As September drew to a close, temperatures in Huaishan County began to drop noticeably. However, the sun still shone brightly every day, so the daytime temperatures remained quite warm, even somewhat hot at midday. Only when an autumn breeze occasionally blew in the morning and evening did people realize that it was late autumn and they needed to add layers of clothing.
A few days ago, when Cheng Ruyi was climbing mountains on the Double Ninth Festival, she suddenly remembered a type of food that was at its fattest and most delicious right now. She wondered if it was available here.
So after thinking about it for a few days, I took the opportunity to go to the West Market to buy fish today and inquire about it.
The West Market Wharf is divided into several areas, including those for cargo and passenger transport, as well as public and private wharves.
Cheng Ruyi walked around but couldn't find what she was looking for. Just as she was about to give up and ask Manager Huang of Zhiwei Restaurant, she finally spotted her target.
It was in a small corner of the public dock, right in a blind spot, almost impossible to spot. Presumably that's why the fishing boats moored there were small and old. What Ruyi was looking for was on the bow of the oldest of the fishing boats: two inconspicuous crabs submerged in fish and shrimp.
Ruyi concealed her excitement, casually walked over, and pointed to a crucian carp, asking, "How much is this fish?"
The boat owner was a woman who looked to be about the same age as Ruyi. She was dark-skinned and very thin, but looked quite clean. The woman thought there wouldn't be much business today, but she didn't expect that someone would actually come to buy fish. She immediately replied happily, "Madam, the crucian carp were just caught this morning. They are very fresh. Ten... uh, nine coins! Nine coins a pound."
"Oh, and what about these shrimp? How much are they?"
"The shrimp are very fresh today. How about I give you a discount if we buy them together? How much do you want, Madam?"
"Then I'll take a crucian carp and two pounds of shrimp. How much will it cost?"
When the boat owner heard that Ruyi had actually bought the fish, he happily weighed the fish while asking his daughter, who was standing next to him, to help pack the shrimp. The little girl was only about seven or eight years old, looked very thin, and didn't look well, but she was very well-behaved and obedient, and her movements were very nimble.
While the woman was busy, Ruyi squatted down to pick up the crab for a closer look. The clever little girl immediately tugged at her mother's clothes to signal her. Upon seeing this, the woman exclaimed, "Madam, be careful! This hairy crab can prick you!"
After seeing Ruyi stop, the woman carefully tied the crab with water plants before handing it over. "These hairy crabs have thick and hard shells, and it's easy to hurt your hands when you catch them. They're not easy to catch normally, and since they have little meat, few people eat them. I just happened to catch two today. If you like them, madam, I'll give you a discount."
Finally, I've found some useful information! But it turns out the people here also eat crabs. Looks like she won't be the first to try it. I wonder if she knows what ways to cook crabs are currently available, and if she can still make a profit.
"Boatman, you said these hairy crabs are hard to catch, why is that?"
"I don't know about that. Maybe it's because the hairy crabs are hiding too deep? I heard there are many reefs at the bottom of the Jinshui River. I wonder if that's related..." The woman said, feeling a little ashamed. Fearing that Cheng Ruyi would misunderstand, she quickly explained, "Actually, I'm not a boatman. My husband is usually in charge of fishing. But recently he got injured, so I brought my daughter to take over his job."
Cheng Ruyi got the information she wanted and realized that the woman couldn't give her any more, so she immediately paid the money and continued to stroll around the dock, inquiring about information as she went.
While strolling around the dock with crabs in hand, Ruyi overheard many people discussing them. With her senses being more acute than those of ordinary people, it wasn't difficult for her to extract useful information from their conversations.
It is said that a few years ago, when there was a food shortage during a border war, the soldiers were so hungry that, fortunately, the battlefield was not far from the river, so they ate whatever they could catch, including these crabs. After the first person ate one and did not die, everyone knew that this kind of thing was edible!
However, these crabs are troublesome to eat and don't have much meat, so everyone dislikes them.
So although she wasn't the first to try something new, it wasn't too late; her money-making methods might still work!
That evening, Ruyi steamed the two crabs and ate them. Of course, two crabs were not enough for the family to share, so everyone came to the same conclusion: they were delicious, but there was too little meat, so it wasn't worth it!
Cheng Ruyi knew it wasn't the right time to make everyone understand the value of crabs, and she wasn't in a hurry.
But after she had been browsing the West Market for several days, she finally understood that what the boatman meant by "difficult to catch" was "extremely difficult to catch." In the past few days, the total number of crabs sold in the entire West Market was no more than ten.
Seeing that it's the time when crabs are at their fattest and have the most roe, Ruyi really doesn't want to miss this rare opportunity to make a fortune.
"Ding-dong! You have successfully checked in for September and are entitled to a monthly gift pack. Would you like to claim your gift pack?"
Perhaps the system heard her strong inner cry, and this monthly sign-in gift pack came just in time.
"【Water-Repelling Bead】, Tier 1 Low Grade, from the inner lining of a Tier 1 sea beast in the Boundless Sea. The wearer can avoid water for a quarter of an hour, breathe freely, and remain completely unaffected by water."
A new place name has appeared: "Wuwang Sea". I don't know why this name sounds cold and desperate. And what's the difference between the sea beasts and the spirit beasts?
A Tier 1 sea beast must mean the lowest level, right? So the water-repelling pearl inside the inner bladder can only last for fifteen minutes. Perhaps the higher the level of the sea beast, the better the quality of the water-repelling pearl inside. I don't know how long it can last at most. Of course, for her now, fifteen minutes is enough. This is simply a divine artifact for home, travel, murder and escape!
Cheng Ruyi picked up the water-repelling pearl in her hand and examined it carefully. On the surface, it looked no different from an ordinary natural pearl, but when placed in the dark, it would emit bursts of fluorescence. Although it could not provide illumination, it had a mysterious feel to it, similar to what is now called an "ambient light"!
To be honest, using a water-repelling pearl from the cultivation world to catch crabs in the mortal realm is a huge waste of its potential, but since it has now fallen into the hands of an ordinary mortal, we can only make do with it for now.
Without delay, the next day Cheng Ruyi went to the dock wearing the water-repelling bead, found the mother and daughter in the same spot, and asked to charter a boat to catch crabs.
Ruyi chose the mother and daughter for two reasons. First, since they were both women, it would be convenient and safe to be on the same boat without being gossiped about. Second, the woman, despite being inexperienced, still went out fishing every day after her husband was injured, supporting her family on her own. Ruyi didn't mind helping someone like that.
Although the woman didn't quite understand, Ruyi gave them 500 coins and chartered their boat for three days, which stunned the mother and daughter. 500 coins! In the past, it would have taken them at least ten days to earn that much.
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