Chapter Forty-One: The First Victory!

People usually finish their drinks at the stall where they bought them, as the market is so crowded that there’s no way to carry a bowl around. But with the bamboo tube and straw of “Sweet Honey,” you don’t have to drink it all at once. Children hold it in their hands, able to wander the streets freely without worrying about dropping it or being jostled. They take a sip whenever they like; a single tube can last half a day.

Gradually, more and more children appeared on the streets clutching bamboo tubes and sipping sweet water through straws. The more people bought it, the more it attracted others, creating a positive cycle.

As the temperature rose, the number of customers buying “Sweet Honey” increased, some even returning for more. By midday, the three hundred tubes prepared in advance had sold out.

This was hardly surprising. After all, the only competitor for sweet water at the festival was the big bowl of tea, and what child would choose that?

“I’ll go restock!” Su Lu called out, leaving the sweet water stall and sprinting to the dock, hopping onto the lopsided boat.

The lopsided boat had become their workshop. Su Youcai and his wife peeled mandarins with small knives, piling the fruit on the pressing table where Uncle and Su Tai juiced them.

Two juicing benches operated at once; orange-yellow juice flowed ceaselessly from the spouts into wooden buckets.

When the bucket was a third full, Su Tai paused juicing, poured in the sweet syrup he’d brought, then added water and mixed thoroughly.

The water came from Erlang Beach—not only sweeter than local well water, but also chosen for food safety. Thirdly, it added brand value. Water is a curious thing: local water is cheap, but water from elsewhere is precious. If you could ship snow water from Changbai Mountain, people would pay ten coins a bowl just to try it.

Once Su Tai finished blending, he returned to juicing, leaving the filling work to He Tiantian. Despite her small size, she was swift and careful, hardly spilling a drop.

“How many tubes now?” Su Lu asked.

“Over three hundred,” replied Su Youcai. “Is that enough?”

“It’ll last us a while, but we’ll need to work harder,” Su Lu said. “Today’s hot, and sales this afternoon will be good.”

“Work harder? My shoulders are sore as can be,” Uncle said, stretching and wiping sweat. “Thought I was just here to set things up, but now I’m caught in the grind.”

“Then let’s swap, Uncle,” Su Lu offered.

“No need. With your skinny arms, you’d be worn out in no time,” Uncle waved him off. “Just don’t badmouth me behind my back.”

“How could I?” Su Lu grinned. “Your nephew admires you deeply.”

“Ha! I don’t believe that for a second—you’re a sly one,” Uncle laughed, his fatigue melting away. “Business is good?”

“Very good! The three hundred tubes sold out. I need to hurry and restock.” Su Lu lifted his carrying pole. Each basket at the ends held thirty bamboo tubes, nearly seventy pounds altogether.

They could have fit another layer, eighty tubes in total, but Second Brother worried about tiring him out and didn’t load them fully.

Still, all these trips wore Su Lu out.

Seeing this, the proprietress volunteered, “I’ll carry the rest.”

“No need, no need. You, ‘Sweet Water Beauty,’ must stay here. No one can leave this stall but you,” Su Lu waved her off, rushing back to the dock with his pole.

She understood his meaning, feeling both shy and a little proud. She sighed inwardly at how clever he was, wondering how Second Brother Su had raised such a child.

Fortunately, Su Lu was hardworking and resilient, gritting his teeth to finish restocking before rubbing his shoulders and returning to the cashier’s post.

“Business this afternoon was even better,” the proprietress said, having managed to do the work of two, now able to catch her breath. “I thought people would just try it for novelty.”

“If it didn’t taste good, they would have,” Su Lu replied, smiling. “But our Sweet Honey is delicious and affordable, so of course customers come back!”

He predicted, “Just watch—tomorrow will be even busier. We’ll need extra hands.”

“I’ll go home tonight and find our old helpers, see if they’re willing to work,” the proprietress replied.

“That’s perfect,” Su Lu agreed.

~~

That afternoon, Su Lu restocked again.

By nightfall, they had sold six hundred more tubes of Sweet Honey, plus fifty tubes of Kumquat Honey Dew, all gone. This was the production limit, not the market limit—night was falling, yet customers still crowded the stall, hoping to buy a few jars to take home.

“Please come back tomorrow; we’ll prepare more stock!” the proprietress soothed the waiting customers with a smile, though her voice was hoarse from exhaustion.

“And our sweet water is made from freshly pressed oranges—it must be enjoyed fresh. If you take it home, it won’t taste as good. So bring your families tomorrow and try it on site!” Su Lu called out loudly.

He handed out tickets so customers could buy by number the next day, avoiding the wait. Only then did the crowd disperse.

The pair breathed a sigh of relief and began happily packing up.

~~

The boat crew came over to help gather the mountain of bamboo tubes, preparing to carry them back to the boat.

Seeing their tired faces, the proprietress said, “If we go home now, it’ll be midnight before we arrive, and we’ll have to set out again before dawn. It’s too exhausting.”

She made up her mind, “Go rent a room at the inn, rest well, so you’ll have energy tomorrow.”

