“I’ll round it down for you, just give me sixty-four yuan.”
The man was straightforward too, directly counting out seven Da Tuanjie bills, making the bespectacled man beside him swallow hard.
“Big brother, since you bought so much, I’ll give you these as well.”
Su Qingran grabbed several handfuls of chestnuts from her basket and picked out several pears, stuffing them all into the man’s hands. He didn’t refuse, “Thank you, big sister.”
Having bought the white fungus his wife had been longing for, he was in a great mood.
“Big brother, this pheasant weighs one jin and eight liang, that’ll be three yuan sixty.”
The bespectacled man didn’t haggle this time, afraid that someone else might come and he wouldn’t even get this one, “Alright, alright, miss. Could you give me some chestnuts and pears too?”
“I’ll give you one pear.”
“Miss, give me a few more pears and some chestnuts. My wife loves eating these, and anyway you picked these from the mountain, they didn’t cost you anything.”
Su Qingran was speechless. This person was getting greedy. “Forget it if you don’t want it, I won’t sell you this pheasant either.”
Originally, she gave pears to let people taste them so they’d come back to buy more, but judging by this man’s attitude, he didn’t seem like someone who would return to make purchases.
“Hey, don’t be like that, miss.” The bespectacled man grew anxious. “Then… why did you give that other person so much, but not me?”
“Do you want it or not? If not, then leave. Don’t delay my business.”
“You…” The bespectacled man’s face turned pale then red, but he really needed to buy the pheasant, so he could only say, “Fine, but you have to give me that pear.”
“No pear. Take it or leave it.” Su Qingran had seen through it clearly – even if she gave this man pears, he wouldn’t come back to spend money next time. Since that was the case, there was no need to give him any. Her pears weren’t freebies – she needed to sell them for money.
“Hey, miss, that’s not right, is it? We just agreed…”
“Who agreed with you? I said I’d give you one pear, but you didn’t accept it and insisted I give you more. Now I won’t even give you one pear. It’s just one pheasant – take it or leave it.”
“You…” The bespectacled man was furious, but afraid that Su Qingran might really refuse to sell him the pheasant, he could only reluctantly pull out a Da Tuanjie bill from his pocket, filled with regret. If only he hadn’t been so talkative earlier.
The pheasants, wild rabbits, and blueberry jam were all sold out. Only some pears and chestnuts remained in Su Qingran’s basket. She sat there a while longer and sold two jin of chestnuts, but the pears didn’t sell. Some people asked about them, but when they heard her price was the same as the Supply and Marketing Cooperative – thirty cents per jin – they weren’t willing to buy, since the appearance wasn’t particularly appealing.
But she wasn’t worried. She believed anyone who tasted these pears would come back to buy more. The pears irrigated with Spiritual Spring Water were exceptionally juicy – she would never sell such good stuff cheap.
…
Bi Junye had just returned home when his impatient wife cornered him at the door. Facing his wife’s sparkling eyes, he couldn’t help but smile, “Guess what I bought?”
A smile appeared on Chi Youxuan’s fair little face, “Did you get the white fungus?”
“Got lucky today. Bought five pieces of white fungus from a big sister.”
Bi Junye placed the snakeskin bag aside and bent down to change his shoes.
“So much, that’s wonderful!” Chi Youxuan looked at the bulging bag, unable to contain her curiosity. “What else did you buy?”
“Two pheasants, two wild rabbits, and the older sister even gave me some wild chestnuts and wild pears.”
“That older sister is quite generous.” Hearing about the pheasants and wild rabbits, Chi Youxuan felt a bit tempted. “I’m a little thirsty, could you peel a pear for me?”
“Sure.”
Watching her husband peel the pear, she couldn’t help but frown. “The pear looks like this—will it taste good?”
“I’m not sure. Try it, and if it doesn’t taste good, just spit it out. But the flesh looks snowy white and juicy, so it probably won’t be bad.”
As Bi Junye peeled the pear, a lot of juice dripped onto his hands.
After peeling it, he cut the pear into small pieces, placed them in a bowl, and stuck toothpicks in them. He then carried the bowl to the coffee table in the living room. Chi Youxuan, holding her belly, slowly walked over and sat down. Bi Junye immediately brought a piece of pear to her lips.
