At half past five, Jiang Miao got up on time. After packing everything, he went out with his load on his shoulder. He walked through the side door and soon arrived at Yifeng Street.
"Brother Jiang, you're here! Several customers just left and asked me about your bun stall! Oh, it would have been better if you had come earlier!"
Before Jiang Miao put his burden on the ground, Old Man Ding, who was selling tofu pudding nearby, spoke. The regret in his words was very obvious, as if it was not Jiang Miao who missed out on the business and could not make money, but himself.
"Uncle Ding, it's okay," Jiang Miao put down the burden on his shoulders, took out a piece of cloth from the bottom drawer, and skillfully covered the lower and upper half of his face, "People coming and going on the street are all guests. When they leave, others will come."
Old Man Ding nodded and said, "You are quite open-minded, young man. But it's also true that your buns taste good and they sell well anyway." He was a little envious. The buns were flavorful and much better than his tofu pudding which only tasted like beans.
"Your tofu pudding is not bad, with a strong bean flavor and smooth texture." Jiang Miao started to praise him after hearing him praise himself. In his opinion, this hand-ground tofu pudding tasted good, but the taste was too simple, not sweet or salty, and it was not tasty without something to eat. Of course, there are some people who like it, but they are a minority after all.
Before they had said much, Jiang Miao's side had customers. The first to come was the shopkeeper Wang from yesterday, who ordered four steamed buns as soon as he arrived, and a bowl of tofu pudding from the next door, then sat at a table near Jiang Miao's stall and began to eat.
When Jiang Miao went to his shop to buy flour yesterday, he was not there, and a waiter served him. Otherwise, he would have discovered that the guy who made the bad buns was actually the same person as the one in front of him, and he didn't know what he would think.
But Jiang Miao didn't have time to explore his inner thoughts, because there were many customers around the stall. The voices of "two of us" and "three of us" were heard all the time. Fortunately, Jiang Miao was quick and had a good memory. He remembered exactly how many people bought and never made a mistake in handing over the buns, which made him look like he was in control. Of course, this was also related to the fact that he only sold buns with one kind of filling.
Maybe yesterday's buns were really delicious, which attracted a wave of customers. Today, there are more people buying than yesterday. Even though Jiang Miao steamed an extra basket today, it was almost sold out by dawn. Not only that, the popularity of the buns also boosted the tofu pudding business next door. Old Man Ding's business has been very good in the past two days. Today, he sold out early. Looking at the half box of copper coins, Old Man Ding was so happy that his wrinkles were stretched.
While picking up the buns, Jiang Miao also took the time to look at his drawer. His eyes, which were not covered by the cloth, suddenly curved into two arcs. It seemed that there were a lot more eyes than yesterday!
Old man Ding put the tables and chairs away and deposited them in a nearby house. Then he came to Jiang Miao's stall and waited for him to greet other customers before handing him eight coins. He said, "Brother Jiang, make me four buns. They tasted good yesterday. I'll bring some back today and let my wife and the others try them."
"Okay." Jiang Miao replied. He took the money, picked out four larger ones and handed them to him. "Let Auntie and the others try them and give me some suggestions. By the way, Uncle Ding, do you make tofu for sale?"
Old Man Ding took the buns, shook his head and said, "My house is small, so I can't make tofu. As for the tofu pudding, I go to my daughter's husband's house early every morning to bring it back to sell. I only make a living by running errands."
Jiang Miao felt a little regretful, as he wanted to develop some varieties of steamed buns nearby. Yesterday, he didn't know if it was because the morning market was about to close, but when he went to the street, he could hardly see any other vegetables except radishes and cabbages.
Cabbage buns are good, but they won't taste good without some meat. With Jiang Miao's current wealth, selling meat-filled buns costs a lot, but the price can't be set too high, which is not cost-effective.
Perhaps he understood what Jiang Miao meant, so Old Man Ding asked, "Brother Jiang, do you want to buy some tofu?"
"Well, I want to buy some dried tofu to make buns. There is a shop selling it at the corner of the street, but..." Jiang Miao smiled and didn't say anything else.
Old Man Ding nodded in understanding. That family's business was not very honest. It was common for them to shortchange customers on weights and measures, and they would often mix things that were not sold out on the first day with those on the second day.
"My daughter's husband's family is in the tofu business, but the street where they sell it is close to the East City Gate. It's probably a bit far to the east and west." Old Man Ding said, "But if you really want it, I can bring you some when I come to sell tofu pudding every day."
Jiang Miao thought for a moment and said, "How is the price calculated?" Brothers should settle the bill clearly, so he had to ask clearly first, otherwise it would be bad if he placed an order rashly and made things awkward for both parties.
Old Man Ding said, "The price is the same as on the street here. But don't worry, my son-in-law's family are all honest people, they will never pass off inferior goods as good ones, and the quantity is also sufficient."
"Okay, please bring me three pounds tomorrow and I'll try making some." Jiang Miao added another cent to the eight cents and handed it back to Old Man Ding.
"Okay, his tofu tastes good, and the buns made from it will definitely be delicious!" Old man Ding took the money and left happily.
