Chapter 57: Going to the Market
Su Mulan’s confidence soared, and her smile deepened. “If you think it’s delicious, that’s great. Next time we go to the town market to sell dried sweet potatoes, I’ll bring the popcorn along too, see if we can make some money from it.”
“If it’s this delicious, it’ll definitely sell well,” Bai Zhuye affirmed confidently.
“Then after Mom sells these popcorn, I’ll come back and make steamed meat buns for you to eat,” Su Mulan patted Bai Zhuye’s little head.
Meat buns.
White flour skin, stuffed full of meat inside. When you take a bite and the meat juices overflow, the fragrance makes you want to swallow your tongue along with the bun.
Just hearing about such delicious food makes one unable to resist swallowing a bit of saliva.
The four little radishes couldn’t help but feel their mouths watering involuntarily, swallowing a bit, and not knowing from whose stomach came a rumbling sound.
The sound was loud and melodious.
Seeing this, Su Mulan pursed her lips and chuckled. “Alright, just mentioning meat buns and everyone’s hungry. These popcorn need to be aired out to get crispier. Let’s leave them in the yard for a while and quickly prepare lunch.”
Su Mulan’s playful teasing made the four little radishes giggle incessantly. They stopped chatting and followed Su Mulan to do what they could, starting to prepare lunch.
Plain pancakes were a bit bland, so for lunch, Su Mulan used white flour and sweet potato flour, along with fresh vegetables, to make noodle soup. By evening, she picked a tender pumpkin and made vegetable rolls with sweet potato and white flour.
The pumpkin was mildly sweet, and the popcorn had a hint of sweetness as well. Eating the vegetable rolls, one could say it sweetened the heart.
Drying sweet potatoes, clearing land, popping popcorn.
When the day of the big market arrived, Su Mulan would carry a heavy basket filled with dried sweet potatoes and another large basket of popcorn to the town market.
Accompanying her was Bai Lixia.
Both bamboo baskets were filled to the brim, with the one containing popcorn slightly larger, yet noticeably lighter.
Su Mulan had Bai Lixia carry the popcorn, while she herself carried the heavier basket of dried sweet potatoes. Together, they slowly walked along the road towards the town.
They walked for a while and rested intermittently. After about half an hour, they finally arrived in town.
Finding a suitable spot, Su Mulan led Bai Lixia to set up their stall and start selling.
“Soft, sweet dried sweet potatoes, three cents per pound.”
“Crunchy and fragrant popcorn, come take a look…”
Her voice was as melodious and soothing as usual, pleasant to hear and attracting attention.
While dried sweet potatoes had been seen a few times before at previous markets, regular attendees were accustomed to them and didn’t find them particularly novel. However, popcorn was something entirely new to them for the first time.
Curiosity naturally drew people closer, and upon seeing the white, cloud-like things in the bamboo baskets, they couldn’t help but ask Su Mulan, “What is popcorn?”
“This is popcorn. Would you like to try some?” Su Mulan was always generous in her business dealings, picking out a few pieces and offering them to the curious onlookers.
People generally don’t refuse something free, especially when they see the light and fluffy popcorn, seemingly emitting a hint of sweetness. Tentatively, they brought it to their mouths.
It was crunchy and fragrant, with a subtle sweetness that lingered after swallowing, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.
Most importantly, there was a feeling that they simply couldn’t stop, a strong urge to reach out and grab another handful of popcorn to continue eating.