“Is it really you? Auntie! You… you…”
A morning breeze carried the scent of flowers as He Mingyu stood before her stall, lost in thought.
She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but ever since she had heard someone mention the Bathing Buddha Festival on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month at the bathhouse, she felt as though the very air of Bianjing City was drifting with a faint scent of incense and candles.
In just a single night, the streets and alleys had filled with peddlers carrying baskets and poles. The baskets were brimming with neatly tied joss sticks, folded yellow spirit paper, and various fresh flowers, fruits, and pastries. Yesterday, she had deliberately taken a detour to wander near the Daxiangguo Temple. People had already begun staking out their positions on the streets in front of the temple. That burgeoning, restless excitement made her own plans feel increasingly clear.
Last night, she had carefully instructed Wu Chunlan: “Mother, when you go to collect vegetables over these next few days, if you see fresh fruits—such as apricots, cherries, or loquats—no matter if they are sour or sweet, as long as the quality is good and the price is right, buy plenty of them back.”
Wu Chunlan was mending clothes for Shitou under the lamp at the time. She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion. “These items are delicate and cannot be stored for long. We’ve never sold them before; are you sure you want to use them?…”
“They are only needed for these few days,” He Mingyu leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Didn’t someone say at the bathhouse today that the Bathing Buddha Festival is approaching? I noticed the area around the temple is exceptionally lively. On those days, we won’t sell meat buns…”
Before she could finish, Wu Chunlan was stunned and quickly asked, “Why not sell buns? What will we sell instead?”
He Mingyu said with confidence, “Since it is the Bathing Buddha Festival, the pilgrims visiting Daxiangguo Temple will surely not want to consume meat. I was thinking that if we could prepare some clean, fresh fruit and turn them into unique pastries, it would be a good business opportunity.”
Wu Chunlan had always trusted her ideas. Although she felt it was a bit risky, she nodded. “Then I will keep an eye out tomorrow.”
At this moment, as He Mingyu was organizing the cotton covers of the steamers, her right eyelid began to twitch without warning. It throbbed incessantly, making her feel uneasy. She reached out to press it, but the twitching would not stop.
“The left eye twitches for wealth, the right eye twitches for disaster…” This phrase suddenly popped into her mind, making her feel inexplicably panicked. Wu Chunlan was pushing the cart out of the city alone today to collect vegetables and had to inquire about fruit; could it be that she had encountered some trouble?
Although there were many villages outside the Nanhua Gate, fresh fruit was not like vegetables—it wasn’t available everywhere—and she had left quite early…
He Mingyu’s mind was a muddled mess. Subconsciously, she shook her head to cast off those pointless worries. She steadied her heart, placed the first steamer onto the platform, and hurried to greet her regular customers. White steam gradually rose, carrying the warm, familiar scent of flour, enveloping her within it.
At the same moment, Wu Chunlan had already pushed the wooden cart out of Nanhua Gate.
The air outside the city was crisp and clear, and the scent of soil and green grass rushed toward her. Looking into the distance, one could see intersecting fields and villages hidden among green trees. She headed toward the familiar Liu Family Village as usual. The enthusiastic Auntie Zhou had said last time that whenever she needed to collect vegetables, she should just look for her, and she would help arrange things within the village.
Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, Auntie Zhou was indeed waiting there. Beside her sat two overflowing bamboo baskets filled with neatly arranged cabbage, tender spring leeks, and bunches of fresh, vibrant green onions. There was also a large basket full of eggs.
Seeing Wu Chunlan, Auntie Zhou’s face immediately lit up with a smile as she hurried forward. “You’ve come, sister! Look, it was all picked from the fields just this morning. The dew hasn’t even dried yet!”
Wu Chunlan smiled and thanked her for her hard work. While helping to move the vegetables onto the cart, she asked as if it were a casual remark: “In the past few days, in the village or nearby, have you seen any early-ripening fruit? Like apricots or cherries?”
“Fruit?” Auntie Zhou paused, her movements stalling. “At this time of year… our village plants late. Apricots will take at least another twenty days. There are a few stray red cherries, but they are very sour and not worth much. Why do you ask?”
Wu Chunlan’s heart sank, though she kept a smile on her face. “I’m asking for a neighbor who wants some fresh fruit.”
“This…” Auntie Zhou rolled her eyes. “Then I’ll keep an eye out for you these next few days.”
“I’m afraid that won’t do; the neighbor needs them urgently,” Wu Chunlan replied vaguely.
Auntie Zhou’s husband was an outsider who had moved to Liu Family Village later on. Usually, the prominent families in the village were unwilling to deal with them and never gave them a friendly look during casual chats.
But today was different from the past. Since Auntie Zhou had started helping Wu Chunlan collect vegetables, allowing seven or eight households in the village to have a steady source of income, who wouldn’t greet her politely as “Auntie Zhou”? Some even flattered her, saying, “You carry yourself with such elegance now; you’re no different from the ladies in the city.”
This excellent situation was entirely dependent on this “sister” from the city. Auntie Zhou absolutely did not want her to slip away.
Seeing Wu Chunlan finish loading the vegetables and seemingly intending to push the cart to another village, she hurriedly stepped forward to block her. “Sister, don’t rush off! This fruit… I reckon in another ten days, the ones in our village will be ripe. Why don’t you come back then? If you don’t want to make the trip, just tell me where you live, and I will deliver them myself. How does that sound?”
