Chapter 178 - 178: Watching the fun
Zhuang Qingning was composed and seemed very sure of what she was saying. Clearly, she had figured out her plan.
Mrs. Cao and Zhang Qiuying stopped saying anything, merely nodded, “Okay, we understand. Whatever you ask us to do, we will do.”
At this point, even if they couldn’t help much, they knew they had to at least not cause any more trouble.
“Mhm.” Zhuang Qingning’s eyes crinkled in a smile.
This feeling of unconditional trust, was rather nice.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for receiving the task of restoring the reputation of the tofu shop. As long as the host can successfully dispel the rumors and restore the reputation of the tofu shop, you will get a generous reward!]
This task was suddenly given to her even though she had already planned on doing it, and there would even be a reward.
This was perfect; it was like someone sending you a pillow when you were about to fall asleep!
So Xiaowu, you’re like a little fairy sent from heaven, aren’t you? The super cute kind?
[I have always been a genius in helping the host to prosper, being your right-hand man in achieving the peak of life. I certainly don’t just claim so out of nothing.]
This deserved praise indeed, pure and undisguised.
Compared to those systems that are always scheming, this Xiaowu system that doted on her was just too adorable, right?
However, in order to help me smoothly complete the task, can you provide me with something?
[What does the host want? If it’s a necessity for the mission, I can give an eight percent discount on the price.]
Phenolphthalein and sodium carbonate.
[That…As long as the host doesn’t sell it or disrupt the current equilibrium, it is possible. And these two things are not expensive. After the discount, it costs 79 work points.]
Indeed, not expensive at all.
Zhuang Qingning had now mastered a lot of processing recipes. Every day, she could earn forty to fifty work points. Seventy-nine work points only took a day and a half to earn.
Buy, buy, buy!
After confirming the exchange of these two items, Zhuang Qingning received two small porcelain vases. To avoid confusion, they were even thoughtfully labelled.
Nice, very nice.
Zhuang Qingning put the two things away and began to prepare the ingredients for dinner.
Rib chops, made into sweet and sour ribs, served with tofu and celery. She had a wonderful dinner with Zhuang Qingsui, then went to the tofu shop and told Zhuang Mingliang to reduce the amount of tofu made over the next two days.
After hearing this, Zhuang Mingliang scratched his ear, “I’m not sure about the reason, but as long as you say so, we’ll do it.”
“If the reason for making less tofu is because there will be some business in town that prevents us from selling tofu for an extended period of time, there’s no need to make less. My dad always comes back early when he goes out to sell tofu and stuff because he doesn’t have enough to sell. If we allocate the tofu originally intended for the town to my dad’s side temporarily, that would work too.”
“That works too.” Zhuang Qingning nodded, “For the time being, let’s do as you said and move it to Uncle Yonghe’s place. Uncle Yonghe will be busier in the next few days.”
“It’s not a burden. My dad said that the more you work, the more you earn. Naturally, you can’t complain about having more work. It’s what you’re supposed to do.” Zhuang Mingliang grinned.
That really sounded like something Zhuang Yonghe would say.
Zhuang Qingning smiled as she talked with Zhuang Mingliang about the tofu shop for a while, then spent some time chatting with Mrs. Wen before going home to rest.
For the next two days, at the same time in the afternoon, Xiao Liuzi led a group of children to the front of the tofu shop, shouting and making a fuss about a ghost doing somersaults.
This matter had been going on for quite a few days now.
People who were previously indifferent to it were still going in and out of the tofu shop to buy their things, but seeing that the commotion seemed to be getting bigger, they started to feel a bit uneasy.
The tofu tasted good, the dried tofu was delicious, and the soybean sprouts and mung bean sprouts were appetizing, but compared to fate and luck, they would choose the latter every time.
As such, many people hesitated at the door of the tofu shop and after thinking about it, half of them eventually turned away.
Some people chose to walk around the tofu shop to avoid attracting the attention of the ghost in the shop, fearing it would ruin their own luck.
The business of the tofu shop had obviously been much quieter than usual over the past two days.
However, the number of spectators at the door had been increasing every day.
The first reason was that Xiao Liuzi was the son of a half-immortal. His words were very convincing, which made people very curious. They wanted to see what this so-called ghost looked like, so they followed Xiao Liuzi and craned their necks looking up at the eaves.
Unfortunately, all they could see were the densely arranged roof tiles and some sparrows hopping around on top of them. There was nothing else.
The more they couldn’t see, the more they wanted to find out. Some people proclaimed that they could see the ghost and even said that only those with a stable and sincere mind could see it. This attracted even more people who wanted to have a good look and try their luck.
The second reason for the excitement was due to the attitude of the tofu shop.
If this kind of thing happened in front of other people’s shops, they would surely be furious and feel that these people were messing with their business. They should be swept out with brooms.
However, the tofu shop acted as if everything was normal. They didn’t make a fuss or drive people away. When customers came, they greeted them. When there was no business, they went along with Xiao Liuzi and others to watch the commotion. They even served tea and seating to the spectators and gave fried chop rice cakes to Xiao Liuzi and other children.
This aroused the curiosity of the onlookers. Word spread, and more and more people came to watch.
“It’s really lively outside.” Zhang Qiuying, who had just served a round of tea outside, massaged her slightly sore neck after returning to the shop.
“I only looked up for a bit, and my neck already hurts so much. Those people outside are really impressive. Some of them have been looking up for a quarter of an hour, and they don’t seem to be uncomfortable.”
“This just goes to show that there are a lot of idle people out there.” Zhuang Qingning laughed, “But that’s good. The more lively it is, the more exciting the show will be later.”
“By the way, how is the thing I asked auntie to make going?”
“Ma has been working on it in the backyard for almost a day. I guess it’s almost ready. I’ll go check.” Zhang Qiuying headed to the backyard.
“If it’s ready, there’s no need to bring it out. I’ll go and see it later. Do not let anyone else see it.” Zhuang Qingning instructed.
“Okay.” Zhang Qiuying answered and went to the backyard.
Zhuang Qingning watched the hubbub outside, her lips curling up into an even bigger smile..