TSWPF – Chapter 35 An Unexpected Turn

Li Qingling helped put the items into the baskets. Each of them carried one basket, and before dawn, they hurried toward the town.

The baskets were fairly heavy, so they walked at a slow pace. By the time they reached the town, the sun was already up.

The small vendors on North Street had all set up their stalls. After searching for about fifteen minutes, they finally found a somewhat secluded spot and put down their baskets.

Li Qingling let out a quiet sigh of relief and began taking the items out of the baskets one by one.

She placed the prepared semi-finished products back into the molds and had Liu Zhimou light the stove.

Liu Zhimou lit the fire and watched Li Qingling skillfully cook the egg pancakes.

For some reason—perhaps it was their location—no one came by for the first forty-five minutes.

Liu Zhimou glanced at Li Qingling, feeling a bit discouraged, but he didn’t show it on his face, not wanting to dampen her spirits.

After cooking a few semi-finished pancakes, Li Qingling looked at the people passing by, frowned slightly, took a deep breath, and began calling out loudly.

“Egg pancakes! Delicious egg pancakes! One bite, and you’ll want more!”

Her crisp, cheerful shout made Liu Zhimou pause, staring at her profile.

He pressed his lips together, clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and began calling out loudly as well.

At first, he felt a little embarrassed, but once he started shouting, it didn’t feel awkward anymore.

Li Qingling glanced at him, smiled, and put even more energy into calling out.

“What are you selling?” an older man at a nearby stall leaned over to take a look. “Egg pancakes?” They didn’t really look like egg pancakes.

“Yes, egg pancakes,” Li Qingling replied with a smile. She cut one of the pancakes into smaller pieces and handed a piece to the man. “Sir, here’s a free sample for you.”

The man didn’t refuse a free sample. After tasting it, he found it quite tasty and asked Li Qingling how much the pancake cost.

“Five wen each.”

The man immediately gasped—five wen? That’s expensive!

He shook his head. He couldn’t afford such a pricey treat.

Knowing that the man found it expensive, Li Qingling didn’t mind. If he couldn’t buy it, someone else surely would.

Li Qingling wasn’t worried, but Liu Zhimou felt a little uneasy. These pancakes were expensive; would anyone else accept the price?

Li Qingling didn’t know his thoughts. She carried the small basket through the crowd, offering the pancakes for people to try.

A well-dressed middle-aged man tried a small piece and asked her what it was called.

“Sir, this is an egg pancake. Unlike others, mine is very nutritious and good for your health.” She had used spirit water at home, making the food both delicious and healthy.

It was the man’s first time trying such an egg pancake, and he liked it, so he asked Li Qingling for one.

After successfully selling one pancake, Li Qingling was thrilled. She hurried back to the stall and carefully prepared the pancake for him.

“Sir, five wen. Thank you.”

“So expensive?” The man wasn’t short on money; he was just surprised that an egg pancake could cost five wen.

Li Qingling’s smile didn’t waver. “Sir, five wen isn’t expensive. Once you try this pancake, you’ll feel it’s worth every penny.” She was confident he would come back for more.

The man raised his eyebrows, handed her the money, and immediately ate the pancake.

After just two bites, he couldn’t stop. He quickly finished it and asked Li Qingling to pack two more for him.

Seeing the man enjoy it so much, others around became curious and wanted to try as well.

They had never eaten anything like it before, so they considered five wen as the price for trying something new.

“One for me, young lady…”

“Make one for me too!”

“Sure!” Business picked up, and Li Qingling was even happier. She cooked the pancakes efficiently while Liu Zhimou handled the money.

By the end of the morning, all fifty semi-finished pancakes were sold.

Customers who had heard about them were frustrated when they found none left, repeatedly asking if they would come back tomorrow.

When Li Qingling said they would, they left reassured.

The first day’s business had gone exceptionally well. Liu Zhimou felt pleased, quickly putting the stove back into the basket.

“We’re running low on eggs. We’ll need to buy more,” Li Qingling said, slinging her basket onto her back and turning to Liu Zhimou.

