Chapter 10: Off to the Market
With Old Zhou having decided to allow his daughter to formally become Master Zhuang’s student, proper preparations were required. So the very next day, even the eldest son did not go out to work.
Old Zhou directly instructed him to borrow a handcart from the village head and retrieve two sacks of grain from their storage room.
The whole family stood watching from their respective doorways as Old Zhou, seeming not to notice the apprehension in his daughters-in-law’s eyes, ordered the eldest and third sons to secure the grain sacks. He then instructed Zhou Erlang, “Go to the market first and exchange the grain for cash. Buy three days’ worth of medicine for your mother. And get a slab of pork belly – preserved pork would be even better if available.”
After considering further, Old Zhou added, “Also check if anyone is selling good quality cotton cloth. If so, buy enough to make Master Zhuang an outfit. Oh, and don’t forget fabric for shoes and socks too, get the good stuff.”
Zhou Erlang committed each item to memory.
Mrs. Xiao Qian and the other daughters-in-law felt a twinge of pain listening to the list, knowing two full sacks of grain were at stake.
Old Zhou felt the sting even more acutely than them. But hearing the laughter and chatter wafting in from outside, he could ignore that pang. With all instructions given, he waved everyone off to attend to their respective tasks.
Man Bao had woken up early, dragging Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang along to go pick wildflowers.
By the time the family preparations were complete, the children had their own baskets ready too, woven by Zhou Erlang and filled to the brim with wild plants and flowers. They happily trailed behind the adults.
Seeing their baskets, Zhou’s second daughter-in-law Feng(Mrs. Feng) couldn’t resist asking, “What are you bringing those for?”
Da Ya replied, “Little Niece says she wants to sell them.”
Feng’s eyes widened slightly. “Those kinds of things grow everywhere on the hills. Who would buy them?”
Currently being carried on Zhou Wulang’s back, Man Bao called out loudly, “Second Sister-in-law, I would buy them! I’m happy to buy anything pretty.”
What a little squanderer.
Feng asked in exasperation, “Little Niece, do you have any money?”
Man Bao shook her head candidly. “Not now, but I will in the future.”
She had complete confidence in herself. Even Ke Ke said she was brilliant, so she was bound to be extremely capable and have no trouble earning money eventually.
Not wanting to discourage them, Feng simply viewed it as childish play, since the children were carrying the items themselves anyway.
Upon arriving at the market, everyone began searching for a spot to set up their stalls.
Zhou Erlang had woven quite a few baskets and winnowing trays to sell. Being well-acquainted with the area, he swiftly secured a plot, setting down his wares before instructing his wife to handle the sales. He also reminded Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang, “Keep a close eye on Man Bao, Da Tou and the others. Don’t let them wander off.”
Before Zhou Wulang could respond, Man Bao patted her chest confidently. “Second Brother, you can rest assured! I’ll definitely watch over my nephews. We won’t go anywhere else.”
Zhou Erlang smiled, reaching out to pat her head.
Then he and Zhou Dalang pushed the handcart to go sell their grain.
This particular market gathered every five days, drawing nearby villages to converge in the relatively larger Daliyuan Village with its temple on the mountain.
Two monks resided at the temple, holding an especially grand temple fair every nineteenth day of the first lunar month that even drew visitors from as far as the county town.
That was the big annual temple fair, while smaller fairs were held on other major solar term holidays – traditions dating back many years according to the village elders Man Bao overheard near the entrance.
The system still deeply lamented that as an encyclopedia for collecting biological knowledge, there was another system specifically dedicated to documenting this type of folklore. Just the history behind the formation of this temple fair alone could probably spawn countless sub-quests and earn a huge amount of points.
At the time, sensing the system’s dejection, Man Bao had sweetly reassured it, “But I only like Ke Ke. I don’t care about any other systems.”
In any case, this was a major market day for villagers to trade and exchange goods.
But did everyone simply use money for transactions?
Of course not!
Once Feng had arranged the baskets, trays and other wares, Man Bao and her friends immediately set down their flower and plant-filled baskets alongside her products, squatting behind them as they eagerly watched the passersby.
Having operated in this market for years, Zhou Erlang’s reputation was well-established. So shortly after setting up, an elderly woman approached carrying a basket on her back, examining the winnowing trays as she asked, “Can I trade eggs for these?”
After briefly considering, Feng agreed. “Right now eggs are going for two fen for three, correct?”
The old woman affirmed this.
Feng started calculating how many eggs the woman would owe, muttering “Then for you it would be…”
But she began second-guessing her math, her brow starting to bead with sweat. Previously, such transactions had always been handled by her husband, with her only needing to deal in cash amounts.
Wiping her forehead, Feng was grateful when Man Bao noticed her sister-in-law’s predicament and eagerly piped up, “Second Sister-in-law, I know! Our winnowing trays are still fifteen fen each, right?”
Knowing her clever little niece could do arithmetic, having often played “one fen plus two fen equals how many fen” games with her husband, Feng rapidly nodded. “Yes, yes, our prices have never changed.”
Man Bao then eyed the old woman curiously. “Where are your eggs?”
The elderly woman herself couldn’t do math either. But before leaving home, her family had calculated how many eggs she would need to trade. Still, she hoped the Zhou family might miscalculate and undercharge.
