Chapter 47 Customer
Tong Huaqiong saw Old Mrs. Huang smile with satisfaction.
I thought, this order is secured.
"Did you and your daughter do all this?" asked Old Mrs. Huang.
Tong Huaqiong smiled and said, "Yes. Farmers have no other options, so they just stay at home and think of some cake recipes."
"That's a great idea you have. It tastes good to me." said Old Mrs. Huang.
Tong Huaqiong thought, these cookies are made with butter, how can they not be delicious?
Not to mention this era, even in later generations when materials are so abundant, butter biscuits can make diners enjoy eating them.
"As long as the old lady likes it," Tong Huaqiong said modestly.
"Old lady, please try this date cake." Tong Huaqiong said with just the right smile on her face.
Date cake is not only available in Sushiyuan, but can also be made in Huang’s kitchen, so it is not surprising.
Mrs. Huang took a bite, smiled again, and said, "It tastes better than the one in Sushiyuan."
Then I tried the date paste crisps, coconut crisps, walnut crisps... I was satisfied with all of them.
Mr. Huang was happy to see his mother happy.
"It's amazing that you can come up with such a good recipe." The more Mrs. Huang looked at Tong Huaqiong, the more she liked her.
"To be honest, I figured out this recipe before, and I usually just bake some for my family during the New Year. I don't dare to sell it normally because the ingredients are solid and I will lose money if I sell it cheaply. Thanks to Mr. Huang's filial piety, he told me to bake it to show his filial piety, so I dared to bake it."
Tong Huaqiong praised Mr. Huang's filial piety and the Huang family's financial resources at the right time.
Sure enough, Mr. Huang and his wife and Old Mrs. Huang, the three major financial sponsors, were all happy.
"I heard that Mr. Hong invited a famous chef from Pingchuan County to come to her house for her birthday, and the old man was so happy that he showed off everywhere. My birthday must be better than that old man's, so when the time comes, you should use your skills to prepare some delicious and beautiful cakes for me." Old Mrs. Huang said.
Tong Huaqiong nodded and said, "It's rare to catch the old lady's eye. I will definitely use all my skills to ensure that you are satisfied."
As soon as Mrs. Huang was satisfied, she invited Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua to have dinner with her, and even took Gu Taohua's hand to praise her for being lucky and asked about their marriage.
Tong Huaqiong was so scared that she quickly said that she wanted to keep the fat girl for a few more years. She came here to do business, not to find a son-in-law.
Gu Taohua’s marriage cannot be left to others casually, she must personally check it.
"Thank you for your sympathy, old lady. There's no need for dinner. I have to hurry to sell the remaining cakes." Tong Huaqiong declined with a smile.
When Tong Huaqiong was thinking about how to ask Huang Yuanwai for a deposit, Huang Yuanwai took the lead in calling Tong Huaqiong aside and asked Tong Huaqiong how to charge for the pastry samples delivered to her door, how many pastries to send for the birthday party, and how to charge for them.
Tong Huaqiong quoted the price in detail based on cost and profit.
She didn't ask for more.
Mr. Huang was indeed very straightforward and paid the money readily.
Tong Huaqiong received a total of thirty taels of silver for today's pastries and the deposit for the birthday banquet.
Gu Taohua was confused all the way out of the Huang family’s gate.
Tong Huaqiong was also very happy.
Thirty taels of silver, this was her first pot of gold in this world.
Since she came into this world, the only meal that satisfied her was the mutton soup that day. She had never had a satisfying meal.
She planned to set aside some money to buy rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, so that her family would have white rice and flour for every meal in the future.
"Mom, we actually earned thirty taels?" Gu Taohua said.
"Didn't you give a deposit of fifty taels last time? Why are you giving it again this time?" Gu Taohua was a little confused.
Tong Huaqiong fooled him with just a few words.
Having wasted the whole morning at Mr. Huang's house, Tong Huaqiong decided to hire a car to go to the market.
Today's stall is still opposite the Su Shi Yuan.
Tong Huaqiong directed the carriage to the street opposite the Sushi Garden, gave the silver, and unloaded the pastries from the carriage.
Then he carefully put up the sign written by Gu Jingzhe.
Peach Blossom Dessert is now open for business.
"Look, the widow and the fat girl are here again." A waiter at Sushiyuan pointed at Tong Huaqiong's stall and said to the shopkeeper.
"Don't worry about them. If they want to steal Sushiyuan's business, they are just courting death." The shopkeeper was quite disdainful.
