The old woman who had just bought the snails threw them on the ground. "What filthy stuff is this? One bite and it's full of sand. The snails are full of fishy smell. And they call it 'flavored snails'? And they dare to ask for ten for one coin? Do they have no idea what they're talking about?"
"This, this is the flavored snail!" The stall owner's smug expression vanished, replaced by a bewildered look. "Old man, are you feeling unwell and that's why you threw up? These snails were stir-fried by my family this morning, they're all fresh..."
"Old lady?!" The old woman glared fiercely. "How dare you call me an old lady?"
A pair of hands, as withered as tree bark, poked the stall owner's nose. "Where am I old? You're the old one! Your whole family is old, not only old, but disgusting. You only sell these disgusting snails. Hurry up and pay up! Otherwise, I'll flip your lousy stall over!"
Hearing the old woman's cursing, the five or six people who had bought snails earlier were momentarily stunned.
These are both flavored snails, so what's the difference?
They had only paid for the food and hadn't received their snails yet, so they instinctively crowded around the large bowl of snails the vendor was serving.
A fishy, foul smell instantly filled my nostrils.
"vomit--"
If we hadn't dodged quickly, we probably would have all been vomited into the snail basin.
"What are these things? Why are these snails so disgusting?"
“This snail is covered with a large patch of moss; you didn’t wash it at all.”
"Are you treating us like chickens and ducks? This is outrageous! Give us our money back! Give us our money back!"
The lively atmosphere was instantly replaced by shouts and curses, and the smug expressions of the vendors were more colorful than a palette.
Meanwhile, the usually quiet Su family snail stall welcomed its first customer of the day.
"Little girl, quickly give me ten copper coins' worth of snails, and remember to give me a spoonful of soup."
The one who spoke was none other than the woman who had tried to negotiate the price of snails yesterday but ended up getting a spoonful of soup for free. She was very well prepared today, even bringing her large ceramic bowl from home.
She smiled and handed the bowl to Su Hua, "Little girl, your snails are really delicious. My son wanted more after eating them, and even in his sleep he kept mumbling about wanting snails. And the soup, it's even more fragrant than meat when you put it in vegetable soup..."
"Alright!" Su Hua smiled as she took the large ceramic bowl, filled it with snails, and after adding a spoonful of soup, raised her voice a few decibels, "Our first customer at the snail stall today gets five snails!"
"That's wonderful! Thank you so much, young lady!" The woman, carrying a large bowl full of food, hurried home.
After all, there are two little ones at home waiting to be fed.
Holding the ten warm copper coins, Su Sanhu felt a mix of emotions.
Thinking back, he and his brothers used to go to the docks to carry bags. They worked themselves to the bone all day without even a sip of water, and they only earned about ten copper coins.
Now, it's just a blink of an eye.
And just like that, the ten copper coins arrived!
Upon seeing the bowl of bright red snails in the woman's bowl, the people who had been gathered around the opposite corner rushed over.
"Little girl, give me a three-copper-coin serving of snails!"
"Me too, I want three copper coins too! Pick out a few fat ones for me."
"I like soup, add some soup to it for me..."
After what the vendors at the opposite corner stalls had done, everyone understood why things were so expensive. Rather than eating uncleaned, smelly snails like chickens and ducks, they'd rather spend a little more money to buy something they really liked.
Su Sanhu was packing snails, and Su Hua was collecting money; the two of them were so busy they barely had time to breathe.
After the crowd dispersed, a large bowl of flavorful snails was already more than half empty.
"Hua'er, why do those snails at that stall smell so fishy and stinky?" Su Sanhu rolled up his sleeves to wipe his sweat, glanced at the stall owner across the street who was already packing up and leaving, and immediately lowered his voice a few decibels, "Could it be because of those few lousy medicinal herbs?"
"Yes, but not entirely." Su Hua smiled. "We only set up our stall at the town entrance yesterday afternoon, and they're already making this kind of snail dish to sell today. It's clear they haven't properly cleaned the mud and sand out of their snails. One bite, and half your mouth is full of sand, and—"
After saying that, the girl slightly raised her chin and pointed to the dozen or so stone snails scattered across the opposite side.
"Look, there's not a drop of oil on these snails. They just stir-fried a few chili pepper pieces in them. Even if you stir-fried fish with them, it wouldn't be good, let alone this flavorful snail. How can you make money if you're unwilling to invest in the production costs?"
"No wonder." Su Sanhu nodded in understanding.
Then she heard her younger sister chuckle, "And that bowl of snails he had, not even their butts were cleaned off. If someone buys them and slurps them up, wouldn't they be slurping up shit? Only a genius could eat them and not vomit!"
Actually, in some regions today, people still eat snails with the tails intact.
After all, cleaning the snail shell is a huge undertaking, and knocking off the tail is even more time-consuming and laborious.
In a fast-paced era where everyone is focused on making money, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find safe and clean food.
Of course, some people prefer to keep the tail end, just for the feeling of biting into it, and some people even prefer to eat snails without removing the tail end.
"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Su Sanhu couldn't help but think of some things he shouldn't have, and then he burst out laughing, "Ten turds for one coin, this stall owner is really something else!"
"What are you laughing at?" The stall owner picked up his load, glanced at the expressions of the Su siblings, and spat out a curse. "Don't be so smug for too long. It's just a flavored snail dish. Give me two more days, and I'll definitely learn how to make it!"
"Then the old man can learn at his own pace," Su Hua waved her hand dismissively.
As long as the Zhou family pharmacy doesn't reveal which medicinal herbs are involved, no one else can figure it out no matter how hard they try.
It is important to know that in Chinese history, bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise were used as condiments only a thousand years later, and it was only by a very accidental circumstance that they went from being medicinal herbs to becoming condiments.
If he could actually come up with it, she would have to acknowledge his ability.
"Old man?" the stall owner murmured softly, his heart already bursting with barely suppressed rage.
Then he touched his face again. Could it be that he really looks that old?
"Brother Sanhu, Sister Hua'er..."
A gentle, soothing voice rang out in front of the Su siblings' snail stall.
Su Hua looked up and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old standing five steps away.
She wore a coarse cloth dress, the fabric faded from washing and its original color was no longer visible. It had two or three patches on it, which made her look even more slender. Above that, on her small face, no bigger than a palm, were a pair of watery eyes that seemed to be able to speak.
"Third Brother, who is this?" Su Hua searched her memory but couldn't recall him.
Turning his head, he saw that his third brother's face was flushed red.
It's even more outrageous than a wild boar's butt.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
