Chapter 12: Selling Candies
Being older, Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang felt a bit too self-conscious to approach strangers. But the bold Da Tou had no such reservations, stepping up to any child he deemed a potential buyer to ask bluntly, “Do you want to buy some candies?”
Man Bao would immediately present the wax paper bundle, opening it proudly as she declared, “Our candies are extra delicious. Want to buy some?”
The child would swallow hard before glancing towards their parents.
But the parents weren’t fooled, questioning skeptically, “These don’t look like the candies we normally buy. Are you sure they’re real candies?”
Puffing out her chest confidently, Man Bao insisted, “Of course they’re real! I’ve eaten them myself. They’re much tastier than the ones sold at market.”
The parents found this rather amusing. “You may have tried them, but we haven’t. How do we know you’re not lying?”
Man Bao paused, realizing they made a fair point. So she extracted a single candy and offered it magnanimously, “Then why don’t you try one for yourselves?”
The child reached out eagerly, only for their parents to swiftly restrain their hand, asking suspiciously, “You’re not just trying to trick us into buying, are you?”
“Of course not!” Man Bao protested adamantly. “I would never do such an underhanded thing. You can try it – if it’s not genuinely delicious, you won’t have to pay a single fen.”
Feeling Man Bao was being too naive, an exasperated Zhou Wulang rushed over, snatching the candy from her hand. He crushed it in his palm before picking out a tiny sliver to offer them. “Here, you can try this little piece.”
Considering further, he felt it wouldn’t be right to only let the parents sample it. So he also selected a minuscule fragment for the child to taste.
No one minded that the candies had been crushed by his hands. After tasting the sliver, their eyes brightened – these candies were far sweeter than the market varieties!
The child’s mother immediately inquired, “How much are you selling these candies for?”
Man Bao had discussed pricing with the system beforehand, so she confidently quoted, “One fen for five candies.”
The mother’s eyes flickered briefly before she replied, “That’s too expensive, we can’t afford it. Could you lower the price a bit?”
Man Bao felt a tinge of disappointment, having assumed their well-dressed appearance indicated wealth.
Shaking her head, she said, “Never mind then, we’ll try finding someone else.”
With that, she pulled Da Tou along to seek their next potential customer, leaving the stunned parents behind. They had intended to bargain further – it was supposed to be the vendors feigning disinterest to invite a counteroffer, not the customers!
Though Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang silently applauded their sister’s confidence, having tasted the candies themselves. They knew these treats were worth far more than that paltry asking price.
After all, that was the same rate candies fetched at the village market.
Man Bao’s blunt refusal to entertain any haggling left the would-be customers feeling disgruntled enough to hurry after them, calling out, “Can’t you lower the price just a little?”
This price point was one the system had helped Man Bao analyze and determine. Originally, they had set the candies at one fen for three pieces, since the system assessed their sugar content as significantly higher than present-day confections, justifying a premium.
But when the system mentioned market candies selling at one fen for five pieces, Man Bao worried matching that rate would deter sales. So she generously suggested pricing her candies at prevailing market levels since earning points allowed her to acquire unlimited sweets anyway.
So Man Bao knew this represented the absolute lowest price threshold – being a principled child, she would never undercut it further.
Nor did she perceive their request as bargaining, simply assuming they genuinely could not afford the candies. So she cast a regretful glance towards the little boy before shaking her head in refusal.
That single look left the child crestfallen enough to burst into raucous wails, clinging to his mother’s legs as he bawled, “I want the candies, I want the candies!”
The parents felt their child was being rather ungrateful by not accepting even a slight price reduction.
Seeing their displeased expressions, Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang stepped forward protectively, flanking Man Bao.
The couple hesitated, forcing awkward smiles as they conceded, “Fine, we’ll take however many you have left.”
Man Bao’s eyes widened skeptically. They had that much money?
She immediately opened her wax paper bundle, eagerly declaring, “There are twenty candies in total, four fen.”
The couple’s brows furrowed slightly. “But didn’t you just crush one earlier?”
Without missing a beat, Zhou Wulang extended his cupped palm. “We didn’t eat any.”
The couple retorted, “Then we don’t want them anymore. Since we’re buying so many, how about reducing the price by one fen?”
Zhou Wulang was fuming, but Man Bao somehow produced another candy, adding it atop the bundle as she happily looked at the couple. “There, isn’t that better now? You can count them yourselves.”
The couple just stared at her flatly: ……
Counting the candies again, they finally asked, “Can we trade something else instead of cash?”
Having sensed their unfriendly demeanor, Man Bao snapped the wax paper bundle shut, flatly refusing, “No substitutions.”
Though Zhou Wulang felt they could accept other items, he nudged Man Bao’s back. Twisting around, she shot him a stern glare. “Medicine from the apothecary requires cash payment. They won’t take eggs or grains.”
Only then did the couple realize they intended to purchase medicine, considering for a moment before grudgingly counting out the four fen without further haggling.
Man Bao seldom handled money herself, having always handed over the New Year’s red envelope cash gifts from her parents and brothers to her aunts and uncles, keeping only what her nephews gave her.
So earning actual income for the first time, she carefully examined the four fen copper pieces, noting no apparent difference from previous coins before meticulously wrapping them within her handkerchief, gripping it tightly.
Only after the couple departed did Zhou Wulang remark to Man Bao, “That was too cheap for our premium candies.”
“But that’s the market price,” Man Bao insisted.
“Rice is graded into different tiers though – medium and premium fetch higher prices accordingly. Our candies should be considered premium quality, so we ought to charge more,” Zhou Wulang reasoned. “If they don’t believe our candies are superior, we can do like this time and let them sample just a tiny piece first.”
Man Bao considered this carefully before consulting the system, who concurred with the advice. Nodding, she agreed, “Okay, we’ll do it that way next time then.”
Having successfully earned some money, everyone’s gazes fell hungrily upon the crushed candy fragments still in Zhou Wulang’s palm, each subconsciously swallowing thickly.
Now that she had used the candies to earn actual income, Man Bao could finally appreciate their appeal, suddenly finding them quite delectable too. She distributed the crumbs evenly, allowing each person a small morsel, popping the final piece into her own mouth.
It was just the tiniest fragment that instantly melted on her tongue, spreading a trace of sweetness before she swallowed it down.
Man Bao blinked slowly, feeling this minuscule candy tasted better than any she had ever eaten before.
Finding it perplexing, she questioned the system, “I never thought these candies were so delicious before. Ke Ke, did you get a new variety?”
The system replied, “No, same variety, same manufacturer. The difference is that the host has finally experienced the rarity and appeal of these candies, isn’t it?”
Not fully comprehending, Man Bao formed her own interpretation. “So the candies taste better after being sold first? Wonderful! From now on, I’ll sell all my candies, keeping just one to eat myself – that way it will taste even more delicious!”
The system remained silent, not discouraging her conclusion.
Let her sell them then. Once she depleted her points through candy purchases, she would have to start earning more, wouldn’t she?