"Boss, they sold out all the mung bean cakes and mung bean biscuits last time." said the waiter.
"Will it affect the business of our Sushi Garden?" asked the shopkeeper.
The guy thought about it and said, "That's not the case."
"Then what are you worried about? Go and greet the guests." The shopkeeper waved his hand.
Trying to steal business from Sushiyuan is like an ant pushing a cart, it is overestimating one's own capabilities.
The fact that Sushiyuan was able to cannibalize other pastry shops and become the dominant one is not a pushover.
It’s pure dreaming to think that you can compete with Sushiyuan with just a small stall!
"Peach Blossom Desserts? What do they sell?"
Just as Tong Huaqiong expected, as soon as the Taohua Dessert sign was put up, people came to the stall to inquire out of curiosity.
"They sell cakes, all kinds of cakes. Mung bean cakes, jujube paste cakes, jujube cakes, honey three-knife cakes, chestnut cakes, cookies..."
Gu Taohua pointed at the pastries and began to introduce the products.
There are a few novelty cakes that I haven't seen before, but most of the cakes are available in the Pastry Garden.
"Why do you buy the genuine pastries from Sushiyuan instead of those from the small stalls?" The man's wife dragged him away.
Gu Taohua was stunned.
A bad start.
He ran away without even asking the price.
"Mom, why aren't they interested?" Gu Taohua was a little disappointed.
Tong Huaqiong cut the samples and placed them on a plate, then patted Gu Taohua's fat wrist and said calmly, "It's not like this when doing business. No one buys just because someone asks. Take Sushiyuan for example. There are so many people coming and going on the street, but not all of them go to buy cakes."
"Don't worry. There will definitely be someone who knows what's good here."
Tong Huaqiong's confidence infected Gu Taohua, so she was no longer impatient, but showed a standard smile and shouted to the passers-by.
"Mung bean cake, sweet mung bean cake."
"Coconut pastry. My family is the only one in town that has coconut pastry."
"Chestnut crisps, delicious and crispy chestnut crisps."
"Take a look, try it. There are free samples. It's okay if you don't buy it. If you buy it and it doesn't taste good, you don't have to pay..."
Gu Taohua's shouting really attracted quite a few people.
Several of them were customers who had bought mung bean cakes that day. They were wondering why the mother and daughter only set up the stall for one day and had disappeared for the past two days.
I came today, and it seems they sell not only mung bean cakes but also many other snacks.
The fragrance can be smelled from far away and it is so tempting.
"Auntie, do you still remember me?" Following a shy voice, a young man stood in front of Tong Huaqiong's stall.
"Why don't you remember?" Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, "How did your mother feel after eating my mung bean cake? Was she satisfied?"
This young man was the first customer to place an order at Tong Huaqiong’s stall, and Tong Huaqiong still remembers him clearly.
"My mother said it was delicious and it whetted my appetite. I came to buy it again yesterday, but you were not here." The young man said with a smile.
"I've been thinking about new recipes at home these past two days." Tong Huaqiong pointed at the visitor and said with a smile, "I made these new recipes, you can take a look and taste them."
Tong Huaqiong pushed the sample in front of the young man.
The young man ate coconut pastry, chestnut pastry, date paste pastry... These pastries have a soft and crispy crust and sweet filling. They are smooth in the mouth and sweet but not greasy.
"If it's for your mother to eat, I suggest some coconut crisps, date crisps, cookies, and of course mung bean cakes. These cakes are neither too soft nor too hard and are good for teeth." Tong Huaqiong said.
She recommends these because they are her top products.
"Okay, I'll listen to you. Three pieces for each." The young man said generously.
"Then I'll give you two more pieces of sachima." Tong Huaqiong said.
As fate would have it, this young man was her first customer both times she set up her stall.
Just like Mr. Huang, he was automatically upgraded to a VIP customer in Tong Huaqiong's mind.
Tong Huaqiong was collecting the money, while Gu Taohua picked up the pastry through her hand with a handkerchief, wrapped it neatly in oil paper and handed it to the young man.
"There are words on the packaging." The young man was surprised.
"I wrote it." Gu Taohua raised her face proudly.
The young man looked at Gu Taohua with eyes full of admiration. This fat girl could actually write.
In this era, people looked up to girls who could read and write, and Gu Taohua was no exception. Not only did the young men look at her with admiration, but other people around her also stopped and looked at her.
"My name is Gu Taohua. See? Taohua Dessert is named after me." Gu Taohua pointed at the sign and said loudly.
Soon the reputation of Taohua Dessert spread throughout the street.