After closing the stall, Jiang Miao carried his load back. He poured the money out of the small drawer and counted the copper coins he had earned today. After deducting the capital, the extra pile was half as high as yesterday, and a sense of satisfaction and happiness suddenly arose in his heart.
As expected, physical currency and virtual currency give people completely different feelings. Holding this heavy pile in his hand, he felt much more secure than the string of numbers in his phone.
In modern times, he often feels that he is like a lost child living alone in a huge and prosperous city, unable to see the road under his feet and unable to find the direction of the future. Sometimes when he returns to his rented small room after a tiring day, he does not understand what he is fighting for. Without relatives and money, the small wish of having a home of his own has long become a luxury under the heavy blow of reality. He often wants to escape from reality and return to the past. He knows that under the wave of rapid development in modern times, there will always be some people who will be left behind by the times. Maybe he is the one who has weak psychological adaptability and is out of touch with society.
Jiang Miao lay on his back on the bed, holding a copper coin. He slowly raised it to his eyes and looked into the square hole in the middle with a happy smile, as if he could see the scene he was expecting through this hole.
"big flower!!"
A heart-wrenching cry spread throughout the yard, startling the sparrows foraging in the yard and also startling the cat that was half-closed its eyes on the jujube tree. It turned its head, ears erect, its big amber eyes full of confusion, it meowed softly, then jumped a few times and disappeared.
In the room, Jiang Miao opened his eyes wide, looking at the tail of the "uninvited guest" above. The black, long, string-like tail hung down from the beam, directly above his head. He felt that if the mouse fell in free fall at this moment, it would definitely hit him in the face!
Jiang Miao ran out in a panic as if his butt was on fire. This was the second time he saw a mouse! It had been several days since the first time, and he hadn't seen a mouse again. He thought the mouse had been caught by the cat! Fortunately, his food and the buns to be sold were covered tightly every day, otherwise they would have been ruined long ago. Thinking of how he had been living with mice these days, his hair stood on end!
No, he had to find a way to solve it! He was most afraid of this thing. Although it was a little funny for a grown man to say he was afraid of mice, there was a reason for it.
When they were young, there were mice in the compound where they lived. One night, his grandmother was woken up by mice, so she woke up her grandfather and closed the door to beat the mice. The mice panicked and were chased away by the two with brooms. They immediately ran around under the bed and behind the cabinets. Just when the two couldn't find it, he was awakened by the noise while sleeping soundly. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was about four years old at that time. He found that there was a black thing in the gap beside the bed for some reason, so he reached out to grab it. The mouse was startled, turned around and bit his hand.
After so many years, the wound was so shallow that it could not be seen anymore, but the fear of creatures like rats was engraved in his heart.
Jiang Miao felt that he could not catch a mouse with his own ability. Catching mice required professionals.
"Dahua? Dahua? Meow? Meow~~" Jiang Miao leaned forward to search for the cat and called out softly, hoping to lure the cat out. But he didn't know where the cat had gone, and no matter how Jiang Miao called it, it would not come out.
"Brother Jiang, what are you looking for Dahua for?" Mrs. Bai's curious voice came from behind, startling Jiang Miao. She was holding a bunch of green onions with fresh soil on them. Perhaps because she was squatting there to pull the green onions, Jiang Miao didn't notice it.
"Sister Bai," Jiang Miao smiled, "There is a mouse in my room. I want Dahua to help me chase it away and see if I can catch it."
"Oh, I'll help you call it." As she said that, Mrs. Bai shouted "Dahua" loudly.
Jiang Miao was just about to say that he had been calling for a long time and the cat should not be here at this time, when he saw a small yellow head poking out from the wall. After seeing Mrs. Bai, the cat jumped down, rubbed around her feet, and raised its head to call sweetly, as if asking her to touch it.
Jiang Miao:? It’s off the mark!
Did he just shout with an accent
Mrs. Bai picked up Dahua and came to Jiang Miao's door, saying, "Brother Jiang, go in and put away the fragile things first, otherwise Dahua will make a lot of noise when catching mice and knock over your things."
Jiang Miao hurried over to put the teapot and other items into the cabinet, then stepped out.
Mrs. Bai put Dahua in and closed the door from the outside: "Dahua is very good at catching mice. Let's go back in half an hour. If there is a mouse, it will definitely catch it."
"Mrs. Bai, thank you so much!" Jiang Miao was very grateful.
Mrs. Bai laughed heartily. "Why thank me? It's not like I helped you catch a mouse. As for Dahua, my mother-in-law said it stole your fish yesterday, didn't it? It's only right for me to help you catch a mouse."
After saying that, she left.
Jiang Miao took a few steps forward and put his ear to the door to listen for any movement, but there was no sound from inside.
There was no point in just waiting, so Jiang Miao simply went for a walk on the street again. When he came back, he had a bunch of small fish in his hand.
At this moment, half an hour had passed, and Jiang Miao opened the door carefully with a nervous mood.
Dahua was squatting at the door, calmly raising one of its front paws to lick it. When it saw the door open, it barked proudly, stood up slowly and walked past Jiang Miao.
Looking at the big rat that was played to death on the ground, Jiang Miao willingly offered the fresh fish to his cat.
(End of this chapter)