They brought sixty jin of fermented tofu to sell today, originally planning to bring only forty jin, but yesterday An Quangui said many people wanted to buy, so they brought an extra twenty jin.
Most of those who came to buy the fermented tofu were still regular customers, and everyone kept asking them why it took them so long to come back, to which An Jing patiently answered each one of them.
And since everyone had heard that the dishes seasoned with fermented tofu at the local tavern were selling well, some asked An Jing if she knew how to season it. An Jing simply told the truth and shared with these women how to season, so they could also make dishes at home similar to those in the tavern.
Fermented tofu could always be seasoned, and besides, adding fermented tofu as a seasoning to dishes was really easy. Even if An Jing hadn’t mentioned it, there would always be women who could figure it out on their own.
The women, learning how to season with fermented tofu, were very pleased, and some were even so delighted that they bought extra.
"Make way, our boss is here to collect protection money!"
Just when An Jing and Xiao Changyi were about to sell out their sixty jin of fermented tofu, suddenly a cursing male voice rang out, obviously not a good sign.
The women who had clustered around the stall to buy the tofu immediately scattered in fear. With no more women blocking their view, An Jing and Xiao Changyi quickly saw three ruffians ambling towards them.
Then, the trio stopped in front of An Jing and Xiao Changyi’s stall, and without needing much thought, both knew these men were street thugs.
The leader of the men had a scar on his face, making his appearance quite fierce with his stout build, and as he stood in front of their stall with a straw in his mouth, he crossed his arms with what he presumed was a suave air, then began to shake his leg.
The other two were much thinner, one with a sneaky look and the other as skinny as a pole, standing on either side of their leader, also crossing their arms and shaking their legs in imitation.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi exchanged glances, and both their eyes spoke volumes: these men needed to be taught a lesson.
"Pay up the protection fee, one tael," the sneaky-eyed man said loudly.
One tael?! Some of the vegetable stall owners who had heard gasped, it was clear that their protection fee was nowhere near that high.
Instead of getting angry, An Jing smiled, "Am I the only one paying?"
"Everyone else has already paid; we came to collect at the end of last month," he said.
"It’s only the beginning of the month; why don’t you come back at the end of this month?" An Jing suggested amiably. Today was the second day of May.
"Are you looking to die?" the sneaky-eyed man put on what he thought was his most ferocious face, "Daring to tell us to come back at the end of the month? We’ll come whenever we want, it’s not up to you to decide. Hand over the money quickly! One tael, not a copper coin less!"
"Does everyone else also pay one tael?" An Jing remained calm, yet from the corner of her eye she couldn’t help but notice the Shopkeeper from Jadeite Tavern hiding around the corner, stealthily watching everything; she immediately got the gist of the situation, but maintained her composure.
Looking toward her husband, seeing him nod slightly at her, she then knew that he too had noticed: these three thugs had definitely been sent by Jadeite Tavern’s Shopkeeper to pick a fight with them.
"Of course!" lied the sneaky-eyed man.
The nearby vegetable stall owners kept to themselves, not daring to defend An Jing and Xiao Changyi by saying that they only had to pay ten copper coins, not one tael — that’s what they themselves had paid.