Jiangkou Wharf was the largest wharf outside Qingshui County town. It was also a major port for transporting goods throughout the country. Before the wharf was built, Qingshui County wasn’t this prosperous, nor did it have such a large population. After this wharf was constructed, the number of traveling merchants, those who docked midway, those who rested and reorganized here, and those who purchased supplies for their ships increased, which was what made Qingshui County increasingly wealthy.
Even many of the men from the village would come to this wharf to earn silver by carrying sandbags whenever there was a break in farm work. Su Fu and her two older brothers used to do the same.
“There are so many people.” Su Tao felt a momentary urge to retreat as she watched the crowds coming and going at the wharf.
Li Chunhua also clutched her basket, looking timid. “Yeah.”
The three of them had walked for over half a shichen, only to feel like turning back upon arrival. Su Li was having none of it. “How about I go alone then,” she said.
“How could you do that!”
“That’s right, Sister Ali, how could you go by yourself?”
One second, Su Tao and Li Chunhua didn’t want to go; the next, their expressions changed completely.
“Forget it, I’ll go with you. Chunhua, if you don’t want to go, you can wait for us here,” Su Tao said, her face a mask of grim determination.
“I’ll go too,” Li Chunhua said, swallowing hard as she looked at the bustling crowd ahead.
And so, the three of them bolstered each other’s courage and finally reached the wharf.
“Make way, make way…”
“Delicious mantou, one wen each!”
“Mutton shaobing, five wen each…”
The wharf was a chaotic mix of people carrying goods and selling food, crowded and bustling.
Su Li and the others searched for a long time but couldn’t find a single empty spot. Just then, the crowd suddenly began to surge.
“A ship is here…”
In an instant, all the food vendors grabbed their baskets and hugged their mantou, rushing toward the front.
As if struck by an idea, Su Li grabbed Su Tao and Li Chunhua and followed, running forward with them.
“What’s wrong, Fifth Sister?”
“Let’s get over there first, we’ll talk later.”
Su Tao was completely bewildered, but she ran along with Su Li anyway.
“Masters, Madams, delicious mutton shaobing, only seven wen each!” The auntie who had just been hawking mutton shaobing addressed the people on the ship with a fawning expression.
The others were not to be outdone and chimed in.
“Delicious mantou, two wen each! Would you like one, Young Miss?”
“Candied hawthorn on a stick, four wen a skewer…”
Seeing this, Su Li thought to herself that it was just as she had expected. It was like trains in later generations; because the docking time was limited, the traveling vendors seized the opportunity to quickly sell some food.
As for the prices, they were naturally a bit more expensive than usual.
“Fifth Sister, why are they selling things for more than they were just now?” Su Tao whispered, leaning close to Su Li’s ear.
Su Li gave a brief explanation, her eyes scanning ahead, looking for a chance to move a little closer to the front. They were too far back; no one could even see what they were carrying.
Hearing the explanation, Su Tao’s eyes instantly lit up, but she quickly grew suspicious. “How do you know that?”
She had wanted to ask earlier. Why did Fifth Sister know so many things that she didn’t?
Su Li was speechless.
Fine, she should have just kept her mouth shut.
“I… I just heard Second Brother and the others talking about it…”
“Oh!”
Fortunately, Su Tao was easy to fool. Su Li breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, someone from the distant ship called out, “That young lady over there, how much are the sour jujubes?”
The voice came from a man on the ship who looked to be in his forties and was dressed like a steward. Seeing her chance, Su Li pulled Su Tao forward to reply. She placed the basket she was carrying and the one on her back on the ground for him to see. “All of it together, one hundred wen.”
?!
???
As Su Li’s voice fell, the crowd that had been scrambling over each other just a moment ago fell into a rare, tacit silence for a few seconds.
The auntie selling mutton shaobing felt a pang of shame. *This little girl is impressive. She’s even more ruthless than I am. These sour jujubes usually only go for two or three wen per jin, yet she’s selling them for so much.*
In truth, Su Li had no idea how much they cost per jin. She named that price because she had estimated there were probably about ten jin in total. Selling them for ten wen per jin wasn’t too much, was it?
“Alright, I’ll take them all.” The middle-aged man was clearly not short on money. He immediately took out some silver from his sleeve.
“Here, young lady, catch. This is two qian of silver.”
Could it be? He was giving them extra?
Su Li, Su Tao, and Li Chunhua were all stunned by this surprise. When they came to their senses, they quickly agreed and hurried forward to pass the sour jujubes, basket and all, up to the man.
However, the three of them were too short and their arms were too stubby. Stuck in the crowd, they weren’t close enough to the deck and couldn’t reach. It was the auntie selling shaobing in front of them who saw their predicament and helped them out, taking the basket and passing it over.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Everyone likes a sweet talker, and Aunt Shen was no exception. Besides, she also came from a poor family, and the three girls in front of her were about the same age as her own daughter, dressed in tattered clothes. It was just a small favor. “It’s nothing.”
It was a simple gesture.
Just then, after taking the sour jujubes, the middle-aged man added, “Give me ten of your mutton shaobing as well.”
This was a delightful surprise. Aunt Shen quickly counted out ten shaobing and passed them over.
The middle-aged man took the shaobing and handed over one qian of silver, a full thirty wen extra. Aunt Shen was so happy her face broke into a wide grin. It was just as the master at the temple had said: do good deeds, and you will be rewarded.
Meanwhile, Su Li and the other two were waiting for the man to return their back-basket. Instead, they saw him call someone over who took both the basket and the back-basket away.
“Our basket…” Su Tao cried out anxiously.
But Aunt Shen pulled her back and covered her mouth. “What’s the matter? Aren’t two qian of silver enough to buy your back-basket?”
“But…”