Chapter 40

“Yes, yes! That’s exactly it! She can’t eat anything no matter how hard we try to get her to eat, and she’s already lost so much weight. Today I was planning to take her to the city to see a doctor, but then we ran into you, miss. Can you tell me how to treat her condition?”

At this point, the woman looked at Yin Huaixi like she was a treasure, her eyes full of eagerness.

Yin Huaixi glanced at the young woman, who kept glancing at the jar. She didn’t say anything but took out a clean bowl and served a little sea snail meat.

“Medicine can be harmful, so it’s better to avoid it if possible. Let’s see if she likes this first.”

The woman didn’t hesitate to accept it, trusting in Yin Huaixi’s medical skills and not questioning her words.

“Here, Mei Mei, try this.”

“It smells so good…”

The woman’s daughter took a chopstick of snail meat and shredded carrots. The sour and spicy taste instantly conquered her.

The snail meat wasn’t fishy at all and had a lot of chew. It was a little tongue-tingling but paired with the sauce, it was very appetizing. The crunchy carrot strips, dipped in the sauce, were delicious too.

In just a few bites, she finished the small bowl, leaving no soup behind.

“Mom, I’m so hungry, I want more…”

“This…”

The woman reluctantly took out four coins and handed them over.

“Miss, can you give my daughter another bowl?”

Yin Huaixi shook her head.

“This is just a side dish. Eating only this won’t do much good. It’s best to eat it with porridge. Also, pregnant women shouldn’t eat too much snail meat, this small bowl is enough.”

She didn’t want to risk making the situation worse. She took back the bowl and only accepted two coins.

The young woman was upset. After finally finding something she could eat, she only got a little taste, and her stomach was still growling with hunger.

“Doctor, if I can’t eat the snails, could I at least have a bowl of the soup? I want to take it back to cook some dumplings.”

“You can, but you’re heading to the city, is it convenient for you to carry it? It’s better to wait until you get back to my place and I’ll give you some then. I see you boarded the boat not far from our village, it’s not far.”

“Alright, alright! Miss, thank you so much!”

After exchanging names, the fishing boat docked. The woman enthusiastically helped Yin Huaixi secure a spot next to a fellow villager’s stall.

The dock was crowded, with merchants of all sizes, workers unloading goods, and a large number of fishermen from nearby villages coming and going. There were a lot of people doing business—mostly selling tea and snacks, with a few fish stalls run by locals.

Jiang Wan and the others had no experience, and at this time of day, it was hard to find a good spot. Fortunately, with the woman’s help, they managed to squeeze in next to a villager.

Yin Huaixi set out the jars for the two girls to watch over and went to check out the food stalls around. When she came back, she scooped out a large bowl of snail meat and walked off with it.

Yin Ning didn’t understand and tugged at her cousin’s sleeve, asking if she knew what was going on.

“Mom wants to sell the snail meat at the stall. This is our first time selling, and we weren’t fully prepared, and the space is small. If the customers don’t have containers, we can’t expect them to eat it all in front of our stall and return the bowls.”

This was something they hadn’t thought of before.

Neither she nor her mother had ever run a business. Back then, her mother focused on medicine, and she herself stayed at home editing videos or doing beach harvesting livestreams. They were both newcomers to business.

Next time, they definitely needed to do more homework.

Jiang Wan carefully observed the area around the dock. There were indeed a lot of people, and they were very mixed. In just a short time, three carriages passed by on the main road, followed by a large group of people. She noticed that four or five men had looked at her and her cousin several times.

She wasn’t sure if they were bad people, but they didn’t feel right. Fortunately, the man from the woman’s village was nearby, so she felt a little safer.

Just as she was thinking this, one of the men, with a rough face, walked over to her and her cousin.

“Old Qiao, are these your relatives?”

Jiang Wan was taken aback. She didn’t expect the man to know the stall owner from next door.

“No, no, they’re from my village, I just brought them over to take care of them.”

“Hahaha… just you? What can you take care of? Little lady, if you need someone to look after you, just call your big brother. Tell me, what are you selling? I’ll buy it all.”

Jiang Wan: “…”

What an arrogant man.

“Uncle, we’re selling marinated sea snails, they’re really tasty and great for opening your appetite. If you buy them all, I can give you a discount—two jars for one tael of silver.”

When the rough-faced man heard her, his smile froze on his face.

This girl actually called him “uncle”?! Was he that old?!

And what was this nonsense? A jar of marinated snails for a tael of silver? Was she trying to rip him off?

“Little lady, stop joking. Look around at the whole dock, who else is selling something as expensive as this?”

The man’s smile faded, and his eyes became critical as he looked between the two sisters.

Tch, they were both so thin and dry. If it were any other time, he wouldn’t even bother. But since he rarely saw a new young face that still had some charm, he decided to have some fun.

“At this time, little lady, you must not have eaten yet. Want to come with me to have some good food? There’s a place up ahead that does steamed meat, very good. After we eat, I can help you find a better spot for your stall. I guarantee you’ll sell out quickly.”

“Huh? Uncle, didn’t you say you were going to buy everything?”

“One tael of silver and you can’t even afford that, yet you think you can eat steamed meat?” Jiang Wan asked seriously, like an innocent child. Yin Ning, who was holding onto her, was both anxious and trying not to laugh, feeling terribly awkward.

Even more awkward was the rough-faced man. His brothers were watching from not far away, and it was humiliating. They were definitely laughing at him, unable to handle a little girl.

The man gritted his teeth, about to say something, when suddenly he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

“Qian Hai, your old habits are acting up again? You dare harass people from Lianjiagou?”

Hearing that voice, Qian Hai shuddered and quickly shook off the hand from his shoulder.

“They’re from Lianjiagou?!”

Jiang Wan and Yin Ning’s eyes lit up in unison.

“Brother Lian Yue!”

“Big Brother Lian Yue!”

Lian Yue responded with a sound and, leaving his brother Lian Qiao at the stall, grabbed the man named Qian Hai and walked off.

“Don’t be afraid, that guy named Qian Hai is a troublemaker from the next village over. He’s been dealt with by Big Brother Yue before, he won’t dare cause any more trouble for people from our village.”

Jiang Wan felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had been a little scared earlier. Without her mother, she was still too young. Even with her cousin, their combined strength couldn’t take on a big man.

Lian Yue really arrived at the right time.

“Thank you, and thank Brother Lian Yue! Please let me treat you to something!”

Jiang Wan scooped some spicy snail meat into a bowl for Lian Qiao, but he quickly declined. He had only come over to stand guard and wait for Brother Yue, so how could he eat what they were selling?

He absolutely wouldn’t.

After a cup of tea…

“Good heavens, this is really to my taste,” he said, pulling out two coins with tears in his eyes.

“Another bowl, please!”