Yuan Hua snatched back her lotus leaf fiercely, "If you can't afford it, then get out of here!"
The man, who had been passing by, was also angered by this and began to complain loudly to those around him.
Upon closer inspection, one of the dockworkers suddenly shouted, "Isn't this the young master who came a couple of days ago? He was always slacking off and complaining, and now he's trying to swindle our hard-earned money?"
Now that's bad; they simply surrounded the stall, making it impossible to do business there.
Yuan Hua was no match for this large group of burly men doing hard labor. After they finally dispersed, he still hadn't sold a single salad.
At this point, Yuan Hua was truly panicked.
"Salads on sale, only three coins a serving!" Right now, he just wants to recoup his costs, otherwise he'll probably have to drink cold water again tomorrow!
The feeling of stomach acid constantly refluxing, and the metallic taste in my throat from hunger, was unbearable.
However, the price dropped from three coins to one coin, and only then did they sell three or four portions – that's about the same price as buying vegetables at the market!
Just as Yuan Hua was in despair, a shadow as thick as an iron tower suddenly fell in front of her. Looking back, she saw Meng Chijian.
He was staring at his bamboo basket with a very displeased expression.
Meng Chijian certainly wouldn't fail to recognize his own bamboo baskets, after all, he had made them himself back then. Bamboo baskets, after being used for a long time, are quite old and not worth much money.
I just don't know if the little miser at home lent it to Yuan Hua or gave it to him.
Meng Chijian turned and left without saying a word.
He nudged the group of laborers aside with his shoulder, prompting them to mutter behind him, "What's wrong with Meng San today? Why is he so angry!"
"Sigh, I guess his business isn't doing well. It's the off-season now, there's hardly any work..."
“But he can’t take it out on us. He’s married now, isn’t he? If you ask me…” The laborers exchanged knowing glances.
Almost all of these men were unable to find wives, and very few of them had families. Because they had neither land nor any skills, and working in the city had raised their standards considerably, ordinary families would not marry their daughters to them to suffer.
They were about to crack a few risqué jokes when they suddenly fell silent, even Yuan Hua, who had been hawking his wares, stopped talking.
At the end of the street, a young woman riding a donkey appeared. She was wearing a dress with butterflies and lilies, and a large straw hat on her head. She was wiping her sweat while holding a bamboo basket.
Like a gentle summer breeze, it stirs the leaves, leaving dappled shadows and dreamlike light spots on the ground.
"Lu, A, Mian." A voice filled with gritted teeth came from the blacksmith's shop entrance, "You come here in this heat and don't even bring a water bag!"
Ah Mian had been extremely thirsty all the way, and upon hearing this, she hurriedly went into the shop, handed the lunch she was going to deliver to Meng Chijian, and quickly took a blue porcelain bowl and drank two large bowls of cool boiled water.
Then he flashed a bright white smile, "I left in a hurry and forgot to bring it."
The shop hadn't been open for a long time, and the blacksmith's furnace hadn't been lit, but it was still somewhat stuffy.
Meng Chijian opened all the doors and windows to ventilate the room before lifting the cloth covering the basket.
"this……"
The next second, everyone outside the window swallowed hard.
A bowl of stir-fried pork with bell peppers, glistening with oil and filled with large, firm slices of meat; a bowl of cold lotus root salad, already mixed with millet peppers, sauce, minced garlic, and chopped green onions, and sprinkled with white sesame seeds; and four plump, large steamed buns made from mixed flour.
Meng Chijian glanced at A-Mian, "Have you eaten?"
Amian shook her head, "After I finished cooking, I saved a portion for my younger sister and the others. It's hot, and I was afraid it would all spoil by evening, so I came with Adou to deliver the food."
Adou snorted sullenly at the door, having not had any water to drink on its way here!
"Then go wash your hands and face." Meng Chijian carried the sweaty person to the well, took off her straw hat, and then carried a bucket of water to Adou outside the door.
The two then sat down at the table, took some steamed buns and ate them with vegetables, and almost swallowed their tongues when they took a bite.
"It smells so good! Especially after such a long journey to the city, it tastes even better than a regular meal." Ah Mian, who usually eats one steamed bun, tore off half of it and ate it.
"Um."
Meng Chijian remained silent, his pace of cooking continuing unabated.
He thought of the bamboo basket, his fingers twitched, and then he put down the bowl. "...that kid's bamboo basket..."
"By the way, do you know where today's meal came from?" A-Mian said proudly, hands on her hips. "I made this deal at home yesterday. I sold a batch of vegetables from my backyard to Yuan Hua and got eighty coins!"
I see.
Meng Chijian nodded and put the slices of meat into A Mian's bowl.
Ah Mian, having eaten and drunk her fill, felt a little sleepy and wanted Xiao Mengzi to fan her. Suddenly, she had a new idea and mumbled, "I want to do business in the city... I've got an idea... I'll start by selling food around here! If you saw this meal on the roadside today, how much would you be willing to pay?"
"no."
"Okay! We think it's okay!" The men who were eavesdropping outside the window got impatient and shouted loudly.
Meng Chijian suddenly stood up, grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it out the window before slamming the window shut.
"You damned Meng San—don't think I'm afraid of you—"
Amian shrank her neck. "Why are you angry?"
"No."
It clearly exists.
Ah Mian could only say, "I won't sell it for very high prices. I'll just add a spoonful of meat gravy to each spoonful of vegetables, and it'll only cost five coins."
It has meat, oil, spice, and salt, and for five coins it's really a bargain. If he were a dockworker, he probably would have bought it.
“This place is crowded and chaotic. What if something suddenly happens and I’m caught up with it?” Meng Chijian rubbed his temples. “Next month it will be cooler, the off-season will be over and business will pick up again. I’ll buy you some snacks then.”
Amian said, "I won't go far, I'll just sell it in front of your shop... Also, since your stove will be burning all the time, you can boil some more water. If they buy my food and come to ask for a drink of water, I won't charge them."
"..." Meng Chijian breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that she was not going to the dock.
There's no other reason than that there aren't many women at the docks these days. There's only one type of woman who wants to do business, but that's not legitimate business.
A-Mian was unaware of this matter; she was simply thinking that she could use the blacksmith's firepower so that it would be convenient to heat up meals and boil water when the weather got cold.
"Alright, then you can come to the shop with me. Just come a few days every ten days to sell food. If business is bad, it won't matter."
"Uh-huh."
Seeing that she had convinced him, A-Mian lay down on the bamboo chair and dozed off contentedly.
Unbeknownst to the two, a hand was gripping the window frame tightly outside, with water droplets continuously dripping from its hair.
Yuan Hua trembled all over, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was ashen and gloomy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
