Traveling through ancient times, I led my family to prosperity

Xiao Lan was very happy to hear this, "Dad, do you know where I can make a mold? I want to make a pattern out of the chestnut cake and try to sell it in town."

"You don't need to find someone to carve it. Your father can do it for you. Let your father do it for you." Zhang said with a smile.

Sheng Xuan smiled and nodded.

Zhang and Sheng Xuan both love their children. They thought that the children didn't have much snacks on weekdays, so it didn't matter if they couldn't sell the chestnut cakes. It would be good for the children to have a snack.

If children from rural villages want to have some snacks, they can go to Nanshan Mountain to pick wild fruits, dig out bird eggs, etc. all year round except in winter. But now the mountain is blocked by heavy snow, so they can’t go anywhere.

Xiao Lan was delighted after hearing this, "Dad, what kind of styles can you make?"

“Any general patterns are fine, like rabbits, cats and other animals.” Sheng Xuan said with a smile.

"Second sister, we have mooncake molds at home. I'll find them for you." Xiao Wen was very concerned about selling cakes. Just as he was about to look for them, he suddenly remembered that the previous molds were all at Old Sheng's house and he didn't bring them back. "Second sister, let our father make new ones for you. The previous molds were not brought over when we split up."

Zhang said that in this era, most cake molds were homemade, and almost every household could make some molds. The molds came in various shapes and colorful patterns.

Xiao Lan couldn't wait to say to Sheng Xuan, "Dad, please carve a few models for me. Any style is fine."

"Okay, I happen to have some wood at home, so I'll make it for you tomorrow." Sheng Xuan said.

Shengxuan made the mold very quickly. First, five grooves were dug out on the template, and five beautiful patterns were carved on the bottom of the grooves, including rabbit, cat, longevity peach, double fish, and twined flowers. These patterns are said to be more common in this era, conveying people's wishes for wealth, good fortune, peace and unity.

Xiao Lan was delighted with the mold and quickly made a pot of pastries to try out the pattern.

The result was very pleasing. The pattern carved by her father was very beautiful and the chestnut cake looked particularly good.

Early the next morning, Xiaolan's family started to get busy. They put the prepared chestnut cakes into a basket. Today was the market day, and Shengxuan was worried about Xiaolan and Xiaowen going to town, so after breakfast, he planned to accompany the two children to the market.

"Mom, we are leaving. Is there anything you want to buy?" Xiao Lan asked Shen.

"Mother doesn't have much to buy, so you should go early and come back early. If you can't sell the chestnut cakes, take them back home to eat." Zhang said.

Zhang was afraid that the children would not be able to sell their chestnut cakes, so she stayed in the town and explained it clearly to the children in advance. Besides, these chestnut cakes cost money, and they could afford to make such snacks for their own consumption.

"Don't worry, mother. If we can't sell it, we'll come back soon. Dad will be with us on the way, so there won't be any danger. Let's go."

After putting the cakes on the flatbed cart, Sheng Xuan pushed it, and the three of them set off. After entering the market, many vendors set up their stalls. The food stalls were on the north side of the market. Xiao Lan chose a stall next to a candy store and asked Sheng Xuan to stop the car.

Now that the refugees have settled down, although the town has not yet returned to its former prosperity, there are still many people coming out to the market. After all, the market was suspended a while ago, and many people in the town have run out of daily necessities.

Many people passed by their stall at the market, but no one stopped.

"Dad, Xiaowen, we can't just stand there, we have to shout." Xiaolan said.

Sheng Xuan and Xiao Wen were too shy to speak, and after hesitating for a while, they just couldn't shout.

"I'm selling chestnut cakes. They're sweet and sticky. Twenty-five cents for half a pound, fifty cents for a pound. If they don't taste good, I won't charge you." Xiao Lan shouted first.

Xiaowen, who was young at that time, followed Xiaolan's example and started shouting.

"Dad, you don't have to shout. You can weigh the pastries later." Xiao Lan said to Sheng Xuan.

"How much is this cake per pound?" a daughter-in-law asked as she came over with her child.

"Aunt, our chestnut cakes are fifty cents a pound, and twenty-five cents for half a pound." Xiao Lan quickly handed her a small sample piece of cake to try.

This kind of person must have been the child who was crying for cakes. The daughter-in-law took the cakes, broke off a piece and put it in the child's mouth, and put the rest in her mouth to taste it.

Xiao Lan watched their expressions change and continued to promote her cakes, "Our cakes are made with solid ingredients and are freshly made this morning. They are clean and hygienic, and taste just as good as those in pastry shops, and the price is even cheaper."

"Mom, this chestnut cake is so delicious." The child pulled his mother's sleeve, begging his mother to buy some.

"Okay, weigh two pounds for me and take it back for your brothers and sisters to taste."

"Okay." Xiao Lan responded quickly.

Although food prices have dropped, they are still not cheap. Chestnut cakes are fifty cents a pound, which is really not expensive. Sheng Xuan weighed two pounds of cakes, carefully wrapped them in oil paper, and handed them to the woman.

The woman counted out a hundred coins, and Xiao Lan quickly accepted them. "Take care, auntie. Come back next time."

Looking at the one hundred coins in the purse, the three of them showed surprised expressions.

Their cakes are sold at fifty cents per pound. Ordinary farmers would definitely not be able to afford them. Only those who look rich, especially women with children, like to buy cakes and other snacks for their children. Xiao Lan has identified these people as her target customers.

After selling several kilograms of cakes in succession, the few of them became more skilled.

"Dad, I'm going to the grocery store to buy some sugar. We don't have much sugar at home." Xiao Lan said to Sheng Xuan.

Sheng Xuan saw that the grocery store was nearby and was not worried about the child's safety, so he nodded.

Xiao Lan went to the grocery store to buy sugar. She also wanted to go to the drugstore to buy some cold water stone, which was indispensable for making tofu. However, her family had not yet purchased the millstone and linen. She had to make money step by step and could not eat a fat man all at once. So she decided to finish processing the two sacks of chestnuts first and then do other things.

When Xiao Lan came back, she saw a middle-aged man in brocade clothes chatting with Sheng Xuan in front of the stall. Xiao Lan thought he looked familiar, so she walked closer and saw that it was the shopkeeper Xu of Tianxiang Tower.

Xiao Lan hurried forward to greet him. This was a big customer of her family. Her family's main income currently came from Tianxianglou, so Xiao Lan treated him like a god. "Manager Xu, come and try the chestnut cake I made. It was just out of the pot this morning."

Shopkeeper Xu tasted one and nodded, "Not bad, the ingredients are solid and the chestnut cake has a soft texture. Pack up the rest for me."

"Come on, come back after you've had a good meal. We come to the town to sell our wares every day." Xiao Lan took the copper coins from Manager Xu and said with a smile.

"You have a lot of chestnuts at home?" When Shopkeeper Xu heard Xiao Lan's words, he had an idea. It was nearly the New Year, and cakes would surely sell well. Chestnut cakes were delicious, but chestnuts were hard to find. If he could buy some chestnuts, he could make sugar-fried chestnuts or sugar-brewed chestnuts, both of which would be great.