Niu Qingshan: "Yaomei, let's go to the dock now. You can just set up your food next to me later."
Pei Yao nodded, her smile brightening even more: "That's wonderful."
With Niu Qingshan, a big and strong young man, around, everyone can look out for each other.
Niu Qingshan looked at the girl's bright smile, which seemed particularly dazzling in the sunlight.
A smile unconsciously crept onto my lips.
When they arrived at the dock, it was already crowded with fishermen selling their catch.
All the good spots were taken, so Niu Qingshan, Pei Yao, and Chen Fang could only find a secluded corner.
That's how it is doing business at the docks. Stall locations are first-come, first-served. If you arrive early, you can get a good spot, while those who arrive late can only squeeze into a corner like Pei Yao and the others.
The dock in Meilin Town is quite large and crowded. There are usually quite a few people at the dock, but today, being market day, there are even more. Looking around, the street is bustling with people, making it very lively.
The three parked the oxcart next to the crooked tree behind them, and Niu Qingshan tied the ox rope to the tree trunk.
After tying them up, he patted the little yellow calf on the head: "Wait here obediently, after we sell the fish I'll take you to eat the freshest grass."
As if understanding Niu Qingshan's words, the little yellow calf swished its tail and mooed incessantly at him.
Pei Yao and Chen Fang together carried all the snails to the selected location and placed them in place.
Pei Yao instructed Chen Fang to keep an eye on things and give anyone who came over to ask to try one.
It was Chen Fang's first time doing business, and when she heard Pei Yao's words, she nodded seriously as if she had received a mission.
"Don't worry, Yao."
Looking at her determined face, her eyes were so firm that it seemed as if she was about to join the Party.
Pei Yao couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Looking at this upright and righteous-looking aunt, she smiled and said:
“Auntie, relax. If you keep tense like this, customers will think you're an official coming to arrest them. Who would dare to buy our snails then?”
Hearing her niece's teasing, Chen Fang couldn't help but laugh. She was already in her thirties, but when it came to doing business, she wasn't as generous and composed as a young girl.
I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
After their little joke, the atmosphere finally eased a bit; at least Chen Fang's expression softened.
Pei Yao set up the portable, simple barbecue grill on the ground, poured out a small amount of charcoal, and lit it inside the grill with kindling.
Then they took out the kudzu vine and started tearing it apart on the stall.
Pei Yao stepped on one end of the vine, grabbed the other end with both hands, and tore it hard. Instantly, several plump little white insects fell onto the banana leaves that Pei Yao had laid out earlier.
Chen Fang watched from the side, wanting to help, but Pei Yao told her to just keep an eye on the snails.
Chen Fang had no choice but to give up, and looking at Pei Yao's actions, she asked, "Yao girl, are we still going to sell this bug today?"
Pei Yao picked up a bamboo skewer, and quickly skewered several plump white kudzu worms into groups of three. She placed them on the barbecue grill with the fire lit, and let him slowly grill them.
The kudzu root worm isn't the main point; Pei Yao roasts it primarily to attract customers on this street with its aroma and unique characteristics.
People love to see new things and join in the fun. Once you attract one person, a bunch of people will come to join in the fun, and then one of those people might make a purchase.
There weren't many customers right now, so Pei Yao was demonstrating how to tear kudzu vines apart with her bare hands and catch insects while roasting the insects.
Niu Qingshan was stunned by the girl's completely different way of setting up her stall compared to the others.
This seemingly delicate girl was actually tearing apart a huge insect with her bare hands right there on the street...
Although he liked the taste of the insect, but...
It's really rare to see this, after all, even Zhang Daya, the big and burly daughter of the butcher in that town, would cover her eyes and scream and run away when she saw a bug.
Niu Qingshan shook his head and sighed: "She truly is a woman from the capital; her behavior and style are unlike those of ordinary women."
As expected, Pei Yao's method worked very well. One man was so shocked by Pei Yao's "fierce" behavior that he stood there watching for a while as Pei Yao tore, grabbed, and roasted the giant white worm with her bare hands.
Then another person came along, and seeing that the man was looking at it, he stopped and looked at it too.
It's true that Chinese people are ingrained in their bones; they go wherever there are crowds and excitement.
Regardless of the dynasty, region, or even a fictional one, the habit of loving to join in the fun will never change.
The corner, which was originally sparsely populated with only one or two people, suddenly became crowded with people.
Everyone gathered around Pei Yao's stall, chattering about what kind of insect Pei Yao was holding.
It looks like a wasp pupa, but it's a bit bigger.
Chen Fang had never experienced anything like this before, and she was at a loss looking at the crowded people. Even Niu Qingshan came over to help keep an eye on things, afraid that the group might accidentally get pushed and fall, and then hit Pei Yao.
"Little girl, is that a wasp pupa?" someone in the crowd asked.
Some even went so far as to say, "Young lady, you look just like the maggots in my latrine, could it be...?"
An older woman who knew him laughed and said, "Dayong, with your family eating coarse food every day, you couldn't possibly raise such fat maggots from your excrement!"
This remark immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Upon hearing this, Chen Fang was furious that they had compared her plump and clean kudzu worms to maggots in a latrine. Her face turned red with anger.
However, he quickly adjusted his mindset and adopted a calm and composed demeanor.
He's someone who's seen a lot in the world.
Now that even a young girl like Yao knows how to make money, she herself is an elder, so how can she be timid and afraid of losing face?
I silently cheered myself up.
Chen Fang calmly explained, "These aren't maggots, but a type of edible insect we raise ourselves. They're crispy and fragrant when cooked..."
Although Chen Fang was already in her thirties, she had once been a pampered young lady in the capital.
She's been eating well these past few days, and her appearance has improved somewhat. Standing in the crowd, she exudes a captivating charm, speaks eloquently, and her presence is in no way inferior to that of the men.
After saying that, he picked up some spicy snails from the side, put some in a banana leaf, and gave them to everyone to try.
"This is our exclusive spicy snail recipe. Everyone can try it for free. If you like it, you can buy it. If you don't like it, you don't have to pay."
Upon hearing that there was something free to eat, people flocked to it, thinking, "Only a fool wouldn't take advantage of a bargain." Even the cheapest snails attracted a large crowd.
"Boss lady, are you sure we can try it for free?"
Chen Fang: "Yes, brother, if it's not delicious, you don't have to pay."
Upon hearing that it was free, people immediately came over to try the spicy snails.
Soon, someone finished eating the meat, sucking on the snail shell, and asked with lingering satisfaction, "Boss lady, how much are these snails?"
Chen Fang: "Two coins a bowl."
Pei Yao was still squatting on the ground roasting kudzu worms, watching as her aunt was already getting into the swing of things.
She was quite impressed with her aunt; she hadn't expected her to adapt so quickly and start to thrive.
Pei Yao was also very happy and continued to grill the kudzu root worm skewers in her hand.
Soon everyone in the crowd finished eating the snails in their hands.
"This snail tastes so unique. I've never eaten it like this before, and it's surprisingly delicious."
"Yes, I thought it would be very fishy, but it didn't have any fishy smell at all, and it tasted very fresh."
"Boss lady, give me a bowl. I'll take it home to my wife. She's pregnant and hasn't had much of an appetite lately. This is just the right amount of sour and spicy to whet her appetite." A young man squeezed through the crowd and gave Chen Fang two coins.
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