After the morning market, the crowds on the street gradually dispersed.
Zhao Dashan put away the table, while Zhao Sanniu squatted on the ground washing bowls and spoons, occasionally stealing glances at Cheng Loanloan, who stood by the roadside lost in thought.
"Mother, it's alright." Zhao Sanniu awkwardly comforted her, "I can go carry sacks, I can earn twenty *wen* a day. I'll buy meat for you to eat."
Zhao Dashan walked over and added, "Just now I heard the shopkeeper of the restaurant say that Elder Wang in town is hiring workers to build a granary. It's twenty-two *wen* a day and they even provide one meal. If Sanniu and I both go to work, we'll have fifty *wen* a day, and Mother won't have to work so hard anymore."
Cheng Loanloan's eyes suddenly lit up.
Finally, she knew where the problem lay. She had misidentified her target consumers, so of course, she couldn't sell her goods.
In modern times, the market for sweets would be young women, but ancient women had low status, and young girls were even less qualified to buy snacks. Her target consumers should be men capable of labor, or favored young boys in the household, especially during this year of natural disaster when food prices were high, and household money couldn't be spent frivolously.
Cheng Loanloan smiled and said, "Dashan, Sanniu, pack up our things. Let's go to Elder Wang's house and try our luck."
She had heard many people discussing in the market for over an hour. Last time, after Elder Wang's grain was stolen, the Wang family decided to rebuild the granary. Construction had started a few days ago, and to speed up progress, they were recently hiring more people. There should be many middle-aged men there.
The mother and her two sons packed up their belongings and headed to Elder Wang's house.
The wall behind the building was being torn down and rebuilt. Thirty to forty middle-aged men were toiling under the sun to build the wall. In the courtyard, there was a barrel of water. They could drink when thirsty, but the water in the barrel had been exposed to the sun for a long time. It quenched their thirst but couldn't cool them down. The twenty to thirty-year-old men were so hot that their heads were covered in sweat, which dripped to the ground, only to be instantly dried by the sun.
Cheng Loanloan set up her stall twenty meters from the courtyard. There was no table to borrow here, so she moved bricks to stack them up, then spread Sanniu's jacket over the bricks, temporarily using it as a small table.
"Selling ice jelly, cool and refreshing ice jelly!"
"Free samples, limited quantity, first come, first served!"
A group of men working suddenly heard a shout from nearby. They turned to look and saw a woman with two young boys selling something.
When these men heard the words "free samples," a few young men around twenty years old, who were nearby, walked over.
Cheng Loanloan smiled and said, "Ice jelly is best for summer. There are a total of ten free sample portions here. If you're late, they'll be gone."
Ten bowls, each with a piece of ice jelly. The jelly-like, glistening substance made people's mouths water.
A few men picked up their bowls and drank it all. They didn't taste much flavor, but they felt the refreshing coolness spread from their lips to their hearts.
Cheng Loanloan said at the right moment, "Two *wen* a bowl. Do these young gentlemen want more?"
The foremost man pulled out some copper coins from his waistband, took out two, and tossed them over. "Quick, give me another bowl!"
"Coming right up!"
Cheng Loanloan put away the copper coins.
Zhao Dashan scooped a bowl and handed it over. She took it, then smiled and asked, "Do you prefer sweet or sour?"
The burly man said sweet, so Cheng Loanloan added a large spoonful of brown sugar for him, placed a spoon in the bowl, and then handed him the bowl of ice jelly.
The burly man couldn't wait, drank more than half the bowl, and then let out a refreshed sigh, unable to help but praise, "This stuff is so cooling, after eating it, my whole body feels alive again... Auntie, you must come back tomorrow..."
After selling the first bowl, the second, third, and fourth bowls quickly followed...