Chapter 41

When Lian Yue returned, he saw Lian Qiao enjoying a bowl of food.

“What’s going on?”

“Brother Yue! You’re back! Come on, come on, try this snail meat!”

Good food, of course, had to be shared with a good brother. Lian Qiao had never tasted such delicious snail meat before. No, he had never even known it could be eaten this way.

The village elders always said that eating conch meat could lead to poisoning. When he was a mischievous kid, he secretly took some home to eat and didn’t get poisoned, but he also didn’t find it tasty.

Today, though, he was truly amazed.

Before Lian Yue could refuse, a piece of conch meat was already in his mouth. The fresh, intense flavor stunned him, and it took a while before he found his voice.

“The flavor… it’s unique and really delicious.”

Very distinctive… an addictive taste.

He wanted to taste another bite but was too embarrassed to ask, so he squatted by the two pots and asked the two sisters if he could buy a bowl for himself.

“We’re just about to head back to the village. I’ll buy a bowl to take home for my grandma and brother, and I’ll return the bowl to you later.”

“You’re leaving?”

Yin Ning spoke up unconsciously, a hint of disappointment in her tone. Jiang Wan glanced at her cousin, then turned to ask the question she was most concerned about.

“Brother Lian Yue, will Qian Hai come back?”

“Don’t worry, he won’t. They’re just local ruffians from the village; they’re nobodies in the city. Plus, this area near the Qi family’s pier has guards patrolling from time to time. If anything happens, just call out, and they won’t dare make trouble.”

“That Qian Hai only dared to trick you into leaving with him. Just stay here and don’t wander off. By the way, you didn’t sneak out here alone to set up a stall, did you?”

If so, these two girls were incredibly bold, and he would need to keep an eye on them to make sure they got home safely.

“No, no, we came with our mother. But she went to negotiate a deal and will be back shortly.”

Lian Yue nodded and gave Lian Qiao a light kick.

“Move over to the side to eat; you’re blocking the pots.”

He stood aside, intending to wait until the girls’ mother returned before leaving. Jiang Wan, meanwhile, had been eyeing his raft. Seeing he wasn’t leaving, she naturally approached to build a good relationship.

Yin Ning didn’t say much. As a young lady, she stayed reserved in such a bustling place and quietly listened as her cousin and Lian Yue chatted.

They didn’t talk long, though, because their aunt soon returned, bringing along an older woman.

“Sister Miao, look, these are the only two pots. Once they’re sold, that’s it.”

“Alright, I’ll take them both at the price we discussed.”

Aunt Miao, a straightforward person, immediately picked up a pot. Yin Huaixi took the other and called her daughters and niece to follow her.

“Wanwan, Ning, let’s go!”

Jiang Wan felt a bit reluctant; she had just started hearing Lian Yue talk about the deserted islands near the fishing village when her mother called her.

“Brother Lian Yue, Brother Lian Qiao, we’re leaving!”

Lian Yue nodded. He and Lian Qiao also needed to head back to the village. After watching the two girls walk away, they each took a bowl and made their way through the crowd to the raft.

“Brother Yue, you have to admit, this snail meat is just incredible. How about we go gather a couple of buckets of it tomorrow?”

“Bring it home, and you’ll just end up boiling or grilling it like always. Can you replicate this flavor? The deliciousness of their snail meat is all in the broth, and you wouldn’t be able to make it the same.”

Lian Yue untied the rope, pushed the raft off with a bamboo pole, and slowly drifted away from the pier.

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to gather some more. The snail meat Jiang Wan’s family makes is tasty and will sell easily. The low tide only lasts a short while, and with just her family gathering it, they can’t get much. You could try gathering extra and see if they’ll buy it or trade it for some of their prepared snail meat.”

“What if they don’t buy it?”

“Then what? If they don’t, just mash it up and feed it to the ducks. Are you serious?”

The two brothers laughed and joked as they returned to the village. Meanwhile, Yin Huaixi led the two girls to a porridge shop.

When she had first approached Aunt Miao to pitch the snail meat, Aunt Miao had actually refused. It wasn’t because of any fear of poisoning from the snail meat; her husband loved eating it, and he had never had any issues over the years.

Aunt Miao simply felt that her porridge shop was a small operation; she usually just served it with pickled vegetables. If she bought snail meat and couldn’t sell it, she’d be at a loss.

So she turned her down.

Then Yin Huaixi took half the snail meat from her bowl and gave a small portion to each table for free. Guests who had it with their porridge gulped it down and kept ordering bowl after bowl—some even ate three bowls. Those with snail meat ate far more than those with just pickles.

Aunt Miao was no fool. After tasting it herself and seeing how much the customers liked it, she decided to buy both pots.

“Here’s the money for the two pots of snail meat, sis. One hundred twenty coins, plus ten for the pots—count it up. Oh, and are you setting up a stall at the pier again tomorrow? If I want more snail meat, where can I find you?”

As she counted the money, Yin Huaixi replied, “We’ll be back at the pier tomorrow to sell snail meat. Try selling it today, and if it goes well, we can talk more tomorrow.”

After confirming the total of 130 coins, Yin Huaixi took the two sisters into town.

Yin Ning, who was eager to do embroidery to help support her family, heard good news at the embroidery shop. They would buy embroidered handkerchiefs and garments, with the exact price depending on the quality of the embroidery. Since she hadn’t brought any of her own work to showcase her skills, she decided to buy a handkerchief and bring it back later once she had embroidered it.

After leaving the embroidery shop, the three of them bought some ingredients for making marinated snails, and happily returned to the village.

This time, the two pots of snail meat, not including the containers, sold for 120 coins. Adding the money from the woman on the boat and from Lian Yue and Lian Qiao who bought snail meat, they earned a total of 126 coins.

The snails were gathered by the sea, so there was no cost for them.

The vegetables, including carrots and garlic, cost 12 coins, while the sesame oil, soy sauce, and vinegar cost about 18 coins. The small amount of sugar and salt used cost around 4 coins. Since all three of them came this time, they had to pay 6 coins for boat fare, but they could save by coming with one or two people next time.

All in all, they calculated that they made nearly 90 coins from these two pots of snail meat!

Although, when divided among the family, it wasn’t a huge amount per person, it was still a very good income. Plus, it only required some manual effort, and preparing the marinade wasn’t difficult.

This business was definitely worth doing!