Li Ying wasn't worried at all.
The coconuts were brought with her when she time-traveled, and the seaweed was picked up on the beach. In fact, the only cost was a bit of labor for boiling the seaweed jelly.
Most of the people making a living at the dock were from poor families, and she didn't want to overcharge.
If the coconut milk seaweed jelly could bring a bit of sweetness to their poor lives, Li Ying would consider it a good deed.
She stored the cooked seaweed jelly in a cool place, breastfed Mianmian again, and then it was time to go beachcombing.
Li Ying ruffled the little sick cat's head and grabbed a handful of dried small fish for it. "Mao Mao, stay at home and guard well. I'll give you extra snacks when I come back."
The little sick cat's ears twitched, impatiently indicating that it had heard.
With Mianmian, the little lucky charm, sure enough, she and Granny Sun returned with a full harvest again.
Passing by an unremarkable mudflat, it was densely covered with razor clam holes.
One of them sprinkled salt while the other grabbed the razor clams that popped out. Before long, they had caught another big basket.
Li Ying remembered that during the daytime stall, the stir-fried baby octopus and scallion oil whelk slices were the first to sell out.
Although the stir-fried clams were spicy and appetizing, maybe because people had to spit out the shells themselves and couldn't enjoy them heartily, most laborers thought it was troublesome, so they were not as popular as the shelled small seafood.
She kept this in mind and deliberately picked fewer clams. The remaining basket was mostly filled with whelks and baby octopuses. She also planned to make a slight change to the dishes for the stall today.
After the razor clams had spit out the sand, they were blanched in boiling water, shelled, washed clean, and the black edges were torn off. Even eaten plain, they were very plump, tender, and delicious.
Stir-fry the farmhouse salted sauce with coconut oil, add yellow rice wine and minced garlic. When the aroma of the wok wafted out, pour in the razor clams and simmer until they were flavored. Add oyster sauce and dogwood before taking them out of the wok.
The few seabird eggs were also fried until golden and oily. Stir them briefly with the razor clams, and every piece of meat and egg was coated with the rich sauce. It was the most delicious when eaten with rice.
The scallion oil whelk slices, braised baby octopus, and spicy stir-fried clams remained the same as usual.
Seeing Li Ying sweating profusely from her busy work while she herself couldn't help much, Granny Sun said compassionately, "A Ying, you've made new dishes today. Can you manage? I think the three dishes from yesterday sold quite well. How about we just make those three?"
Li Ying shook her head as she put the dishes into the big buckets.
"If the dishes remain the same, the customers will get bored in a few days."
"Moreover, our ingredients are all picked by ourselves during beachcombing. It's almost a profitable business with no cost. The stir-fried seafood business is booming. It won't be long before someone will surely imitate us. Only by constantly innovating and researching new dishes can we seize the opportunity in the market."
Granny Sun didn't understand what "market" meant, but she vaguely understood Li Ying's intention. A thick cloud of worry immediately shrouded her face.
She was an old woman on the verge of death. She would be content if she could save enough money for her coffin.
But Li Ying was still young and raising a child alone. There would surely be many expenses in the future.
If the stir-fried seafood business stopped making money, what would happen to the two of them!
Seeing Granny Sun's worry, Li Ying smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry. Since I've thought of these things, I definitely won't just sit back and wait for trouble."
Seeing her so confident, Granny Sun finally managed to put her heart at ease and followed her to push the cart to the stall.
Many laborers had already been waiting at the dock early. When they saw the three of them pushing the cart over, they greeted warmly, "Miss, save me a stool. I'll have a bowl!"
Li Ying quickly opened the wooden buckets, and the rich aroma of the dishes immediately filled the entire dock.
"There's a new dish today, stir-fried razor clams with eggs. You can choose two out of the four dishes, and I'll give you a kelp soup for free. It's still three copper coins!"
Someone noticed the trembling jelly in her other wooden bucket and asked curiously, "Miss, what's this?"
Li Ying smiled constantly. "Sir, you really have good eyesight! This is called seaweed jelly. We made it ourselves. There are both sweet and salty flavors. It's perfect for relieving the summer heat!"
Seeing the bowl of jelly in her hand as clear and transparent as if it were the river ice only used by wealthy families.
He was already thirsty from the heat, and his heart immediately started to itch.
"Miss, how much is your seaweed jelly?"
Li Ying smiled and said, "Sir, the salty one is two copper coins, and the sweet one is three. I guarantee you'll feel refreshed after eating it!"
The laborer was in a dilemma.
He didn't like sweet food. A bowl of sour and spicy salty jelly for only two copper coins was indeed not expensive.
But this thing couldn't really fill his stomach. For one more copper coin, he could buy two stir-fried dishes. So he couldn't help but hesitate.
Li Ying wasn't in a hurry. She continued to attract other customers while waiting for him to make a decision.
"If I buy all four dishes, only one bowl of soup, and one bowl of jelly, how much will it cost?"
Suddenly, a voice came from the crowd.
Li Ying looked up and saw that it was actually the young man surnamed Lu whom she had saved in the dilapidated temple.
"Sir, since you've taken such good care of our business, how about I charge you a total of seven copper coins?"
The man looked at her deeply, silently handed over seven copper coins, picked up the bowl, and then found an empty seat and sat down on his own.
The laborers had done physical work for a whole morning. Smelling the aroma of the food, they were already extremely hungry.
Many of them followed suit and simply bought all four dishes, plus a bowl of jelly, and went to the side to enjoy themselves heartily.
Sure enough, as she had guessed, most laborers weren't interested in the sweet soup. They all chose the sour and spicy salty jelly.
Li Ying wasn't in a hurry either. After selling out several dishes, she made herself a bowl of coconut milk seaweed jelly and sipped it slowly.
A few female fishermen who were setting up stalls nearby were envious. After hesitating for a while, they came up timidly and asked, "Sister... Can the two of us share one bowl?"
Li Ying put down the bowl and replied cheerfully, "No problem! Do you want me to put it in separate bowls for you two sisters?"
The two female fishermen had thought they would get a few looks of disdain and some remarks like "If you don't have money, don't even think about drinking sweet soup." But they didn't expect her to be so enthusiastic. They felt even more embarrassed.
The two of them took a careful sip and then opened their eyes in surprise.
What?
This sweet soup was cool and had a fragrance they had never tasted before. And it only cost three copper coins?
And the slippery seaweed jelly inside was bouncy and tender. It would "slurp" down your throat if you weren't careful. The taste was excellent!
"Sister! Give us one bowl each!"
The two of them simultaneously handed their coarse porcelain bowls to Li Ying.
Sure enough, no woman in this world could resist the temptation of desserts.
Li Ying smiled and said, "Sure thing, two sisters. Wait a moment!"
Before long, a group of female fishermen had surrounded her coconut milk seaweed jelly stall. They were chattering away. After finishing their drinks, they weren't in a hurry to leave. Instead, they just sat there chatting about their daily lives. From afar, it was a bustling and lively scene.
Li Ying listened to their chatter with a big smile on her face and wasn't in a hurry to drive them away.
People are naturally curious and tend to follow the crowd. These women gathered here were like walking live advertisements for her.
Sure enough, almost every woman who came to the dock later bought a bowl of sweet soup.
"Are you the miss selling the sweet soup? How many bowls do you have left? I'll buy them all!"
Suddenly, a fat and burly old woman squeezed into the crowd. She sized Li Ying up and down with a pair of shrewd eyes.
Seeing that the big wooden bucket was almost empty, the fat old woman's face immediately turned ugly.