Probably they know that shouting would not bring in any buyers.
A bowl of porridge for five cents, a bun for three cents, and a pancake for five cents.
These prices don’t seem high, but you can have these things at ho, so why spend the extra money?
In front of Lin Xiang’s stall, quite a few people lingered, but no one asked about the prices.
This was sowhat different from what Lin Xiang had expected.
She thought that as long as the aroma of the spicy noodles spread, many people would co to have a taste.
After all, no one who had tried her spicy noodles ever said they weren’t delicious.
Even in later generations, with all the erging spicy hotpot places, the spicy noodles she made by hand remained the favorite among her friends and family.
Seeing Lin Xiang sitting dejectedly on a stool, Lin Yun comforted her: "We’ve only just started, don’t worry. When more people co, soone will definitely buy."
"But not even one person asked about the price?"
If they found it too expensive after asking and chose not to eat, Lin Xiang could understand that. But not asking at all...
Oh! She realized what the problem was!
Lin Xiang quickly perked up, stood in front of the stall, cupped her hands and loudly shouted, "Spicy noodles, delicious and spicy noodles, ten cents a bowl. You won’t regret it, you won’t be cheated, but you will get a bowl that fills your stomach and pleases your taste buds."
"Made with at sauce in the broth, guaranteed to make you want another bowl after having one."
"Today is our opening day, buy one bowl and get one free! Buy one bowl of spicy noodles and get a bowl of millet porridge free!"
People in the seventies were generally reserved. At least in the market, no one had ever seen anyone shouting like Lin Xiang.
So, in no ti, a crowd gathered in front of her stall simply to watch the spectacle.
"What’s this spicy noodle thing? I’ve never heard of it before."
"Ten cents a bowl, that’s expensive. Who would want to spend money on that?"
"It does sll nice, though. What did you put in it?"
The chatter was endless, but no one was willing to spend ten cents on a spicy, numbing bowl of noodles.
Unfazed, Lin Xiang calmly took so cooked noodles from the pot and gave a strand to each person at the front of the line to taste.
"How is it, the taste is not bad, right?"
Lin Xiang held an empty bowl, "I never lie. Let tell you, I even put at sauce into the base broth."
As she spoke, Lin Xiang scooped a ladleful from the pot, revealing quite a few pieces of at inside.
Although the small chunks of at couldn’t be put into bowls for everyone, the at flavor in the broth was a rare delight for those who hadn’t had at in ages.
Those lucky enough to have tasted the spicy noodles could still feel the lingering spicy and numbing taste on their tongues, so tempting they wanted to lick Lin Xiang’s bowl clean.
"Comrade, your noodles are too expensive. Sweet potato noodles aren’t worth much and everyone can make them. You might as well sell them for half price, five cents a bowl, and we would all buy to eat."
Lin Xiang thought to herself, but outwardly she smiled and said, "Sure, you give five cents, and I’ll give you half the portion."
"Hey little comrade, how can you do business this way?"
What was wrong with her business approach?
A bowl of sparse porridge without many grains cost five cents, and her substantial bowl of spicy noodles was only ten cents. Her pricing was quite fair!
The words "profiteer" didn’t apply to her at all!
Of course, she didn’t set a high price because Lin Xiang was concerned that starting too high might drive away custors who were hesitant but interested in trying.
Five cents for a bowl of porridge wasn’t cheap, but one didn’t have to buy it. It wouldn’t affect them not to.
However, the ten-cent bowl of spicy noodles was sothing they truly wanted and could afford.
They just thought it was expensive and were reluctant to spend the money.
So they tried to haggle with Lin Xiang.
But Lin Xiang firmly held to the ten-cent price, unwilling to lower it.
"At the state-run restaurant, a plain noodle dish with nothing costs thirteen cents, and not only does it cost money but also requires a coupon. My bowl of spicy noodles not only has more quantity but also cos with a free bowl of millet porridge."
Lin Xiang lifted the lid of the aluminum bucket filled with millet porridge, "Take a look, my millet porridge is thick and rich. In the state-run restaurant, it would cost at least fifty cents. I’m offering such a genuine deal; if you still want to haggle, it ans you don’t genuinely want to eat. I won’t bother with insincere custors."
Lin Xiang waved them off, "Go on, all of you!"
Instead of leaving, more people stayed around.
"Young comrade, give a bowl of spicy noodles. I want to see if it really fills up!"
"I’ll take a bowl too. Can you put the millet porridge in two bowls? I want to give so to my child."
Lin Xiang: "No need to separate it. I’ll just give you an extra bowl. I simred this millet porridge for hours; it’s full of nourishing grain oil."
"Then I’ll have one too."
"Alright! Wait a mont, I’ll cook it for you right away!"
Business either doesn’t co at all or cos in a flood.
While Lin Xiang deftly cooked the spicy noodles and kept the custors happy, Lin Yun stood by collecting money.
With the price set at ten cents per bowl, it was a round number, so there was hardly any need for change. Before long, Lin Yun felt his hands were full of money.
Though it was all small bills, holding such a thick wad felt like quite a bit.
After seeing off the last custor, Lin Xiang finally stretched and moved around a bit to relax.
Mr. Niu approached, holding four large perforated spoons, and smiled: "Lin, your business is really booming. I tried to squeeze in, but couldn’t even get through."
"Thanks to everyone’s love for the food, business is quite good. But with a small business like this, costs are high and prices low. If I can make fifty cents a day, I’m happy."
Mr. Niu doubted, "With such a crowd, you’re only making fifty cents?"
"Even though I sell the noodles for ten cents a bowl, which doesn’t sound cheap, the costs are quite high! Forgetting everything else, just this bucket of millet porridge I gave away cost quite a bit in millet and used up my last grain coupons."
"Then there’s the base sauce, which I made with at least half a pound of pork. Pork costs money and requires coupons too! Besides pork, there’s oil, salt, sugar, Sichuan pepper, black pepper... I’ve added every condint available on the market. Sir, you don’t cook, so you might not realize, but spices are expensive and don’t last long."
"Don’t be fooled by how much I seed to sell earlier; the costs aren’t recovered yet. I’m just hoping I can still attract so business when it’s ti to eat."
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