"Osmanthus cake, osmanthus cake..."
"Freshly steamed pastries, rotten meat noodles..."
The bustling crowd and continuous shouting filled the air, the street's eateries' aromas mingling with the humidity, making passersby salivate.
As one of Jiangnan's foremost cities, Yingshui City was already well-off; with the locust plague resolved earlier this year and the renowned True Man Zhang in residence, it appeared even more prosperous.
Inside a cinnamon roast duck shop at the street corner, a black-faced man was eating heartily, alternating between a pastry and duck blood vermicelli soup, while the table beside him was filled with plates and duck bones.
The shop's customers stared at him, their eyes filled with fear, some with trembling legs slowly edging towards the exit.
The man looked up, frowned, then laughed heartily,
"Don't be afraid, shopkeeper, I just have a big appetite, I'm not a demon..."
The shopkeeper swallowed and carefully pointed under the table.
