Chapter 49: Bursting Corn
Su Mulan bid a brief farewell and slung the bamboo basket over her shoulder and walked away.
Instead of leaving the market, she walked slowly along the streets lined with stalls.
Since she wanted to find other sources of income besides selling dried sweet potatoes, she needed to carefully observe market demands.
With this mindset, Su Mulan strolled leisurely, her eyes scanning back and forth, carefully observing the various stalls in the market and shops in the town. She studied the attire of the people coming and going, trying to gauge their consumption needs and preferences.
However, after wandering for a while, even Su Mulan began to feel a bit discouraged.
Her knowledge of marketing from her previous life, as well as her experience in the electronics industry, were of little use here. In an era abundant with labor, skilled artisans were also plentiful. Expanding into another profitable venture was not an easy task.
After much thought, Su Mulan decided that perhaps diversifying into another type of snack food could be an option.
Diversifying products not only increased sales but also enhanced resilience against risks. Since dried sweet potatoes were selling well, capitalizing on this momentum to introduce new products seemed to be the most suitable move.
Yet, determining what kind of snack to introduce posed another major challenge.
Su Mulan furrowed her brows, deep in thought as she walked forward. As she proceeded, her attention was caught by a stall ahead.
In this vicinity, stalls sold eggs, duck eggs, live chickens, ducks, and various grains. What caught Su Mulan’s attention was also a small stall selling corn.
The seller was a woman around her age, dressed in clothes patched with various sizes of patches, yet the clothes were washed very clean without any dirt. Her hair was neatly tied up with a bamboo chopstick, not a strand out of place.
She was selling corn kernels that were meticulously cleaned and piled up in a basket, resembling small mountains with their high points.
Moreover, these popped kernels were different from the ordinary ones. They were much smaller in size but had a higher glossiness, reflecting a bright shine under the sunlight.
Su Mulan stared at the corn kernels for a long time, and suddenly, her eyes lit up.
This was…
Popcorn!
This type of corn originated from Mexico. According to historical records, it was introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty, but due to low yield and weak resistance, its cultivation area was not large.
Unexpectedly, in a time that fundamentally did not exist, such corn existed here.
If that’s the case…
Su Mulan’s lips curved up in delight as she squatted down, picked up a corn kernel with her hand, confirmed it was indeed corn, and then looked up to ask the woman, “How much for these corn kernels?”
The woman seemed surprised that someone was interested in her corn kernels and quickly replied, “One coin for two and a half catties!”
The hesitation in her voice when she mentioned the “half” was palpable.
Clearly, her corn kernels were not selling well.
Seeing Su Mulan hesitating, the woman hurriedly added, “One coin for two and a half catties is already very cheap. Other corn kernels here sell for one coin for two catties.”
“What’s the use of being cheap? Your corn kernels are so small, clearly this variety is not suitable. The grind isn’t fine enough, they won’t taste good.”
Before Su Mulan could respond, someone nearby interjected.