The annoying spring rain had fallen for three days straight. Finally, by the afternoon of the third day, the skies cleared.

It looked like tomorrow would be a sunny day.

Qin Rong, after a quick word with Qin Yue, hurriedly grabbed her basket and headed to the docks.

After three days of rain, there were bound to be plenty of fresh fish at the pier.

Qin Rong did a round through the docks and quickly picked out several good fish, arranging to have them delivered to her home.

Then, with her basket still on her back, she made her way to the western market. Now that the sun was out, many vendors had set up their stalls.

There weren’t many pumpkins around anymore. Qin Rong thought she’d better find something else to sell.

White peach milk tea was reserved for the big market days, but the spiced perilla snails were a solid choice.

After wandering for a while, she spotted a farmer sitting in a corner selling snails.

She crouched down and picked up a handful. “Brother, these are pretty nice. How much are they?”

The farmer hadn’t expected anyone to actually want them. “How much do you want, young lady?”

“I’ll take them all. Can you give me a discount?”

The man thought for a moment. “How about forty coins for the whole bucket?”

This batch was much larger than what she’d bought last time, so Qin Rong agreed and asked him to deliver it to her home.

Just as she was about to get up, she noticed another bucket in front of him filled with small miscellaneous fish. “What about these little fish? What’s the price?”

“Three coins a catty—sound fair?”

“Deal. I’ll take them all. Please deliver them to Madam Yu’s house on Liushui Alley.” Tomorrow, she wouldn’t be selling pumpkin flower cakes—she’d be offering spiced perilla snails and crispy salt-and-pepper small dried fish!

On her way back, Qin Rong stopped by the wonton stall and handed the old lady two jars of shrimp powder she’d made earlier.

The old lady paid her 180 coins, and Qin Rong went home happily.

At the alley entrance, Uncle Fu saw her and called out with a grin, “Qin girl, are you opening your stall tomorrow? I’ve been craving your food.”

“Yes, yes, Uncle Fu, I’ve got some good things for tomorrow.”

“Then save me a few bowls of white peach milk tea. My master’s been thinking about it non-stop.”

“That drink is only for the big market days,” Qin Rong replied. “The milk is pricey, and I’m afraid it won’t sell well on regular days.”

“What if I order a whole bucket?”

“That’s not good for older folks if they drink too much,” she said. A bucket meant dozens of servings—it shouldn’t be consumed so freely.

“No worries. My master has friends in Pear Blossom Town. They’ll divide it up.”

Qin Rong thought for a moment. “Alright then. I can’t make it today, but after I pack up tomorrow, I’ll prepare it. You can pick it up after.”

Hearing that, Uncle Fu took out three taels of silver. “Qin girl, will this be enough?”

“That’s more than enough. I’ll get your change.”

“No need. Just save me some of your specialties. If you’ve got snails, keep some for me too,” he said with a smile.

“Alright!” Qin Rong didn’t stand on ceremony.

She accepted the silver and bid Uncle Fu farewell.

When she got home, Yu Xiaoshan and Qin Yue were already cleaning the fish together.

“I bought some little fish. Let’s sell something different tomorrow.”

“Big sis, should I come with you to the stall tomorrow?” asked Qin Yue, looking up.

“No need. Xiaoshan and I can handle it.”

Qin Rong set down her basket and tied on her apron, ready to prep the little fish.

Each one was only the length of a finger.

All they needed was gutting.

Cleaning out the innards took nearly half an hour.

Then she washed them thoroughly, salted and marinated them in soy sauce, and let them drain.

She heated oil in the pan, then fried the fish until golden and crispy. By the time she finished, sweat beaded on her forehead.

She wiped it away, then sautéed chopped garlic, ginger, scallions, and chili in the remaining oil. Finally, she tossed the crispy fish back in and stir-fried them together.

The rich aroma from the kitchen drew in Yu Xiaoshan and Qin Yue again. Even little Qin Yi was prepared.

“Big sis, is it ready to eat?” she asked.

Qin Rong smiled and handed her a small piece. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Qin Yi nodded and obediently ate it.

One piece wasn’t enough—she licked her lips, craving more.

Qin Rong chuckled and gave her a small plateful.

“Take this to your brother and sister, alright?”

“Okay!”

Qin Rong fried all the fish in one batch.

The second stir-frying would be done live at the stall the next morning—for the best flavor.

While the fish were still at their crispiest, she packed a portion and asked Yu Xiaoshan to deliver it to Master Bai’s household.

…

Morning light crept in.

Yu Xiaoshan arrived early.

After not working the stall for a few days, it felt unfamiliar.

Qin Rong and Yu Xiaoshan left with the crispy fish, spiced snails, and fish ball soup.

Some customers’ faces lit up the moment they saw her.

“Miss Qin! You’re finally back! I’ve been checking every day!”

Qin Rong apologized. “It was raining—it really wasn’t convenient. Today I brought some special dishes. If you buy more, I’ll throw in an extra half portion.”

“Your food’s always worth it. I’ll take several servings!”

Her stall wasn’t even fully set up yet, and people were already lining up. Knowing her cooking was missed—that was the greatest compliment. Qin Rong’s heart felt full.

As expected, the crispy fish and spiced snails sold out quickly. The fish ball soup lasted a little longer but was still gone within another quarter hour.

After packing up, Qin Rong went to the western market to buy milk and peaches—she still had to make the milk tea for Master Bai.

She kept busy for several days.

Before she knew it, the big market day was around the corner again.

This time, Qin Rong sold not only snails, fish ball soup, crispy fish, and milk tea, but also added a small jar of salted bamboo shoots.

A few days ago, her uncle had brought over a basket of spring bamboo shoots—wild ones dug up from the mountain forest.

There were too many to eat at once, so Qin Rong decided to pickle some to sell.

Salted bamboo shoots weren’t expensive—just two coins each.

At first, only her regulars showed interest. But when a few traveling merchants tried a sample, they bought out her entire supply.

They even placed a larger order, promising to come back in five days.

After packing up, Qin Rong thought about how hard she’d been working lately and decided to take the next day off.

“Xiaoshan, we’re resting tomorrow. Head home directly today.”

“Big sis, don’t buy more bamboo shoots—we’ll go dig some from the mountain ourselves,” Yu Xiaoshan said earnestly.

He’d been helping Qin Rong for almost a month now, earning about 200 coins—more than generous for someone his age.

He was eager to repay her.

Since they were taking a break, it made sense to gather some bamboo themselves. Not many people in Pear Blossom Town knew how to prepare them properly, and the bamboo grove had plenty.

“Can I come too?” Qin Yue asked. “I’ve never been up the mountain.”

“Of course!”

Qin Rong nodded. “Alright then. I’ll pack the rations for you and Xiaoshan tomorrow.”

Yu Xiaoshan’s eyes lit up immediately.

After getting used to Qin Rong’s cooking, everything his sister-in-law made back home tasted like pig slop…