Chapter 20

“Cousin, hurry and pour me some water.”

Jiang Wan urged, and Yin Ning snapped out of her thoughts, quickly helping her cousin clean the sea urchins.

“Cousin, how much are you selling the sea urchins for each?”

“Nothing.”

Jiang Wan said as she carefully scooped out the sea urchin roe and placed it on a clean leaf. Then she took two of them and walked over to the carriage.

“Uncle, your master is the first customer of our stall, so this is a gift. Could you ask her if she wants to try it?”

Though she was speaking to the driver, the mother and daughter inside the carriage could still hear through the wooden door.

Mrs. Qin was curious and somewhat tempted. Since the girl seemed to be just a little one, she didn’t refuse.

Jiang Wan explained the method of eating sea urchin roe from the outside of the carriage, also warning them that it should not be consumed by people allergic to seafood or suffering from heatstroke.

Although Jiang Wan had never formally studied traditional medicine, she knew some common knowledge from frequently eating seafood. Sea urchin roe is a cold and stimulating food, and eating it while suffering from heatstroke could worsen dizziness, nausea, and even lead to diarrhea.

These people in the carriage were from wealthy families, and she couldn’t afford to offend them.

Qin Yue: “…”

Why is this girl so honest? My mother will definitely stop me from eating it.

Mrs. Qin had no intention of eating it either, but when she saw the two little girls happily eating, her desire was stirred. She couldn’t resist and ended up eating some on the way back.

“Mother, how is it? What does it taste like?”

“It just tastes like ordinary seafood, nothing special.”

Mrs. Qin said faintly, but in her heart, she regretted not buying more on the way.

“Cousin!! You’re amazing!!”

Yin Ning’s excited face turned red.

In such a short time, her cousin had sold twelve wen! Twelve wen!

“I’ll go tell Father!”

Yin Ning ran off to share the good news with her father, who was so stunned by the twelve wen that he opened his mouth, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. Here he was, an adult man, and he wasn’t as clever as his niece at making money.

Thinking carefully, it seemed like all he could do was read and write, and manage accounts. Those skills were useless in a fishing village. Now, his younger sister was preparing to sell herbs, and his niece and daughter were selling iced tea. Did that mean he would have to rely on the women in the family to support him?

No, no, he had to think of a way to earn money himself.

While he pondered, he hurriedly got back to weaving a basket.

At this moment, someone was approaching from the road. Jiang Wan had sharp eyes and immediately turned to her cousin, saying, “When they get closer, cousin, just keep smiling with your mouth crooked.”

Jiang Wan demonstrated, and Yin Ning immediately followed her example.

It wasn’t that Jiang Wan was overly confident, but you never knew what could happen. What if these young masters were the type to be lecherous?

Her cousin, though she had lost some weight from the hardships of the journey, still had a good base for her looks, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were some unscrupulous people around. It was better to be safe than sorry.

As for herself…

Ha, she was just a twelve-year-old girl, and with her frail appearance, she looked like she was ten. As long as they were still human, no one would have any thoughts about her.

The two prepared themselves, and as the young masters approached, Jiang Wan immediately called out to them, “Gentlemen, you’ve had a long journey. Would you like to have a cup of iced tea before you leave?”

“Iced tea?”

Qi Xiao reined in his horse and looked at his two friends.

They had been riding in the wind for a while. Although it had been a bit hot, it didn’t feel too bad. Whether or not to drink iced tea didn’t matter much to him—it all depended on what his friends thought.

But he was already pretty sure they would buy it.

Because the girl selling the tea looked so pitiful, he could feel his old bad habits coming back.

Sure enough…

“It’s been pretty hot riding, so we’ll have a bowl each,” said one of the men in a crescent white robe as he dismounted and handed a corner of silver to Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan didn’t dare take it. This amount of silver was enough for several hundred wen, and if she took it, she’d be a black-hearted vendor.

Rich people could be overcharged a little, but turning two wen into several hundred was too much. Taking that money would be like holding onto a hot potato.

“Sir, I can’t give you change for this. Our iced tea is only two wen per bowl. For three people, it will be six wen. Do you have any smaller change?”

Huo Changqi awkwardly withdrew his hand and looked to Qi Xiao for help.

Qi Xiao: “…”

Fine, he was the tightest of the three, and he only had copper coins with him.

“Remember to pay me back later.”

While speaking, Qi Xiao counted out six wen and handed it to Jiang Wan. His gaze briefly lingered on the crooked-mouth girl behind her before turning to the table.

“What’s this?”

He reached out to touch the sea urchin, but Jiang Wan quickly slapped his hand away.

“This is called sea urchin. Its spines are very painful if they prick you, and it’s toxic. Don’t touch it.”

Hearing “toxic,” Qi Xiao’s face changed slightly, and he quickly stopped caring about the slap.

“You girl, why would you put something toxic on the table?”

“It’s not for playing with. Although it doesn’t look much on the outside, the inside is delicious. Would you like to try some, sir?”

Qi Xiao blinked but didn’t say anything. Instead, another man from the group stepped closer.

“What’s so delicious about it?”

“You only know how to eat. You’ve never seen this thing, and you’re going to try it?”

“Didn’t the girl say it’s delicious? She must have tried it herself. Right?”

Fu Yuanling looked at Jiang Wan, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Jiang Wan radiated the familiar glow of a foodie.

This was incredible—it seemed like today the sea urchins were going to be a hit!

Jiang Wan smiled sweetly and said earnestly, “Of course we’ve tried it. We sold a few today, and everyone who tried it said it was great. Also, this sea urchin is very nourishing. I heard from an old doctor that sea urchin roe can strengthen the spleen, improve appetite, and nourish the kidneys—it’s really good stuff.”

Hearing this, Fu Yuanling’s curiosity was piqued even more. He nudged Qi Xiao, urging him to pay.

“I’ll pay you back later,” Qi Xiao said, reaching into his money pouch. Even though he knew they would reimburse him, he still felt a bit reluctant.

“How much is one sea urchin?” he asked.

Seeing the look of reluctance on his face, Jiang Wan hesitated, not wanting to scare him off. She cautiously held up a finger to indicate a modest price.

“Ten wen each.”

Qi Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Ten wen wasn’t too much. He quickly handed over ten more wen to Jiang Wan without hesitation.

Jiang Wan’s eyes lit up with a smile as she took the money. She immediately poured a cup of mint water for each of the three young men and swiftly began cutting open the sea urchins to wash them.

To avoid having the three young men see the contents of the sea urchins and possibly lose their appetite, Jiang Wan deliberately turned her back to them as she worked.

Before the three could recover from the refreshing mint water, five perfectly arranged pieces of sea urchin roe were neatly placed on five leaves.

As usual, Jiang Wan first asked if any of them had seafood allergies. After all, if someone had an allergic reaction, she wouldn’t be able to cover the costs.

Fu Yuanling quickly responded, saying he had eaten fish and shrimp all his life. He eagerly grabbed a leaf and poured the roe into his mouth.

Qi Xiao grimaced, embarrassed by Fu Yuanling’s eagerness, and stepped to the side to stand next to Huo Changqi. He had planned to wait until Fu Yuanling finished to get his feedback, but the guy ate one piece after another without saying a word.

Could it really be as good as the girl claimed?

Was it really that delicious?

Should he try it too?