The last thing to consider was the issue of time. Currently, there were three and a half people available to work in the Jing family. The two children together could barely count as half a person. It was clear that they were short-handed.

 

Moreover, since cooking and steaming required two stoves, the time slots couldn’t be accommodated simultaneously. Therefore, the final decision was to divide the preparation time.

 

For soup-based foods, they would be made in the morning. Two barrels of sour plum soup and one barrel of mung bean soup, along with other miscellaneous tasks, would require them to wake up around 6 o’clock. After preparing everything, they would be ready to head to the town around 8 o’clock.

 

Of course, Jing’s parents expressed no pressure. People in rural areas woke up at the crack of dawn, so 6 o’clock could be considered late.

 

The snack-type foods could be prepared the previous evening. Both the liang gao and tea eggs could be stored overnight without any problem, even in the summer.

 

Rice and glutinous rice would be soaked in advance by Jing’s mother around noon each day. Then, in the evening, the whole family would spend about an hour to complete the preparation. The tea eggs could even be marinated overnight for better flavor.

 

The next day, with everything ready, the entire family packed up with excitement and anticipation.

 

On the first day, they would test the waters and prepare half the quantity of goods. They boiled fifty tea eggs and made thirty pieces each of the sheep milk liang gao and red date liang gao.

 

Everyone had full confidence in the taste of the new snacks, and they were well aware of Jing Yi’s sales ability. They thought it wouldn’t hurt to prepare a bit more, but caution could be considered one of Jing Yi’s life mottos.

 

During the initial stage of market expansion, it was crucial not to stockpile goods and to observe consumers’ preferences in order to adjust the product ratio.

 

At 10 o’clock in the morning, Jing’s father and Jing Yi arrived at the market. After the Lin family twins helped unload the goods from the cart, Lin’s husband called them back home.

 

Seeing this, Jing Yi quickly took out the five tea eggs and six pieces of liang gao that were already wrapped and chased after Lin’s husband. “Aunt, these are the new snacks from our family. Take them home for your family to taste. Please help us try the flavor too.”

 

The main purpose was for his future wife to taste them and see how capable his future husband was! Of course, this statement could only be said in his heart for now.

 

“Jing, my boy, I can’t accept this. These are meant to be sold. Take them back quickly,” Lin’s husband refused. He wasn’t one to take advantage of others, and he could see through it. There was no need for them to help taste the snacks. Jing’s family was always reliable in their work. If they took them out for sale, then they must be well-prepared.

 

And that small wooden barrel, he didn’t know what was inside, but the savory and rich aroma was already wafting out. It smelled delicious.

 

“Aunt, please don’t be polite. Since we arrived here, Dongjiang and Dongshan have been helping us every day. We don’t consider ourselves outsiders anymore. Please take them back for your whole family to taste,” Jing Yi insisted.

 

He knew that the Lin family wasn’t well-off either. Besides bringing some back for Xiaxia to try, he genuinely wanted to give some to Lin’s husband. Normally, they were hesitant to buy anything at the market, and the twins were well-behaved and never demanded to eat or drink anything.

 

He looked at Lin’s husband as if he still wanted to have a talk with him and said directly, “Ah Mo, there will be many places where we’ll need your help in the future.” Then he placed the items in Dongjiang’s hand, revealing his ace card and said with a smile, “Take them back and let Uncle Lin and Xiaxia try them too.”

 

Sure enough, Lin’s husband’s eyes paused for a moment, no longer refusing, but looked at Jing Yi meaningfully.

 

Jing Yi was frank and open. He had no intention of hiding it from Lin’s husband. It wasn’t appropriate for an outsider like him to mention the shopkeeper’s little brother when giving gifts, unless he was pursuing someone.

 

Although Duyuan Chao had become more civilized, men couldn’t secretly approach women. It would harm their reputation.

 

Although it was still an arranged marriage, families who loved their children generally respected their choices.

 

Jing Yi knew that Lin’s husband was gentle and intelligent, perceptive, and likely the head of the family. From their interactions during this period, he could tell that he cared deeply for his children, regardless of gender.

 

Sure enough, after thinking for a moment, Lin’s husband smiled and said, “Alright, then let Ah Mo accept them for them. Thank you, Xiaoyi. I wish you great success with your new products.”

 

Saying that, he picked up the bamboo basket, took the items, and went home. As for how to mention this matter to Xiaxia when he returned home, let’s not bring it up for now.

 

Jing Yi was satisfied and turned back to chat with his father while selling things. “Dad, I gave Aunt Lin five tea eggs and six pieces of liang gao. Let them try the new products.”

 

“Yes, you should give them. I really like Dongjiang and Dongshan. They are well-behaved.” Indeed, even though Jing’s father was a straight man, he didn’t understand Jing Yi’s thoughts even after watching the whole scene.

 

“…Indeed.”

 

After speaking, he remembered another matter. He also had to send something to the dock supervisor. Although the items were not valuable, it was a gesture.

 

He put five tea eggs in a bowl, wrapped five small liang gao in bamboo leaves, and walked towards the dock supervisor’s office. Today, there was still the same official in charge, but the henchman had changed, and he didn’t know if they followed a rotation schedule.

