Anyone who has tasted snails has been captivated by their spicy and delicious flavor.
"It tastes really good, how much is it?"
"Five coins a tube."
"That's great, a good deal. Give me a tube."
Yuan Doudou was afraid of messing things up, so she didn't rush to pack it for him.
"Everyone, please line up if you want to buy, and try not to cut in line. It's okay if you can't eat today, you can come back tomorrow."
After Yuan Doudou finished explaining the rules, the people who had formed a circle immediately lined up in an orderly fashion.
"Very good, everyone is very well-behaved." Yuan Doudou quickly packed the food, not forgetting to praise the customers for their self-discipline and orderliness.
Adults and children are the same; they all like to be praised. Once praised, the line of people straightens out even more.
"Here, this is for you."
Yuan Doudou handed over the bamboo tube with one hand and received the money with the other. She made a shoulder bag to make it easier to receive the money.
Anji stood obediently to the side, carefully observing his mother's actions: putting in the snails, putting the lid on, and that was it.
He didn't know how to pack the snails, so he tried putting on the lid, which he did in one go. Then he learned to press it down, which made it even tighter.
"Anji is so capable, he can help his mother with chores now." Yuan Doudou put the filled bamboo tube aside and saw Anji working hard to put the lid on, feeling extremely gratified.
"Boss, I want five buckets." A sharp-eyed person noticed that there weren't many snails left in the wooden bucket, and worried that buying too few wouldn't be enough to eat at home, so they simply bought more.
Yuan Doudou apologized, "Sorry, sir, there's a limit of one tub of snails per person today."
"Why didn't you say so sooner? You're such a spoilsport."
The people in line behind them were very happy and urged, "Are you going to buy it or not? If you don't buy it, we still want to buy it."
He wants five bamboo tubes at once, so the people in line behind him might not be able to buy any.
"I'll buy it, give me a tube." One tube it is, I can always come back tomorrow.
After Yuan Doudou finished packing one portion, she scooped up the remaining snails in the wooden bucket and estimated that there would only be enough for about ten more buckets.
She glanced around and saw that there were five or six people in line.
"That's right, we only have six tubes of snails today. If you want to buy more later, save them for tomorrow. You won't need to queue today, so as not to waste time."
It's a pity we didn't prepare a wooden sign. If we could have written one and leaned it to the side, passersby would have a clear view of it.
"Great, luckily I arrived early." The person first in line patted his chest.
After Yuan Doudou finished packing the last portion of snails, she was so tired that she couldn't even straighten her arms.
Goodness, this is the first time I've ever set up a stall for so long. It's even more tiring than when I sold fried mushroom and strawberry skewers.
She began to tidy up the stall, turning the baskets upside down, putting the wooden basins inside, and then putting the remaining bamboo tubes inside.
When Yuan Doudou put them out, she counted them one by one, and there were exactly ten left.
On the way back, she took Angie to a dried goods store because they were almost out of spices at home.
She just sold forty tubes, each tube costing five coins, which totaled two hundred coins.
"Boss, I'd like a packet of star anise, a packet of cinnamon, a packet of bay leaves, a packet of white sugar, and a tube each of soy sauce and vinegar."
The boss was confused; Yuan Doudou was speaking rather quickly.
"Star anise, thirty coins; cinnamon, forty coins; bay leaves, ten coins; white sugar, fifty coins; soy sauce and vinegar, twenty coins each."
The shopkeeper tapped away on his abacus, then smiled and said, "Sir, that'll be one hundred and sixty coins in total."
Yuan Doudou froze on the spot. Just this little bit of seasoning costs so much.
"Sir, is there anything else you need? I can give you the lowest price."
The boss rarely encounters such a generous customer, so naturally he can't let this opportunity slip by easily.
Yuan Doudou was so embarrassed that her lips were trembling. Then she thought about it and realized that she was doing this to make money. Without investment, there would be no return. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
"Boss, I want these, but your prices are a bit high. I don't have that much money on me," Yuan Doudou tried to bargain.
The shopkeeper was all smiles, showing no sign of anger. "Sir, I'm really sorry, these are all best-selling items. In some places, you can't buy them even if you have the money. This is already the lowest price."
They're using the same rhetoric; it's all just a cliché.
Yuan Doudou looked helpless. "If that's the case, I really can't buy it. I only brought one hundred coins."
She sighed as she spoke, and unconsciously moved toward the door.
The shopkeeper hesitated as he watched the fish try to escape, but when he saw Yuan Doudou leave the shop and turn left, he finally made up his mind and chased after her. "Please wait, sir. Here's your hundred."
Yuan Doudou slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I still gave you too high a price!"
When she walked out of the dry goods store carrying a large bag of things, Angie finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Mom, you're amazing! You got such a good deal all at once."
The little guy was so proud of his mother for bargaining that he jumped up and down the street in excitement.
Yuan Doudou was not satisfied at first, but now that Anji is so sure of her, she is getting a little smug.
"Anji, are you hungry? Just tell Mommy what you want to eat." The money saved can be used to buy food for Anji.
Angie shook his head; he didn't want to waste money, as his mother worked very hard to earn it.
"Mommy, I'm not hungry. Let's go home for dinner, okay?"
Yuan Doudou saw through Anji's thoughts at a glance, and lovingly picked him up, kissing his chubby face several times.
“Anji isn’t hungry, but Mommy is. How about we buy some brown sugar steamed cake?” She happened to walk up to the pastry stall.
Angie nodded. No matter what, he couldn't let his mother go hungry.
Yuan Doudou spent ten coins to buy three steamed cakes.
"Here, you have one piece, I'll take one piece, and you can keep this one for yourself when you get home."
Anji held the steamed cake, his mouth watering. This was steamed cake, so red it was almost black.
He took a small bite, and exclaimed how sweet, soft, and delicious it was.
"Mommy, the steamed rice cake is so delicious!" Anji's face lit up with a smile.
Yuan Doudou couldn't help but feel guilty. She wasn't very good at making pasta dishes; she usually only made unleavened dough and had almost never made anything with leavened dough.
Seeing how much he was enjoying his food, Yuan Doudou quickly ran back and bought another ten coins' worth, enough for tomorrow.
Anji lowered his head, not daring to speak again, afraid that his mother would go out and buy more for him. They had already spent a lot of money and couldn't afford to spend any more.
When the two arrived at the post station, the carriage was just about to depart. When the driver saw that it was Yuan Doudou again, he offered to waive the fare for the trip.
"No need, I have money," Yuan Doudou politely declined.
The driver shook his head, refusing her money. "Girl, you're overthinking it. It's not out of pity, it's really true. You only get one free ride if you don't take three consecutive round trips."
Yuan Doudou was a little confused, but after going through it carefully, she realized it was the same principle as getting one free when you buy eight cups of milk tea.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Yuan Doudou felt at ease and got into the car with Anji.
The car was empty, which almost made Yuan Doudou think she had gotten into the wrong car.
"Miss, please sit down, the carriage is about to depart." The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly moved forward.
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