By Baiyun Reservoir, Huo Sining had just removed the wild clams from the snakeskin bag and was hastily heading to the county town.
At the entrance of the village, there was a bus to the county town. Huo Sining was lucky—she had just reached the entrance when she saw a bus coming.
She deftly climbed onto the bus, the driver glanced at the burlap bag she carried on her back but didn't pay much attention.
From Baiyun Town to the county town, it was only a half-hour drive, and a few dozen meters from the town was a large market.
The place was crowded with vendors from the countryside coming to the city to trade, so Huo Sining's arrival did not stand out.
Arriving at the market, she found a corner and laid out the clams one by one on the ground.
The clams, previously frightened and withdrawn into their shells, now sensed the crisis was over and began to stretch out again.
Huo Sining had never sold anything before, and she was shy, not daring to shout like the other vendors.
Moreover, since she was hiding in a corner, there were very few buyers who came to look at her clams.
Finally, a woman came by, saw the large size of the clams, and couldn't help but be suspicious, muttering to herself:
Such big clams, they must not be wild. They are probably farmed, might even be hormone-treated. She quickly walked away after a few glances.
If Huo Sining had known what the woman was thinking, she would have cried:
What farmed breeding? Dear lady, these are genuinely authentic wild clams, no fakes at all! I caught them myself in the reservoir!
By ten in the morning, the market started to empty out.
The sun became more scorching, and those who had stalls were better off as they had some shade to sit under.
But the roaming vendors had no choice but to worry about their goods wilting in the sun, and could only carry their loads and head home.
Huo Sining squatted in the market for over two hours, her legs went numb, and not a single customer stopped by.
The clams, deprived of water for a long time and exposed to the sun, would not survive much longer.
Huo Sining felt increasingly dejected; she had not anticipated such a scenario, which was entirely different from what she had imagined.
Aren't wild delicacies in high demand? Why can't she sell even one clam?
This heavily dampened Huo Sining's enthusiasm, and the thought of making money by selling wild delicacies slowly receded.
Just as Huo Sining was about to give up and go home, a lean man in his forties or fifties entered the market.
He walked past her stall, intending to head directly to the fresh and aquatic products section, but his eyes unintentionally glanced and caught sight of what was on Huo Sining's stall.
His eyes lit up involuntarily, he let out a surprised "huh," and his hurried steps came to a sudden halt. He turned and stood in front of Huo Sining.
Startled, Huo Sining looked up just as the man squatted down and picked up a clam.
Huo Sining was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Sir, would you like to buy some clams? My clams are of the highest quality and are absolutely genuine. Why not buy some and try?"
Liu Qingdong weighed the clam in his hand, counted the growth rings along the shell, and the more he looked, the more delighted he became. He couldn't help but raise his head and ask:
"Young lady, how do you sell these clams?"
Huo Sining hurriedly replied, "I'm selling them in their shells, three yuan per pound."
Liu Qingdong was stunned, looked again at the clam in his hand, thinking he had seen incorrectly: "These clams aren't wild?"
Huo Sining laughed, "What are you saying? If they weren't wild, would I dare advertise them as wild seafood? It's one-to-ten if it's fake, this is genuinely authentic wild clams, just caught this morning."
Seeing how seriously Huo Sining spoke, Liu Qingdong suddenly laughed, "Young lady, is this your first time doing business?"
Huo Sining was dumbfounded, not knowing how Liu Qingdong could tell. She felt embarrassed and touched her nose.
Liu Qingdong smiled and said, "I come over here to pick ingredients every day. I'm very familiar with this area. Seeing your unfamiliar face, I knew it was your first time at this market. Besides, there are certain rules to dealing in wild river delicacies, and river clams aren't sold this way. Did you know that?"
Huo Sining paused, then looked to Liu Qingdong, sincerely asking for advice:
"Uncle, what you said is right. I just finished my exams and wanted to make some money, so I thought I'd sell river delicacies. I've been here for a while now but no one has bought anything. I'm new to this and don't know the rules. If you don't mind, could you give me a few tips?"
Liu Qingdong was interested in the batch of goods Huo Sining had and appreciated her earnest attitude. He didn't hold back and took a river clam in his hand, starting to lecture.
"Clams are long-living creatures, rich in calcium. The longer they live, the more nutritious they become, and the meatier they are when chewed—just like how old chickens taste better than young chickens. The deliciousness of river clams is greatly related to their age. Likewise, for clams to grow, they need water. The cleaner the lake water, the fresher and more tender the clam meat will be. Only clean water can nurture quality clams."
Huo Sining nodded earnestly.
Baiyun Mountain is rich in minerals, and the mountain water is sweet and tasty, with several drinking water companies sourcing from here.
The water in Baiyun Reservoir comes from the mountain, so of course, it's clean and clear—no wonder it can nurture such large river clams.
"How do you assess the quality of river clams? First, look at the size of the clams—also their weight, one I'm holding. You can tell just by holding it in your hand."
"This river clam's weight should be around two and a half pounds; then look at its age. The growth lines of a clam, similar to those of a tree, are denser from spring to autumn."
"A clam that has grown several years will have thick, dark concentric rings formed on its shell. To determine the age of a clam, count the number of growth lines."
"For example, this clam is roughly estimated to be over five years old; lastly, choose based on the meat quality. Generally, the more bulging the base of the clamshell when closed, the thicker the meat inside and the higher the cost-performance ratio."
Shocked, Huo Sining never imagined a simple river clam could have so much to discuss. Thinking back to Liu Qingdong's earlier comment about the rules of selling river delicacies, her curiosity peeked:
"You mentioned earlier that river clams aren't sold this way; how should they be sold?"
"They should be sold individually, not by weight," Liu Qingdong explained with a smile.
"Ah?" Huo Sining widened her eyes in surprise.
Liu Qingdong continued, "Ordinary river clams are only about the size of a palm, and it's fine to sell those young clams by weight. But your clams are extraordinary. Selling them by weight is truly a waste. It's fortunate that no one recognized their value this morning; otherwise, selling this premium delicacy for three yuan per pound would have been a huge loss for you!"
Huo Sining was both amused and frustrated by Liu Qingdong's words.
Even being sold individually, she had been at the stall for several hours with no one even bargaining. Not a single clam had been sold.
Seeing Huo Sining's conflicted expression, which likely revealed her thoughts, Liu Qingdong felt a mix of disappointment and ridicule.
"Why can't you see the obvious? This high-quality clam is something you find once in a lifetime in a grocery store. Bringing it to sell at a food market, how can you expect it to sell?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Sining's eyes lit up.
Right, why hadn't she thought of that? If it couldn't sell at the market, she could take it to a grocery store, where high-quality goods are in demand. Her wild river clams were of such excellent quality, they were sure to be sought after.
No sooner thought than done, Huo Sining bowed deeply to Liu Qingdong. Having gained valuable advice, she couldn't just take advantage without giving something back. Generously, she said, "Uncle, thank you for the advice. Please, have these river clams as a taste of my gratitude!"
With that, she picked up the snakeskin bag and began to pack the river clams.
Since they weren't selling, she saw no point in staying there in the sun any longer; it was better to try her luck at a grocery store.
"Hey, wait, what are you doing?"
Seeing Huo Sining pack up all the clams into the snakeskin bag, Liu Qingdong immediately got anxious and grabbed her arm to stop her.
Huo Sining looked puzzled and said, "I'm packing up the clams to sell them to a grocery store."
"Just when I said you were being obtuse—what's the rush? I haven't even finished talking," Liu Qingdong said, both annoyed and amused. "Why do you think I spent so much time giving you all that information? Do you think I'm running a charity? I'll take all these clams."