Chapter 580: Chapter 12: Miyun Crabs? Sweet Ones_2
Now is the crab-eating season, and even ordinary families like to buy a few to dip in minced ginger and garlic to accompany their drinks and enjoy the freshness.
The market is very dynamic, and there’s no worry that people will notice these Yangcheng Lake crabs being sold under the guise of Mi Yun Hairy Crabs.
"I dare not claim to be an expert, but I’m definitely a food lover. My niece and her friend, along with everyone at home, love to eat hairy crabs. How about this, please pick out a dozen fresh ones for me, I plan to steam them for lunch today," Zhuo Feng inquired about the price. Such good crabs, and the price wasn’t too high, being sold individually at just 15 yuan each.
"Alright," Uncle Lu was happy to have his first big buyer of the day, cheerfully selected a few crabs, and packaged them for Zhuo Feng.
"If they taste good, I’ll come back to buy more," Zhuo Feng said with a beaming smile.
"If you really like them, feel free to come back anytime. We have a plentiful supply of crabs in the pond, enough to last until mid-October." The market could sell out a hundred and eighty pounds a day. With Uncle Lu and Yezi taking turns selling, they could last for more than a month even by rotating around several markets, although it was exhausting for that kid, Yezi.
After sending Zhuo Feng off, Uncle Lu felt emboldened. After calling out a few times, he attracted a few more customers. By the time Yezi rushed over from another market to join him, there were only seven or eight crabs left in Uncle Lu’s crate.
"Uncle, how’s it going on your end?" Yezi’s face was filled with joy; evidently, the sales of hairy crabs on his side had been even better than Uncle Lu’s. Yezi was tall and had a thick skin, unafraid to shout loud. Although he had never sold anything before, when he used to go out as a porter with Yezi’s father who was a silver craftsman, he learned how to call out.
Selling hairy crabs with their chants was like Miao Family people singing in antiphony, the pitch rising and falling, reaching the ears of everyone in the market.
A hairy crab for fifteen yuan wasn’t necessarily cheap, but the young crab seller was careful and called out "auntie, granny, uncle, brother" very smoothly.
He also prepared quite a lot of separately packaged dried chrysanthemum, claiming they were natural wild chrysanthemums picked from the Miyun Mountain area, which could be used after eating crabs to moisten the throat and remove the chill, and washing hands with them could remove any fishy smell.
Seeing such a charming and thoughtful seller, those patrons who clenched their wallets tight couldn’t help but loosen their grip, and everyone bought a few crabs, which quickly sold out.
"It’s not bad, there’s not much left, we can take them back. We’ve been raising these hairy crabs for half a year and I haven’t even let you taste them yet. Tonight, Uncle Lu will go back and steam a few for you to enjoy with authentic Red Star Erguotou, nice and hot," Uncle Lu packed up his scale and Yezi helped with the boxes. He smiled broadly, but his heart was preoccupied with thoughts, concealed only so as not to worry Uncle Lu.
In reality, Yezi had finished selling early in the day - by nine in the morning, all the crabs were sold.
Leaving the market, Yezi found a public phone booth and made two calls to Guizhou. One to Dongnan Miao Village, which, thanks to a kind person donating fiber optic cable, got a phone line just like Ge Village.
Last month he had written a letter back and finally got the phone number.
Mama had given birth to a daughter; he had become a brother.
When father heard his voice on the phone, the usually stern father’s voice carried a trace of choking. Guilt washed over Yezi, and it took quite an effort for him to hang up the phone. Father didn’t scold him, only asked him to find time to come home soon. The more he said so, the more distressed Yezi felt.
The second call was to Mr. Zhu. It turned out that Mr. Zhu cursed him out quite a bit on the phone.
Hearing him asking after Xiao Xian’s school, Zhu Shijun hesitated for a moment and then asked on the other end of the line: "Yezi, what are your intentions towards Xiao Xian?"
Yezi and Xiao Xian had gotten along well when they were little, and Mr. Zhu only thought of it as childhood friendship.
But since Yezi went to Beijing for Xiao Xian, the friendship turned into affection. Both children had grown up, and Mr. Zhu had watched Yezi grow up - a sincere and earnest boy. It’s just that Xiao Xian has been away for over two years. What does she feel toward Yezi? No one could be certain.
"Mr. Zhu, I... haven’t gotten to that stage yet, I just want to see her," Yezi scratched his head. Love or not, he wasn’t so clear on that. He just knew that thinking of Xiao Xian made his heart feel sweet, enough to put aside the hardships of raising crabs and the bitterness of leaving his hometown.
"Silly boy, I thought you were quite clever when you were little, how come you’re so clumsy now. Xiao Xian’s school is called Sacred Heart Middle School, located in Beijing’s Chaoyang District," Mr. Zhu chuckled, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
Chaoyang District? Sacred Heart Middle School? Today is Wednesday, Xiao Xian must be at school.
Armed with this information, Yezi hurried to Sacred Heart Middle School and inquired about Xiao Xian.
The security guard at Sacred Heart Middle School was kind-hearted enough not to drive him away at random, but only told Yezi that there was indeed a female student named Zhu Xiaoxian at the school, but she had transferred out more than half a month ago.
As to where she had transferred, no one knew. Yezi felt a chill in his heart. He slapped his forehead; why hadn’t he asked Mr. Zhu where Xiao Xian’s aunt lived? But then, if he had asked and directly went to visit, he didn’t know whether Xiao Xian’s aunt would take kindly to it or not.
Yezi, weighed down by these thoughts, packed up his gear for selling hairy crabs and climbed onto the truck. Uncle Lu counted the money in his hands, feeling a warm sensation inside; this year, they would finally be able to provide a good year for his wife and children.
"Yezi, here’s a thousand yuan for you," Uncle Lu handed a stack of money to Yezi.
"Uncle, what is this for? I eat from you, I use your stuff, I can’t take your money," Yezi hurriedly refused.
"It’s not much money. When Uncle Lu sells off all the crabs, I’ll give you the rest. You’ve worked hard this half year. It may not be enough for you to place an ad to find Xiao Xian, but don’t worry, it will be enough after a while," Uncle Lu patted Yezi’s shoulder, his eyes full of gratitude. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian () to vote with your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
[End of translation]