This child was a bit of a surprise since children of the poor usually take on family responsibilities early, but clearly, even at such a young age, this child was already helping with the family business.
"What are you selling, little girl? Is it something edible?" The person asked eagerly. He hadn’t eaten anything for over half a day and was about to catch a train. Although food was available on the train, there would still be a wait, and he was so hungry that it was making him anxious.
"Uncle, I’m selling scallion pancakes," Qin Xiangnuan said as she opened the covering cloth, and a very appealing scent of flour immediately wafted up. It made the person standing before her involuntarily swallow his saliva. The fragrance was truly irresistible, and it seemed to be still hot, surely delicious.
Qin Xiangnuan then took out a small plate, smiling and revealing her white, glutinous teeth. Although she wasn’t particularly pretty, a child who smiles a lot is always adorable.
"Uncle, you can try one; tasting is free. They’ve just come off the stove and are still very hot."
The man called ’Uncle’ couldn’t help but pinch off a piece and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, indeed, it left a delightful aftertaste—the combination of green onions, flour, and oil was really tasty.
"How much are you selling these pancakes for?"
The man was really hungry, and with kids, when adults are already struggling , children would cry incessantly from hunger.
"Uncle, ten cents each," Qin Xiangnuan extended a finger, "These can be eaten hot or cold. Even if they cool down on the train, they still taste very good."
Ten cents? The man pondered for a moment; actually, that wasn’t expensive. Ten cents could at most buy two rolls. These pancakes were oily and made with white flour, and tasted good. Furthermore, they were brought right here, so they truly weren’t expensive at all.
"Give me five," the man pulled out 50 cents and handed it to Qin Xiangnuan. The moment the money left his hands, he felt a bit of regret; he hadn’t seen what the pancakes actually looked like yet. If they were just tiny, then the ten cents spent might feel like a loss. But since the money was already given, he was too embarrassed to ask for it back. He figured he’d just accept if the 50 cents turned out to be a loss.
Qin Xiangnuan, wearing a clean glove, took out some white paper bags to pack the pancakes. Surprisingly, the pancakes were not small but rather large, crispy on the outside and tender inside, and they looked very appetizing.
The man’s eyes brightened, feeling that his 50 cents hadn’t been wasted at all; it was definitely worth it.
"Uncle, here you go, take these," Qin Xiangnuan handed the five scallion pancakes to the man. He gladly accepted them, very satisfied with the pancakes wrapped neatly in paper. Seeing the young girl’s clean handling, he knew she cared about cleanliness. Eating what she prepared, how could one not be careful? Although you can’t see how food is prepared when bought outside, Qin Xiangnuan’s entire set of actions immediately added to her cleanliness credit, making her ten-cent scallion pancakes not seem expensive now.
Some bought one, some bought two, and there were those who came back for more after eating. Those from financially average households, spending just ten or twenty cents, could easily afford it. Within a short while, all sixty some scallion pancakes were sold out.
The business here was much better than Qin Xiangnuan had imagined; no, it should be said that business at this time was easy in general. She was the first and the only vendor in this train station.