Old Man Chen saw his youngest son standing outside the stall looking around, so he quickly picked him up and brought him inside, saying, "My dear son, it's very chaotic outside right now. The officials who are maintaining order haven't come over yet, so you mustn't run outside."
"They're still busy setting up stalls outside, there's nothing fun to do. Just stay here and play with Xiaobao and the others. When it gets crowded later, I'll have your fourth brother carry you out for a stroll."
Chen Kai said, "I understand, Dad. I will stay here obediently and won't run around."
Old Man Chen was relieved and put Chen Kai down before getting busy with his preparations.
Chen Kai saw Xiao Bao and the others chasing and playing among the tables and chairs, so he moved a small stool and sat down next to Xiao Tian, quietly watching them play.
Before long, the street became lively, with more and more people gathering, and the street vendors began to hawk their wares.
Chen Nong also started shouting, "Popsicles for sale! Popsicles for sale! Icy cold popsicles for sale!"
However, Chen Nong's voice was still too soft to compete with those loud voices. There were many people on the street, but no one looked in their direction.
Chen Nong turned to Chen Kai and said anxiously, "Uncle, what if they don't come?"
Zhou Kai said, "What's the rush? Move aside and let me shout."
Then, Zhou Kai stood on the stool, put his hands to his mouth like a megaphone, and shouted loudly, "Ahhh! Popsicles for sale! Popsicles for sale!"
Chen Kai couldn't bear to look at it. Where did this groundhog come from?! Who sells things by making such a racket? It's so embarrassing!
Xiao Tian's lips twitched. Zhou Kai was shouting like a lunatic. Xiao Tian turned his back, indicating that he didn't know this guy.
However, Zhou Kai's outburst did attract a lot of attention.
When Zhou Kai saw someone looking over, he immediately said, "Cousin, hurry up and open the bucket lid to sell things."
In this weather, if they don't keep the bucket lids on, their frozen food will melt very quickly, and they didn't bring any saltpeter. Chen Nong and the others looked at Zhou Kai like he was an idiot.
Chen Nong took out an ice pop and shouted, "Ice pops for sale! Delicious ice pops for sale!..."
As Chen Nong kept shouting, he noticed that the popsicle in his hand was about to melt, so he quickly slurped it up and started eating it.
Chen Kai sighed helplessly; none of these guys were reliable.
Seeing a child eating something that looked like ice, many people in the crowd came over. When they saw that it was indeed frozen food and came in various colors, they were all amazed.
When children see something new and interesting, they immediately clamor to buy it.
Helpless, the adult could only ask, "How much are your popsicles?"
Chen Shi explained, "Ice popsicles are 10 coins each, and iced fruit juice is also 10 coins a bowl. You can drink the juice from a bowl or from a bamboo tube, but there's an extra coin deposit. We have straws, but the bamboo tubes are recycled. You can bring your empty bamboo tubes after you finish your juice and exchange them for 1 coin."
“These stalls are all in our family’s house, and the prices are the same. There’s a stall over there selling cold jelly for 10 coins a bowl, and another selling konjac for 15 coins a bowl. If you’re interested, you can go and take a look.”
Chen Nong ate his popsicle, looking smugly at the children. The little brats, seeing him showing off to them, became even more unruly.
Seeing her precious son making a fuss, a woman said, "Your food is too expensive! Aren't you afraid no one will sell it to you?"
Chen Shi said with a smile, "Madam, our family's cold drinks are unique. Apart from those restaurants, no one else sells icy food."
The woman said helplessly, "Alright, give me an ice pop then."
Chen Shi said with a smile, "Madam, you need to pay first."
The woman had no choice but to pay first, then picked up her son and showed him which one he wanted to eat.
After hesitating for a moment, the child pointed to a bucket of juice and said, "I want that."
The child chose mulberry, and Chen Shi immediately handed him one.
The child happily took it, immediately licked it, and excitedly said, "So cool, so delicious! Mom, you should try some too." The child held the popsicle to his father's mouth.
The woman took a bite, smacked her lips, and said, "It's icy cold and really delicious, but the taste seems familiar."
Chen Kai breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them leave; thankfully, she hadn't remembered.
Seeing that no one was selling them, Chen Shi put the lid on the bucket, lest the popsicles melt.
Chen Kai looked at the other stalls in their family's business, and they had all gradually opened for business as well.
Just then, five little girls walked over, chatting and laughing. One of them said, "I'd like five bowls of juice. Could you give me a discount?"
Chen Shi smiled and said, "Miss, it can't be less. Our juice prices are all fixed."
A little girl pointed at the bucket of plum juice and said, "Isn't this made from bayberries? Other people sell plum juice for one penny a bowl, yours is too expensive!"
Chen Kai got a headache whenever he saw someone haggling over the price. He decided to let Chen Nong and his family handle it themselves and instead go check out their other stalls.
Chen Kai looked around at their other stalls, where quite a few people were haggling over prices. He sighed helplessly.
Zhou Kai said, "Their plum juice doesn't have ice, but ours does. We're the only one of our kind. Take it or leave it."
When Chen Kai arrived at their family's cold noodle stall, Uncle Zhou was leading a group of people, shouting that they were selling cold noodles.
His father arranged for all the jelly to be sold today to be black, so that no one would be able to tell what it was made of.
Soon, their stall became lively, with many people coming to buy their food, and the tables and chairs inside were full of people.
At this moment, a child led a group of people to squeeze in front of Chen Kai and his group's stall.
The child exclaimed excitedly, "Chen Kai, Xiao Tian, are you selling things here?"
When Chen Kai looked, he realized it was that little brat from the private school, and there were several of them.
Chen Kai said with a smile, "Yes, all my family members are out setting up stalls today. Look how lively it is! Would you like to buy some? Then you won't have to wait in line."
The child looked at the signs they had written and asked in confusion, "What are all these signs you've written?"
Chen Kai laughed and said, "You'll know once you try it, I guarantee it'll be delicious."
Another child pointed to a bucket of popsicles and said, "I want one of these."
Chen Kai said, "Okay!" and then had Chen Nong hand him one.
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