Wu Chunlan shook her head and sighed. “I can’t wait that long. When our family was struggling before, this neighbor didn’t hesitate to help us. Now that they have come to me with a request, how can I keep dragging my feet? At the very latest, it must be tomorrow; I really cannot afford to be careless.” As she spoke, she reached for the cart handles.
Seeing that her mind was made up, Auntie Zhou grew anxious, but her hands moved deftly to steady the cart while her mind raced.
Suddenly, her eyes brightened, and she slapped her thigh. “Oh! Look at my memory! I was only thinking of our village and forgot my maiden home! My family’s village is near the southern slope facing the sun; the apricots and cherries are planted early, and in previous years, they would be ready to pick by now! How about this… you come back tomorrow? My brothers at home planted many apricot trees, so I’ll go back to my maiden home this noon to take a look.”
Hearing this, Wu Chunlan’s brows furrowed even more tightly. Although He Mingyu hadn’t explicitly said so, she could see her eagerness. Today was already the second day of the fourth month; the Bathing Buddha Festival was almost upon them. How could she wait until tomorrow?
She hesitated and spoke: “Tomorrow… I’m afraid… Is your maiden home far from here? If it isn’t far, why don’t I… go with you today?”
“Go today?” Auntie Zhou was stunned again. “It’s that urgent?”
She wasn’t entirely sure herself. It was true that her brothers grew early-ripening varieties, but those fruits were precious—once ripe, they had to be picked and sold immediately. They might have already been claimed by fruit peddlers. However, looking at Wu Chunlan’s expression, if it didn’t work out today, she might turn and find another way. If this long-term business connection was broken, wouldn’t the bit of face she had just built up in the village be lost?
Auntie Zhou steeled herself and gritted her teeth. “Fine! You wait here for a moment; I’ll go borrow a donkey cart in the village! That place is quite a distance, so it’ll be faster by cart!”
About a quarter of an hour later, Auntie Zhou returned with her husband driving a semi-old donkey cart. Her husband temporarily pushed the wooden cart back home. Wu Chunlan was helped onto the donkey cart, and with a crack of the whip, the donkey began a steady trot, heading south along the dirt road.
The further south they went, the scenery gradually changed. The large stretches of green and yellow wheat fields by the roadside diminished, replaced by groves of fruit trees. It was the height of spring; the apricot trees were thick with lush green leaves, among which one could already see patches of golden yellow hidden within. The cherry trees were even more vibrant, with clusters of bright red fruit hanging from the branches like countless small lanterns. The air itself was filled with a subtle, sweet fragrance.
Wu Chunlan was delighted and couldn’t help but say, “The fruit here grows really well.”
Auntie Zhou drove the cart, saying not without pride, “Indeed! My maiden village—if nothing else, the fruit here is peerless. Perhaps because the soil and climate are good, the fruit is large and sweet. When taken to the city, the price is ten or twenty percent higher than elsewhere!” Even as she spoke, her heart was still thumping, hoping there was still stock left at her brother’s home.
The donkey cart traveled for a while longer, turned onto a narrower dirt path, and finally stopped outside a courtyard with blue brick walls. This courtyard looked neater than the surrounding houses. Branches laden with fruit extended over the wall, the apricots full, golden, and glossy. Wu Chunlan felt a surge of joy.
Auntie Zhou, however, was a bit nervous and whispered to Wu Chunlan, “Sister, sit in the cart for a moment. I’ll go inside and ask about the situation. Just in case… in case the fruit isn’t good quality this year, it will save you wasting time.”
Wu Chunlan nodded understandingly. “I’ll trouble you.”
Auntie Zhou hopped off the cart without delay and walked to the black lacquered wooden gate, raising her hand to knock on the knocker. Not long after, the courtyard gate opened with a creak. A sturdy, dark-skinned man stuck his head out; his facial features were five or six parts similar to Auntie Zhou’s. Seeing her, the man was visibly startled. “Sister? Why are you here at this hour?”
Auntie Zhou pulled him to the side of the gate, facing away from the donkey cart, and began whispering urgently with a lowered voice. Wu Chunlan couldn’t hear what they were saying, only seeing the man frown at times and brighten at others.
While waiting, Wu Chunlan stepped off the cart and gently stretched her slightly numb legs and feet. She walked slowly along the courtyard wall, but her gaze was drawn to the scene in the neighbor’s courtyard.
The gate to that house was half-open. Inside, she could see not only an apricot tree but also two tall cherry trees, heavy with red fruit that bent the branches, glowing attractively in the sunlight. Even better, there were several large wooden basins under the trees, filled with clear water, soaking many freshly picked fruits. The water shimmered, the red and yellow colors intertwining, making her mouth water just looking at them.
She was so engrossed in watching, wondering if this household would be willing to sell and what the price might be, that a voice suddenly came from behind her, carrying a hint of probing and hesitation:
“Auntie?”
The voice sounded familiar, and Wu Chunlan instinctively turned her head.
Standing only a few paces away was a woman dressed in slightly worn clothing. Her face was thin and gaunt, and at this moment, she was staring at her with wide eyes, looking at her in disbelief.
Their eyes met.
The color drained completely from Wu Chunlan’s face. She stumbled backward, her heel catching on a stone on the side of the road. A piercing pain shot up, but it was nothing compared to the shock and panic in her heart.
How… could it be her?
The other person had already taken a step forward, her voice trembling with irrepressible excitement: “Is it really you? Auntie! You… how are you here?”