Heavenly Blessed Baby: Fleeing Famine, Busy to Prosper!-Chapter 187: Manbao Likes Lady

Fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Big market in Concord City.

As soon as the sky started to lighten, the city gates were opened, and villagers nearby hurried in carrying shoulder poles or wearing back baskets.

Some were pushing carts, with people sitting on them or loaded with various items.

A crowd was gathered in front of the city gates, all queuing to enter the city to buy or sell goods.

Inside the city, in an alley off the main street, a horse-drawn carriage weaved its way through.

The cart was laden with goods, and several people were either carrying or holding items, chatting and laughing while heading towards the main street.

"Let’s set up by the alley side so as not to block others’ way."

Qi Quanjin directed the family to get busy while reminding everyone of things to watch out for.

Alongside the wall, there were various items neatly laid out.

Near the street entrance was an iron pot, with the stove below it hastily constructed from stones and tiles.

The stove was already lit, and the iron pot was being heated.

As Qi Dafu poured a bucket of fish soup in, it sizzled instantly.

A short distance from the stove, there were four square tables placed.

These were originally used in the living room for guests, not very big but tall enough.

Two tables were put together with some space in between, on top of which was placed a noodle board.

The noodle board was covered with a fine white cloth, and on the cotton cloth, near the stove, were two wooden basins.

The basins were covered with large bowls, hiding their contents from view.

On the other side were about a dozen big bowls overturned, with a bamboo tube next to them holding a bunch of chopsticks.

Below the noodle board were two braziers burning charcoal, with blue smoke visibly drifting out.

Further inside were two rectangular tables.

These were brought out from two study rooms.

They were uniformly placed against the wall, with a few chairs arranged on the remaining three sides.

On the chairs were furry mats, stitched at the four corners and tied underneath to secure them.

This way, it provided warmth and prevented the mats from getting stolen.

Apart from the odds and ends, the craftsmanship of the tables and chairs indicated they were of good quality.

Once everything was ready, Mrs. Qi led a few of the younger ones from the house outside.

Qi Liulang, seven, and older brother Wulang, nine, were starting to feel shy.

So Yi Meng arranged for Qi Qilang to lead Qilang, Balang, and Jiulang to stand at the street entrance and cheerfully shout, "Fish ball noodles, hot fish ball noodles! Delicious dumplings!"

The four children were young and didn’t have any sense of embarrassment, and with the promise of delicious treats from Yi Meng, the family chef, they shouted with great enthusiasm.

Mrs. Qi held Qi Shilang in one hand and Qi Manman in the other.

The two little ones, seeing their brothers shouting like that, widened their eyes, eager to join in.

"Mom, let Shilang and Manbao shout along too!"

Seeing the little ones bouncing in excitement, Yi Meng suggested with a smile.

Mrs. Qi watched the four boys jumping and shouting like little monkeys and felt too embarrassed to even look.

"No, no, let Xiao Shi go, but Manbao is a delicate little girl, she can’t be like them."

Mrs. Qi said, releasing Qi Shilang’s hand and bending down to pick up Qi Manman.

But Qi Manman shook her head like a rattle drum, "Grandma, don’t pick me up, Manbao wants to shout too!"

"Oh dear, your little face will get chapped from the cold wind, that can’t happen."

Mrs. Qi absolutely refused to let her precious granddaughter act like one of the noisy monkeys.

Qi Manman was anxious and could only look to her mother for help, "Mom, Manbao wants to shout too..."

"Mom, let Manbao join in for a little while!"

Yi Meng said as she reached out her hand, and Qi Manman quickly put her hand in hers, letting her mother lead her.

Mrs. Qi wanted to say more but was persuaded by Qi Zheng, "It’s okay, the kids feel cooped up at home all day, let them shout if they want. They’re just children, no one laughs at them."

"But..."

Mrs. Qi was still concerned.

This time, it wasn’t her turn to stop them, as Qi Manman was already joining in with a sweet, childish voice with her brothers.

Their shouts, with a delightful rhythm, truly drew attention.

"Oh my, these children are adorable!"

A passing woman saw the five children and immediately laughed, "Have you had the noodles and dumplings? Are they truly delicious?"

"Delicious, delicious!"

The boys chirped in unison.

Not to be outdone, Qi Manman also shouted, "Madam, it’s really delicious! If you don’t think so, you don’t have to pay!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Qi’s face turned green.

What a little ancestor! If someone truly claimed it wasn’t good and didn’t pay, what then?

Yi Meng, however, wasn’t worried and cheerfully greeted, "Madam, it’s cold, come over and have a sip of hot soup!"

"I still need to buy stuff, so I won’t..."

The woman clearly didn’t want to eat, but felt her coat being tugged. She looked down and saw a chubby little girl grabbing her hem, looking up with wide, watery eyes.

"Madam, try it! It’s really tasty! Manbao never lies!"

Qi Manman blinked her big eyes, speaking with utmost sincerity.

This made the woman laugh again, and she lightly tapped Qi Manman on the forehead, "You cheeky girl, how can you pull people in while doing business?"

"Manbao likes Madam, Madam is pretty!"

Even after being tapped on the forehead, Qi Manman wasn’t mad. She kept saying sweet words effortlessly.

Mrs. Qi stood dumbfounded nearby.

Her granddaughter’s ability to charm seemed... to have improved even more!

The woman, who liked children, was even more delighted after hearing Qi Manman’s words, so she asked with a smile, "Alright, let me have a taste. But how much is a bowl of your fish ball noodles?"

"Twelve coins a bowl!"

Qi Manman responded crisply, "With four big fish balls inside, they’re really fragrant!"

Saying this, the little girl used both hands to show the size of the fish balls.

Even though the fish balls weren’t actually that big, the hands of a child made them seem quite large.

"Hahaha, alright! Just because of how big you say the fish balls are, I’ll try them!"

The woman laughed heartily.

Especially when she saw the little girl reaching out as if to hold her hand, she laughed even more jovially.

"Madam, Manbao will take you to sit down!"

Qi Manman grabbed one of the woman’s extended fingers and led her towards the table closest to the noodle board.

Under the table was also a brazier, albeit smaller than the ones under the noodle board.

Sitting on the chair was cozy, with warmth at her feet, making the arrangement quite praiseworthy.