The round-faced youth downed three bowls in a row, only stopping when his stomach was taut and round.
As he handed fifteen cents to Hu Liang, he declared that he would be back again tomorrow.
With a finally successful start, both Hu Liang and Widow Xie were beaming. Hu Liang, his earlier despondency gone, returned to the front of the stall to solicit more customers.
The vendors at the neighboring stalls saw them as newcomers and didn't pay them much mind at first.
But they couldn't ignore his clever pitch. "An ancestral secret recipe!" "A delicacy you've never tried before!" Plus, every time he lifted the pot lid, a fragrant aroma would waft over from a great distance, making even them want to have a taste.
For a moment, many eyes drifted their way, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Hu Liang and Ji Huan were too busy to notice any of this; things were already starting to get hectic at their stall.
