Chapter 669: 669: Poor Presentation

“Three hundred wen per pound?!”

Shopkeeper He held a sweet potato strip in his hand, his eyes almost bulging out in surprise.

He was originally munching on a piece of dried sweet potato, but his jaw dropped at this news, nearly choking on the snack.

Qiao Xiaomai picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, saying with a smile, “Here you go, have a sip to smooth it all down.”

Shopkeeper He drained the cup, thumping his chest a few times. His face still wore a look of surprise. “Three hundred wen. Per pound? Per pound! Are you sure about this?”

This costs dozens of times more than meat. Isn’t this highway robbery?

Right?

XiaoMai calmly picked up a sweet potato strip, holding it in front of Shopkeeper He, “Look at this, it has a thin layer of sugar glaze on top, shining crystal clear under the sun. The color of the inside of the sweet potato is white, it looks like this after being steamed, although the color is muddy brown, which isn’t that appealing, but the taste is excellent.”

“How does this taste compare to the best pastries and candied fruits you’ve ever had?”

Shopkeeper He “…”

He picked up another sweet potato strip and examined it closely. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now saw that the surface did have a layer of sugar glaze.

However, the color really was quite poor — a muddy brown, which couldn’t be compared with the beautiful pastries.

But the taste was genuinely great, far superior to any pastries or candied fruits he had ever eaten before.

But to say it’s worth three hundred wen per pound…

He frowned at Xiaomai, “Miss Qiao, charging three hundred wen is truly outrageous. Ordinary people cannot afford it.”

“This isn’t meant for ordinary people. Ordinary folks can satisfy themselves with jelly noodles. These dried sweet potatoes, I’m producing them exclusively for the wealthy.”

“But it doesn’t look very appealing.” Shopkeeper He expressed his concerns.

Xiaomai nodded.

Yes, the sweet potatoes here are white inside, not red. The dried sweet potatoes made from red fleshed sweet potatoes are orange and quite visually appealing and uplifting. The ones she had made were brown, earthy and rough, at a glance they looked like low-grade farm products.

“Shopkeeper, do you think this taste is worth three hundred wen per pound?” Xiaomai asked.

“The taste is worth it, the appearance is not.”

“So then try selling them first, if they don’t sell, you can then lower the price.” XiaoMai suggested.

As the mistress of the young master had spoken, and the taste was indeed excellent, Shopkeeper He reluctantly nodded his head.

“You sell them for three hundred wen each. If they sell, I will give ten wen per pound to your shop.” Xiaomai declared.

Previously, whatever she brought to him, Shopkeeper He would increase the price she set. But this time, since he so clearly disapproved, Xiaomai, who was initially full of confidence, didn’t make any final declarations.

“Deal.” Shopkeeper He still looked reluctant though.

After XiaoMai and Tong Sanlang had left, Shopkeeper He had his workers bring the bag of dried sweet potatoes to his room. He took out a dish and used chopsticks to take out a few pieces, trying to arrange them in an attractive manner.

The appearance was too poor. If it wasn’t for the amazing taste, his establishment would never accept such a product.

No matter how he arranged them, the color of the dried sweet potato remained the same dull brown, it simply wouldn’t change.

After fiddling around for a while, Shopkeeper He lost patience. He tossed the chopsticks aside, grabbing the dried sweet potato with his hand to eat it.

No matter what, the taste is amazing. For those gourmands like Fan Jia…

They should buy it, right?

Speaking of Fan Jia, Fan Jia duly arrived.

Fan Jia had passed the provincial examination three years ago. He was now preparing to return to the capital to take the metropolitan examination, and he had come to the shop that day to have a farewell meal with a few of his classmates.