Transmigrated into the role of the matriarch, I ensured my family had enough to eat and wear during

Tang Susu watched the scene of women selling their daughters at the entrance of the grain store, and felt a lump in her throat, a mix of emotions welling up inside her.

She thought to herself, if it were her, she would rather starve to death than sell her own flesh and blood.

But she also knew that in these famine years, the disaster would only get worse, and there would be even more people selling their children in the future.

Moreover, most of those sold were young girls; in this world, the lives of young girls were truly worthless.

Tang Susu withdrew her gaze, her steps heavy as she pulled her two younger brothers along as they continued walking forward.

At the end of the street lies Chongwen Hall, the most famous building in Jiangtou Town.

This school was jointly run by scholars who had passed the imperial examinations and the government. It was of extremely high standard, and the teachers were at least Xiucai (a lower-level scholar).

From the surrounding towns and villages, any promising child who passed the preliminary examination would basically transfer here to study, hoping to learn real skills from the scholars who had passed the provincial examination and eventually obtain official rank.

In front of the main gate of Chongwen Hall, there were also many stalls, but most of them sold reading supplies such as brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, calligraphy and painting copybooks.

Just as Tang Susu finished setting up her stall, a vendor selling inkstones next to her came over enthusiastically and whispered a word of advice: "Young lady, it's probably not a good idea for you to sell food here."

Chongwen Hall has a cafeteria, and students mostly eat there; they rarely buy food outside. I suggest you find another place to eat.

"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle," Tang Susu said with a smile. "But since I'm already here, I'll give it a try. What if I can sell it?"

As she spoke, she asked Tang Liqiang to borrow a table from a nearby restaurant.

The three siblings quickly set up the jelly for tasting, and just as they finished setting up their stall, the clear school bell rang out in Chongwen Hall.

As soon as the bell rang, the surrounding vendors immediately perked up and adopted an enthusiastic welcoming posture.

Before long, a group of students dressed in matching blue and white long gowns walked out of the school gate in twos and threes.

These students were all handsome, well-mannered, and elegant, clearly well-read.

Tang Susu took a deep breath, and together with Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Liangfen (cold mung bean jelly)! Cool and refreshing liangfen! Free samples, limited quantity, first come, first served!"

These lively, bustling shouts sounded particularly out of place amidst the refined atmosphere surrounding Chongwen Hall.

The vendors selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones nearby were all stunned, their eyes wide open, and they stopped what they were doing.

These stall owners have been setting up their stalls in front of Chongwentang for many years. They have always valued elegance and style and disliked this kind of loud and boisterous hawking.

In their view, this was simply a desecration of the atmosphere surrounding Chongwentang.

They were all secretly worried for Tang Susu, thinking that she definitely wouldn't be able to sell a single bowl of her food.

Some people even thought that since she was so ignorant of the rules, she should never be able to set up a stall in front of Chongwentang again in her lifetime.

To everyone's surprise, quite a few young men walked straight toward Tang Susu's stall.

There are nearly three hundred students in Chongwen Hall, the oldest of whom are only in their twenties, and they are all young men from relatively well-off families.

They usually spend hundreds of coins to buy a good inkstone or a rare calligraphy copybook, so a bowl of cold noodles costing two or three coins is really cheap for them.

With a bright smile, Tang Susu stepped forward and introduced, "Gentlemen, please try my family's cold noodles. Free samples are available, both sour and sweet. I'll serve you whichever flavor you prefer. If you like it, buy a bowl to try. It's only three copper coins a bowl, refreshing and perfect for cooling down in the summer."

Tang Liqiang, who was serving jelly noodles nearby, trembled when he heard "three copper coins a bowl," his heart filled with doubt and worry.

It was clearly selling for two copper coins a bowl at the construction site in Dongtai Town, so why has the price suddenly increased here?

These scholars look so refined and polite, wouldn't they think we're overcharging and just turn around and leave?

If the jelly noodles are stuck in your hands and you can't sell them, then all your hard work will have been for nothing.

