimated this body.
It was unbelievably pampered and fragile.
Before they had gone very far, her heels had already blistered.
A burning pain spread through the backs of her feet.
Yet she didn’t want to slow everyone down.
So she gritted her teeth and endured it in silence.
She managed to hold out all the way to town without Old Madam Gu noticing.
Luckily, they had arrived on market day.
The streets were packed with people.
Old Madam Gu quickly secured a stall location.
Since they had arrived early, they managed to claim a decent spot that wasn’t too far back.
The foot traffic was fairly good.
Right beside them was a noodle stall.
Xu Yan efficiently set up the stand.
Then she took out the dough that had been prepared at home and divided it into portions on the table.
Everything was ready.
Yet there was one problem.
No customers.
Meanwhile, the noodle stall next door had already sold several bowls.
Old Madam Gu started getting anxious.
Why wasn’t anyone coming to their stall?
Turning around, she looked at Gu Xiaoxiao.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxiao was calmly frying flatbreads as though nothing was wrong.
Not a trace of worry could be seen on her face.
“Xiaoxiao, there’s nobody at our stall.”
“Why are you still making flatbreads?”
Gu Xiaoxiao smiled mysteriously.
“Grandma, just wait and see.”
While cooking, she quietly whispered something into Gu Zhenzhong’s ear.
Instantly, his eyes lit up.
He understood.
Nodding, he stepped in front of the stall.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Come one, come all! Don’t miss out!”
“Gu Family Savory Sauce Flatbread—crispy, fragrant, and delicious!”
“Today is our grand opening!”
“Free samples today only!”
“If you like it, buy it!”
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay a single coin!”
“Free tasting—today only!”
“Come one, come all!”
“Gu Family Savory Sauce Flatbread—crispy, fragrant, and loved by everyone who tries it!”
Old Madam Gu and Xu Yan stood behind the stall in complete shock.
This was Gu Xiaoxiao’s brilliant plan?
Would this actually attract customers?
The passersby on the street slowed down.
Seeing Gu Zhenzhong shouting so enthusiastically, many grew curious and approached.
“Young man, what exactly is savory sauce flatbread?”
The moment someone finally asked, Gu Zhenzhong was overjoyed.
He immediately guided the customer over to the stall.
“This is our savory sauce flatbread.”
“You can try some.”
“It’s really delicious.”
At that exact moment, Gu Xiaoxiao had just finished frying a fresh batch.
She cut it into pieces and placed them neatly onto a serving plate.
Seeing a customer approach, she warmly smiled and said,
“Big Brother, the flatbread on this plate is available for tasting.”
The man hesitated.
He didn’t dare reach for it immediately.
After a moment, he cautiously asked,
“Little girl, is this really free?”
“You won’t charge me afterward?”
Gu Xiaoxiao smiled.
“That’s right.”
“Everything on this plate is free to sample.”
“There’s no charge.”
“But each person can only try one piece.”