Previously, Zhao Ger had purchased a batch of chili peppers in the village. After busying himself with Fang Zichen for four days, they barely managed to make over six hundred jin (300 kg) of chili sauce.
The weather was starting to get cold.
After finishing the work on the chili sauce, it was finally time to open the shop.
Previously, when selling chili sauce, Zhao Ger had told customers that he would no longer be selling chili sauce at his current spot. He had rented a shop at the end of the street and would open on the first day of the month.
So on that day, when customers sought him out, they could smell a distinct aroma from afar.
Zhao Ger had set up a stove at the entrance, with a large frying pan placed on it.
"Zhao Ger, what are you frying?"
"I'm frying pumpkin cakes."
"Aren't you selling chili sauce anymore?"
"I'm selling that too."
"Are these pumpkin cakes tasty?" This customer could eat very spicy food. Before trying the chili sauce, he used to eat eight or nine chili peppers with every meal. But eating chili peppers alone wasn't very flavorful. Zhao Ger's chili sauce had won his heart. Anyone who could make chili peppers so fragrant must have considerable skill. He immediately said: "Give me one to try."
"Alright." Zhao Ger wrapped one in oiled paper and gave it to him.
The pumpkin, mixed with glutinous rice flour, sugar, and sesame seeds, fried in hot oil, had a crispy, golden outer layer. One bite was full of fragrance, it was truly delicious.
The customer's eyes lit up. Despite the heat, he forgot himself, wolfed it down, and finished it in two or three bites.
"Give me another one."
He ate eight in a row. Seeing a row of golden cakes on the chopping board nearby, he said: "What are these?"
Zhao Ger replied: "Pumpkin Sushi Rolls (南瓜寿司)."
Customer: "Give me one of those."
Zhao Ger couldn't help but glance at his stomach: "...Alright."
"Hmm, not bad tasting! Give me another one."
The customer ate three more in a row before letting out a satisfied burp: "Get me a bottle of chili sauce. How much in total?"
The pumpkin cakes were three coppers each, and the pumpkin sushi roll was four coppers each.
The total came to one hundred and thirty-six coppers.
The customer paid the silver cheerfully and left, holding his waist.
Zhao Ger held the silver, unable to suppress a smile.
The pumpkin cakes he made were very small, no bigger than an egg. The pumpkin sushi roll was only the size of a steamed bun. He had thought they would be hard to sell, because in his opinion, spending three coppers on a pumpkin cake was worse than adding one more copper to buy two steamed buns, which had meat and were more filling.
Everyone had just seen that customer eat several in a row, and now they crowded around: "What's that little cake the bearded older brother was eating? Give me two as well."
"I'll have one."
Zhao Ger was incredibly busy, running around nonstop as if his feet hardly touched the ground. He had to flip the pumpkin cakes, pack orders for customers, and collect money, feeling somewhat flustered. He could only call Guaizai out to help with keeping accounts.
Fang Zichen was also in the backyard. However, in everyone's eyes at the moment, he was someone kept alive by medicine, someone for whom the funeral feast would be held the next day if he stopped taking it. How could Zhao Ger possibly ask him to help?
Just as one customer finished buying pumpkin cakes, a milky voice 'popped' out of nowhere: "Grandma, that will be nine coppers in total."
The old woman looked around for the source of the voice but didn't see anyone. She was so startled she nearly dropped the cake in her hand.
The counter was high, and Guaizai was short. Standing inside the shop, people outside couldn't see him at all. Zhao Ger had to lift him onto a stool and hand him a money box.
They sold pumpkin cakes in the morning and roasted duck at noon.
The shop was packed with people.
He had prepared eight roasted ducks. Ducks have a somewhat gamey taste and many feathers, making them troublesome to prepare. Most people preferred eating chicken. He had originally thought the ducks would sell over the entire day, but they sold out by noon.
Zhao Ger had never imagined business could be so booming. He had been busy all morning, his head covered in sweat. Now, with the door closed, he hugged the box used for collecting silver, took Guaizai by the hand, and hurried eagerly to the backyard.
Fang Zichen was boiling pumpkin.
The pumpkin had to be boiled until it was completely soft before it could be mashed into a paste.
"Husband." Zhao Ger's face was full of excitement.
Fang Zichen blinked and asked tentatively: "Sold out?"
"Mm!" Zhao Ger poured the silver from the box onto the table. It clattered noisily for a while.
Guaizai, like a little miser, leaned against the table edge, his eyes shining with gold: "So much money! We're rich, we're rich!"
"I'll be damned~" Fang Zichen also found it hard to contain himself.
The three of them huddled together, heads close, and counted for a while. There were over four taels of silver.
Although it didn't sound like much, having earned this much in just one noon made Zhao Ger feel as if he were dreaming, like it wasn't real.
However, the ingredients for making pumpkin cakes were also expensive. Glutinous rice flour, rapeseed oil, and sugar were not cheap. From the over four taels, after deducting costs, probably a little over three taels remained.
Pumpkin cakes were a relatively new food. Everyone was just trying them out of novelty. After a few days, they would likely get tired of them. Fang Zichen had considered this problem, so when He Xi had asked him earlier if he wanted to go to Xiaorong Village to buy more, since the pumpkins in their own village were finished, Fang Zichen had refused.
There were few people in their family. Although silver was good to earn, it was truly exhausting work.
Fang Zichen in the backyard was also so busy he didn't even have time to fart. Guaizai helped collect money. Although he didn't move around much, the task was mentally draining. After counting the money, Guaizai went to the water vat, scooped up a dipper of water, gulped it down, and then conscientiously went to watch the fire by the stove.
Fang Zichen always felt like he was employing child labor, suddenly feeling inexplicably guilty.
Zhao Ger didn't rest either, full of drive, and went back to mashing pumpkin.
Fang Zichen wanted to tell him to rest, but there was really no way around it, they were too busy. Right now, with him here, Zhao Ger at least had some help. Once he went back to work, Zhao Ger would probably be so busy his feet would smoke.
Zhao Ger had clearly thought of this too. When they went to sleep at night, he said: "How about I ask Zhou Ger to come help? We can pay him wages. What do you think, husband?"
"Then who will deliver the vegetables?"
"We can have Uncle Liu deliver them!"
Delivering vegetables back and forth, if one walked fast, wouldn't take too much time. It was just that picking the vegetables in the morning took a bit longer, but Aunt Liu could handle that.
"Alright." Fang Zichen said: "I still have a few days off. I'll go help at the shop these days!"
Zhao Ger thought of the pumpkin peels on the backyard floor, each as thick as a finger, and hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Fang Zichen had only done this kind of work once. Although he was busy in the backyard for half a day, he had only peeled sixteen pumpkins.
A four-catty pumpkin, after he peeled it, only weighed two catties. Before, when he didn't know pumpkins could be so profitable, Zhao Ger hadn't minded. But now, he couldn't bear to watch him waste silver like that anymore.
He didn't say anything, just looked at Fang Zichen quietly. Fang Zichen felt embarrassed under his gaze.
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