Liu Zhimou thought for a moment and suggested they buy eggs from the villagers.

If the villagers knew they were selling in town, they might get jealous. It would be better to give them a little incentive; that way, they wouldn’t complain and might even feel grateful.

Li Qingling understood his idea and agreed. They would buy eggs and perhaps some vegetables from the villagers.

After deciding, they bought some meat at the butcher shop before heading home.

“Zhiyan, open the door.”

Hearing Liu Zhimou’s voice, Liu Zhiyan and Li Qingfeng exchanged a glance and hurried to open the door.

Seeing them return so early, they worried that nothing had sold and felt a bit disappointed.

Li Qingling saw their expressions, guessed what they were thinking, and playfully patted their heads, sighing as she stepped inside.

“Sis, this…” Li Qingfeng followed behind her, wanting to ask but afraid to upset her.

Li Qingling chuckled, set down the basket on him, and said, “It’s all sold out.”

Li Qingfeng’s eyes lit up. “Really?” He thought nothing had sold, so returning so early surprised him.

“Why would I lie? You can see for yourself!” Li Qingling tapped his head and went into the kitchen, pouring two bowls of water. She drank one and handed the other to Liu Zhimou.

Liu Zhimou smiled at her and drank.

Li Qingfeng saw that the baskets were truly empty and jumped for joy. Everything had sold, meaning there was money for the household.

After putting everything in the kitchen, Li Qingling waited until everyone sat down and counted today’s earnings on the table.

“We earned 250 wen today. After deducting the cost of eggs and flour, the profit is 180 wen.”

That was already quite good.

Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan gasped. Making 180 wen in a single morning! If they sold more…

“Once business stabilizes, after the New Year, I’ll send you to school.” Schooling couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Hearing this, Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan flushed with excitement, though the thought of how much silver it would cost calmed them a bit.

“Sis, I can learn at home with Brother Zhimou. It… it doesn’t have to be school.” Li Qingfeng wanted to go but thought supporting both of them would be too hard. He might as well let Zhiyan go.

Zhiyan was so smart and had been to school already; it would be better for him to go.

“I feel the same. Learning from Big Brother at home isn’t bad either,” Liu Zhiyan added.

Li Qingling’s expression darkened. She glanced at the two and said firmly, “Don’t worry about money. Just focus on your studies.” She intended to send both or none—splitting them would be unfair.

Li Qingfeng’s eyes reddened, and he nodded heavily. He wouldn’t let his sister down.

Liu Zhiyan nodded as well, looking down and wiping his eyes.

He had thought he’d never enter a school again, but now he had a chance.

In the future, he would surely repay Li Qingling for all her sacrifices.

Li Qingling’s expression softened. She gently patted their heads, telling them not to feel pressured and to go about their usual routine.

She worried that too much psychological pressure would hinder their growth.

“Keep this,” Li Qingling took fifty wen and pushed the rest to Liu Zhimou, saying, “I’ll go to the village to buy some eggs.”

With that, she stood and briskly walked out.

Aunt Huang was a good person; she planned to buy eggs from her, helping improve her livelihood.

“Aunt Huang, are you home?” Li Qingling called loudly at the door.

“I’m here!” Aunt Huang was weaving a basket. Hearing the shout, she set it aside, came out, and opened the door, surprised. “Xiaoling? Come in quickly!”

Li Qingling greeted her again and followed behind Huang Daliang into the house.

“Xiaoling, what brings you here?”

Li Qingling didn’t beat around the bush. She asked if Aunt Huang had eggs to sell, as she wanted to buy some.

The villagers usually saved their eggs to sell in town rather than eat.

“Yes, how many do you need?” Aunt Huang had just collected fifty eggs. She had planned to gather more to sell later.

“I’ll take however many you have,” Li Qingling replied with a smile.

Aunt Huang was surprised. She had thought Li Qingling was buying to eat. “We only have fifty eggs. You… really want them all?” It seemed Li Qingling had made money from selling her goods and could afford to buy so many eggs at once.