“Shidu?” Liu Changyun had never even heard of the place.
“Shidu is the name of a ferry crossing. There’s a river there—it used to be an old ferry port. We’ll buy eggs from the villages around the ferry.”
“You mean we’re going to transport everything by boat?”
“That’s right. Boats are definitely safer than trucks. At least they don’t bounce around, so there’ll be less damage. That’s just my idea, though. Whether it’ll work or not, we’ll have to go and see,” Zhou Yuwei explained.
“So how are we getting there? Walking? We’d be dead by the time we arrived.”
Shidu was dozens of kilometers away.
“By bus, obviously. Are you dumb?”
The group headed toward the bus stop.
Zhou Yuwei pulled out the notebook she had prepared in advance.
Her father, Zhou Kun, had spent years following an experienced carpenter, making furniture in villages all over the area. He knew every place and exactly how to get there.
He had even gotten up in the middle of the night to make these notes for his daughter.
Fortunately, his old master had taught him to read and write. A carpenter who couldn’t read wouldn’t be able to mark lumber measurements or draw woodworking patterns.
The bus bounced and jolted the entire way.
By the time they reached their destination, three hours had passed.
“With roads like these, every egg would’ve been smashed before we got here.” Liu Changyun still felt dizzy from all the shaking.
Zhou Yuwei sent him to find a boat.
“The important thing is to ask about the price. We’ll definitely need to charter one. As for the price…”
“I’ll bargain like my life depends on it!”
Liu Changyun flexed his arm dramatically.
“That’s the spirit. Go on.”
She had complete confidence in leaving this job to Changyun.
Out of everyone here, aside from Zhou Yuwei herself, he had the thickest skin.
Well… that wasn’t exactly what she meant.
He was simply the best talker and the most outgoing.
Leading the others, Zhou Yuwei headed toward the village.
Zhou Yulan had remained quiet the entire journey. Only after they reached the village entrance did she stop and look at the others.
“What’s wrong, Sis?”
“If we want to find the village chief, we’ll need their help.”
She nodded toward a group of village children.
In any village, there was nothing the children didn’t know.
Zhou Yuwei took out the fruit candies she had prepared beforehand.
A crowd of children immediately ran over.
“Big Sister, what are you doing in our village?”
“We’re looking for your village chief. Could you show us the way?”
“No problem!”
It was such a small favor.
Even without candy, they would have gladly helped.
“Also, could you please let every household know that we’re buying eggs? Four eggs for twenty cents. Tell them to bring the eggs to the village chief’s house.”
Zhou Yuwei placed a handful of candy into each child’s little hands.
“This is your payment.”
These children had all been born in the 1970s.
In rural villages, New Year’s lucky money was only a few cents. Candy was something they only got during festivals. On ordinary days, they would never have the chance to eat so much at once.
“Okay!”
The children dashed off happily.
Some led the way to the village chief’s house.
Others ran through the village shouting,
“We’re buying eggs!”
“Anyone with eggs, bring them to the village chief’s house!”
“Four eggs for twenty cents!”
In an instant, the quiet village erupted into lively chaos, with chickens squawking and dogs barking everywhere.
Zhou Yuwei took two packages out of her backpack.
She had bought them at the store the previous night.
“Auntie! Auntie!”
One of the children shouted toward the house.
The village chief’s wife came outside.
“Erwa, what’s all this about?”
Then she noticed the young people standing behind him.
Well now.
Every one of them looked handsome and well-dressed—obviously city kids.
But educated youths had already stopped being sent to the countryside.
So why had they come?
Surely they weren’t starting the Down to the Countryside Movement again?
Hadn’t that only just ended?
“Auntie, we’re from the city bread factory.”
Zhou Yuwei placed the gifts into her hands.
“From the bread factory? Then what are you doing here?”
“We’ve been sent by the bread factory to purchase eggs. We’ve heard that there’s nothing in this village the chief can’t solve. Everyone says he’s highly capable, so we’ve come specially to ask for his help.”