In fact, she had hurried over upon noticing Zhou Erlang’s absence.
Setting her basket down, she lifted the lid to show Man Bao. “All fresh from our own hens, nice and plump.”
“Let me count them,” Man Bao declared.
The old woman wasn’t too pleased. “But you haven’t told me how many eggs are needed yet.”
Staring at her intently, Man Bao insisted, “I haven’t counted yet, so how would I know how many eggs? I need to count first.”
Her words clearly revealed her lack of calculation skills, amusing the old woman who laughed, “Well then, you’d better be careful not to crack any of the eggs!”
Man Bao promised solemnly, “Don’t worry, if I break any it’ll be on me.”
She began removing the eggs from the basket in groups of three, forming little piles until there were eight total mounds. The old woman counted along, her heart skipping a beat before she moved to collect the eggs.
But Man Bao had already clapped gleefully. “I’ve got the count! Look, Second Sister-in-law – this is two fen, this is two fen, two fen, two fen… that’s sixteen fen in total!”
Observing the whole interaction, a neighboring vendor laughed appreciatively, “This little niece is so clever!”
Beaming with pride, Feng agreed, “She’s my little niece, the brightest in our whole family.”
Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang also puffed out their chests boastfully. “My little sister!”
The old woman glanced at the two strapping youths, swallowing whatever retort she had prepared to instead say, “Your winnowing trays are fifteen fen, but she overcharged me by one fen. I’ll just take back this pile then.”
Finding her reasoning fair, Man Bao took the initiative to retrieve two of the smallest eggs from the pile, handing them over. “Fifteen fen, so we actually owe you one and a half eggs in change. But we can’t split an egg, so we’ll take the slight loss. You can take these two back.”
The old woman was rendered speechless.
Feng had also noticed the elderly woman’s actions, chuckling as she swiftly collected the remaining eggs into their family basket while gesturing for the old woman to choose whichever winnowing tray she preferred. “No need to nitpick over egg sizes, we’ll make an even swap.”
Though not shortchanged, the old woman still felt a tinge of dissatisfaction as she studied Man Bao. “This chubby little girl doesn’t quite seem like she’s from a commoner’s household.”
Grinning, Feng explained, “The little niece is the youngest in our family, so she’s doted on by the grandparents. Her brothers also spoil her rotten, which is why we pamper and fuss over her so much. No boasting, but there aren’t any prettier young lasses within ten li than our little niece.”
Everyone took a closer look, indeed affirming Man Bao’s exceptional beauty.
Not only were her features adorably pretty, but she was also extraordinarily fair and plump, with rosy, round cheeks – the very picture of fortuitous charm.
The old woman’s slight annoyance dissipated as she nodded with a fond smile. “She really is quite a beauty.”
Delighted by the praise, Man Bao enthusiastically began promoting her own wares. “Granny, why don’t you take a look at my items too? See how lovely these flowers are! Take some home to brighten up your window sill – it’ll just make you feel so cheerful!”
Being addressed as “granny” made the elderly woman feel years younger as she laughed, “You’re just giving them to me for free? Look at you being so courteous!”
She reached out to accept the flowers.
But Man Bao’s eyes sparkled as she stated clearly, “Not free, one fen for each bundle! Hardly expensive at all.”
The old woman’s hand froze before whipping back as if burned, eyes bulging. “What? You want money for these wild flowers? Aren’t the hills covered in them?”
Man Bao insisted unabashedly, “Yes, but I picked these!”
Laughing awkwardly, Feng hurriedly interjected, “Please don’t mind her, Granny. The children are just playing at doing business. They insisted on coming to experience it themselves since they keep clamoring about it at home.”
This seemed to placate the old woman somewhat, though she no longer reached for the flower bundles, wary of Man Bao demanding payment.
After selecting a winnowing tray, she promptly took her leave.
Man Bao watched her departure with longing, sighing to her little friends, “Why didn’t she buy any? Our flowers are so pretty.”
The little friends just looked at each other: We fully expected this, so we’re not disappointed at all.
They eagerly watched the crowds streaming by, thrilled simply to be experiencing the bustling market atmosphere.
A trickle of customers came to purchase baskets and trays, with Man Bao always helping Feng tally the prices. After each transaction, she would recommend her flowers and plants, initially delighting every adult who reached out to accept them – until realizing they cost money, causing them to swiftly retract their hands.
As the market day progressed past the midpoint, not only had the eldest and second brothers failed to return, but not a single stalk of their floral arrangements had sold, dampening the children’s spirits.
Seeing their dejected expressions, Man Bao let out a regretful sigh before noticing the dwindling number of winnowing trays in front of Feng, though quite a few baskets still remained. So she began artfully arranging her flowers and plants inside the remaining empty baskets.
Feng watched in trepidation. “Little Niece, you’re not planning to demand customers buy your flowers and plants along with the baskets, are you?”
With her purely innocent intent of finding use for the unsold arrangements instead of wasting them, or even giving them away, Man Bao’s eyes lit up as an idea struck. “Ah! Second Sister-in-law, you’re so clever! How did I not think of that solution myself?”
Inwardly, Feng wished she could sew her own mouth shut.
