Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

"These are all small parts that have been remelted and made. They are lightweight, so the price is not that scary."

"Girl, try it on."

The woman stretched out her hand and put it on her finger.

The small gold ring on her slightly rough fingers made her skin appear even whiter.

The woman held her right wrist with her left hand and stared at it for a long time.

She touched the purse in her sleeve, inside which was the New Year's money her husband had slipped to her before leaving home.

"It's almost Chinese New Year, time to treat yourself to something."

She had originally planned to use the money to buy some fabric and a couple more pairs of shoes for her child.

Now, looking at this gold ring, I can't take my eyes off it.

Stall owner: "Look how beautiful it is! It's a nice touch for a young lady to wear a gold piece on her wrist during the New Year, isn't it?"

The woman pursed her lips, sighed softly, and took off the ring. "Never mind."

She said to the child, "Come on, let me buy you a pair of shoes first."

"Um!"

The child was very happy, but after looking closely at the gold ring, they left together.

The stall owner felt somewhat regretful.

The deal ultimately fell through.

He turned around and saw that Bai Li was still wearing that thick gold chain around his neck, and his eyes lit up again: "Sir, do you still want this one?"

Bai Li also took one off: "I have plenty at home, so I don't need it. Thank you."

The stall owner didn't lose face, as new customers soon started coming in.

He raised his voice and started shouting again.

Many young women on the street had added gold ornaments to their heads.

Although no one wore them in an extravagant way, a little bit of gold could be seen in each one.

Gold jewelry was located at the outermost edge of the market. As you walked further in, the sweet smell of sugar wafted over, thick and pervasive throughout the street.

The small stalls that lined the street were filled with food, and all of them had one thing on them.

sugar.

The candied hawthorns were coated with a thick layer of shiny sugar, the glutinous rice cakes were drizzled with amber-colored sugar syrup, and the sugar paintings made by pulling and rolling maltose threads were surrounded by a group of children making sugar figurines, their shouts filling the air.

Bai Li stopped in front of a pancake stall.

Of all these, this one has the strongest smoke and the wildest smell.

The oil sizzled and popped in the pan, the aroma mingling together and wafting straight into people's noses.

This pancake stall only offers a few flavors: sugar pancakes, beef pancakes, chicken pancakes, pork pancakes, and mutton pancakes.

He glanced at the crooked price tag.

The wood was obviously newly replaced; it was clearly just put up for a short time.

Sugar cakes cost two coins and five cash, chicken cakes cost two coins, and the most expensive mutton costs five cash.

Bai Li took out some money: "Give me a sugar cake, and a mutton one too."

The stall owner responded loudly and quickly, scooping and lifting two pancakes into a washed lotus leaf and handing them over.

Bai Li took a bite of the sugar pancake. The pancake was fried until golden brown on both sides, and the outside was so crispy that it crumbled at the slightest touch.

With that bite, the melted syrup inside overflowed from the crack at the edge of the biscuit, sliding off his hand and falling to the ground.

"This is my first time trying my pastry, young man. It's my fault for not warning you, but there's a lot of sugar in it. How is it? Sweet, isn't it?" The stall owner, a burly man with a beaming smile, said proudly, "A couple of years ago, the sugar in this pastry would have been enough for a whole family to celebrate the New Year!"

"Sugar was so expensive back then, like gold. Who would be willing to store it away like that? We could only taste a little sweetness on New Year's Eve."

He had a loud voice, and as he spoke, he flipped the pancakes in the pan: "Things are different now! Sugar is as cheap as flour, and you can have as much as you want. I put plenty of sugar in my pancakes, and kids from all around know my stall; they come here every day!"

The stall owner spoke with great enthusiasm, his spittle flying everywhere, and his shovel never stopped moving.

hmm~

Bai Li felt that she needed to find some time to properly popularize hygiene knowledge.

As for now~

He continued munching on the sugar biscuit in his hand, deciding to ignore it.

The woman next to him quickly nudged the burly man, saying, "Alright, alright, the guests are eating. Why are you saying all this?"

She noticed that Bai Li's hands seemed to be covered in syrup, so she turned around and took out a faded coarse cloth from behind the stall.

The woman approached with a handkerchief, intending to hand it to Bai Li so he could wipe his hands, but she stopped just as she was about to do so.

She looked down at Bai Li's hands, where the syrup was clearly dripping down between her fingers.

She saw it with her own eyes.

But now this person's hands are perfectly clean, without even a trace of sugar residue.

The woman instinctively looked down at the ground.

The syrup that had just dripped down was still stuck to the muddy ground, covered in dust, and had clumped together in a small ball.

Groups of children ran over, their eyes fixed longingly on the pot.

"Uncle, I want a sugar cake!"

"Me too!"

This naturally attracted Bai Li's attention, and the woman took the opportunity to put away her handkerchief and walked straight back to observe secretly.

"Alright, alright, stop shouting," the burly man replied with a smile, "I'll make it for you!"

"Hurry up! I want the biggest one!"

"Okay!"

The burly man flipped the shovel very quickly.

A few moments later, several steaming hot sugar pancakes were handed over.

The child held it in both hands, ignoring the heat, and took a big bite.

"Wow, this is delicious!"

With a biscuit in his mouth, he mumbled, "So sweet, so much sugar!"

The stall owner laughed heartily: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you!"

Bai Li watched with a smile.

After finishing the sugar cakes, they started eating the mutton cakes.

With that first bite, Bai Li noticed that the mutton filling also contained some sugar, not much, just a subtle sweetness.

"Did you put sugar in this mutton pie too?" he asked.

The burly man explained, "Sir, this is a new way of eating it here. Sugar is cheap now, so we have to think of ways to enjoy it, right?"

"How is it, my lord? How does it taste?"

The natural aroma of mutton, combined with a touch of sweetness, makes it taste quite good.

I just always felt that there was something odd about putting sugar and mutton together.

"It's alright," Bai Li said softly. "But I think the mutton patties would be better if they were a bit saltier."

Upon hearing this, the burly man shook his head vigorously, saying, "I think sweet ones taste better."

He declared matter-of-factly, "This sugar isn't worth much these days. Adding a little to the mutton makes it taste sweet and delicious, isn't that great!"

"Look, the children all love it."

The children, their mouths full of sugar cakes, nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

"Sweet ones are delicious!"

Bai Li laughed: "But adults might not like it. Why not make one for each? Make whatever flavor they want, and we can earn more money that way."

The burly man refused: "No, no, making two kinds is too much trouble. I think sweet is better. Hey, girl, why are you pulling me? Ouch!"

The woman tugged at him a few times, and the burly man finally shut up, looking rather annoyed.

"I think salty is better," Bai Li said quietly.

The burly man was about to speak when the woman glared at him, silencing him.