15:The Dust Settles
The scene, which had been bustling just moments ago, had grown quiet again in the blink of an eye, but Tao Qinghe did not lose heart. She steadied her nerves and began calling out once more. Passers-by often stopped out of curiosity to ask the price, but most shook their heads in refusal after enquiring, and as she walked on, she managed to sell only a few pastries.
As she neared the end of her route, Tao Qinghe lifted the cloth covering her goods and counted them; nearly half remained unsold. How could she pinpoint customers who actually wanted them? Suddenly, Tao Qinghe’s eyes lit up—she’d thought of a brilliant idea!
As usual, the Zhou Family Bakery opened its doors early today. With the recent heatwave, business had become increasingly difficult; fortunately, as there was only one bakery in the county town, any household in need would eventually have to come here to buy. Sure enough, not long after opening, a woman wrapped in a headscarf walked in.
“Shopkeeper, how much are the pastries?” the woman asked, clutching her sleeve and turning her body slightly.
Shopkeeper Zhou had been dozing off when he was suddenly roused. He peered at her through half-closed eyes and replied, “At Zhou’s Shop, even the cheapest pastries are twenty-five copper coins a packet, and the most expensive…” He gave the woman a once-over from head to toe, then fell silent. Leaning his elbow on the low counter, he drifted back to sleep.
Seeing the shopkeeper’s attitude, how could the woman fail to understand? Her face flushed crimson as she struggled to suppress her embarrassment. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she turned away in silence.
Tao Qinghe called out her wares all the way down the street, before finally turning back towards the Zhou family pastry shop. If anyone on this street was likely to buy her pastries, surely it would be someone who had already visited the shop?
She waited by the shop for quite some time, until at last a woman emerged empty-handed. Seeing that the woman was about to walk away, she hurried after her.
“Excuse me, madam, are you looking to buy some pastries?”
The voice rang out suddenly from the side, and the woman hastily pulled her headscarf tighter. She looked up at the young girl before her and stammered, “No… I’m not buying any pastries.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realised she’d said the wrong thing. A flicker of resentment welled up within her, and she simply wanted to hurry away.
Tao Qinghe hurried after her, asking in puzzlement, “Eh? I saw you go into the shop and then come out again just now—surely you don’t need any pastries after all…”
Hearing this, the woman felt even more aggrieved, and her pace quickened further.
Tao Qinghe had no intention of letting this hard-won business opportunity slip away, so she quickly offered, “ ‘If you’re not in a rush, why not have a look at our “Full-Mouth Fragrance” pastries?’ she added with a smile and a cheerful tone, ‘They’re cheaper than Zhou’s Pastry Shop, but they taste just as good.’
Hearing this, the woman felt a flicker of interest. She slowed her pace, though she dared not look up, and spoke in a low voice: “Truly… truly cheaper? And they taste good too?”
Tao Qinghe grabbed her arm to stop her in her tracks, deftly unwrapping another sample packet and holding it out to the woman. “Just have a taste—no charge.”
They did smell delicious, and looked rather appealing too. The woman stole a glance at the girl before her; seeing her composed expression, she didn’t seem to be putting on an act. After a moment’s internal struggle, she finally took a bite.
“What a unique flavour! It’s nothing like ordinary pastries at all—it actually has a delicate fragrance?” The woman looked up at Tao Qinghe in surprise. “These pastries taste wonderful; it’s as if they’re infused with the scent of flowers?”
Tao Qinghe’s heart skipped a beat. Had someone already figured out the filling on her very first day? She concealed her unease, maintaining her cheerful smile.
Realising the awkwardness of her words, the woman looked at her sheepishly and stammered, “No… that’s not what I meant.” Feeling she couldn’t explain herself clearly, she gave up and asked, “How much do you sell these pastries for?”
Having roughly gauged the woman’s disposition, Tao Qinghe replied with a smile, “Four copper coins a piece. If you buy five, I’ll knock a coin off the price.”
The woman lowered her head to ponder for a moment. Realising the price was indeed much cheaper than at the pastry shop, her eyes lit up instantly. “Is that really the price?” Her heart was pounding. “You mustn’t be deceiving me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t deceive you—as if these pastries could run away!” Tao Qinghe quipped.
