Li Si took the ice jelly that Pei Yao handed him, tried a bite, and immediately lowered his head in silence.
Everyone stared intently at him, waiting for his answer.
After a long while, Li Si raised his head again, his eyes fixed intently on the remaining ice jelly in Pei Yao's bucket.
"Little girl, give me two bowls!" Li Si said excitedly, holding up two fingers.
"No, I want five bowls. Two bowls aren't enough for my master."
"Brother, this ice jelly is priced differently from the snails. It has brown sugar in it, so it's ten coins a bowl..." Pei Yao told her the price beforehand, afraid that if she packed it for him and then heard the price, he wouldn't want it, which would be a waste.
Li Si nodded quickly: "Okay, money is not a problem, as long as my master is happy. Mix it up and pack it for me first."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yao busied herself preparing ice jelly for him.
Among the others gathered around were customers who had previously bought spicy snails from Pei Yao. After Li Si tried the ice jelly, everyone was waiting for his review.
After all, nobody wants to be the first to try something they've never eaten before.
But this old fellow, instead of commenting on whether it was good or not, immediately ordered five more bowls.
Now, without Li Si even needing to say anything, it's self-evident whether it's delicious or not.
That's not good. Li Si can buy five bowls for Master Zhao at once. Everyone in town knows that Li Si is the most sycophant of his master. Whenever there is something delicious, he would immediately offer it to Master Zhao.
These past few days, because of the arrival of a large caravan at the dock, many small vendors have gathered there, making it very lively.
So people from the surrounding area came to join in the fun, and with so many people, there were bound to be some with a little money in their pockets.
Seeing that Li Si remained silent for a long time after trying it, someone couldn't sit still any longer: "Li Si, you don't even say whether it's good or not. It's more reliable for me to try it myself than to wait for you to tell me."
After saying that, the man stepped forward and asked Chen Fang for a little to try: "Madam, let me try some too."
Chen Fang immediately prepared some for him to try.
After receiving the ice jelly, the man examined it carefully, as it was the first time he had ever seen something called ice jelly.
The ice jelly was crystal clear, the fruit pulp was very elastic, and the little bit of fermented rice on top was emitting a rich lychee fragrance.
He swallowed hard, then put it in his mouth.
The aroma of lychee and the sweetness of brown sugar instantly enveloped his taste buds. The ice jelly had a cool and bouncy texture that melted in his mouth, and the addition of mint made it even more refreshing.
The man's eyes widened at the delicious taste, and he immediately ordered a bowl just like Li Si.
After the two people's exaggerated performance, the others in the crowd couldn't hold back any longer and rushed forward to try the food.
While packing up Li Si's order, Pei Yao went to a nearby bamboo stall and bought several large bowls made of bamboo roots to hold the ice jelly.
Unlike snails, which can be packaged directly in banana leaves, ice jelly can only be served in bowls made from bamboo roots.
Fortunately, the items at this bamboo product stall were not expensive. Since Pei Yao was from the stall next door, the large bamboo root bowl only cost Pei Yao ten coins.
In this era, labor was very cheap for ordinary people. Bamboo was plentiful on the mountains, and it was quite good if a bamboo bowl made from it could sell for ten coins.
The owner of the bamboo products shop was a thin, withered old man, so Pei Yao didn't haggle over the price.
However, this money naturally couldn't be attributed to Pei Yao, so she asked Li Si before buying it if he could accept it.
Li Si was only thinking about pleasing his master, so he didn't care about the ten coins and readily agreed to pay an extra ten coins.
The others, not being as wealthy as Li Si, all opted to drink a bowl of ice jelly right there after trying it.
Occasionally, some people take their food to go, but most of them bring their own bowls or basins from home to fill with the food. Some people who are not short of money simply ask for the same bamboo root bowl as Li Si and take it to go.
......
"Why is there such a crowd there? What are they selling?"
On the merchant ship, a handsome young man dressed in dark, elegant clothes stood with his hands behind his back on the deck, his face grim, his deep eyes fixed on the Pei family's stall not far away.
The girl was dressed in coarse linen clothes, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her small face was beaming with a bright smile. Even though she was surrounded by a large group of people, she did not show any fear. Instead, she calmly went about her work.
The smile on her face never stopped from the very beginning, just like a bright and sunny little sun.
I'm happy all the time.
Gu Renhan's eyes were deep and unfathomable, a hint of doubt rising in his heart: Was it her?
But the smile on the girl's face didn't seem like her at all...
Upon hearing this, the servant next to the young man followed his gaze and respectfully bowed, replying, "Young master, I'll go and inquire."
"Okay, remember to keep a low profile, don't let the young master's men find out." Gu Renhan turned to look at A Yuan, who was just about to get off the boat, and gave him a word of advice.
"Yes, young master."
After all, their current identities are rather special, so they need to keep a low profile, otherwise they might cause trouble.
After A Yuan left, Gu Renhan turned his gaze back to the direction of the girl in front of the stall.
He only quietly looked away when someone walked towards him from behind.
"Xiao Han, what are you looking at?" Gu Mingqian looked at the young boy in front of him, a rare faint smile appearing on his gloomy face.
Gu Renhan lowered his head, having completely concealed his emotions. When he looked up again, his face had adopted an innocent and harmless expression.
"I didn't see anything, brother. Is your cold any better?" Gu Renhan looked at Gu Mingqian with a worried expression.
Gu Mingqian nodded, his face expressionless. "I'm feeling better. But I heard from Butler Li that you were out on deck in the wind. It's windy by the sea, and I was worried you'd catch a cold, so I came to check on you. It's better if you go back to your cabin soon..."
Gu Renhan glanced at Butler Li beside him, his eyes darkening.
"Yes, brother, you should also go back early and avoid catching a cold." After saying that, Gu Renhan turned around and went back to the cabin without looking back.
Leaving Gu Mingqian on the deck, he watched his second brother enter the cabin and disappear on the deck before turning back to look with a deep gaze in the direction where Gu Renhan had just last looked away.
Looking at the silent butler Li, he said, "Uncle Li, Xiao Han was at that girl's stall the whole time, wasn't he...?"
Pei Yao was busy at the moment. Although the price of the ice jelly was not low, almost all the customers who had tried it ordered one or several to take home.
The two buckets of ice jelly were quickly emptied.
Lin Shaoqing and Da Shao finally arrived at the stall just as the last few portions were sold out.
"Miss Pei... what are you selling? My young master will take the rest." Da Shao rushed up, still breathless as he spoke.
Although he didn't know what it was, his young master had just instructed him to buy it regardless of what it was...
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