Gan Qishan's oxcart slowly drove into the town and went straight to the dock.
The open space at the dock was already filled with all kinds of stalls, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares rose and fell.
"It's really lively." Gan Mingli peeked out and then looked disappointed: "It's a pity we're too late, all the good spots have been taken."
Gan Mingyi was also getting anxious: "What should we do?"
Ganli, however, was not in a hurry. She had long known that business at the docks was good and it was hard to get a good spot. Even if she arrived early, she might not be able to get one, so she simply decided to leave it at that.
Besides, she's selling popsicles, so she doesn't need to compete with other food stalls for a spot, since she's the only one selling this here!
Seeing her two older brothers' anxiety, she comforted them, "It's okay, we can just find an open space nearby."
She looked around and pointed to a big tree not far away: "Brother Qishan, park the car there!"
The area is open and unobstructed, but there are trees overhead that provide some shade, making it a nice place.
The only drawback is that it's a bit far from the bustling area of the pier, but there's no better location.
Gan Qishan parked the oxcart under the big tree that Gan Li pointed out, and then everyone hurriedly unloaded the things they had brought.
Since they didn't know how long they would have to sell today, they had agreed beforehand that Gan Qishan would drop them off here and then go back first. They would then figure out how to return to the village once they had sold out.
After unloading the goods from the cart, Gan Qishan drove off in the oxcart.
The two Gan brothers came to town today not only to help their sister set up her stall, but also to ask if the docks were still hiring.
Now that all the money in the house is gone, if we don't work, let alone pay off the debts, the whole family will starve!
Seeing that there were hardly any people around, they figured they could make it back quickly, so they told Ganli and headed towards the dock.
Ganli and Gantian set up all the things they brought, essentially creating a simple stall.
While Gan Tian was still worried about whether the popsicles inside had frozen, Gan Li simply opened one of the wooden basins, and a blast of cool air immediately rushed out, instantly invigorating her.
She picked up a bamboo tube, gently pulled it open, and a crystal-clear popsicle appeared before her eyes. Unlike the hastily made popsicle from that day, today's popsicle, because it was made from a bamboo tube, was a perfect cylinder when she took it out, with red beans evenly distributed inside, making it look extremely tempting.
It also has a bamboo skewer stuck in it for easy handling, and at first glance, it looks no different from a modern popsicle.
Seeing the pretty popsicle emanating a faint chill, Gan Tian exclaimed in delight, "Mommy, it's really frozen!"
"Of course! When have I ever lied to you?" Gan Li stood with her hands on her hips, her bright smile bordering on arrogance. She looked at the people coming and going in the distance, full of confidence: "Just wait, we'll be opening soon!"
Upon hearing this, Gan Tian indeed moved a small stool and sat under the shade of a tree, waiting for the guests to arrive.
But after a short while, she became restless, staring longingly at the crowds coming and going, but no one even glanced in their direction.
“Mother…” Gan Tian turned to look at Gan Li, hesitating to speak, “This place seems too remote, there’s practically no one here. What should we do?”
Gan Li was also somewhat surprised, but she quickly came up with an idea. She leaned close to Gan Tian's ear and whispered a few words.
Gan Tian's eyes lit up upon hearing this; she had never done anything like this before! But remembering her and her mother's grand scheme to earn money, she finally took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Ice pops for sale! Three coins each, cool and refreshing ice pops!"
A sweet and clear cry rang out from the crowd, attracting many people to look over. Soon, a group of people gathered around to watch.
"Little girl, what's that popsicle you're talking about?" a tourist asked curiously.
"Look, sir!"
Seeing someone ask, Gan Tian quickly picked up a popsicle and handed it over, enthusiastically introducing it as, "This is made from mung bean soup and red bean soup. It's so sweet! In this hot weather, eating one will definitely cool you down from head to toe!"
"Frozen? This is ice?" The onlookers were extremely surprised.
Ganli nodded and said, "That's right! It's ice!"
The tourist who had just taken the popsicle looked at it suspiciously for a moment, then hesitated and asked, "This...is this something I can eat? Won't it make me sick?"
Ice is more valuable than gold in summer, yet this huge popsicle only costs three coins? This tourist, who has seen the world, couldn't help but think twice upon hearing the price.
Seeing this, Ganli picked up another popsicle, took a bite, and said:
"Don't worry, these popsicles are made by boiling red and green beans in clean well water. They contain nothing but beans and sugar, nothing else at all. They're very clean. Look, I'm eating them myself, aren't I?"
"That's right! But we still need to be careful. If you eat too much cold food and get an upset stomach, then it's not our fault!" Gan Tian chimed in at the right moment.
A few soft laughs erupted from the crowd. The tourist, seeing that Ganli had said so and that he had even eaten one in front of him, lowered his guard.
He had been on the boat for half a day, and it was so hot and humid that he could no longer resist the temptation of the cool popsicle in his hand. He quickly took out three coins from his pocket and gave them to Ganli, then immediately took a bite of the popsicle.
A cool, sweet taste immediately spread in his mouth, and he exclaimed in delight:
"It's so cold! This tastes really good, sweet and cool. One bite and I feel so much better."
"Isn't it ice? Guaranteed to be genuine! And it's only three coins a stick, super cheap!" Gan Li seized the opportunity to promote it.
The people around had been craving it for ages, but ice was expensive these days, and in their rural area, ice was never available in the summer.
But now, not only are they available, but such a huge popsicle is only three coins? That's way too cheap!
They were eager to buy, but also hesitant—it was too cheap!
However, seeing that the shopkeeper himself had eaten it, and that other customers had bought it and said it was delicious, some people couldn't resist anymore.
"Give me one!"
Seeing that someone was taking the lead, the people around him no longer hesitated and took out their money to buy one: "Give me one! I want one too!"
"I want one of those mung beans too!"
"I want the red bean one, and I'll give one to my daughter too!"
People in the distance were drawn to the lively scene, and a steady stream of onlookers gathered. When they saw that there were popsicles for sale, and at such a low price, they couldn't resist and took out their money to buy them.
In no time, the once quiet stall was packed with people. Ganli and Gantian were extremely busy, collecting money and handing out popsicles, their faces beaming with smiles.
After inquiring about the situation at the dock, the brothers Gan Mingli and Gan Mingyi walked back together. They originally thought that the place they had chosen was very remote and that there might not be many people around at this time. However, to their surprise, they saw that the area under the big tree was actually surrounded by people, and the small stalls had been completely hidden away!
"So many people!" Gan Mingyi exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the stalls that were completely surrounded.
Gan Mingli slapped his younger brother on the head: "Hurry up and go help!"
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