Chapter 16 Setting Up A Stall

  The summer breeze was gentle, and the lotus flowers in the Tian Sha River were about to bloom. The scenery along the riverbank was beautiful, but a small, old shop gave people a sense of desolation. A slightly stout man stood at the entrance of the shop, looking puzzled as he gazed after two people walking away. He couldn't understand why those two people were acting crazy and why he was also getting caught up in their madness. However, that child really had some interesting ideas.

  And then Qi Xi and Ah Guan were pushing a cart of things packed in square boxes, heading towards the busiest street on Sha Zhou. Ah Guan was crying with laughter, this young master had a good life but insisted on doing manual labor himself. And then he heard Qi Xi say that he wanted to set up a stall on the street to sell double-skinned milk tofu, and he felt like his head was buzzing. But who made him the master? His own little follower didn't dare have any opinions, so he just went along with it. The double-skinned milk tofu was delicious, but maybe others didn't think so, otherwise that uncle's business wouldn't be so bleak.

  She turned around and glanced at him, how could she not see through the little thoughts of her small follower? How could his little brain have the concept of advertising effect? Since it's a good thing, of course, it's to be shared with everyone. The cart and square box were both borrowed from Uncle Fat, inside the square box were two large jars of original flavor double-skinned milk, and in another small box were various seasonings, such as steamed and cooked chestnuts, purple rice, etc.

  It was just an ordinary street vendor, with only a canvas and a large backpack to carry goods. When Qi Xi directed Ah Guan to park the car in front of the busiest tavern, it still attracted a lot of attention. Qi Xi walked ahead, Ah Guan pushed the cart behind him, and these two looked like traveling merchants who were tired and stopped in front of the tavern for a short rest. The large square box, however, made people curious. At noon, it was the leisure time for those small vendors on the street. When they got bored, they liked to find something to do. Seeing Qi Xi doing business at such a young age, nearby merchants came up to chat with him. Qi Xi, however, simply served himself a bowl of double-skinned milk and ate it with big mouthfuls of purple rice, making slurping sounds. Some nearby merchants who hadn't had lunch yet made swallowing sounds, and many things didn't seem delicious, but seeing others eating made them have a conditioned reflex.

  Moreover, the young man's food was quite peculiar, white in color and with a rich aroma. Such food is rarely seen, and people were originally scattered around, it's impossible for them to come forward to ask about this matter. So when Qi Mei gave Ah Guan a glance, Ah Guan asked as previously agreed: "Young master, please slow down, Ah Guan won't snatch from you, just ask the young master to leave some for Ah Guan."

  "If I hadn't left this for you, you would have sneaked and eaten it all already. This account hasn't been settled with you yet." Qi Xi pretended to be angry, while Ah Guan put on a frightened expression and hid behind the uncle who had come over to chat earlier: "Uncle, please save me!"

  This middle-aged uncle seems to be a straightforward person, seeing the situation and hurriedly stopping Qi Mei who was about to pounce on Ah Guan: "This young master shouldn't be impulsive either. Although stealing food from the host's house is indeed punishable, it's just food after all. When going out, don't mind these things too much. After all, many things are not something that Young Master can do himself."

  "Ah, this isn't ordinary food, if that glutton can take it. However, since you've said so, I'll also give Mr. a face, when going out, one should have a follower, if he were to get hurt, who would push the cart for me? You were right in scolding me just now, this bowl is my apology." Qī Xiāng said as he scooped out another bowl from the small door on the right side of the box, this time with chestnut paste. The old man hadn't had a chance to eat yet, and someone was offering him food as an apology, although it was just a fair statement, but still, he thought he could accept this small bowl of food, so he took it.

  Earlier, he had already smelled the fragrance of this thing from a distance, and now he felt even more smooth when entering his mouth. He was originally intoxicated, seeing that there were people around him, and he also repeatedly praised this thing to everyone. Qi Xian then said in a timely manner: "Today, I passed through your noble land and felt the simplicity of the people. Since you are all so friendly to me, I won't mind inviting you all to taste this double-skinned milk together." At this time, Ah Guan couldn't bear to pretend anymore, and he cooperated with Qi Xian to hand over bowls of double-skinned milk to the merchants. Everyone was eager to receive a free lunch, and no one noticed that the master and servant were suddenly in harmony, nor did anyone notice how this young man had brought so many bowls and chopsticks on his journey. The crowd was already intoxicated by the rich fragrance of the double-skinned milk, just like the old man earlier.

  "May I ask, young brother, where did you get this food from? It looks like it's not easy to preserve, and it seems to be a product of the sandy island!" Someone finished eating and returned the bowl, but seemed to be unsatisfied, only then asking about the origin of the dish. Qi Xian first pretended to be mysterious, then whispered in that gentleman's ear: "To be honest, I got this pair of skin milk from a shop called Guo Ran on the banks of the Tian Sha River. I heard that the boss only does business for half a day, so if you're interested, you should hurry up! That thing is very popular, and if you go late, you might not be able to get it. I'm only telling you this!"

  Originally, such a small trick would not have escaped the eyes of those clever vendors, but when the entire group was shrouded in madness, individual rationality is easily lost. As that classic advertising slogan goes: I only told you a secret, who knew it would spread like wildfire and become a national sensation? It turned out that the brother who asked the question earlier was actually a big mouth, and soon those idle vendors were seen thanking Qiuxi before heading in the direction of the Tian Sha River.

  I didn't think this little trick would fool them for so long, but in doing so, they haven't lost anything and more people will know about the food, isn't that a win-win? However, after busy running around all day, it seems like I'm the only one who hasn't gained anything. This is also Ah Guan's question. Earlier, he thought Seventh Young Master had bought these things at a low price from Fat Uncle and was going to resell them to the merchants here, but unexpectedly, the young master actually invited everyone to eat for free.

  "Seventh Master, what are you trying to do? You're even doing business at a loss. If the young master finds out that I didn't stop you, he'll scold me again." Ah Guan leaned in close to Qi Xi and asked in a very soft voice, his lips barely moving. Qi Xi also responded in a similar manner: "You don't understand, this way Uncle Ping will be counting money until his hands cramp up."

  "When others are counting their money until their hands cramp, we're passing dishes until our hands cramp. We toil to make clothes for others, Seventh Master, what exactly do you want?"

  "Secret, you only need to know that this young master will never make a loss-making deal!" According to the price in the fruit shop, a bowl of original flavor double-skinned milk costs six cents, and with added seasonings it's eight cents. These two buckets of double-skinned milk are roughly equivalent to thirty bowls, which should be worth eighteen taels at market price. But Fat Uncle only took ten taels, so the seasonings were essentially free. For Fat Uncle, they were just things he would have thrown away anyway, and he still made a profit of ten taels without losing anything. Qi Mei bought them for ten taels, and even if she sells them at five cents below market price, she can still make a profit of five taels. On the surface, it looks like she's making no profit.

  She went to such great lengths just for a small transaction, Qī Xì wasn't such a big fool, the little abacus in her heart had been ringing loudly.