 

“Sir, sirs, we meet again. Thank you all for taking care of us these days. Come, this is our family’s new snack. Please try it.” Saying that, Jing Yi placed his full hands on the nearby table and bowed to them.

 

Seeing this, the official smiled and said, “You youngster, there’s no need for so much courtesy. Your family has only been here for less than a month, and your business is already booming!”

 

Jing Yi heard this but couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning behind the official’s words. He didn’t want to overthink it and calmly replied, “Thanks to your support. We’re just making a meager living with our small business.”

 

“Hey, you don’t need to be so modest. Your family’s food is indeed good.” The official said and continued, “Do your business well and don’t cause any trouble by cutting corners at the market. My surname is Gu, so don’t call me ‘official’ anymore.”

 

Jing Yi understood the implications of the official’s words and immediately addressed him, “Alright, Big Brother Gu! I’m Jing Yi. My family lives in Xiwan Village. We’re all law-abiding citizens. You can rest assured. If you’re busy at noon and don’t have time to prepare lunch, just bring the three of you to my stall. Don’t hesitate to come.”

 

You should know that among the four occupations of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, even if this dock supervisor isn’t a proper official, he is still a person working in the yamen. Ordinary people can’t claim to know someone like that.

 

Jing Yi wasn’t foolish enough to think that he was flattering them. More connections meant more opportunities. Otherwise, his father wouldn’t have been able to deal with that situation in the past.

 

“Take a look, have a look, dare you try it!”

 

“Tea eggs, tea eggs, eating eggs is better than drinking tea!”

 

“Sheep’s milk liang gao, it’ll make your child stop crying!”

 

Calling out like that was necessary, and Jing Yi’s words were fancy. Not only the passersby, but even Jing’s father listened to them with relish.

 

Jing Yi prepared the samples. He cut one tea egg into four pieces and prepared two, making a total of eight small portions. The liang gao was slightly larger, but he also cut one into four pieces, preparing two of each, making a total of sixteen portions.

 

With many people and few items, each person could only take one. It was first come, first served, and once it was eaten, it was gone. He believed that after tasting these, at least a portion of the market would open up.

 

Jing’s small stall already had regular customers, so the sampling activity was practically over before it even started.

 

Those who missed out on it criticized Jing Yi for being stingy.

 

“Jing’s lad, you’re so inconsiderate. I come here every day to buy sour plum soup, and you couldn’t even wait for me for the tasting. Now you’re favoring outsiders, huh?” A strong man who missed out complained when he saw the last piece of liang gao being taken by someone else.

 

“Hey, you little scoundrel, who are you calling an outsider? I come here every day too!” A middle-aged woman who managed to grab a liang gao also refused to back down, and her hand almost poked the man’s neck.

 

“The key is, Jing little brother, you’re too stingy. With so many people, you prepared so little. You even cut one egg into eight pieces! Jing uncle, aren’t you going to say anything about his stinginess?” A short man who looked like a supervisor said.

 

Everyone chimed in, accusing Jing Yi of being stingy. But Jing Yi didn’t take it to heart. After all, in business, you had to be a bit stingy. As the saying goes, if you don’t calculate well, you’ll suffer.

 

Moreover, those who called him stingy were his regular customers. There was no ill intent, and they often teased each other.

 

He wasn’t a true farmer, so he didn’t have any feelings of inferiority or looking down on rural people. He spoke openly, with humor and wit. Sometimes, he even made self-deprecating jokes with his customers. That’s why these regular customers enjoyed bantering with him.

 

“Uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters, when I make money, I’ll definitely treat you to tea eggs. You’ll have your fill, one and a half portions each, okay?!” Just as he finished speaking, it sparked a wave of laughter and playful insults. “What are you talking about, bird? One and a half portions for each person!” “I want half a portion too, I’m waiting for it!” “Hahaha, that’s right, we’re all waiting!”

 

Amidst the laughter and jokes, those who had just received the samples had already finished eating. The smart ones silently took out money and joined the queue, while the quiet ones didn’t say much. Only the naive ones and those who hadn’t gotten the samples were still chatting with Jing Yi.

 

After a few people ahead of them, they happily bought three tea eggs and four pieces of liang gao. The others finally caught on.

 

It seemed that this new food was delicious, and these shameless people secretly bought some without making a sound. After that, everyone didn’t chat much anymore and quickly went to join the queue.

 

Soon, the remaining tea eggs and liang gao were sold out, leaving Jing’s father beaming with joy.

 

However, quite a few people arrived late and complained that they didn’t even get a single one. They blamed the preparations for being too limited. Jing Yi and his father had no choice but to kindly say they would prepare more each day and explained that it was the first day of trial sales and so on.

 

Around one o’clock in the afternoon, the mung bean soup and sour plum soup were also nearly sold out. The father and son happily returned home.

 

Before going home, Jing Yi suggested buying a roasted chicken and two pounds of meat to bring back, saying that they should celebrate a little today. In fact, they should have celebrated a bit after the success of the sour plum soup. Life shouldn’t lack a sense of ceremony.

 

Jing’s father didn’t know what a sense of ceremony was, but he wholeheartedly agreed to have a good meal to celebrate the successful business.