RPAGF Chapter 510: Let the Guests Eat Well
Chapter 510: Let the Guests Eat Well
Chapter 510: Let the Guests Eat Well
Bowen said without hesitation: "Then I'll give you three of each flavor."
Taohua looked at Bowen with a smile and advised, "Sir, most of the baba here are solid and stuffed, and they're quite large. If you buy too much, it would be a waste if you can't finish them. Why don't you buy one of each to try first? If you like any of them, you can come back another day and buy more."
Bowen recalled the three so-called "thousand-year eggs" he'd spent 80 wen on. While 80 wen wasn't a lot of money in the capital, in Nanyang, it could hire a porter. Looking at the ingeniously shaped and colorful baba filled with fillings in the steamer, he figured they must be expensive.
After a moment's thought, Bowen said, "Then let's have one of each."
"Okay!" Taohua skillfully began to select baba for Bowen, introducing them as she went along: "This corn baba is two cents each; the one with vegetable filling is three cents each; and this one is five cents..." After a while, she counted all the baba and said, "Okay, sir, that's eighteen cents in total."
The baba made by Taohua was really big. It took a lot of effort and three cowhide bags to pack all the baba.
"Here, old man." Taohua smiled sweetly and handed the cowhide bag full of poop to Bowen.
Ji Feng handed Tao Hua the 18 coins he had counted out and asked curiously, "Little girl, you made such a big poop, aren't you afraid of losing money?"
Taohua said seriously, "My mother once said that if we want to keep our business going for a long time, we must ensure that everyone has enough to eat."
Ji Feng couldn't help but smile after hearing this. In his mind, business was always about maximizing profits. This "making sure everyone is well fed" business philosophy was new to him. Once everyone was well fed, how would he proceed with the business?
As Ji Feng and Tao Hua were talking, an old lady came over with her little granddaughter. With a gentle smile on her face, she said to Tao Hua, "Boss, pick out a tiger-shaped poop for me, and a corn poop."
Taohua skillfully picked out the baba and handed it to the old lady, "Grandma, please hold it firmly."
The old lady paid the money but did not eat it immediately. Instead, she held the baba tightly in her hand and prepared to leave. As she walked, she muttered to herself: "I'll eat this baba tonight. It should be enough to last until tomorrow."
Bowen was enjoying his corn cake when he froze when he heard the old lady's words. He hurried over and asked, "What did you say? Are you short of food?"
The old woman looked up, her eyes filled with sadness. "This year is a year of famine, and food is incredibly expensive. Thanks to this 'Baba King' and the sweet potato shop on the front street, otherwise, the people of Nanyang would be starving."
After saying that, the old lady gently patted the father in her arms, took her granddaughter's hand, and walked towards home.
Bowen turned to Ji Feng and whispered, "Go, take all these poops to that old man."
"Yes, Master." Ji Feng immediately took the brown paper bag containing the poop and hurriedly caught up with the old man. He gently stuffed the three bags of poop into the old man's arms and said, "Old man, these are given to you by our master."
The old man was stunned. Before he could react or even say thank you, Ji Feng turned around and ran back.
Bowen said to Ji Feng, "Let's go to the grain store in Nanyang City. I remember the family of the student we just accepted opened a grain store here."
"Yes, Master." Ji Feng responded quickly, "The student's name was Long Qiushan, and you assigned him to the Tianlong Palace." Ji Feng knew that the Tianlong Palace was under his management, and most of the students there came from wealthy families.
Wen Yuan came over breathlessly and complained angrily, "What's wrong with you two? You can lose someone even when you're following them! Didn't I tell you to follow me closely? You disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Bowen said, "Brother Wen, I have something urgent to do right now. Can we go to the place you mentioned another day?"
"No! Don't try to cheat!" Wen Yuan refused firmly and grabbed Bowen's arm, "Today I must let you see what that thing is called!" As he said that, he pulled Bowen towards the sweet potato shop without saying anything.
"Okay, okay, whatever you say." Bowen knew that Wenyuan was still upset about him sending away those two students who were regarded as "walking granaries" and was still angry.
On the way to the sweet potato shop, Wenyuan held Bowen's hand tightly, as if afraid that this old man who behaved a little erratically would run away again if he was not careful.
The two of them arrived at the sweet potato shop. Wenyuan pointed to the sign at the entrance and, standing outside, began introducing the shop to Bowen: "Look, this is the sweet potato shop. Sweet potatoes are a rare commodity unique to Futian Village. I heard that it was the woman named Xiuying who introduced this crop. Not only is it very easy to grow, but the yield is also surprisingly high."
Upon hearing this, Bowen lifted his coat and strode straight into the store. Uncle Liu saw a stranger coming in, and seeing Bowen's noble attire, he guessed that he must be the master of a wealthy family from out of town. He quickly greeted him with a smile and asked, "Sir, are you from out of town?"
Having previously experienced buying "thousand-year-old eggs," Bowen felt wary and said slowly, "No, it's not like that. I lived in Nanyang Prefecture when I was young, and later traveled extensively, wandering for most of my life. Now, I've reached the age of falling leaves..."
Wenyuan followed Bowen into the store and interrupted him. "Alright," she said, giving him a disdainful look. Then, turning to Uncle Liu, she said, "This is my classmate. I heard your sweet potato noodles are great, so I came here just to see them. Oh, and by the way, a few more of your preserved eggs."
Uncle Liu looked and saw that it was Master Wenyuan from the Fucheng Academy. He remembered that when the village chief's youngest son was studying in the city, it was Master Wenyuan who personally taught him. He quickly bowed respectfully and said with a smile, "So you are Master Wenyuan's friends. Please come inside and take a seat."
Bowen and Wenyuan sat down on the chairs in the store. Uncle Liu said again, "Please wait a moment, I'll go to the backyard to get the preserved eggs." After that, he hurried to the backyard.
Wen Yuan raised her hand, pointed at the neatly bundled sweet potato noodles on the display counter, and introduced them to Bo Wen, "Look, that's sweet potato noodles over there. It's not only delicious, but also has a long shelf life and doesn't spoil easily."