Li Zi’an recounted the morning’s encounter with the poor old lady to Fang Jian.
“I bought her a few buns. She didn’t have money, but insisted on giving me two Taichang Tongbao coins.”
“I didn’t think much of it and just dropped them into the cash box.”
Then he looked at Fang Jian with a strange expression. “Jianzi, do you think these coins might be fake?”
Fang Jian nodded. “Could be. Maybe the old lady is a bit senile and thought those were money.”
“There are definitely more fakes than real ones nowadays,” he added.
“If you’re worried, bring them over. I’ll have a look for you.”
Li Zi’an decided it was better to check, just in case he had unknowingly accepted something worth a thousand yuan. Considering how hungry and frail the old lady looked, he couldn’t take advantage of her.
Fang Jian saw him hesitating and quickly said, “Ah, forget it for now! Don’t think about it today. I’ve been hustling for these coins for over two months, stayed in some godforsaken village in Anxi City—couldn’t even find alcohol! Today’s a rare treat; I’ll treat you. We’ll drink till we’re happy!”
Meanwhile, Lu Minggui was anxiously trying to find a way back when someone tapped her on the arm from behind.
Startled, she shivered.
“Oh, sorry! Did I scare you?”
A woman’s voice spoke, cheerful and kind. Lu Minggui turned slowly and saw a thirty-something woman with fair skin, wearing a floral dress, smiling at her.
“Did I scare you? Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person,” the woman said, chuckling.
Lu Minggui, after the morning’s chaos, had calmed down and managed a small smile in return.
The woman then asked, “I wanted to ask… where did you get these daylilies?” She gestured to the basket in Lu Minggui’s hands. “It’s rare to see fresh ones these days. I’d like to buy some.”
Lu Minggui realized she was talking about the daylilies and hurriedly replied, “Daylilies? Oh, these are from my own garden. I just picked them this morning.”
Dong Wanhui’s eyes lit up—what luck! She hadn’t seen fresh daylilies in years and had only just arrived at the market.
“You grew them yourself? Will you sell them?”
Selling? That made Lu Minggui hesitate. In the village, everyone grew daylilies, but nobody sold them. They ate fresh ones while in season, dried the leftovers for winter, and she had only ever exchanged eggs in town for salt—never sold anything.
Even if someone wanted to buy, she didn’t know what price to ask.
Seeing Lu Minggui hesitate, Dong Wanhui reassured her, “Just name your price. It’s not like buying a house or car, Auntie. Don’t make it hard for yourself. We can negotiate.”
Indeed, she really wanted them. Her husband often talked about how good fresh daylilies were—she’d grown tired of hearing him.
Lu Minggui thought: if she wants them, why not sell? A basket of daylilies at home would do little more than sit there; better to trade for money.
She counted in her mind and raised three fingers. Three wen should be enough, right?
In the village, no one sold fresh daylilies, though restaurants in town bought dried ones at four wen per jin.
Dong Wanhui, seeing her hesitation, felt relieved. She wasn’t short on money, but being asked for sky-high prices was unpleasant—like swallowing a fly. This old lady seemed honest.
“Thirty yuan per jin? That’s fair.”
Dong Wanhui often bought vegetables and knew dried daylilies cost sixty yuan per jin. Though expensive, they were easy to buy. Fresh ones were rare, so a slightly higher price was acceptable.
“Alright, weigh how much you have. I’ll take all of it.”
Lu Minggui froze. Thirty yuan? She had meant three wen! But she quickly realized this must be money, recalling the market announcements: “XX paid XX yuan.”
Yet she faced another dilemma—she didn’t have a scale.
Dong Wanhui noticed her concern and said, “No problem. I know someone with a scale. We can weigh it at her stall.”
She pointed to a nearby vegetable stall—belonging to Zhu Yufang.
Zhu Yufang saw Dong Wanhui and greeted her warmly. “Ah, Auntie Dong! Here for vegetables? What do you need?”
“We’ve got new sand-heart tomatoes—perfect for cold dishes or scrambled eggs.”
“Fresh cucumbers too! Want some?”
Dong Wanhui smiled, “Just a few tomatoes. Last time, your tomatoes were delicious. My husband wanted to make his hometown noodle soup with them—it was tangy and appetizing.”
“Of course! Our vegetables are always fresh—just brought in at midnight. I’ll pick the best for you.”
Zhu Yufang selected a few tomatoes, placed them on the electronic scale, and pressed the buttons.
“Three yuan twenty, I’ll round it to three. Need anything else? I’ll throw in some green onions.”
“Just this. But I need a favor—you’ll need to help weigh these daylilies. This old lady doesn’t have a scale.”
“No problem! We’re friends, no need to be polite.”
Dong Wanhui gestured for Lu Minggui to bring the basket over.
Zhu Yufang suddenly realized the seller was the same old lady she had seen earlier.
“Oh? It’s you! Been here a while and haven’t left yet?”