"I know, Mom, hurry back inside and rest!" Zhou Xing'er turned her head and waved at Liu Guihua with a smile.
From Zhou Family Village to the county town, it was about a half-hour walk along the main road. But today, pushing such a heavy cart of vegetables along the uneven dirt road, every step sinking into a pit, the going was especially tough.
Old Man Zhou pushed from behind, sweating profusely, the veins on his neck bulging out. Zhou Xing'er pulled the rope in front, her small hands chafed red by the rough hemp rope. But she didn't feel tired at all—instead, she felt full of energy.
She knew in her heart that this must be because she had drunk the Spirit Spring Water from the Space that morning. The Spirit Spring Water had not only cured her body aches but had also made her much stronger.
"Xing'er, if you're tired, just let go of the rope. Your dad can push it alone." Old Man Zhou looked at his daughter's delicate appearance and felt a pang of concern. Normally, this girl couldn't even lift a bucket of water, yet today she had walked such a long way with him without a single complaint.
Zhou Xing'er wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned back with a sweet smile. "Dad, I'm not tired. After drinking that sweet water, I'm full of strength now. Look, we're almost at the county town bridge."
Old Man Zhou smacked his lips, feeling puzzled himself. Today, pushing this cart that weighed at least a hundred catties, he hadn't felt any back pain. Normally, his old back would have been aching so much he couldn't stand up straight. It seemed the water from their well really was divine water.
Father and daughter walked for nearly fifty minutes before finally seeing the outline of the county town in the distance.
At this time, the county town wasn't like later generations with tall buildings everywhere. Most of the buildings on the streets were two- or three-story low houses, the roads paved with bluestone slabs, with tall poplars planted on both sides.
The county town's vegetable market was on an old street in the east of the city. It was a bustling place—even before getting close, you could hear all kinds of hawking and bargaining voices coming from inside.
Zhou Xing'er and Old Man Zhou didn't go directly into the vegetable market, because the stalls inside all required management fees.
Zhou Xing'er pointed to an empty spot not far from the market entrance and said, "Dad, let's set up our stall here. There's a lot of foot traffic, and everyone going in and out of the market can see us."
Old Man Zhou hesitated and said quietly, "Xing'er, can we set up here? I heard the city inspectors are really fierce. If they catch us, not only will we be fined, but they'll confiscate our cart and vegetables too."
Zhou Xing'er smiled and reassured him, "Dad, look beside us—aren't there several others with carrying poles selling eggs and homegrown scallions? We just need to be alert. If we see anyone in uniform coming, we'll push the cart and run. Our cart has wheels—it can move fast."
Hearing his daughter say this, Old Man Zhou felt more confident. He steadily parked the cart by the roadside and lifted the cloth covering it.
As soon as the cloth was lifted, the cart full of bright red tomatoes and verdant Chinese cabbage was revealed. Under the morning sunlight, the vegetables still had glistening water droplets on them, looking exactly as if they had just been picked from the ground—unbelievably fresh.
An old man selling dried wood ear mushrooms nearby craned his neck for a look, and was so startled that he crushed his pipe in his hand. He rubbed his eyes, muttering in disbelief, "Oh my god, brother, how did you grow these tomatoes? They look like red lanterns! And this cabbage—must weigh ten jin a head, right?"
Old Man Zhou smiled with some pride and said in his gruff voice, "Grown in my own field, no chemical fertilizer, just good water and blessed soil."
By then, city folk were gradually passing by on their way down the road to buy vegetables.
Zhou Xing'er took a deep breath and called out loudly, "Come take a look, come see! Fresh big tomatoes just picked from our own field—red and sweet, so juicy it's like drinking honey! And big cabbages, white and tender and solid—make dumplings or stew with glass noodles and you'll die of happiness! One mao per jin, everything one mao per jin!"
Zhou Xing'er was naturally very beautiful, with fair skin and a pair of peach-blossom eyes that curved like crescent moons when she smiled—especially endearing. Her loud cry, in a crisp voice, instantly spread through the noisy street and drew quite a few glances.
