Afterwards, Jay and Ameno then went to the market, where they immediately found a space the village had rented for them.
Although there was the option of renting a shop on the commercial street, Jay felt that the market was still the most appropriate place for him to trade.
After all, the market was where people of all levels of society would come to shop and transact.
And only in a traditional market would he be able to see the true capabilities of the people living in Sunagakure Village.
"This stall seems bigger than when we rented a stall in Harco," Jay commented as they looked at the stalls provided.
"Yes, it's bigger, but somehow I feel like there are fewer people in this market," Ameno replied again.
"It's not your feeling, dear, but there are indeed fewer people coming to the market," Jay added.
With hundreds of stalls in the market, only dozens were occupied by various types of vendors.
On the other hand, when they were there, only hundreds of people filled the area.
This number was far from Jay's expectations. With an estimated population of tens of thousands, there would be at least thousands of people going shopping every day to meet their needs.
But now, after spending some time there and observing the situation at the market, Jay and Ameno realized that the number of visitors was less than ideal.
Furthermore, upon seeing the goods being sold, Jay noticed that the goods on display at the market were not fresh, and that many of them were preserved.
Seeing this, Jay realized the seriousness of the situation.
"I think we need to open a stall soon and help the many people in need," Jay said to Ameno.
"Yes, dear, the sooner the better. Even if we don't have much to sell, it will definitely help the villagers," Ameno replied, agreeing with Jay's idea.
So they immediately returned to Ameno's house and prepared everything they wanted to sell.
######
Finally, after quick preparations, they quickly set up a stall in the Sunagakure village market. Their sudden appearance initially didn't attract any attention from the other market vendors.
However, when they saw the goods the young couple had brought out, the vendors were surprised.
On the other hand, Jay and Ameno were seen arranging their merchandise, which consisted of salt, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.
Jay and Ameno chose these three items because they had sold similar goods in Hacho Village, to avoid unnecessary investigations.
Of course, they were still selling the same items, but the addition of sweet potatoes was an idea they came up with to attract more attention.
After all, food was one of the main issues facing the entire Sunagakure village.
Although it wasn't their staple food, Jay was confident that as long as it was tasty and filling, it would sell. Their target market wasn't the upper class of Sunagakure Village, but the lower class of the village who were most affected by the difficult situation in the village.
"How much are these sweet potatoes?" A middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance asked Jay and Ameno.
"Your aunt only sells in packages, and this package contains 5 kg of sweet potatoes, and the price is around 10 ryo.
And there's a limit of one person per package of sweet potatoes," Ameno said, patiently explaining and answering the middle-aged woman's questions.
"Oh…that's cheap…but why only a little?" the aunt said, surprised, but then complained slightly.
"Sorry, Auntie, we're doing this to celebrate our return to the village, so I'm sorry if you can only buy a limited number of sweet potatoes. On the other hand, if you'd like, you can try buying salt and watermelon. The price and quality are guaranteed," Ameno explained again and then told the aunt about her other merchandise.
"Oh…okay, I'll take a look," the aunt said, satisfied with Ameno's explanation.
Perhaps due to Ameno and Jay's hospitality, several customers came back long after the aunt left, asking about the prices.
After a while, a group of women and children swarmed their stall.
And before long, their goods were sold out, and Jay and Ameno were delighted to hear this.
"Haaa... finally, everything's sold out," Ameno said with a relieved and happy expression.
"Yes, we've sold a lot of goods. Although the profit is small, it's worth it," Jay chimed in. Just as the two of them were starting to pack up their wares, several skinny 7- and 8-year-old children approached their stall.
"Are they here?!"
"Yes, I wanted to see the aunties buy them here!!"
"But it looks like they're sold out!!"
"Ahhh…are we too late!!!" The voices of a group of children could be heard from in front of the stall.
"Hey, kids, what are you doing?" Ameno asked kindly.
"Ummmm…that…big brother…are there any sweet potatoes left?" asked a skinny little girl in shabby clothes.
Beside her were two other little girls and two little boys who seemed to be accompanying her, but all of them looked thin and shabby.
"Ahh…do you want to buy sweet potatoes?" Ameno asked them.
"Yes, big brother, we want to buy some, but are there any left?" The little girl asked again.
"Still some, how many do you want?" Ameno asked again with a gentle smile.
"Great…still some…the dean will be happy with this," several children replied happily.
"Yes, finally we can eat better," another commented.
Overhearing their conversation, Jay seemed to realize that this group of children had an unusual background.
"Hey…may I ask where you live?" Jay then asked them in a gentle tone, like Ameno, asking them.
"We...we...are from the orphanage behind the village, sis," the little girl replied, embarrassed but still trying to remain brave.
The other children, hearing the question, seemed embarrassed and sad, lowering their heads.
"Ughhhh...they remind me of Nining," after hearing their answer and knowing where they came from.
Jay then looked a little regretful, but his expression quickly transformed into a wide smile.
"I think I know where the orphanage is," Ameno then said to Jay.
"Then let's go there and take these children along. I want to visit the orphanage," Jay decided.
"Okay, then let's talk to them," Ameno agreed with Jay's suggestion.
"Sweet little ones, can you accompany me to visit your orphanage?" Ameno asked kindly.
"Yes, but...what about the sweet potatoes I sell?" The girl asked, as if worried they wouldn't get the sweet potatoes they wanted.
"Don't worry, I and my husband will deliver the sweet potatoes directly to your orphanage, and you can come home with us. How about that?" Ameno asked again.
"Yes, sis," the girl replied immediately.
"Then wait a moment, I'll clean up my wares first," Ameno replied with a gentle smile.
"Sis, let us help you," the girl then offered her assistance.
"Yes, sis, I want to help too," another said.
"Yes... Yes... let us help too," another voice said, wanting to help.
Seeing all this, Jay smiled and joined them.