They knew that Wan Shu and his group were selling pig offal.
The vendors, who had initially looked at them with hostility, all turned away with disdain.
Tsk, mere pig offal, nothing to fear!
Even passersby who were strolling around looked disgusted when they saw the pig offal and moved away from Wan Shu's stall.
Tsk, people these days are really obsessed with money, they even sell things like pig offal that are not fit for polite society!
They absolutely will not buy it!
The five kids had never run a business before, so they were already unsure of themselves. Now, seeing so many people looking at them with disdain, they couldn't help but worry.
"Mother, will our pig offal really sell?"
"Of course!" Wan Shu smiled and answered confidently, "Don't forget, besides the pig offal, we have another secret weapon today!"
As Wan Shu spoke, she scooped some crayfish from another wooden bucket and placed them on a winnowing basket.
Then he started enthusiastically hawking his wares: "Selling crayfish! Selling crayfish! Don't miss out, everyone!"
Just as Wan Shu had expected, as soon as the crayfish appeared, passersby who had previously avoided them all gathered around with curious expressions.
"What crayfish? Isn't that a bloodworm?!"
"This is a cooked food stall. You're not trying to sell bloodworms by displaying them here, are you?"
"Red worms are pests! You dare sell these things to people to eat? Young lady, are you out of your mind for money?!"
Almost instantly, Wan Shu's stall was surrounded by a dozen or so passersby.
Faced with questions from passersby, Wan Shu remained calm and continued to explain to everyone with a smile.
"Red worms are indeed pests, but who says pests can't be eaten?"
"I accidentally discovered that bloodworms, when cooked properly, are not only edible but also a rare delicacy! So I named them 'crayfish' and brought them to the county town to sell!"
"Today is our first day setting up a stall. If you're interested, everyone can try two crayfish for free!"
The moment the word "free" was mentioned, almost every passerby's eyes lit up.
In famine years like these, even if people in county towns like them want to eat wild vegetables, they have to pay two copper coins.
Although crayfish are considered pests and can be caught for free in any ditch, the crayfish Wan Shu was selling had shiny shells, indicating they were covered in a lot of oil!
For people in famine years, the prospect of eating oily food for free was undoubtedly a huge temptation.
However, given the crayfish's status as a pest, the group exchanged glances, and although they were tempted, no one dared to try it rashly.
Seeing this, Wan Shu was not in a hurry, but simply gave a wink to the five children beside her.
The five children received her look and immediately followed her instructions before she left. Each of them picked up a crayfish, peeled off the shell, and began to eat it with relish.
While eating, he kept sighing with admiration.
"Oh my, crayfish are so delicious!"
"Sizzle... My mouth is watering from the spiciness, but I just can't stop eating it!"
Once the crayfish shell is peeled open, the spicy braising liquid flows out from the gaps between the shell and the meat, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Coupled with the five kids' incredibly tempting way of eating, many passersby couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
"How are these red worms made? They smell so good."
"The aroma wasn't very noticeable before the shell was peeled, but once it was peeled, the fragrance was so enticing that I really wanted to try it!"
"What are you trying? This is a pest! Aren't you afraid someone will die from eating it!"
"What's there to be afraid of? We can even eat the roots of poisonous plants, so why can't we eat bloodworms?"
"That's right, that's right. If you can eat poisonous plants, what's there to be afraid of about red worms? And since this young lady dares to let her own child eat them, it proves that the red worms are definitely not poisonous!"
After a heated discussion, two of the bolder, stronger men quickly made up their minds.
"Young lady, I'd like to try your crayfish!"
"I'll try some first, give me two!"
"Alright!" Wan Shu smiled and picked up two for each person.
With the crayfish in hand, the aroma of the spices grew even stronger. The two burly men sniffed and could no longer resist. They followed the way the five kids ate, peeling off the hard shells of the crayfish and putting the chewy, tender meat into their mouths.
Almost as soon as the shrimp meat entered their mouths, the two burly men couldn't help but widen their eyes and exclaim in amazement.
"Young lady, how did you cook these crayfish? They smell delicious!"
"I've never tasted anything so delicious! I even wanted to swallow the shell!"
In fact, one of the burly men couldn't bear to throw away even the shells; he chewed them up in two quick bites and swallowed them.
This scene left other passersby dumbfounded.
"My goodness, you actually swallowed such a hard shell? Was it really that delicious?"
"No way, I have to try it too!"
"Hey, all of you calm down! You're all pests!"
"What's there to be afraid of! They ate it and were fine, I don't believe it can kill me!"
"Young lady! Give me two!"
"I want two too!"
More and more people are starting to try crayfish, and even some new passersby are being attracted to come and try it.
Before Wan Shu had earned a single penny, a third of the crayfish in the wooden bucket had instantly disappeared.
Wan Shu wasn't bothered at all and still smiled as she invited everyone to try the food.
However, the stall owner next to him, seeing how popular Wan Shu's stall was, couldn't help but speak up with a sour tone.
"Ha, losing money to gain publicity, this business definitely won't last long!"
"Some people these days are really shameless. They don't intend to buy anything, but they still try to steal other people's food."
Upon hearing this, the lively atmosphere at Wan Shu's stall immediately froze.
Many passersby genuinely didn't intend to buy anything; they just came over to take advantage of the free samples.
After being called out by the other stall owners, everyone suddenly felt embarrassed.
Holding the crayfish in their hands, they were caught in a dilemma: whether to eat them or not.
The stall owners who made sarcastic remarks were Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin, who sold sesame cakes next door to Wan Shu.
Seeing that the atmosphere at Wan Shu's stall was off, the two men gave Wan Shu a smug smile.
You were trying to steal our business by losing money and gaining publicity, but now that we've messed things up, let's see if all the people at your stall will run away!
Wan Shu couldn't help but find it amusing to see their smug expressions.
Having faced countless business battles in modern times, how could she possibly fail to handle such a simple matter?
She maintained her smile and said, "Since everyone has come and is willing to try the food, that's a great support for me. So whether you buy anything in the end or not, I sincerely thank you for your support!"
This statement was both generous and open-minded, giving the passersby who were trying the food a lot of face.
The atmosphere at the stall instantly became lively again, and even a few passersby who originally did not intend to spend money on food couldn't help but change their minds.
"Young lady, you're really generous! I have no choice but to buy these crayfish today!"
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