A middle-aged woman carrying a bamboo basket stopped in her tracks and walked over somewhat skeptically, looking at the cart of tomatoes. She asked, "Little girl, are these tomatoes really only one mao per jin? They're awfully big—they're not hollow inside, are they?"
Zhou Xing'er quickly picked up a round, plump tomato and held it out to the woman with both hands, smiling as she said, "Auntie, look at the weight of this—it's heavy, how could it be hollow? These are grown in our own field in the countryside. At the stalls inside the vegetable market, tomatoes like these sell for at least one mao two or even one mao three per jin. We're just selling on the ground here, no stall fee, so we sell cheap—just to move them fast. Only one mao per jin. Buy a few and take them home to scramble with eggs for your kids—I guarantee they'll be delicious!"
The middle-aged woman weighed the tomato in her hand—it was indeed quite firm. She gritted her teeth and said, "All right, weigh me three tomatoes, and throw in a cabbage too."
"Great! Dad, hurry and weigh these for the auntie!" Zhou Xing'er answered crisply.
Old Man Zhou hastily picked up the steelyard. Though he was an honest man, he'd done farm work for decades and was a dab hand with the scale. He tied the three tomatoes with a straw rope, hung them on the hook, lifted the scale cord, and slid the weight outward.
"Big sister, take a look—the beam's riding high. Three tomatoes, exactly two and a half jin, two mao five." Old Man Zhou held the scale up to the woman's eyes so she could see clearly.
Then he picked out a big cabbage and put it on, and the beam tilted high again: "This cabbage is eight jin, eight mao. That's one yuan and five fen altogether. Big sister, just give me one yuan—forget the five fen."
Hearing that, the middle-aged woman beamed with delight. These days, five fen could buy a popsicle. She quickly dug a one-yuan bill out of her pocket and handed it to Old Man Zhou, saying with a smile, "You're a straightforward fellow. If it tastes good, I'll come back tomorrow to buy from you."
"Take care, come again if it's tasty!" Zhou Xing'er took the money and tucked it into a small cloth bag she carried with her, feeling absolutely delighted.
This was the first money they'd earned. Though it was only one yuan, it was a good omen.
Once the first customer made a purchase, the onlookers could no longer hold back.
"Give me five tomatoes! I want the ones that are fully red!"
"I want a head of cabbage—pick me a firm one!"
"Oh my, these tomatoes are so fresh! Weigh me five; I'm taking them home for my grandson!"
In no time, the Zhou family's stall was swarming with people. Everyone was grabbing at the vegetables on the cart, afraid that if they were even a moment too slow, everything would be snatched up.
Zhou Xing'er handled the customers, her sweet words practically dripping with honey—calling the elderly "Grandpa" and "Grandma," and the younger ones "Big Brother" and "Big Sister," leaving every buyer in high spirits.
Old Man Zhou handled the weighing and bagging in the back. Though he was sweating profusely from exhaustion, watching the growing pile of small bills in his hand filled him with an excitement he could hardly contain, and his movements grew quicker and more nimble.
"Everyone, don't push! There's plenty for everyone! Our vegetables are abundant and guaranteed fresh!" Zhou Xing'er shouted.
The other vegetable vendors nearby watched the lively scene at the Zhou stall with eyes burning with envy. But there was nothing they could do—whose vegetables looked this good and were still this cheap?
In just over two hours, the two large baskets of tomatoes and the dozen or so heads of cabbage on the cart were completely sold out—not even a single rotten leaf was left.
The old man who'd bought the very last tomatoes looked regretfully at the now-empty bamboo baskets, smacking his lips and saying, "How is it already gone? I wanted to buy more. Will you be back tomorrow?"
Zhou Xing'er smiled and said, "Uncle, we'll definitely be back tomorrow. Come a bit earlier then, and we'll set aside the best ones for you."
"Alright then, I'll be here waiting first thing in the morning." The old man walked away with his basket, a hint of reluctance in his step.
Old Man Zhou stared blankly at the empty cart, completely stunned. He'd lived half his life, and in the past, when he sold his vegetables wholesale to the vendors in town, he could only get 5 to 8 fen per jin, and even then they'd nitpick and complain.
Today, they'd wheeled their vegetables into the county seat themselves to sell, and in two hours, everything was gone.