"My looks are ordinary. It would be a big mistake to have any ideas about me."
With a few casual words, this matter was over. Some of her old customers, who had nothing better to do, also ran to her stall.
"Little lady, are you alright?"
"It's fine, it's fine. The news spread really fast."
"That's right. The town isn't that big, and the news spread in the morning. If you don't buy a maid, buy two dogs. Dogs are still the best at guarding a house."
"Which family has a dog? If it's more vicious, I'll buy two after it gives birth?"
"Wait for me to ask around and call you when I have something."
"Alright, I'll thank you first."
Qiao Mai placed the products she was selling on the table. There were quite several people around her stall. They had all heard the news and came to care about her. Qiao Mai quickly placed the cooked quail eggs on the table.
"Come, come. Thank you for your concern today. I'll treat everyone to quail eggs for free."
"Ah, you have a new product?"
"Yeah. I won't be selling watermelons and ice cubes in September. I've made some new food for everyone to support."
"Don't worry. As long as it's delicious, there will be many repeat customers."
Qiao Mai grabbed a few quail eggs for everyone present. "Just like eating chicken eggs, peel off this layer of skin, and you can eat it."
Everyone tasted it and nodded. "Why does your quail egg still have a salty and fragrant taste?"
"This is called the Spiced Quail Egg. Not only is this egg delicious, but it also has medicinal value. Children eat it to strengthen their brains, and the elderly eat it to relieve their swelling."
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, you can take the egg and ask a doctor."
Someone really did take the egg to a doctor. When they asked, it was indeed the case. When they came back with the results, the surrounding people immediately exploded.
With such great benefits, they had to buy some for the elderly and children at home.
"How much?"
"One coin for one egg."
"Give me twenty."
"Me too. I want fifty."
After a while, half of the pot of quail eggs was left. The people who bought the eggs had not left.
Some asked for a watermelon, some asked for a few pieces of ice, and some asked for strawberries and melons. She hadn't been working for a few days, so everyone was holding back their energy and wanted a good meal.
Qiao Mai had been busy the whole morning and had yet to eat. When there were no customers, she sat down to rest and casually picked up a melon.
At this moment, Yuan Jiaqi came to the stall with the child in his arms. "Greetings, young lady."
Qiao Mai saw him and was about to get up when he hurriedly stopped her.
"You've been busy all morning. Please sit and talk."
"Is the child better?"
Even though he said that, Qiao Mai still stood up.
"Much better. The fruit is delicious. My kid could not eat, so he ate a lot of fruit. The sweet corn is also delicious."
"Where's the child's mother?"
"She passed away while giving birth!"
"Um, can he eat eggs?"
"The fever has subsided. It should be fine now, right?"
Qiao Mai took a quail egg from the basin, peeled it, and brought it to the little boy's mouth.
"Try it. It's delicious."
The little boy looked at Yuan Jiaqi. "Can I eat it, Daddy?"
"If you want to!"
The little boy opened his mouth and ate the quail egg. "Thank you, Auntie!"
"Auntie doesn't have anything else here except for a bunch of delicious food. If you like to eat, come and find Auntie."
Yuan Jiaqi was a little embarrassed. "My child had a fever last night. I didn't go to your house when things happened. I'm really sorry."
"The child is more important. There are so many people here. Is this why you're here?"
"Yes."
"You are too particular about the rules. Did you study before?"
"I studied for a few years, but not anymore."
"No wonder you speak politely. It's not easy for a man like you to take care of a child. If there's anything in the future, leave the child at my house. I'll be at the stall during the day and at night unless I go to the prefecture to purchase goods."
"Thank you so much!"
The little boy enjoyed the quail eggs. Qiao Mai could tell he liked them and immediately wrapped a dozen in oil paper for him.
"Take it. I don't want your money. If it's delicious, eat a few more. These eggs can't stay overnight."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Yuan Jiaqi nodded at her. "Thank you. We're going home now."
"Go, go, let him drink more water."
After the father and son left, Qiao Mai sat down, washed her hands, and took out the embroidery work.
After a few stitches, Lu Sanniang came over.
"The eggs and corn you asked Ruxin to bring back yesterday were delicious. Why didn't you sell corn today?"
"I just brought it back for everyone to taste first. It will be served in a few days."
"I think you should stock up tomorrow. It's very delicious. Anyway, you might as well earn more money."
"I think you're greedy for money."
"It's all your fault. Your stall is even more profitable than my embroidery shop. I'll catch a few of those animals from your house later and try raising them at home."
"That's called a quail. Remember to raise it in the house. Quails like warmth and can't stand the cold."
"I'll do whatever you do. Besides eating the eggs they lay at home, it's also good to give some to friends and build relationships."
"They are easy to raise, provided there's water and food. You don't have to care about them for a few days. You only need to pick the eggs."
"Yes, yes!"
As she talked, a carriage stopped in front of her stall. Qiao Mai thought it was a customer, but when the window lifted, two children smiled at her.
"So you really set up a stall here, sister."
Qiao Mai's face turned dark. Seeing this pair of siblings gave her a headache. Shopkeeper Lu was a friendly person and immediately asked when she saw them.
"Miss, are you here to look for my sister?"
"Yeah, let's talk about it when I come down."
The coachman led the carriage to a space, and two girls and a boy got out.
They came to the stall. Shopkeeper Lu called the servant girl in her shop and brought three chairs over.
"Sit, sit."
Qiao Mai looked at them without a smile and even frowned tightly.
"How did you find me here?"
"There's nothing much to do today, and the weather is good. I brought my brother here to try my luck."
"I can't give you the fruits even if you came here. If you want to those, you have to go south."
"I think these are fine too. Take these berries as an example. The ones in the prefecture are not as good as yours. And these melons are not as sweet as yours."
As they asked, the siblings stared at the quail egg and swallowed their saliva.
"This is an egg, a quail egg. It's an egg laid by a type of poultry called quail."
"Can I try one?"
Qiao Mai looked at the pair of gluttons and helplessly took a few and placed them in their hands.
"Eat it. Remember to peel first."
Shopkeeper Lu looked at the interaction between Qiao Mai and this pair of siblings and was curious. Why was she unhappy when customers came to support her?
After finishing the quail eggs, the girl pointed to the pot.
"I want all of these."
"The weather is hot. You have to finish it before night. Otherwise, you'll have a stomachache."
"It's fine. Don't you have ice here? Wouldn't it be fine to put a few pieces in? Besides, we would probably finish it before reaching the prefecture."
Qiao Mai pursed her lips, realizing that indeed, how could one restrain themselves from enjoying something delicious?
"Anything else?"
"Yes. I found that your watermelon is also better than others. Not only is the skin thin, but it's also sweet. My brother loves your watermelon."
Qiao Mai asked Shopkeeper Lu to look after the stall for her and went to the grocery store to buy a few baskets.
She put ten watermelons in the basket. It was easy to calculate in round numbers, and the siblings were not short of money. The more, the better.
She packed up sixty honeydews and twenty boxes of strawberries. She did not count the quail eggs and treated them as a bonus gift.
Qiao Mai packed the baskets while Wang Jiaru sat at the side and chatted with Shopkeeper Lu.
This girl was really talkative. Not only did she blabber about how she knew Qiao Mai, but she also told them her name, address, and how her brother had been injured when he was young.