Chapter 56: Candy House

The Candy House was called a Candy House and not a Dessert Shop because it only sold various candies. The reason for this was that it sold only candies and no other sweets like cakes.

As for why it was like this, we must talk about preservation. You should know that in this era, sugar was a true luxury. Even in Karada, the capital city, its consumption was far less than in the rural towns of Tianchao before George crossed over.

The sales method in the shop meant it had to have a large quantity and variety of goods for customers to choose from. Just like some high-end shops in the original Tianchao that would definitely have discounts after 8:00 PM. Although there was some pattern to the sales of various goods in the shop, they fluctuated every day.

This era had no perfect preservation measures. Sweet treats like pastries, which were hard to keep fresh, might even change flavor before nightfall in hot weather. If placed in a cellar with ice blocks, they would quickly become rock hard. You should know that in this period, those who could afford pastry sweets were mostly nobles and wealthy merchants. For these picky people, even a tiny bad change in taste would make them refuse to eat it. This could cause the shop owner to lose the day’s profit just because a few pastries went bad, or even lead to a serious loss.

As for using magic for preservation, let alone finding a Mage or a suitable Magic Item willing to help cast a preservation spell. The price, which often ran into double-digit Gold Coins, was enough to make people stay away.

“Ding! Ling! Ding! Ling!” With the sound of the bell embedded in the wooden door as it opened, George and his two companions stepped into this old shop with decades of history. The windows that opened upward dispersed the shadows inside while blocking the direct and fierce sunlight. The counters and shelves in the shop were made of oak. Although the traces of time had made them dark and rounded, compared to the pillars and beams that looked like they had been scorched by smoke and fire, they were clearly the later arrivals. They must have been replaced after the shop became successful.

“Welcome,” the girl in the shop smiled and greeted George and the other two. Then she continued to introduce the candies in the shop to the customers who had arrived earlier.

In the transparent glass jars with a slight green tint on the counter, various kinds of candies were stored. These colorful, ball-shaped candies immediately caught Craig’s eye. From his two eyes that were constantly shining, one could clearly see his desire for those little things inside the glass jars.

Ignoring Craig who immediately rushed to the counter, George began to look at the customers in the shop. A young woman was talking with the girl waiter in the shop, accompanied by two little boys. From the shouts of “Mom! Mom! I want this. Mom! Mom! I want that.” coming from the two children, it was clear that a mother had brought her kids to buy candies.

From the cotton clothes worn by the three of them, it was clear that they were not nobles, nor did they look like a wealthy merchant family. Because no matter what kind of noble, they would wear silk clothes when going out in Karada. And although wealthy merchants were not allowed to wear silk, they would wear wool or leather products. This rule had been deeply rooted in people’s minds for hundreds of years and could also avoid a lot of trouble. If someone tried to act like a pig to eat a tiger, and ended up in a situation where a white dragon wore a fish suit, they could not blame others.

Just from the fabric, George identified them as ordinary citizens of the Outer City of Karada. However, even being a commoner in Karada meant being relatively well-off, especially some skilled craftsmen who could earn more than one Gold Coin a day. So it was fine for a housewife to occasionally bring her kids to the Candy House for a treat.

Not long after, the mother took two candies and gave one to each of the two little rascals playing by her knees. She wrapped the other two in cloth and put them in the basket she carried on her arm. After handing the money to the girl waiter, she pulled the smaller child and walked past George, leaving the Candy House with the sound of the bell at the door.

“Hello! Is there anything you need?” the girl behind the counter asked with a smile.

“Oh, Tanasia! Is Old Man Cliff not here today?” George asked. From his tone, it was clear he was quite familiar with this Candy House.

The girl bowed and answered: “My father went to buy supplies early this morning. I think he should be back around noon. Do you still want the Sugar Cubes as usual, Lord Bolerum?”

Hearing the conversation between George and the girl in the shop, Craig immediately grabbed George’s clothes and pouted: “George, you must have often come to the Candy House to buy and eat candy behind our backs.”

Seeing Craig’s puffy cheeks, George couldn’t help but tease him. He put on a serious face and said loudly: “What I do has nothing to do with you. I am spending my own money. And you are you, don’t drag Hiren into this. Even if you want to form an alliance, you have to wait for the other party to agree first. Don’t make decisions on your own.”

Saying this, George turned his gaze to Hiren standing behind. That guy had come here today purely to eat for free, so how could he risk offending George, the money bag, by having nothing to eat? He immediately shook his head to show that he had nothing to do with Craig in this matter, clearly drawing a line between them.

