Gu Chen looked down at the shoes on his feet and remembered how Ji Pianran had stuffed them into his arms that morning.
He smiled warmly.
'These shoes? My wife made them for me to wear during the New Year. It's been so cold lately, and she didn't want me to freeze, so she gave them to me early.'
When the woman heard this, her eyes lit up.
'Did your wife embroider the cloud pattern herself?'
When it came to this, Tang Tang had the best say. She spent every day with her mother.
She had seen her mother embroider many things.
From small cloth bags to clothes and shoes, there was nothing her mother couldn't do!
She made them all with her own hands, stitch by stitch.
She looked proudly at the woman in front of her, 'My mother is amazing, she made all these things, and she can do so much more!'
Tangtang's words excited the woman.
She was beaming with surprise.
'Really? That's wonderful, wonderful.'
Gu Chen was a little confused.
The woman was so excited about the shoes that belonged to her.
'What's going on?'
He looked at the woman in puzzlement.
The woman smiled.
'It's like this. My family runs a cheongsam business, and it's really hard to find a good embroidery master, especially one with good skills. They're hard to come by.'
'The cloud pattern on your shoes is really beautiful. I really like it.'
Gu Chen understood now. It turned out that she was impressed by Ji Pianran's craftsmanship.
He nodded.
'Oh, I see.'
'That's right.' The woman thought for a moment after she had finished speaking. 'By the way, when you go back, ask your wife if she can embroider these phoenix and peony patterns. If she can, tell her to name her price and see how much she can do.'
Gu Chen didn't expect that someone would actually come looking for Ji Pianran to do work for them.
He thought about it for a moment.
'How about this, I'll go back and ask for you. If she's willing, we'll talk about it again. Is that okay?'
The woman nodded excitedly.
'Yes, yes, no problem!'
After saying that, she hurriedly looked down and took out a business card from her small red envelope and handed it to Gu Chen.
'This is my contact information. If you agree, remember to give me a call!'
After saying that, she was afraid that Gu Chen wouldn't call herself, so she changed her words again.
'Forget it, I'll come back tomorrow. Whether it works out or not, we'll talk face to face!'
After all, it is really difficult to find a good craftsman.
She really wanted to find a master embroiderer to help her with her embroidery work.
Gu Chen nodded and agreed.
'Okay.'
A few people who had bought Gu Chen's broccoli yesterday noticed that she was here.
They walked over.
The broccoli Gu Chen sells is really delicious.
It's not at all like the broccoli sold in the market.
It's no wonder it's imported!
It's sweet and crisp, simply delicious.
Whether stir-fried, served cold, or as a side dish, the taste is superb.
Yesterday I only bought a little to try it.
Today I bought more because it was really delicious!
Something this delicious must be on the family New Year's Eve table!
Before long, the vegetable stand was surrounded by a crowd again.
Today there were many more than yesterday, more than ten times as many.
'Young man, your broccoli is really delicious, come on, give me more today.'
'Me too. I bought some yesterday and my grandson ate it ravenously.'
'I bought two catties yesterday and fried it with meat. The whole family scrambled for it, but in the end there was still meat left over. This is the first time that's happened in decades!'
'I'm definitely buying more today!'
'Here, young man, give me a whole one too. I'll put it in the fridge and it'll last for two or three meals!'
The elderly all have a simple and beautiful wish: that their grandchildren grow up white and plump, and that they are tall!
Seeing their grandchildren eating with relish, they are overjoyed.
As long as it is not outrageously expensive and within their financial means, they will definitely be satisfied.
Gu Chen knew that his broccoli would definitely be popular.
He did not show any excitement.
He smiled at everyone.
'How about this, you pick out your own, and I will weigh it for you, and I guarantee that it will be the right weight!'
Upon hearing this, several elderly people squatted on the ground and started picking the vegetables.
They handed the picked broccoli to Gu Chen, who took it and weighed it one by one.
He only counted the whole numbers.
Tantan helped Gu Chen hold the bag on one side.
This morning, there were even more people standing in front of Gu Chen's stall than yesterday.
Business was booming.
It is no exaggeration to say that almost everyone coming and going was carrying Gu Chen's broccoli in their hands.
Some had a catty or two, while others had an entire broccoli.
By the end of the morning market, Gu Chen had sold most of his broccoli.
There were still twenty or so left unsold.
It wasn't that they weren't selling well, it was just that there were too many.
Many people had only seen them today, and since they were so big, it was impossible to finish one for dinner.
So, they chose to buy a little bit to try something new.
This is why he had leftover broccoli.
The money he collected this morning was really a lot, and it was all change. Gu Chen used two plastic bags to put it all away.
At this moment, he didn't dare to count it.
The reason was simple: it would take more than half an hour to count so much money, and the market was a mixed place.
There were a lot of thieves, and if someone took an interest in him, it would be a real problem.
He put the plastic bag directly into a nylon bag and squeezed it in his hand.
Then he picked up a broccoli on the ground and walked towards Lao Tang.
Lao Tang was crouching on the ground smoking a cigarette.
When he saw Gu Chen coming, he looked at him with a smile.
'Brother, want a cigarette?'
Gu Chen smiled and said, 'No, my child is waiting for me.'
Then he glanced back at Tang Tang, who was standing obediently in front of his vegetable stall.
Then he handed over a packaged head of broccoli in his hand, 'I bought too much today and didn't sell it all, so I'll give it to you for free.'
Lao Tang didn't take the broccoli from him.
He turned his head and glanced at his stall, noticing that there were still some broccoli on the floor.
He took a drag on his cigarette and said, 'You can't just give away all of this.'
Gu Chen smiled.
'It's fine, I've bought a lot today and I'm tired, I should go home.'
When he heard that Gu Chen was going home, Lao Tang looked incredulous.
'Brother, you still have so much here, you can sell it for a lot of money. The vegetables you bought today won't be fresh tomorrow if you don't sell them.'
Basically, they buy all the vegetables they need for the day and sell them all on the same day.
Even if they don't sell out, there are ways to get rid of them.
He'd never heard of someone leaving if they didn't sell out.
Gu Chen shrugged helplessly.
'Brother Tang, look at this market. Basically, everyone has already offered my broccoli for sale. Even if I sell it, someone has to buy it.'
On hearing this, Lao Tang smiled.
'Brother, that's where you're wrong. Let's wait for ten minutes. This morning market will be over soon. Our Beiqiao Market basically only sells in the morning.'
'I'll tidy up a bit, you come with me, and we'll go to the South Gate Market to sell for the afternoon. I reckon you'll have sold all your broccoli by then.'