Before the pear even entered her mouth, she caught a whiff of its fresh, sweet fragrance. Without a word, she opened her mouth and took the piece. As soon as the pear touched her tongue, her eyes widened in surprise.
“What’s wrong? Does it taste bad? If it does, just spit it out.” Bi Junye held his hand near her mouth. “It’s normal for wild pears not to taste good. If they were delicious, the birds would have eaten them long ago.”
Chi Youxuan chewed a few times and quickly swallowed the smooth, pulp-free pear. “It’s delicious! Really delicious! I’ve never tasted such a good pear—it’s even better than the ones from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!”
“Really?” Bi Junye was half-convinced, thinking his wife might be comforting him to avoid making him feel guilty.
Chi Youxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why don’t you try a piece yourself and see?” She picked up a piece with a toothpick and stuffed it into Bi Junye’s mouth.
After chewing twice, a look of pleasant surprise spread across his face. “It really is quite tasty.”
“Did you think I was lying to you?”
Bi Junye then remembered something else. “Youxuan, try this blueberry jam. I also bought it from that older sister. See if it suits your taste.”
“Blueberry jam? Isn’t that something you get at the foreign exchange store?”
“The older sister said she made it herself. I tried it—it’s really good, better than what we bought before.”
Skeptical, Chi Youxuan took a small taste, and her eyes suddenly lit up. “It really is delicious! How much did you buy? Don’t tell me there’s only this one jar?”
“That older sister only had nineteen jars, and I bought them all.”
“You’re getting smarter with your shopping!”
“The older sister said the blueberry jam doesn’t have a long shelf life and is best eaten within a week. But we have a fridge, so it should last a few extra days.”
Chi Youxuan nodded. “Then send a few jars to your parents and a few to mine. I’ll keep the rest to enjoy slowly.”
“And these pears—let’s send two to each side. No, just one each. There are only five in total. If we give away four, we won’t have any left.”
“Ah, why didn’t you buy more pears? It’s too few—I’d feel embarrassed giving them as gifts.”
Bi Junye laughed. “The pears didn’t look appealing. How was I supposed to know they’d taste so good? If the older sister hadn’t given them to me, I wouldn’t have bought any at all.”
“You’re judging pears by their appearance. But I wonder if we can still find these wild pears again.”
“I’ll go check the Black Market again in a few days.”
Speaking of this, Chi Youxuan grew concerned again, “Forget it, someone with your status going to the Black Market is too dangerous. What if you get caught?… You should go less often.”
“It’s fine. I bought it at the Black Market in the commune below, and I was wrapped up tightly. No one recognized me.”
“If you often walk by the river, your shoes are bound to get wet. You should still be careful.”
“My wife really cares about me.”
“Get lost!”
…
When Su Qingran returned home and saw the bicycle in the yard, she knew her third sister had already returned. Upon entering, she found both of them in the kitchen.
“Little sister, you’re back.” Su Qingshu was scooping the stir-fried green beans from the pan onto a plate. “Little sister, Dahu and the others said you went to the commune?”
“Yes, I went to sell the Blueberry Jam I made.”
“You went to the Black Market? A girl like you going to such a place—what if something dangerous happens? What would Mom and Dad do?” Su Qingshu’s expression turned serious, her face full of disapproval.
Su Qingran knew she had to explain her trip to the Black Market to the family. “Oh, third sister, I’ll explain it to all of you together when Mom and Dad get back.”
Lin Jiahui chimed in to console her, “Alright, little sister must have her own reasons. Don’t worry so much about it.”
Su Qingshu shook her head helplessly. How long had it been since the last incident?
No matter, once Mom and Dad found out she had gone to the Black Market, they were sure to give her a good scolding.
Su Qingshu wasn’t mistaken. Upon hearing that Su Qingran had skipped going up the mountain in the afternoon and instead went to the Black Market, Zhao Lanzhi and Su Hongshan both pulled long faces. “Ranran, you’re so disobedient! Do you have any idea how dangerous the Black Market is?”
“Right, your second brother has connections in the Black Market. You could’ve just asked him to go. Why risk going yourself?”
“Little sister, I’ve been around the Black Market for a few years now. It’s much safer for me to set up a stall there than for you. Don’t take such risks next time.”