The village chief’s wife looked at the two packages of pastries and was delighted.
“That’s easy enough. It’ll benefit the village too.”
The government had already begun implementing its new reform policies, and selling goods was no longer considered wrong. Since someone had come directly to buy produce, the villagers certainly welcomed the convenience.
Selling other things wasn’t difficult.
Eggs, however, were rarely purchased here because the roads were simply too rough.
Most buyers weren’t willing to make the trip.
The village chief’s wife immediately sent her grandson to fetch the chief from the fields.
A little while later, the village chief returned.
The moment he heard that people from the bread factory had come to buy eggs, he agreed without hesitation.
He immediately told the village broadcaster to make an announcement over the loudspeaker.
“Attention, everyone! The bread factory is buying eggs in the village! Four eggs for twenty cents! Anyone with eggs, bring them over right away!”
An hour later, households throughout the village arrived carrying all the eggs they had stored.
Zhou Yulan crouched down to inspect every egg, checking its quality while keeping count.
She knew how to tell good eggs from bad ones.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwei asked the village chief,
“Does anyone in the village sell bamboo baskets?”
“Yes. Old Zhao’s family does. Come on, I’ll take you there.”
“Great.”
Before leaving, Zhou Yuwei turned to the village children again.
“Big Sister has another paid job for you. Interested?”
“What kind of job?”
The older children immediately perked up.
They wanted to earn some money too—to buy candy and little picture cards.
“Go cut reeds from the reed marsh. The more you bring back, the better. I’ll pay you for them.”
“Deal!”
The children ran off excitedly, each afraid someone else would gather more reeds than they could.
While Zhou Yulan and the others continued buying eggs, Zhou Yuwei followed the village chief to Old Zhao’s house.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she saw stacks of bamboo baskets everywhere.
“Old Zhao!”
The village chief called out.
“I’m here, Chief. What’s the matter?”
Zhao Tian walked in carrying a large bundle of bamboo.
“Hello, Uncle Zhao.”
Zhou Yuwei greeted him politely.
“I’d like to buy some bamboo baskets for transporting eggs. How much do they cost?”
Zhao Tian looked at the village chief.
Only after seeing him nod did he ask,
“How many do you need?”
“Five hundred.”
“So many? When do you need them?”
“In two or three days.”
“Thirty cents each.”
Zhou Yuwei quickly did the math.
Five hundred baskets would cost one hundred and fifty yuan.
But she didn’t mind spending the money.
Once the eggs were sold, the baskets could be collected again and resold at the farmers’ market, so they wouldn’t lose anything.
“All right. I’ll come pick them up in two days.”
As soon as Old Zhao’s wife heard this was an order for five hundred baskets, she immediately invited everyone inside.
Zhou Yuwei had originally intended to decline.
But then she noticed someone sitting quietly inside the room with his head lowered, weaving something.
At his feet lay all kinds of woven bamboo crafts.
Little animals.
Small baskets.
And many exquisitely crafted bamboo artwork pieces.
Her attention was immediately captured by those beautiful handmade items, and she couldn’t resist stepping inside for a closer look.
“Um…”
“What is it? Is it inconvenient?”
Zhou Yuwei looked at the thin woman standing nearby.
The woman quickly shook her head.
“No, not at all. It’s just… that’s my son.”
She hesitated before continuing,
“Although he…”
“But he won’t hurt anyone.”
She was afraid of offending Zhou Yuwei.
After all, this young woman was a major customer who was about to buy five hundred bamboo baskets.
Their family usually needed half a year to sell that many.
“May I go inside and take a look?”
“Of course.”
The woman glanced at the village chief before answering.
Walking into the room, Zhou Yuwei picked up a bamboo artwork depicting several rabbits.
The woven rabbits looked incredibly lifelike and adorable.
“Did you make this yourself?”
She asked the young man who sat weaving with his head lowered.
He didn’t even look up at her.
The village chief explained quietly,
“Old Zhao’s boy doesn’t like talking.”