Seeing that she could buy the pastries for considerably less, the woman could not hide her delight. She hurriedly said, “ “Then wrap up five pastries for me,” she said, and immediately followed up to confirm, “That’s twenty coins in total, minus one coin, making it nineteen, is that right?”
“You’ve calculated it yourself,” Tao Qinghe replied, carefully wrapping them up and handing them over. “Take care of them. These pastries were made this very morning; be careful not to knock them about, and make sure they don’t break before you get home.”
The woman took the pastries and placed them carefully before counting out the coins to pay. Tao Qinghe, thinking back on what had just happened, asked with a hint of curiosity, “Which village are you from, sister? I don’t seem to recognise you.”
“I’m from Li Village. I don’t often come to the county town,” the woman replied offhandedly, her heart filled with delight.
“If you like the pastries, come and buy some from me next time, and I’ll give you a discount!”
The woman readily agreed. After they parted ways, Tao Qinghe looked at the five remaining pastries in her basket and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned and walked back to the vicinity of the pastry shop, where she took up her post once more.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the remaining pastries had all been sold. After deducting the free samples and two trial packs, the eighteen pastries had brought in a total of seventy coins. After covering her costs, she reckoned she’d made a profit of forty or fifty coins. She weighed the coins in her cloth bag; once the pastries became even more famous, would she not be able to earn even more?
The summer sun beat down like fire, leaving Tao Qinghe hot and parched. Glancing at her empty basket, she decided not to linger any longer and turned to leave the town.
It was the height of midday; even the farm folk were likely sheltering indoors to escape the heat. Consequently, she had not encountered a single villager on her way and soon reached the home of Village Head Wang.
“Is Grandfather the Village Head resting?” Tao Qinghe called out.
After waiting a while with no response, just as she was debating whether to knock, footsteps finally sounded from inside. “Who’s there?” The voice was somewhat hoarse.
When the door swung open, Tao Qinghe caught sight of the same boy from the day of the family split; he looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen. His eyes were half-closed, and he was sizing her up in turn.
“I apologise for disturbing your rest. I am the daughter of Tao Dalang. I have come today to ask whether my family’s household registration has been finalised,” she began, explaining her purpose.
Upon hearing this, the boy stepped aside and turned to walk inside. “I’ll call Grandfather over.”
Tao Qinghe had no choice but to follow him, but she stopped in her tracks once they reached the courtyard.
Village Head Wang emerged from the house and, not seeing anyone, looked out to find her standing in the sun. He raised his hand and gave his young grandson a slap. “Why didn’t you think to bring her inside!”
Tao Qinghe, hearing the commotion, made her way into the house. “Village Head, have I disturbed your rest?” she asked, looking apologetic. “I’m truly sorry; I just happened to be passing by and thought I’d come in.
Village Head Wang noticed the sweat beading on Tao Qinghe’s forehead, her hair damp against her face. He then saw the basket she was carrying, with wild greens faintly visible beneath the cloth covering it, and asked, “Have you been out picking wild greens in the middle of the day?”
“I’ve just returned from the county town,” Tao Qinghe explained, shaking her head.
So she’d gone to the county town to sell wild greens? Wang Cunzhen wondered to himself. It was already midday, and she still had half a basket left; she probably hadn’t made much money.
“There’s no shortage of vegetables in town at this time of year; you’d better look for some other work,” Village Head Wang advised, before adding, “The household registration has been sorted out; the three of you have been registered as a separate household. Your uncle is a capable man; that has saved me quite a bit of trouble!”
Hearing the sarcasm in his words, Tao Qinghe merely smiled. “I’m truly sorry to have caused you such trouble.” With that, she pulled the basket closer. “These vegetables were just picked. Would you like to keep them to try something fresh?”
When Village Head Wang saw the wild greens, his mouth went dry with bitterness, and he waved his hands hurriedly. “Take them back and eat them yourselves.”
Seeing his reaction, Tao Qinghe did not press the matter. “The sun is still high in the sky, so I won’t disturb your rest any further. I’d better hurry home and tell Mother about this.”
Village Head Wang nodded in response. Once she had left, he bolted the door and returned to his room to rest.
It was only once Tao Qinghe had stepped outside the courtyard gate that she breathed a deep sigh of relief. With her household registration sorted, the matter was settled; from now on, she would be a full-fledged member of this era.