“That’s great!” Uncle was delighted, dreading the exhausting commute. “The proprietress is generous!”

“That’s because business was good today,” she replied.

“You all stay; I have to go home and prepare more sweet syrup,” Su Tai said with responsibility. “We’re almost out of mandarins here—need to restock.”

“We won’t stay either. With so many mandarins, Brother Xia can’t carry them all alone,” Su Youcai said.

“Don’t worry about home,” the proprietress assured them. “I’ll find two helpers to handle it.”

“They know how to make sweet syrup?” Su Tai asked.

“Of course! We’re a distillery, after all. Rest easy,” she said, taking charge.

“We don’t really need to stay at the inn,” Su Lu patted the money box, speaking quietly. “Today we sold nine hundred fifty-two tubes of Sweet Honey and fifty tubes of Kumquat Honey Dew, earning three thousand one hundred nine coins. After subtracting boat fare, meals, plus three hundred coins for stall protection, we have two thousand six hundred left.”

The local Thousand House is the largest association; the stall fee is really protection money. Officially, it’s ten percent, but most vendors pay less if they can.

But with their booming business, trying to dodge fees would be foolish...

“Wow, we made our money back in a day?” Su Youcai’s eyes lit up.

By agreement, profits must first pay back their debt. The He family owed them two and a half taels—two thousand five hundred coins...

“I’m done! Let’s go home!” Uncle immediately changed his mind, shouting, “It’s the New Year—I won’t work myself into the ground anymore!”

The proprietress had anticipated this, which was why she wanted them to stay at the inn. She looked at the four Su family members, her frail figure lonely and helpless in the dusk.

“Dear brothers and nephews, please keep helping me—I still have debts to pay.”

Uncle looked at his younger brother; Su Youcai coughed, “Well, I suppose I’d be idle at home anyway.”

“How do we split things?” Su Lu didn’t fall for her act; the Sweet Water Beauty’s tricks didn’t work on someone his age.

“Let’s split profits fifty-fifty from now on,” the proprietress offered, prepared for this.

“I’m happy to serve,” Su Lu’s smile bloomed.

~~

So the proprietress hurried home to gather reinforcements, stopping by to inform Auntie.

The four Su men, carrying their gear, sought lodging in the town. Their work tonight was heavy—over a thousand bamboo tubes to boil and dry for tomorrow’s use.

The inn was cheap enough: five coins for a bunk, twenty for a room, fifty for a courtyard. Since they’d be working late, Uncle bargained it down to thirty for a courtyard, though he’d report seventy to the proprietress—Uncle’s tea money always came from such schemes.

Once they’d dropped their things in the courtyard, the four lay down to rest, exhausted from their battle-like day.

“No wonder the proprietress is so generous—didn’t expect such a profitable business,” Uncle mused, gazing at the rafters.

“Too bad it’ll only last a few days,” Su Lu said regretfully. The supply of mandarins would soon run out.

“Is it a lot? Not too much,” Su Youcai was content.

“Snore...snore...” Su Tai muttered.

“Brother Qiu, why did you suddenly say you were done earlier?” Uncle asked, puzzled. “With such a profitable business, why not stick with it?”

“Of course, I want to continue—we need money at home,” Su Lu answered softly. “But the business belongs to her. If we repay our debt and then linger, people will look down on the Su family.”

“Right,” Su Youcai agreed. “Let her invite us back, and then we accept—that’s dignified.”

“That’s part of it,” Su Lu said thoughtfully. “I also wanted to see if the proprietress is worth working with long-term.”

“If she only wants to get rich and doesn’t ask us to stay, then we’ll part ways—we’ve achieved our goal. But if she’s willing to share profits, she’s worth partnering with.”

“What, you want to work with her long-term?” Uncle asked.

“I only plan to study for a year,” Su Lu countered.

“You kid, always have a comeback like your big brother,” Uncle sighed.

“In any case, I think highly of her and want to cooperate—at least earn enough for my schooling so I don’t burden the family,” Su Lu said earnestly.

“A good child, indeed,” Uncle said, ashamed. “Compared to you, I’m embarrassed... I’ll admit, before your big brother left, I knew we’d never get that money back. But I never dared say it—didn’t want him to miss his studies, lose his chance at the exam...”

“I know,” Su Lu replied, unconcerned. “You did nothing wrong, either for the family or yourself. If I were in your place, I’d do the same—my brother’s exam is the family’s top priority!”

“Good, good, I believe you. Still, I owe you an apology,” Uncle sat up, solemn. “Now I see clearly—you’re grown up, wiser than us elders. From now on, I’ll discuss everything openly with you.”

“No need. I’m just a child—why worry so much? Might distract me from my studies,” Su Lu laughed, shaking his head. “But thank you for your trust.”

“Look at my son—he’s as good as yours,” Su Youcai’s heart melted.

“Pretty much,” Uncle scratched his head.

“But I have two good sons!” Su Youcai boasted, nodding proudly.

“Snore...snore...” Su Tai murmured.