I asked you to dig wild vegetables to pay off your debt, not go up the mountain to pick up money!

At the market at the entrance of the town, each stall costs eight copper coins and one can sell things here all day long.

But today, the place was overcrowded and the villagers who had arrived earlier were unable to get a seat and were now sitting under the trees with sad faces, enjoying the cool air.

Many families also brought a basket of duck eggs. Banyue Village is next to a big river, and every household raises ducks. Recently is a good time for ducks to lay eggs.

Song Dashan and Song Nian were also among them. When they saw Song An Ning coming, they hurried to help carry the bamboo shoots to a cool place.

"Grandpa, why are you here so early?"

"I thought I'd come early to grab a spot. If you guys come later, there'll be places selling bamboo shoots. But the people from Liujia Village come even earlier, before daybreak. Sigh..."

Even so, not many people bought the bamboo shoots from Liujia Village. They paid the stall fee in vain, and it took them a long time to sell two bamboo shoots. At the end of the day, they didn't even earn enough to cover the cost of the ox cart and the stall fee.

Many people went to the market and told everyone about the current situation. After hearing this, some men thought of selling their goods in front of the doors of wealthy families.

But that also has risks. Some servants and boys take advantage of the power of others and not only will they not be able to sell the goods, but they will also be scolded or even beaten for no reason.

"What about the restaurant? There are so many restaurants in this town, who wants one?"

Song Anning remembered that two years ago, Song Feng sold his own bamboo shoots to restaurants, but the price was slightly lower.

"Alas, Ning girl, you don't know, there are too many bamboo shoots this year. Every restaurant has them and the prices are low."

"I went to the restaurant early this morning to ask, but they flatly refused and directly blocked the route."

"Yes, I don't ask for a good price. Even if it's only one cent per pound, selling ten pounds is good."

After hearing what everyone said, Song Anning felt a little uncomfortable. Low grain prices hurt farmers.

For the lower-class people, it seems that their hard work brings little reward, and it is already difficult to have enough food to eat.

Song Dashan also had an anxious look on his face. There was not much money left at home, and the bamboo shoots could not be sold. How could Song Xing raise enough money to pay his tuition?

"What about duck eggs? They're not selling well either?"

Everyone sighed again.

"Chicken eggs are two cents each, duck eggs are one cent each. This morning, those people from Liujia Village and Wangjia Village actually reduced the price of duck eggs to two for one cent."

"If it's this price, I might as well take it home and eat it as a tonic for my child."

"My family has saved up a lot, but it's been a while, and if I can't sell it, it'll go bad."

"Aning is really smart. She ate all the ducks, so she doesn't have to worry about not being able to sell the eggs. Hahaha..."

"..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, Song Dashan quickly joked with Song An Ning to ease the mood, and the people around him also laughed.

"Xiangxiang, please buy me a bottle of chili oil in a small bamboo tube.

Buy some more hot peppers and four preserved eggs."

There are no chili peppers in the Nanyue Dynasty, so many restaurants use Cornus officinalis to increase the spiciness. Cornus officinalis is not easy to grow, and most of it is wild. The fruit is bitter and astringent before it is ripe, and only has a slight spicy taste after it is ripe. It is also extremely expensive.

If she could cooperate with the restaurant, she would call on the whole village to grow some peppers, and the people of Banyue Village would have a better life.

"Xiangxiang has bought it for the master and put it in the backpack."

"Your master, I am going to get rich."

There was a hint of excitement in Song An Ning's voice. With the system in hand, she would be a fool not to use it.

"Grandpa, I want to go to the restaurant."

Song Dashan knew his granddaughter's temper. She was a stubborn ass who would not give up until she had experienced something.

So he agreed.

"Second brother, please accompany Aning. She's just a little girl, and I'm worried about her."

Song Daguang, who had given Song Zeyuan two fish before, also patted his chest and said, "I'll go too. I can't let the little girl get bullied."

Song An Ning smiled gratefully, picked up the duck eggs from her grandfather's house, and Song Nian also carried a basket of bamboo shoots, and the three of them entered the city.

"Uncle, do you think Ning can sell the bamboo shoots?"

"If we, grown men, can't do it, let alone a little girl, we can't sell it."

"Yeah, if Aning sells the bamboo shoots, where will we put our old faces..."

"not sure……"

Song Dashan looked at his granddaughter's receding back and shook his head. He always felt that little Aning was different from before, not in terms of personality, but she was a completely different person.

Maybe, the changed granddaughter can really give him a surprise.

"Uncle, let's go east. Which is the largest restaurant in town?"

Song Anning remembered that the east of the city was where the rich gathered, and the best restaurants in town were all there.

"Qingfeng Restaurant, Zuixianju, and Qianweilou. These three are equally good. I heard that Zuixianju also has shops in the prefectural capital and other towns, and has a rich heritage.

Qianweilou is newly opened, also backed by a large tree, and is part of the same family as Wanhetang. Qingfeng Restaurant is privately owned by our county magistrate, and the food is average, so most people go there to show off to the county magistrate.

Song Nian's analysis was very logical. He had never been to these three restaurants, but he had heard people talk about them when he worked in the town before.

"Wanhetang! Wanhetang again!"

Wanhetang is quite powerful. It first monopolized medicine, then seasonings, and now it has entered the catering industry. It dares to snatch business from the county magistrate, which is something an ordinary businessman cannot do.

Zuixianju is able to open restaurants all over Tongchuan Prefecture, and its strength should not be underestimated.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the three of them stood on the most prosperous street in Ping'an Town. There were shops lining both sides of the street, including teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, workshops... There were also many vendors setting up stalls in the open space, shouting loudly.

The three people's clothing was out of place in this bustling scene. The vendors setting up stalls were dressed better than them.

"Aning, let's go to the restaurants in the west of the city and ask. This place is not suitable for us."

Song Nian looked up at the Qingfeng Restaurant. It was indeed the property of the county magistrate. He couldn't afford the plaque at the door even in his entire life.

"Second Uncle, Uncle Daguang, since you're here, just ask first."

The common people of this era have an instinctive fear of officials, and they are afraid just by mentioning them.

It was not dinner time, and there were not many people dining in the first-floor hall. When they saw Song An Ning and the other two, their eyes were fixed on them.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was also taken aback. Did these three people go to the wrong place? He felt a little annoyed. How dare these poor bastards enter this place?

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat. What would you like to eat?"

No matter how dissatisfied he was in his heart, he didn't dare show it. His master always maintained an image of diligence and love for the people, and Qingfeng Restaurant couldn't kick him out.

"I have a business to discuss with the shopkeeper."

"..."

The shopkeeper couldn't maintain the smile on his face, but he still grinned and responded:

"What do you want to talk to me about, little girl?"

He saw it: a basket of duck eggs and a basket of bamboo shoots. What business could they be talking about?

I clearly want him to accept the bamboo shoots, but these three people are so poor, what is there to talk about?

"These are the bamboo shoots I dug yesterday..."

"No! I don't need it."

"No, I have..."

"No, I don't need that, hehe..."

"..."

Song An Ning was speechless for a while and was not allowed to finish her words. Although the shopkeeper had a smile on his face, he looked like he was going to chase her away. There was no point in talking to him.

If I can't stay here, I'll find another place to stay! Humph!

Let’s go! Next one!