Translator: 549690339
“How much money did you put in the envelope?”
“I put in twenty copper coins.”
“Wow, twenty copper coins, that’s not a small amount! Usually, people put in ten copper coins, and close ones give twenty. Some even give as little as five copper coins…”
The women continued to talk about how much money each family received from their daughters’ marriages, who was quarrelling among them, and which family brought in a fierce wife.
Su Qingyue silently listened to them on the side.
Upon arriving in town, everyone on the ox cart paid their fare and then went to find a spot in the market.
As she looked over the bustling market, she noticed that all the good spots at the mobile stalls on both sides of the road were taken. The fixed stall spots were occupied in the long term, so there was no way to grab one of those either.
Aunt Liu stomped her foot, “Oh dear, we’re too late today, we can’t find a good spot! ”
Su Qingyue estimated that it was around eight o’clock in the morning.
It was indeed late today. According to the villagers, the ox cart usually arrived in town just as dawn broke. Everyone was in a hurry to get a good spot and sell off their goods as soon as possible.
The other four villagers on the ox cart all found corners to sell their wares. Looking at the spots they chose, Su Qingyue didn’t think many people would pass by.
She carried her basket around the market for a couple of rounds before finally spotting an old lady finishing up selling her vegetables from her own basket. So she waited on the side, ready to take over as soon as the old lady left.
Many townspeople don’t farm but instead sell clothing, shoes, work as carpenters… all sorts of trades. There were too many households that needed to buy vegetables, but at the same time, many people grew and sold vegetables. Not to mention, Wushan Village from afar, the number of nearby villages selling vegetables was also countless.
After placing down her basket, Su Qingyue stood in a row of vegetable vendors, listening to their sales pitches. At first, she was a bit shy to make a scene. Eventually, she lifted the leaves covering her basket, revealing the stir-fried fern inside.
Out of the passersby who glanced at the ferns in her basket, not one seemed interested in buying any.
Everyone recognized ferns but likely thought they didn’t taste good.
She couldn’t afford to wait and hope any longer; the sooner she sold them, the better, lest they spoil in the heat.
She cleared her throat, and her crisp voice called out, “Delicious stir-fried fern, incredibly tasty stir-fried fern!”
Though her looks were far from pretty, her voice was like sweet songs of an oriole, attracting many people’s attention.
Many took a glance at her and shook their heads as they walked away.
After taking the plunge and making her first sales call, she wasn’t afraid to continue, “Delightful stir-fried fern! If it doesn’t taste good, no need to pay!” A woman stopped in front of her, ‘Young lady, is this fern really edible?” She replied, “Ferns are wild vegetables; why couldn’t they be eaten?” “The taste is quite astringent…”
“Not astringent at all! My ferns are stir-fried with special seasonings, not astringent in the least.”
The woman didn’t believe her and was about to leave. Su Qingyue said, “Big sister, why don’t you try it? If it’s not tasty, you don’t have to pay.”
The woman, already in her forties, was flattered to be called ‘big sister’ by a young girl. “Alright, I’ll give it a taste, but if it’s not good, I really won’t be paying.”
“No problem,” said Su Qingyue. She took out a pair of chopsticks that she had prepared in advance, picked up a serving of the stir-fried fern and put it on a leaf, handing it over to the woman. “Here you go.”
The woman held the leaf and tasted the fern. Originally, she was prepared to sample an astringent bite, yet found that the taste was both fresh and smooth. “Oh my, this is really delicious! I’ve never had such tasty fern before.. How much is it per jin?”