Craig turned and saw Hiren’s reaction, knowing he was fighting alone. With his attempt to act cute failing and having no one to help, Craig could only give up the idea of squeezing more benefits from George.

“Alright! Sugar Cubes are not for you guys. Generally, I treat them as a welcome gift.” George patted Craig’s head and explained. “Remember the drink we had this morning at the Temple of the Lord of Justice? If you add a Sugar Cube to it, the taste will be much better.”

“So what are you going to buy for me today? And don’t try to send me away with just one candy like that little kid just now.” Although the attempt to add extra conditions had clearly failed, Craig still took advantage of his age and the fact that he was spoiled to negotiate.

George held up his hands in surrender: “Yes, yes! You little brat, I won’t let you lose out. This time I will let you eat your fill.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, George waved to Hiren: “Hiren, what kind of candy do you want?”

Seeming surprised that George would ask him such a question, Hiren was almost startled. Then he said shyly in a low voice: “I just thought I would try a couple of pieces when you bought them. If I liked them, I would come back myself after I got paid.”

“So Craig, what flavor do you want?” George looked down at the little cute creature in front of him.

“The one that was icy cold last time,” Craig immediately answered.

Knowing the answer, George turned to the girl and said: “First, give me a dozen mint candies, Tanasia.”

“Okay, please wait a moment.” Tanasia turned and took a glass bottle filled with white sugar pills from the third row of the shelf. She used a large metal spoon to scoop out the candies and poured them onto an iron plate lined with paper beforehand. These three actions made twelve candies fall into the plate with a tinkling sound. Turning around, she placed the plate on the counter and then asked: “So, is there anything else you need?”

‘Anything else? This is really the behavior of a qualified salesperson! She actually uses the relationship between customers to increase her sales while making it look like an offhand remark, making people feel not so annoyed. At this time last year, she clearly didn’t know how to use this method. So, should I say a girl changes eighteen times as she grows? Or did I just not notice before?’ George suddenly felt like he had been schemed by this somewhat familiar little girl.

He looked back at Craig, who was still staring with starry eyes like a little pet and acting cute by his side. He sighed softly, turned around, picked up a candy, and handed it to Craig. Then he picked up another one and tossed it to Hiren, who was not far away. Seeing the two guys put the candies in their mouths and show those smiling faces with their brows completely relaxed, George felt that at least for now, these two guys were truly hopeless.

“So, do you have any new varieties here?” George asked casually to distract Hiren and Craig. You should know this was not the era of abundant supplies. For candy making, all the required raw materials were rare. Except for some fruit candies made when fresh fruits were in season, the rest were mostly old products that had been passed down for many years and still sold well. It was like a wholesale store of a secondary food company in Tianchao before the Reform and Opening-up. Although they sold the same few items day after day for decades, in that era of scarce resources, it was still a good place for ordinary people to go during holidays. Once the news of no new goods came, he could use it as an excuse to take these two guys away. George did not want to spend too much money on snacks that carried the meaning of luxury.

Tanasia’s eyes lit up, as if she had waited for this long-awaited opportunity: “As for new varieties! The ginger candies we just launched a while ago have been selling very well.”

This time, George could say he had dug a hole for himself. ‘I didn’t expect there to actually be any. I just asked casually to get rid of those two guys’ desire.’

“Ginger candy! Are you talking about candies with ginger added?” George asked in disbelief. Because before crossing over, in the South, ginger candy was a traditional sweet. In the county town where George lived, it was a very popular candy, suitable for both the young and the old, and it also had certain medicinal value. However, some people could not stand its slightly spicy taste.

“That’s right. This summer, the imported goods store in the Commercial District brought in a batch of ginger candies. It is said to be a specialty of the Langshao Empire in the East. Later, our shop also tried to make some. Although the taste was not as good as the original ones, they sold very well! Especially popular with young masters like you.” Tanasia emphasized her voice on the last sentence.

“Alright, give me six more ginger candies. And by the way, give me a pack of Sugar Cubes as usual.” Saying this, George turned around and glared at the two guys sucking on their candies, reminding them not to go too far. Fortunately, the two knew the principle of knowing when to stop and nodded repeatedly to show they had enough.

Tanasia smiled and quoted the price: “Ten Gold Coins and three Silver Coins in total. Thank you for your patronage!”

George complained: “This new product is really expensive.”

“It can’t be helped! Ginger is very expensive,” Tanasia explained, tilting her head.