Chapter 216
A few days later, a stall appeared outside Tianshan Town.
In the freezing winter, there are hardly any vendors in Tianshan Town. So once this stall was set up, residents gradually started to stand and watch from afar.
The stall was rather oddly shaped; it was a square tent, and you couldn't see what was inside. Outside, there was a long grill with a roaring charcoal fire, which looked very warm and inviting.
And being bold and nosy, relying on his kung fu skills, he forgot about being captured by Renle not long ago, and went up to ask them what they were selling.
"We sell barbecue!"
Fan Xiaoxiao smiled slightly at them, and that's what she always told others when they asked.
After lighting the charcoal fire, Uncle Wang brought out freshly slaughtered and marinated fish, along with some juicy vegetables.
Then they placed these items into the cabinet next to them one by one. After the cabinet was closed, everyone noticed that the cabinet door was actually made of a single piece of glass! After pulling it to one side, the food inside could be clearly seen.
This made even the two imperial guards glance at Fan Xiaoxiao's stall. They knew that glass was extremely rare and fragile, so usually only the wives of royalty and nobility would use such sparkly materials to make ornaments.
And this stall actually uses glass as the cabinet doors!?
And what was inside that cabinet wasn't some amazing jewelry, just some vegetables and meat!?
Wait a minute, vegetables!?
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the lush green vegetables. Snow fell early in Tianshan Town, and the fields were now completely bare; where would they get vegetables?
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't care about the stares of those around her. She took out a handful of pork belly, which she had bought from someone in Ginkgo Village.
That family was unique in the village for raising pigs. Other families kept their pigs near the outhouse, but this family thought that was dirty, so they built a separate pigsty.
Moreover, because he raised a lot of pigs, some of the boars had been emasculated. After hearing that he had emasculated pigs, Fan Xiaoxiao bought one without hesitation. Now that it's freezing cold, the pigs buried in the ice and snow won't spoil easily.
Moreover, pork naturally has a fishy smell, but as long as it is stir-fried, that unpleasant smell will dissipate a lot.
In addition, Fan Xiaoxiao seasoned the pork, which basically eliminated most of the fishy smell, leaving only a fragrant aroma.
The meat skewers were placed on the charcoal fire, sizzling as they heated up. Soon, the skewers turned from red to white, but that wasn't enough.
The intense heat of the charcoal grilling caused the fat to shrink further. The excess oil was forced out by the heat, dripping onto the charcoal with a sizzling sound, followed by a small plume of white smoke that released a rich aroma of meat and fruitwood.
"Gurgle."
The guard standing ramrod straight let out a rumble from his stomach. His face flushed, and he instinctively clutched his stomach, his eyes quickly scanning over Fan Xiaoxiao and the others.
Seeing that Fan Xiaoxiao seemed to be very focused on grilling the meat and hadn't noticed him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
What he didn't know was that Fan Xiaoxiao had actually heard his stomach growling, but she just kept quiet and pursed her lips.
"Madam, how much are these?"
The imperial guards didn't move, but the townspeople of Tianshan Town, not far behind them, were already irresistibly drawn in by the aroma. Wiping the drool from their mouths, they smiled and asked Fan Xiaoxiao about the price.
"This is five coins a skewer for meat, and three coins for vegetables. Oh, fish is twelve coins a skewer, and purple melons are eight coins each."
Fan Xiaoxiao's quoted prices were reasonable, but the vegetable prices were a bit inflated. However, it's winter after all, so a slightly higher price is inevitable.
The person asking the price was already irresistibly drawn by the aroma, and held up one finger to Fan Xiaoxiao: "Please give me a skewer of pork belly, my lady!"
"One skewer is just the beginning," Fan Xiaoxiao replied with a smile, sprinkled the seasoning on the meat skewers in her hand, and handed one over.
"One skewer of pork belly! Five coins! Thank you for your patronage, sir!"
After paying, the man couldn't wait to pick up the meat skewers and stuff them into his mouth.
The fragrant pork belly was grilled to perfection, with the fatty parts slightly curled up and the edges a golden brown and crispy.
The meat was then brushed with another layer of sauce, and a little coarse powder was sprinkled on top of the sauce. You could vaguely make out what looked like sesame seeds.
"Hey! Third brother, stop looking! Try it! What does it taste like?"
"What's the rush! I just want to smell it properly!"
The person who bought the meat skewers rolled their eyes, then slowly picked up the skewers and stuffed them into their mouths.
With just one bite, he was completely won over by the meat skewers. He instantly gave Fan Xiaoxiao a thumbs up, and without even finishing his sentence, he devoured the remaining pieces of meat in a few bites.
Seeing how ravenously he devoured the meat, everyone knew how delicious it was, and several people around him secretly swallowed hard.
"Give me one too!"
"Me too! I want one too!"
In no time, the meat skewers in Fan Xiaoxiao's hand were all gone.
"Gurgle..."
Seeing everyone around him eating with satisfied expressions, their mouths full of the delicious aroma of oil, the two imperial guards standing at the town entrance were also starving, their stomachs rumbling with hunger.
The tall imperial guard cleared his throat and sharply scanned the group of townspeople around him: "No noise at the town entrance! Be careful not to disturb the princess! All of you, get out of here right now."
Those who were just enjoying their barbecue skewers were all taken aback by his words, and the townspeople who were originally planning to buy two more skewers began to hesitate.
Fan Xiaoxiao seemed completely unconcerned by the Imperial Guards' words. Even though they were clearly interfering with her business, she smiled slightly at the townspeople and said, "Please do as the official says. If our small business causes you any difficulties, we'll feel bad. Don't worry, we'll be here every day. If you want to eat our food, just come find me here."
Since Fan Xiaoxiao had said so, everyone had no choice but to disperse dejectedly.
Once everyone had gone far away, the two imperial guards immediately surrounded them, pointing at the meat skewers Fan Xiaoxiao had grilled and saying, "Come on! Grill ten skewers for me! And this purple melon! Give me one too!"
They'd been craving the smell for ages. Now that those annoying townspeople were finally gone, they could finally buy some and try it.
Fan Xiaoxiao smiled at them and quickly took out some skewers from the cabinet.
"Sixty-two coins, gentlemen, please be kind to me, I'll just round it down!"
"Mmm-hmm-hmm."
Upon hearing the price, the tall man put his hands in his sleeves and nodded haphazardly.
Seeing him do that, the short man next to him also imitated his actions, shrinking his neck.
Fan Xiaoxiao knew from their actions that they were trying to freeload. She smiled and put the meat back.
The two men were taken aback by her action. The taller man quickly withdrew his hand, a look of displeasure on his face.
"Huh!? Why did you take it back?!"
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at him, but before she could speak, a voice came from behind the tall man.
"Don't block the way if you're not going to pay."
(End of this chapter)
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