Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 439: Chapter 271: River Shrimp

Before going to sleep, Xiaomi specifically went into her space to take a look, memorizing the proportions of various spices, and only then did she sleep peacefully.

Maybe because she kept thinking about the spicy hot pot, Xiaomi woke up just as dawn broke the next day, coincidentally hearing Chef Yang and Uncle Wang talking outside.

She got up with a kick, startling Xiaoxue on the opposite side.

”What’s wrong, Xiaomi?” Xiaoxue rubbed her eyes and sat up, still somewhat drowsy.

”I’m going with Uncle Wang to buy groceries. Second sister, you get up and latch the door.”

With just these two sentences, Xiaomi was already dressed, her hair hastily tidied up with her hands and pinned up with a hairpin, very simple.

Before Jiang Xiaoxue could react, Xiaomi was already out the door.

”Uncle Wang, Uncle Yang, are you going to buy groceries?”

As she closed the door, her voice carried out.

”Xiaomi girl?” Wang Fu was also startled: ”You aren’t sleeping? Why are you up so early?”

Both Wang Fu, Chef Yang, and the two assistants came together from Cheng County and initially lived in the backyard. But with the addition of the Jiang family of eight, the two assistants went to lay bedding on the second floor of the restaurant.

Wang Fu and Chef Yang still lived in the yard, sharing a room.

After all, aside from these living quarters, the backyard also included the kitchen, storage, woodshed, utility room, and a few small rooms.

Anyway, it’s just for this month. It’s really hard to find an empty house in Fuzhou during this time, and it’s easy to end up with bad neighbors.

”I want to take a look at the market.”

As soon as Xiaomi finished speaking, there was a sound of the door opening behind her: ”I’m coming too.”

It was Wei Ziang, likely afraid of getting up too late and missing out, his hair not yet tied, draped over his back.

Xiaomi blinked: ”Brother, you look really good like this.”

With dark hair, fair skin, double eyelids, big eyes, and a gracefully high nose bridge. Because of his young age, his lips had a slightly pouty look.

Usually, it wasn’t noticeable because Wei Ziang always paid attention to etiquette, his hair meticulously tied back. Even though he didn’t keep a cold face, he seldom smiled, giving off a cool and aloof vibe.

But at this moment, with his hair rarely let down, his face bore a trace of morning laziness, he looked completely different from usual, more like a sleepy eight-year-old child.

Wei Ziang’s face suddenly turned red, especially since his skin was so fair, it was very noticeable, and he appeared a bit flustered.

Wang Fu, obviously not noticing, nodded along: ”Indeed different from usual. Let’s do a quick wash up; we’re leaving soon.”

Wei Ziang regained his composure, quickly tied up his hair again, washed his face, and by then his complexion had returned to normal.

The market they were heading to wasn’t far, in the west market. There were a lot of varieties, and the prices were cheap. After all, in this area, no one would buy if the prices were high.

”The vendors in the city also have their designated areas. The vendors in the west market aren’t allowed to go to the east or north markets.”

Leading the way was Wang Fu, with Wei Ziang pulling Xiaomi behind him, followed by Chef Yang carrying a bamboo basket.

Wang Fu introduced them while leading around a corner, directly through a small alley, and soon a bustling and lively sound came through.

”Wow, so many people.” It was just dawn, yet the market was already bustling with people.

The roadside was mostly filled with various summer vegetables, some spread directly on a sheet of oilcloth, others placed in bamboo sieves inside bamboo baskets, with vegetables on top, and even vendors selling fish and eels.

”Huh? What’s this?” Xiaomi quickened her pace; she saw something good!

”These are river shrimps. Xiaomi girl probably hasn’t tried them before. There’s none in Cheng County.”

Wang Fu explained briefly to the stall owner behind him, ”Give me two jin.”

The stall owner, a middle-aged man in his forties, beamed immediately upon hearing the words: ”Sure, please wait a moment.”

He took a bamboo basket, hung it on the scale, weighed the basket first, then scooped from the large barrel, which wasn’t enough, so he used a bamboo ladle to add more.

The weighed river shrimps were wrapped directly in oilcloth and tied with grass ropes: ”Just put them in water when you get home; they’ll stay fresh for half an hour.”

Wang Fu nodded, took them and placed them in Chef Yang’s basket. He also asked the owner to reserve a big grass carp, paid half the money, and said they’d come back to pick it up after they were done shopping.

”Only four copper coins for two jin of river shrimp?” Xiaomi was so shocked her jaw almost dropped.

Why so cheap?

Unbelievable!

After all, river shrimp is still shrimp!

Wang Fu chuckled: ”These taste pretty good, sautéed with wine, but since there are lots in the river and only locals eat them, they are very cheap.”

Xiaomi rubbed her cheeks: ”These are something really good.”

The wealthy folks actually don’t appreciate them!

Wang Fu was surprised: ”Xiaomi girl, you know about these?”

There aren’t any in Cheng County or Fu’an Village, but they are quite plentiful here in Fuzhou. Wherever there’s water, you might find river shrimp, including canals, rice paddies, rivers, and streams.

Though river shrimps look a bit scary, they taste pretty good when cooked, and there’s meat inside.

Common folks who can’t afford meat often catch river shrimp to eat, at least it’s free. City dwellers can’t just casually leave the city, so they have to buy them, though they are indeed cheap.

Two copper coins per jin is entirely equivalent to a running cost since even setting a trap requires some effort.

Xiaomi paused in her cheek-rubbing motion, oh no, she let it slip.

She quickly searched her mind for a remedial plan to cover it up.

The next moment, Wei Ziang spoke up: ”River shrimp can replenish the kidneys and enhance virility, nourish yin, and extinguish wind. I’ve seen it in some mountain and wilderness tales, just didn’t know river shrimp looked like this.”

Xiaomi nodded repeatedly, exactly, exactly, good stuff!

Wang Fu was even more surprised: ”Young master Wei, you’re truly knowledgeable, actually knowing this.”

He had eaten it several times in Fuzhou but had never heard of this before.

But after pondering, Wang Fu was insightful: ”Speaking of which, every time I’ve had river shrimp here before, I did feel less tired afterward, and the next day I’d be quite energetic.”

Although not that old, this period in Fuzhou was indeed exhausting, physically and mentally draining. Sometimes when he was utterly worn out, having some river shrimp would make him feel good the next day.

Enhance virility?

Does it really have such an effect?

He was still pondering when the stall owner’s exaggerated shout caught the nearby throngs’ attention.

”Wow, so river shrimp actually enhances virility and nourishes kidneys! No wonder I eat them every few days, feel so robust, and don’t feel tired when working. Turns out river shrimp are so good!”

The stall owner’s shout left the few people there caught between tears and laughter.

But the words spread quickly, and soon a crowd gathered asking if it was true.

Xiaomi and the others were squeezed out of the crowd. Wang Fu, seeing so many people, shook his head. Sure enough, no one can resist the words ’enhance virility and nourish kidneys.’

”Good thing we bought first. Let’s go, we need to buy other groceries.”

Having bought just two jin of river shrimp, they still had nothing else.