Salted Fish Jelly

Chapter Forty-Seven

"Have you been suffering from insomnia at night and poor mental health? Or dizziness, blurred vision, and memory loss? Or constipation and indigestion? Come check out Heaosen's new product: a multifunctional fiber probiotic drink that solves all of these problems!"

"Stop hesitating. Trust your first instincts. Heaosen is here to meet you today."

"The last time an auntie bought our Heaosen, she'd been suffering from insomnia, unable to sleep through the night. Even sleeping pills prescribed by the hospital hadn't worked," Wang Qiao said, his voice rising and falling as he told the story. Holding the microphone, he looked completely immersed in his memories, the muscles in his face moving along with his tale and making people want to hear more. "Her children were worried too. How could anyone go without sleep?"

He put on a troubled expression, dragging out his words before falling silent for a long while.

The crowd gradually gathered around. Quite a few curious onlookers stretched their necks and waited, but there was no follow-up. Someone finally couldn't hold back and boldly called out, "What happened next, young man? How was she?"

Only then did Wang Qiao continue. "What a coincidence—the doctor told her to go out more, relax, and ease her mind. Hey, don't you think all doctors are like that? Whenever they can't cure something, they just tell you to relax and stop overthinking. But when someone's worried sick, how can they think about anything else?"

Most people had piles of things going on at home. They had work to do themselves, their children were busy, and they still had to help look after the younger generation. With so many things to worry about, how could they possibly relax?

Then they thought about themselves. Weren't they just like the auntie this young man had described? They often couldn't fall asleep until two or three in the morning, then woke again at six and found themselves even less able to sleep.

Sometimes they were exhausted enough to nod off while sitting down, but those times were far too rare.

They couldn't help agreeing. "Exactly! They can't explain what's wrong, yet they still charge you money. Where are we supposed to get that much wasted money?"

"I always suspect the doctors at those big hospitals are trying to scam me too."

"The last time I had a terrible headache and went to the hospital, even injections didn't help. The doctor told me to think less about other things too. How was that supposed to cure anything?"

The aunties chimed in one after another, and the atmosphere quickly came alive. More and more people gathered around—men, women, young, and old. There weren't many forms of entertainment in the countryside. Usually, when a shop opened and hired a troupe to sing and dance, it was already a huge event. Now that someone had speakers and a microphone, people couldn't resist coming over for a look.

It was Li Wenchuan's first time seeing something like this. He had not been in this world for long, and he relied on the excellent qualities he had developed as an emperor: he observed much and learned quickly.

"What are they doing?" It was different from the other street vendors, but it was also unlike Tang Jingran's busking.

After listening for a while, Jiang Hansheng had a rough idea of what this was about. Wang Qiao, seeing the momentum pick up, had started wildly praising his own product again.

"It just so happened that the auntie came shopping that day, and we were holding an event at the mall. She received one of our trial packs, and the moment she used it, the results came! The very next day, she came back and told us it had been a long, long time since she'd slept so well. She bought one of our packages right away!"

The listeners gasped in amazement, finding it almost unbelievably miraculous.

Jiang Hansheng happened to speak while Wang Qiao was talking. "It's sales promotion. Whether the product is actually any good is another matter." They were all brands he had never heard of. It was doubtful whether they even had production licenses.

Wang Qiao's speaker was too loud. Once he started talking, his voice was basically the only one anyone could hear in that area.

Li Wenchuan moved a little closer to Jiang Hansheng. "What did you say?"

After learning that the other man was Jiang Chengyu, he did feel somewhat awkward. He worried that Jiang Chengyu might already have forgotten him, yet his body honestly could not erase its instinct to be close to him.

They had been used to slinging their arms over each other's shoulders, so he instinctively overlooked their current identities.

Jiang Hansheng already had a vague answer in his heart. It was separated from the truth by only a thin layer of paper, and with just a little more, he could lift it away. Seeing Li Wenchuan's curious expression as he leaned closer, Jiang Hansheng instinctively lowered his head and moved close to his ear.

