Gu Xiaoxiao cut the pancake into fairly large pieces, so even a sample-sized portion was enough for people to taste the flavor properly.
Hearing that the sample was free, the young man immediately relaxed and took a bite.
The moment the crispy pancake entered his mouth, a rich savory aroma exploded across his taste buds.
His eyes lit up.
“This pancake is delicious!”
“What did you call it? Sauce Pancake?”
“How much does it cost?”
The moment Gu Xiaoxiao heard that question, she knew her first customer was hooked.
“Three copper coins for a half portion.”
“Five copper coins for a full portion.”
She pointed to the remaining half portion on display.
A full pancake was huge.
Anyone could see that it was enough to fill their stomach.
The young man looked at the pancakes on the stall.
“Five coins for a serving this size?”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
“That’s right.”
“In that case, give me one.”
“Coming right up!”
“Please wait a moment while I cook it.”
Seeing that his shouting had actually attracted customers, Gu Zhenzhong became even more enthusiastic.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled louder than before:
“Gu Family Sauce Pancakes!”
“Grand opening special!”
“Free samples today!”
“One free piece per person!”
“Taste before you buy!”
“If you like it, buy it!”
“If you don’t like it, don’t buy it!”
“Today only!”
“Come take a look!”
As the market grew busier, more and more people were drawn in by his shouting.
Many stopped to ask:
“What is a sauce pancake?”
Whenever someone asked, Gu Zhenzhong immediately led them to the stall.
Before long, a crowd had formed around them.
Seeing the growing number of customers, Old Madam Gu and Xu Yan could no longer stand around watching.
Xu Yan joined Gu Xiaoxiao in making pancakes.
Meanwhile, Old Madam Gu took charge of collecting payments.
People passing by noticed the crowd and became curious.
What could possibly be attracting so many customers?
Most of them stepped forward to investigate.
After tasting a sample, however, they immediately understood.
The flavor conquered them on the spot.
One after another, they lined up to buy.
Soon, a long queue stretched in front of the stall.
Seeing that the crowd had stabilized, Gu Zhenzhong stopped advertising.
Instead, he noticed that his grandmother was becoming overwhelmed.
Coins were being thrust toward her from every direction.
She was struggling to keep up.
“Grandma.”
“Take a break.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Old Madam Gu didn’t refuse.
She truly couldn’t keep track anymore.
The moment Gu Zhenzhong took over, things became much more efficient.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxiao and Xu Yan were so busy cooking that they practically had smoke coming out of their ears.
By the time they finally slowed down, every bit of dough they had prepared was gone.
Sold out.
Completely.
Some customers who arrived late looked devastated.
One young woman hurried over.
“Are you closing already?”
“No more sauce pancakes?”
She had purchased some earlier and brought them home.
After tasting them, her young mistress had loved them so much that she sent her back for more.
Who would have thought they’d already sold out?
Gu Xiaoxiao looked at the young woman.
Her clothes were obviously made from expensive fabrics.
Clearly, she worked for a wealthy household.
Smiling sweetly, Gu Xiaoxiao explained:
“Miss, we didn’t prepare very much today.”
“Everything is sold out now.”
“But we’ll be back tomorrow.”
“And we’ll bring more.”
“If you’d like some, come a little earlier.”
The young woman looked at her bright smile and couldn’t bring herself to complain.
“Fine.”
“I’ll come earlier tomorrow.”
After packing up the stall, the family prepared to sell the game Gu Zhenzhong had hunted the day before.
As usual, he carried the birds to a poultry vendor in the market.
The stall owner immediately recognized him.
“Little brother!”
“You’re back!”
His smile widened when he saw the game in Gu Zhenzhong’s hands.
“Caught something again?”
“You really are a talented hunter.”
Pleased by the compliment, Gu Zhenzhong proudly handed over the birds.
“Boss, how much are these worth?”
The poultry seller happily accepted the wild chickens and weighed them.
“They come to eight jin altogether.”
“That would normally be sixteen copper coins.”
“But since it’s you, I’ll make it twenty.”
The moment he heard twenty coins, Gu Zhenzhong’s face lit up.
To him, that sounded like a good deal.
Just as he reached out to accept the money—
“Wait.”
A hand suddenly knocked his away.
The coins never reached him.
Everyone turned.
Gu Xiaoxiao stood there with her arms crossed.
The poultry seller frowned.
“Little girl, what are you doing?”
Gu Xiaoxiao looked at him calmly.
“Boss.”
“Are you sure that’s the correct price?”
“Twenty coins seems awfully cheap.”
Domestic chickens sold for around twelve coins each.
Wild chickens should be worth even more.
How could they possibly be selling for only ten coins apiece?
If this man wasn’t cheating them, she would happily swallow her words.
Gu Zhenzhong looked confused.
Seeing his sister’s reaction, he tugged on her sleeve.
“Little Sister…”
“I’ve always sold my game here.”
“There shouldn’t be a problem.”
The poultry seller immediately seized the opportunity.
“Exactly!”
“You’re his sister, right?”
“Your brother sells to me all the time.”
“Do you really think I’d cheat him?”
His words sounded reasonable.
But Gu Xiaoxiao wasn’t buying it.
She reached out and took back the wild chickens.
“I’ll find out by asking around.”
The poultry seller’s expression changed instantly.
The truth was that he already had an order waiting to be filled today.
He desperately needed these birds.
If they left, he’d have nothing to deliver.
That absolutely could not happen.
“Now hold on there, little girl.”
“You’ve already sold them to me.”
“You can’t go back on your word.”
That accusation was serious.
But Gu Xiaoxiao wasn’t intimidated.
She glanced at the chickens displayed on his stall.
Not a single one was wild.
All were domestic chickens.
“When exactly did we sell them to you?”
“My brother only asked for a price.”
“We haven’t taken your money.”
“So how is that a sale?”
Then she pointed toward the chickens on his table.
“Besides…”
“Those aren’t wild chickens.”
“You buy wild game only to resell it for a profit, don’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You saw that my brother was young and easy to fool.”
“So you deliberately lowered the price.”
“Am I wrong?”
“I’d wager this isn’t the first time you’ve done it either.”
“You’ve been cheating my brother for quite a while now, haven’t you?”
The poultry seller’s face instantly stiffened.
The surrounding crowd, who had already been attracted by the earlier pancake stall commotion, immediately began paying attention.
A few people even stopped to watch.
After all—
nothing drew a crowd at the market faster than a public argument.
And judging by the look on Gu Xiaoxiao’s face, she had no intention of letting this matter go easily.