Fried locusts?
Yu Luo also stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
Not far from the street corner, a girl with her hair in two buns and dressed in coarse cloth was tending a pot of oil, calling out her wares with quick, deft movements.
Her stall was simple, but clean.
The locusts in the oil were fried until golden and crispy. After being taken out and drained of excess oil, they were packed into small oil paper bags.
The aroma forcefully penetrated the noses of every passerby.
Yu Luo's nieces swallowed hard, then shrank back behind her in fear.
"Second Uncle...can we really eat these bugs?"
The surrounding people also gathered around, mostly out of curiosity, and discussed it amongst themselves.
"My God, are there still people selling locusts these days?"
"Isn't this thing harmful to crops? It's all black, how can anyone eat it!"
The girl selling locusts was about fifteen or sixteen years old, named Huang Xinyu. She wasn't annoyed by the gossip; instead, she smiled even more brightly.
She used bamboo tongs to pick up a perfectly fried locust and held it high.
"Dear uncles and aunties, brothers and sisters! Don't underestimate these locusts!"
"These are deep-fried in a whole pot of oil, they're so fragrant and crispy, I guarantee you'll want more after you try them!"
Her clear voice was full of confidence.
"Don't believe me? I'll let you try it!"
As she spoke, she actually picked up a bag of fried locusts and gave one to each of the onlookers.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
A daring man hesitated for a long time, but in the end he couldn't resist the aroma and stuffed the locust into his mouth with his eyes closed.
"Click".
A crisp sound.
The man suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze widening, and then an incredulous look of ecstatic joy appeared on his face.
"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"
"It's salty and crunchy, even tastier than peanuts!"
Once the first person took the plunge, the rest couldn't resist any longer and started throwing the locusts into their mouths.
The clicking sounds came one after another.
"Wow, this is really delicious!"
"This taste is absolutely amazing!"
"Young lady, how much is it?"
Huang Xinyu smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits.
"Two coins a pack! Cheap and delicious!"
Yu Luo watched this scene with a smile in her eyes, and led her several nieces who were already drooling with envy over there.
"Two packs, please."
Several nieces took the oil paper packets, eagerly picked up one, and carefully put it into their mouths.
Their eyes lit up instantly.
"tasty!"
"Second Uncle, this is so delicious!"
At this moment, someone nearby recognized Yu Luo.
"Hey, isn't this Mr. Yu, the fortune teller from this afternoon who said he could change your luck by reading characters?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Xinyu immediately offered to give her another pack.
"It's my pleasure to have you patronize my business, young sir! This bag is a gift for you!"
Yu Luo smiled and waved her hand, placing the four coins steadily on her wooden board.
"One thing at a time, your stuff is worth the price."
While her nieces were enjoying their meal, Yu Luo's gaze was drawn to other items at Huang Xinyu's stall.
Besides the fried locusts, several other items were neatly arranged on the wooden board.
These are soaps, each a different color and emitting a faint floral scent.
There were also some colorful hair ties woven from silk threads, a hundred times more exquisite than those sold in the county's general stores.
There were even a few small trinkets whose names she couldn't recall.
The style of these things carried an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if they shouldn't be here.
Yu Luo wasn't too surprised. Instead, she felt that this was how things should be and there was nothing to be surprised about.
She stepped forward and picked up a bar of osmanthus-scented soap and a few pretty hair ties.
"I want all of these, and all of these."
She planned to bring it back to her grandmother, mother, and sister-in-law.
Before Yu Luo could even ask about the price, Huang Xinyu's eloquent little mouth started chattering away again.
"Scholar Yu, you have excellent taste! This is a specialty soap from our barren mountains. It leaves you smelling wonderful and clean!"
"And this hair tie was also braided by the skillful women in our factory in the wilderness. It's sturdy and beautiful!"
Huang Xinyu spoke as if she were introducing her own precious child, her face full of pride.
"Let me tell you, all these goods of mine come from the barren mountains! The purchase price is incredibly cheap!"
"Our barren mountain is so much better now! There are factories that hire us, the people who can't make a living, providing food and lodging, and even paying us wages every month!"
"This is all thanks to our Mountain Goddess! Our Mountain Goddess is the most efficacious and powerful deity in the world!"
Every word she spoke was a praise of that "barren mountain" and that "mountain goddess".
Yu Luo listened quietly, but her heart was in turmoil.
Barren mountains? Factory?
It seems that she is not the only time traveler in this world.
Moreover, they have banded together for mutual support and have even developed a preliminary industrial system.
Why are there so many time travelers?
Is the world facing some kind of enormous crisis?
Yu Luo's mind raced, but her face remained impassive.
It seems best not to easily reveal my identity as a time traveler.
She nodded and echoed Huang Xinyu's words.
"This deity is truly powerful, able to protect the people and help them establish factories."
These words are spoken from the heart.
Yu Luo had always been skeptical about the supernatural beliefs in this world.
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