"Hey! Aunt Zheng, are you heading to the market? What’s Qingmu carrying? Looks mighty heavy. Hop on, I’ll give you a ride," Old Cheng said enthusiastically.
Qingmu was overjoyed and quickly said to Old Cheng, who had stopped, "My mother is going to the market to sell vegetables. I’m not going, just seeing her off."
The dark-faced Old Cheng grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. "That explains it. I was wondering, aren’t you in school? Why would you be going to the market?"
Mrs. Yang was secretly pleased. She climbed onto the cart, and with Qingmu’s help, she heaved the two large baskets onto the ox-cart while chatting with Old Cheng’s wife, Mrs. Huang, who was already on board. Once she was settled, she waved for Qingmu to head back.
Seeing that it had gotten much brighter, Qingmu didn’t head ho but went straight to the schoolhouse to study.
On the ox-cart, Mrs. Huang, having learned that Mrs. Yang was going to sell vegetables, couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Do they sell well?"
Mrs. Yang smiled. "They do alright. Our Juhua’s dishes taste great, and we don’t sell them for much, just enough to earn so spending money. You know, we spent a lot when my husband broke his leg, and we’re still in debt!"
Mrs. Huang certainly knew. It hadn’t been long since the fight between Mrs. Yang and Liu’er’s mother. How could she forget about Zheng Changhe breaking his leg, the resulting debt, and Liu’er’s mother coming to propose a match?
She comforted Mrs. Yang sympathetically, "Take your ti! Don’t be too anxious, you can’t wear yourself out. Do you have to get up this early every day?"
Mrs. Yang said helplessly, "I have to! If I go early, I can sell everything and get back ho to do chores. Juhua can’t manage everything by herself at ho!"
From the front of the cart, Old Cheng chid in, "From now on, just wait for at the village entrance on even-numbered days. I have to go to the market to deliver goods for soone, so I can give you a ride."
Mrs. Yang smiled. "That would be wonderful! That’s exactly what I was hoping for!"
After a mont’s thought, she added, "For and my goods, I must give you two cents for each ride. Otherwise, I’d feel too bad taking it. I might as well walk."
Mrs. Huang waved her hands dismissively, making a fuss. "Goodness! Charging money for a ride? We’re from the sa village! How embarrassing!"
Mrs. Yang spoke to her seriously. "If I just happened to run into Old Cheng once in a while and he gave a lift, I wouldn’t offer money. But now I’m going to the market practically every day. Over ti, how could I not feel indebted? If you ask , you should just announce it in the village: on even-numbered days, you’re going to the market, and anyone who wants a ride pays one cent. That way, people can wait at the village entrance and know what to expect. Otherwise, if a lot of people show up, who will you take and who will you leave behind?"
Mrs. Huang was very hesitant. She said, "But won’t people talk behind our backs?"
Mrs. Yang burst out laughing. "It’s your own cart. You didn’t steal it, and you didn’t rob anyone. Why would that give people a reason to talk behind your back?"
Old Cheng went to Xiatang Market often, and his mind was quicker than his wife’s. He said, "Aunt Zheng is right. If I go to the market on fixed days every month, then I can charge money. It’s not like before when I only went a few tis a month and naturally felt bad about charging."
The prospect of earning money was, of course, a good thing. Mrs. Huang asked with a delighted smile, "So we’ll charge everyone one cent?"
Old Cheng laughed. "Not everyone. We can’t charge children or the elderly. That way, even if the villagers want to gossip, they’ll have nothing to say."
Mrs. Yang nodded repeatedly. "What Brother Cheng says makes perfect sense!"
Since paynt was involved, Old Cheng’s service imdiately beca much more thorough. He took Mrs. Yang all the way to the entrance of her elder brother Yang Defa’s Fuxi Grocery Store and even helped her unload the two bamboo baskets before taking his leave.
Mrs. Yang called out to him again, "Brother Cheng, when you head ho this evening, stop by my brother’s place. I need to buy two large vats today. If you could help take them back, I’ll settle the paynt with you at ho."
Old Cheng quickly replied, "You got it! You go on and get busy. I’ll definitely bring them back for you."
Only then did Mrs. Yang turn around, relieved, to see the young Laixi coming out to greet her with a cheerful smile. "Aunt, how did you get here so early today? I just opened the shop a little while ago."
He had a fair complexion, and his eyes and the corners of his brows crinkled with a constant smile. His features had the softness inherited from his grandmother and father, not the hard lines of his mother. He was the kind of boy who brought joy to anyone who saw him, truly living up to his na, "Laixi," which ans "bringing joy."
Mrs. Yang smiled. "I happened to catch a ride on the village ox-cart today, so of course I’m a bit early."
The two of them walked into the grocery store as they spoke.
Although the shop wasn’t in the center of the market and was a bit far out, it was perfectly situated on the road leading into it. Everyone coming and going could see it, so business was actually quite good.
The storefront was long and narrow, lined on both sides with common household items.
Woven bamboo items like winnowing baskets and dustpans were stacked in layers on shelves. Large vats, earthenware jars, and coarse ceramic bowls and plates were set on the floor, padded with straw to prevent damage. All the goods were arranged neatly, not at all cluttered, so that everything was visible at a glance from the doorway.
Therefore, though the shop had only been open for a few days, it was already building a good reputation. So villagers coming to the market were gradually starting to enjoy popping in to see if there were any handy, useful things to take ho. Even the people who ran small shops in the surrounding villages would pick up a few items to take back and sell when they ca to the market to stock up.
This success, it had to be said, was all thanks to Laixi.
He was quick-witted, kept the grocery store neat and clean every day, and arranged the goods tidily. He was also a thoughtful host; if a custor bought a lot, he would usually round down the price, ensuring that everyone who ca in left with a smile.
Mrs. Yang smiled at Laixi and said, "Hurry and eat. We need to go sell vegetables in a bit."
As she spoke, she went to the back kitchen, brought out a stove, grabbed two bowls, and ladled two full bowls of offal stew, taking them into the kitchen.
Just then, Yang Defa ca out of the latrine, saw his younger sister, and smiled. "You’re early today."
Mrs. Yang smiled and told him about catching a ride.
Yang Defa nodded. "That’s good. I was worried that running back and forth like this for a long ti would be too much for you. With one person already laid up at ho, we can’t have you ending up in bed too."
Mrs. Yang quickly said she was fine and was being careful.
Laixi finished his corn porridge in just a few gulps and said admiringly to Mrs. Yang, "Aunt, this fragrant sauce Juhua makes is the best thing for porridge in the morning. With this, even the corn mush isn’t so hard to eat."
Yang Defa’s face hardened. "Hard to eat? It’s ground so fine and cooked so thick, and you still complain? You should be more grateful! Do you think it’s easy for your aunt to earn a few cents? She brings you food every day, so we don’t even have to cook anymore."
Mrs. Yang laughed. "It’s all just cheap stuff, why ntion it? Laixi is a huge help to his aunt."
Laixi chuckled, feeling a sense of warmth as he looked at his aunt. ’She’s my own aunt, after all, so much better than Second Aunt—she wouldn’t even give away a single needle.’
When they finished eating, Yang Defa urged Laixi to hurry up and go with his aunt to Erli Village to sell the vegetables. He knew Mrs. Yang had a lot to do at ho, so the sooner they sold out, the sooner she could go back.
Laixi shouldered the carrying pole. Mrs. Yang carried a small charcoal stove in one hand and Lanzi in the other, which held so firewood and a pair of tongs. The two of them then headed for Erli Village.
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