She shook her head to dispel the melancholy from her mind, then turned to look at the basket slung over her shoulder and smiled. Thank goodness she’d found a spot to forage for some wild greens as a cover before entering the village; otherwise, it really would have been hard to explain.
Tao Qinghe walked on, lost in thought. Just as she rounded a corner, she bumped into a woman. The moment they met, the woman spoke up: “Is that the Tao family girl back from the county town?” Though she spoke, her eyes were fixed on the basket.
Tao Qinghe didn’t recognise the woman and simply replied, “I’ve just returned. Is there something you need?”
The woman stared at the basket for a good while but couldn’t make out anything special. She turned her gaze back to Tao Qinghe and sneered, “Oh, do you think you’ll sell well in the county town with this bitter greens?”
Hearing the mocking tone in the woman’s voice, Tao Qinghe didn’t back down. “They’ll sell just fine. The townspeople haven’t seen such fine produce as ours before. You wouldn’t know, Auntie, but I’d barely stepped through the city gates and hadn’t even set my basket down before the greens were snapped up.” She stared impassively at the woman. “Shall we go together tomorrow morning, Auntie?”
Hearing this, the woman knew full well she was talking nonsense. If they sold that well, how could she have come back with half a basket left? No wonder Zhen’s mother said the girl had a sharp tongue; today she’d seen it for herself. She said without any pretence, “I’m not short of the few coins you’d make from selling vegetables.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Tao Qinghe was at a loss for words. Had this woman been standing here in the sweltering heat just to take a dig at someone? She looked up at the glaring sun, put the matter out of her mind, and hurried home.
The odd-behaving woman walked off in a certain direction and soon arrived at the Tao household. She knocked on the door and shouted, “Is Zhenniang at home?”
Before long, a voice came from inside: “Coming, coming! Who’s calling at the middle of the day?”
Qian Zhenniang had only just lain down when she heard someone knocking at the door. Opening it, she saw Zhao Rongniang, with whom she was usually on good terms, and frowned as she asked, “Why are you here in the middle of the day without resting?”
Seeing the look of impatience on her face, Zhao Rongniang hastened to explain, “I’d just fetched water and was on my way home when I bumped into Qinghe on her way to the village head’s house!”
“So she went? What’s all the fuss about?”
“Tsk, that girl’s just come back from the county town! She said she was off to sell wild greens, but I reckoned there was still a good half a basket left unsold!”
Upon hearing this, Qian Zhenniang covered her mouth and laughed. “Oh, that Qinghe’s a clever one, isn’t she? To go and sell wild greens that nobody eats.”
“You’re telling me! It’s absolutely sweltering out there. I just wonder how many coins she’ll bring back.”
Having said this, the two of them couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Is that why you’ve come?” Qian Zhenniang asked after laughing for a good while.
“This is no small matter. You’d best be on your guard in case they come back to you for money when they’ve run out!” Zhao Rongniang said in a lowered voice, as if she could already picture the scene.
Qian Zhenniang pondered for a moment, and when she spoke again, her tone carried a touch of sincerity. “I really must thank you for coming all this way just to let me know.”
“Of all the folk in the village, you and I are the closest. If I don’t help you sort this out, who else would?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing. When your son Huzi gets married in the future, I’ll make sure my eldest brother from my mother’s side gives you a good discount on the furniture!” Qian Zhenniang said, taking her hand.
“Oh! I’m truly in your debt! You’re the most generous soul in the whole village,” Zhao Rongniang smile widened at this promise. “Well then, I shan’t keep you any longer. I must hurry home and get everything ready.”
Watching her turn and walk away, Qian Zhenniang pursed her lips, shut the door, and went back inside.
“Who’s come at this hour? ” Tao Erlang, who had been listening to the commotion from inside, asked as she saw someone enter.
“It was Huzi’s mother. She said the eldest daughter has gone to the county town to sell wild vegetables.” She nudged him with her elbow. “We’ve split the household now. From now on, even if the three of them starve to death, you and your father aren’t allowed to give them a single coin!”
Hearing this, Tao Erlang was thoroughly fed up. “All right, all right. We’ve split up, so why bother with this? Go to sleep!” With that, he turned over and paid her no further heed.
Seeing him like this, Qian Zhenniang seethed inwardly, but in the end said nothing more and went back to rest.