Father Lin and Lin Mother were delighted too. They had only just arrived and had already sold half the stock. Even now, people were still in the shop, feeling the fish and looking them over.
The elderly couple stayed beside the customers, saying in broken Mandarin, "Tastes good..."
"Will taste good..."
"Will be fresh..."
"Cheap... only forty-five cents..."
Holding a stack of new banknotes, Ye Yaodong happily returned to the shop. As soon as he entered, he heard them greeting the customers with beaming smiles. They did not seem uncomfortable at all, though their Mandarin left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
They could only get out two or three words at a time, and their pronunciation was way off, but being willing to speak was already good enough. They were doing much better than most people, and the customers could just about understand them anyway.
Ye Yaodong smiled at the people in the shop too. "You all saw that boss weigh out five hundred jin and take it away just now. You can rest assured about the quality of our dried fish. It was all dried before New Year, and it won't spoil in storage."
"If it's windy or rainy and you can't get out to buy groceries, how convenient would it be to steam or stir-fry a bowl of dried fish? You won't have to worry about having nothing to go with your rice. It's great with a drink too, and cheap."
"Yes, yes, won't spoil... cheap..." Father Lin chimed in.
He knew what to say; he just could not get it out in Mandarin yet. He needed more practice.
The people picking through the fish kept nodding and said they would buy two or three jin to try first. Father Lin and Lin Mother were instantly