Chapter 13 The First Income

When she got off, she gave Uncle Chen a piece of hawthorn cake as a thank you.

Upon arriving in town, An Hao looked around and chose a spot close to the street corner, paid a management fee of twenty cents, and started setting up a stall to sell hawthorn cakes.

At first, there were few people, but as time passed, the crowd grew busier and livelier.

An Hao lifted the cloth that covered the bright red hawthorn cakes and even put out two pieces for passersby to sample, "Hawthorn cakes, sour and sweet, appetizing and good for the spleen, tasty and affordable."

An Hao was naturally attractive, with bright, sparkling eyes that were big and round like purple grapes, smiling at everyone she met, and her fair face with two small dimples was both adorable and charming, her appearance immediately endearing her to people.

Passersby were willing to take a longer look, and with her calling out, her sweet voice attracted a large group of people who crowded around.

"Miss, how much are you selling these hawthorn cakes for?" an elderly woman came up close and asked her.

"Granny, my hawthorn cakes are homemade, just forty cents for a large piece," An Hao said sweetly, smiling as she cut a small piece, placed it on a piece of glassine paper, and handed it to her, "Granny, try this."

After tasting it, the old woman quickly nodded with approval, "Mmm, not bad! Tasty and cheap! Give me two pieces! I'll give them to the kids for the New Year."

Forty cents wasn't expensive, and the old woman was worldly; her son did business in Southern City and told her that hawthorn went by the saying, "A piece of hawthorn, a piece of gold brick." Hawthorn was a hot commodity, already selling for thirty cents a pound, and dearer ones were even fifty cents. With the added ingredients and processing, selling it for just forty cents a piece was certainly cheap.

Moreover, one piece was about a pound.

As the old lady made her purchase and praised the cakes, the surrounding people crowded over. Hawthorn cakes were still a novelty in town, and everyone was used to the tough fruit leather, but once they tried these soft and tasty hawthorn cakes, they all decided to buy some.

"I'll take two pieces!"

"Give me five! When visiting relatives, I'll bring some…"

In no time, there were only four pieces left of An Hao's basket of hawthorn cakes, and as it was nearly noon, she thought about getting something to eat. Just then, someone came and bought the last four pieces.

In just half a morning, An Hao had sold all of her hawthorn cakes, leaving the other vendors around her quite envious.

The old man next to An Hao, seeing how she had sold her goods all morning, was sure she must have earned quite a bit, so he asked, "Girl, how much money have you made?"

"Not that much," An Hao said with a smile, seeing that the old man had been envious all morning without making many sales and thinking he had it tough.

So she packed her things, walked over to the old man's stall and asked him, "Old man, what are you selling?"

The old man pointed and said, "Garlic. Only twenty cents a big braid. I grew too much this year and brought it out to sell."

Garlic was common in every household, and those who had excess brought it to sell. There were many selling along the street, so it was normal the old man couldn't sell his.

Feeling sorry for the old man, and since she didn't have much garlic left at home herself, An Hao decided to buy two big braids, making the old man's smile wide with happiness.

After lunch, An Hao took another stroll, bought some hair accessories for little girls, as well as three pounds of meat and two pounds of melon seed candy. She found a quiet place to count her money, and saw she still had about twenty yuan left.

Twenty yuan was what an ordinary family earned in a month, and An Hao was thrilled. With the New Year approaching, the town would have one more market day, and she could sell even more.