Just as Tang Liqiang was filled with sorrow, a young man dressed in a moon-white long robe, with an extraordinary temperament and upright posture, waved his hand elegantly and said loudly, "Classmates, it's hot today, so I'll treat you to some cold noodles to cool off. Although these cold noodles can't compare to fine wine, they look refreshing and should have a unique flavor."

The surrounding scholars immediately cupped their hands in greeting, offering each other polite and deferential compliments: "Brother Wang, you're too kind!" and "Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Wang!"

Tang Susu, quick as a flash, grabbed the copper coins the boy had placed on the stall, counted them, and loudly announced, "Thirty-six coins, just enough for twelve bowls! Lifu, Liqiang, quick, bring twelve bowls of cold noodles!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang instantly perked up and quickly scooped up the cold noodles. Two other scholars who hadn't gotten any stood aside, waiting for their empty bowls to be refilled.

Twelve young boys, each with an exquisite white porcelain bowl with cloud patterns, slowly sipped their cold noodles.

After just one sip, their eyes lit up, and they exclaimed in praise: "This jelly tastes amazing! It's so refreshing and cool, it instantly dispels the summer heat!" "It's comparable to the cold drinks in Fuzhou! I never expected to find something so refreshing here!"

One of the scholars, on a whim, even composed a poem entitled "Relieving the Summer Heat" on the spot.

This short poem is simple and easy to understand, and it resonates with the students' feelings. It quickly spread among the students of Chongwen Hall.

Hearing about it, many more students came to try it, eager to see just how delicious this jelly that inspired their classmates to write poetry really was.

Tang Susu, Tang Lifu, and Tang Liqiang had clear divisions of labor and worked together exceptionally well.

Tang Susu was in charge of collecting money and taking orders. She had an excellent memory and could remember clearly who wanted sweet and who wanted sour flavors.

Tang Liqiang focused on serving the jelly, his movements were quick and steady, and the portions were generous.

Tang Lifu is responsible for adding sugar water or hawthorn pieces according to the guests' requests, and also takes time to wash the used bowls and spoons to ensure that the tableware is clean and hygienic.

This was their first time selling together, yet it was as if they had rehearsed countless times, completing each transaction efficiently without much communication.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the remaining hundred-plus bowls of cold noodles in the bucket were all snapped up.

The stall owners nearby were stunned, forgetting to sell what they were holding.

They've had a stall in front of Chongwentang for years, but business is slow. Sometimes they're lucky if they sell one item in a whole day. They've never seen anyone sell everything in such a short time.

They all curiously peeked out, wanting to see just how appealing this jelly was that it could make even the usually aloof scholars so enthusiastic.

With a gentle smile, Tang Susu said to the students who arrived late and missed out on the jelly, "I'm so sorry, gentlemen, all the jelly is sold out today. If you'd like some, please come earlier tomorrow and I'll prepare more."

After saying that, she led Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang to tidy up the stall in an orderly manner, returned the borrowed table to the restaurant, and then picked up the empty water buckets, preparing to go to the street to buy some daily necessities before going home.

On the way, Tang Lifu finally couldn't contain his doubts and asked, "Mother, we sell bowls for two copper coins at the construction site, so why do they sell them for three copper coins a bowl at Chongwen Hall?"

Tang Liqiang scratched his head and chimed in, "Yes, Mother, is it because these students look so wealthy, like they have money in their pockets?"

Tang Susu shook her head and patiently explained, "It's not that we intentionally want to rip them off, but because we're in Jiangtou Town now. Think about it, we carried these jelly noodles all the way from Dongtai Town on foot, a journey that took more than half an hour. That hard work and effort also has a cost; it's our hard-earned money."

Fearing the two might not understand, she gave another example: "For instance, if we were to take the jelly to a more distant prefecture to sell, the journey would be longer, and we would have to spend money on lodging and food along the way, making the expenses and costs even higher. At that time, a bowl of jelly might have to sell for five copper coins."

Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang nodded slightly, seemingly understanding, and said, "Mother, we understand."

But there was still a hint of confusion in his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't fully grasped the cost logic behind the pricing.