"I said, they're selling products. Most of it's just a money-making scheme."

Warm breath brushed against his ear, teasing him bit by bit, as if a hand were gently stroking it. He heard every word clearly, but once they came together, his mind could not process them for a moment.

"Huh?" Li Wenchuan froze.

"There might be problems with their products."

There it was again, that tingling sensation. Images exploded in his mind: that time on the plane, how warm it had been leaning against him, and the time Jiang Hansheng had been poisoned. He clearly remembered the other man's hand gently rubbing his knee.

Every movement seemed as though someone had pressed a slow-motion button, each frame and every second incomparably clear.

Li Wenchuan raised his head. Suddenly, he wanted to try. "Jiang... Chengyu."

But Wang Qiao's voice suddenly boomed, "Designed especially for middle-aged and elderly people! Developed by foreign experts, with patents and everything!"

As he spoke, Wu Chen brought out a framed certificate with an official stamp. Much of it was in English, impossible to understand, but the uncles and aunties immediately found it impressive and trustworthy.

With that interruption, the thought that had just arisen quietly shrank back as though it had never existed.

"Let's go take a look too." Li Wenchuan removed the plastic bag from Coo Coo's backside, used a tissue to wipe its fluffy butt, and threw the trash into a nearby bin.

Even rural development now emphasized civilized practices. Things were no longer as casual as before, and trash bins had been placed in an orderly fashion, making them very convenient.

The sun was nearly overhead, and the temperature had climbed. Many vendors had put up large parasols, so Li Wenchuan and the others borrowed a patch of shade.

They probably would not make much money, but it would be enough for a day's pocket money. They did not demand too much.

Beside them was an auntie selling jelly. Quite a few people were using her umbrella for shade, but she did not mind. Instead, she enthusiastically called out, "Young man, want some jelly? It's all hand-rubbed at home, much tastier than the instant kind."

The jelly sat in a wooden bucket, which had been placed inside a plastic foam box and surrounded by ice. The auntie lifted the lid for them to see. Inside was also a large chunk of ice wrapped in a bag.

"It stays chilled until it all sells out. A bowl of this in summer feels so good." The auntie warmly encouraged them. Seeing the curiosity in the young man's eyes, she knew he probably had never tried it before.

Li Wenchuan had once had his own private kitchen and had tasted plenty of delicacies. He never lacked ice in summer either, but this jelly was truly something he had never seen before.

"It's all rubbed from jelly fruit. No preservatives or anything," the auntie warmly introduced.

"Want some?"

Li Wenchuan looked up and blinked.

Jiang Hansheng understood. "One bowl."

It was not that he did not want to eat it; he simply could not. His stomach problems had flared up after drinking before, and he still needed to nurse himself back to health. On such a hot day, a light sheen of sweat had formed on the back of his neck, yet he could only fan himself with an advertising flyer someone had handed him earlier.

For two yuan, the plastic bowl held an enormous serving.

"Give him extra syrup. He likes sweet things." Jiang Hansheng still remembered how much Li Wenchuan had enjoyed sweet tofu pudding.

Li Wenchuan carefully accepted the brimming bowl. Even through the plastic, refreshing coolness began spreading through his limbs. The jelly was especially crystal-clear, drizzled with simmered brown sugar syrup like patterns in agate. Simply looking at it was a pleasure.

Li Wenchuan took a bite. Its soft, springy smoothness burst across his mouth, carrying the sweetness of brown sugar and surging against the heat within him with a wave of coolness.

That blissful expression immediately drew the sharp-eyed camera crew's attention, and they zoomed in for a close-up.

How should they put it? Li Wenchuan looked so adorable when he ate, enjoying it so much, just like when he had eaten water chestnuts last time. Back then, they had placed several orders themselves, all delivered to their own homes.

Enjoying delicious food alone was wonderful, but when Li Wenchuan glanced at Jiang Hansheng beside him, he felt a faint trace of reluctance. He held out the bowl. "How about you have a bite too? Just try it. One small bite should be fine."