Chapter 44: Ch:44 Hustle Bustle

As soon as Daniel swallowed the dumpling, a sudden burst of flavor exploded across his tongue.

“Damn… what is this tomato chutney? It’s so flavourful,” he said with a surprised expression.

Renery smiled. “Indeed it is… It’s a recipe passed down from my great-grandmother.”

Daniel immediately took another dumpling, dipped it generously in the chutney, and let the spicy, tangy sensation hit him again.

The chutney was sweet like a ripe tomato, tangy like fresh lime, and spicy like a freshly crushed red chili.

“Renery, do we have enough resources to make a good batch of this chutney?” he asked with a neutral expression.

“Umm… let’s see… How much we can actually make,” he replied, already staring into the cupboard.

In the end, Daniel filled two hand baskets while Renery turned the small room into a cloud of spices, leaving both of them coughing violently.

Each basket held a kilo of dumplings. To prevent them from sticking, Daniel dusted them generously with flour.

“Will this much fit in your handcart?” Daniel asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Easily sir,” he answered with a warm smile.

Everything was prepared perfectly, the only thing left was to sell it. But a small flicker of confusion crossed Renery’s face.

“Sir,” he said, gaze locking onto Daniel. “What do we call this food?”

Daniel paused for a moment.

’Hmm… what do I call this? I can’t just say “dumplings”, as people here wouldn’t even understand the word.’ he thought.

“Renery, what do you think about the food?”

“I mean, sir. It’s basically meat stuffed inside a thin dough like pouch—”

“Meat pouch?” Daniel cut in.

Renery nodded slowly. “Hmm… it actually sounds good in my opinion.”

“Mouch?”

“Umm… I mean… I’m not so… sure about that one.”

“Haha… I’m just playing with you,” Daniel said, grinning. “Let’s just call it a meat pouch.”

They carefully loaded everything onto the handcart and pushed it outside. But before they headed to their selling spot, Renery asked one last question.

“Sir, do you really think we can sell all of this in a single day?”

Daniel gave a sly smirk. “You worry too much, Renery. Come closer, here’s how we are going to sell.”

…

They walked toward the north. When they almost reached their destination, Daniel’s attention was immediately caught by the warm smell of fresh bread drifting from the bakery. Without hesitation, he turned.

“Sir, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said quickly and jogged toward the bakery.

Renery didn’t mind at all, as his stall was just the opposite. He walked over to set up his stall, his mood cheerful—until one of the nearby stallkeepers opened his mouth and soured the air.

“Hey, Grease! What’s up with these bambooos…”

Renery ignored them, but the taunts continued.

“Cron, why you taunting him every day… don’t you see, he’s about to cry like a baby… hahaha!” Another stallkeeper joined in.

For Renery, this was just another regular every day, normal Arcana town. At first, their taunts used to get on his nerves, but after months of repetition, they became like a pattern.

Eventually he stopped caring what people said about him or his food. To him, it was all just lies and cheap mockery.

Soon, the other stallkeepers got busy with their regular, loyal customers. Yet Renery was still quietly finishing his setup.

Then Daniel walked out of the bakery holding a warm loaf of bread and approached their stall.

“Renery,” he called from behind. “Is everything ready?”

He nodded. “Yes, we are all set.”

Daniel handed him the bread and waited patiently. As people began passing by on the street, he launched his act.

“Oh my God, what is this? It’s so healthy and delicious!” he shouted, loud enough to carry across the street.

But no one stopped.

He then took some meat pouches, placed them on a banana leaf, and started talking to Renery like an extremely satisfied customer.

*nom*

“I’m telling you, this is genuinely the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life!”

Soon two passersby noticed Daniel’s enjoyment over a food. The way he moaned in satisfaction drew them over.

“Sir, what are you talking about? Is it really that good?” he asked curiously.

Daniel handed each of them a mouch. “Why don’t you find out for yourselves?”

The moment they swallowed, the flavour pouch detonated in their mouths, melting instantly.

“Mmmhh~”

“Mmhhh~”

“Wow, this is amazing… how much is one piece?” The passersby asked Renery.

“It’s not sold individually, sir. But in plates of five pieces. One plate is five coppers and two plates is nine coppers,” Renery replied warmly.

“Now, that’s what I call value for money. I’ll take one plate.”

“Give me one as well.”

’Heh… now let’s pull even more passersby,’ Daniel thought, grinning inwardly.

From two to three to five to eight. The number of people was increasing. Renery had never been this busy, speeding up to keep up with the crowd.

Daniel chatted casually with every customer, constantly encouraging them to order more before it sold out.

“Sir, you have to try it with the chutney… you’ll see heaven,” Daniel said, guiding the customer.

The customer took a cautious bite. “Mmmmhh~”

In just half an hour, half a bucket was gone. Meat pouches were flying out constantly, and silver coins were raining like confetti.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring stallkeeper on the sides stared at Renery in stunned silence. Even their so-called loyal customers had drifted over.

It was like a fishing competition. The stallkeepers on the sides held fishing rods, patiently waiting for someone to bite, while Daniel threw a fishing net of free sample baits to lure the fish.

Soon, an hour later. The first bucket got completely empty. The afternoon sun hung high overhead. Customers enjoyed the food, and formed a crowd in a circle.

Then a woman slowly moved through the crowd, parting the people like the Red sea.

“I want a plate too… Daniel” she said in a soft tone.

[Author: I hope you’re enjoying the story :)]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep