“Aiya, son, you’re so capable,” Li Wanting said with delight. If only we had a few more sons like you.
Zhou Zimo gave his mother a speechless look, then turned to his sister and said, “Little sister, it’s time to eat.”
“I’m coming, brother,” Zhou Zimeng put down the TV remote and walked over.
After the three of them finished their meal, they left their space. Li Wanting slung a basket over her back, held her son’s hand with her left hand and her daughter’s with her right, and headed toward the village entrance.
There was an ox cart belonging to Old Zhou Gen in the village, which could take them to the town for just two wen per person.
“Where’s the mountain lady taking the children?” asked Granny Tian as she patched a shoe sole, sitting under the village’s large locust tree with a few other elders.
“Auntie, I’m taking the children to town to buy some things,” Li Wanting said with a bright smile.
“Alright then, go quickly. Old Gen probably hasn’t left yet,” Granny Tian urged.
“Okay,” Li Wanting replied, hurrying toward the village entrance with her children.
Seeing the nearly full ox cart, Li Wanting asked Old Zhou Gen, “Uncle Gen, are there any seats left?”
“Yes, Mountain Lady. Come, pick up the children and squeeze in. Let the three of you sit, and we’ll leave,” Zhou Gen said, arranging the seating for them.
“Come, sister-in-law, sit over here,” Wang Lanzhi waved to Li Wanting.
Seeing how friendly this frail woman was, Li Wanting held her daughter and sat down, while her son sat beside her. Only then did Zhou Gen drive the ox cart toward town.
“Sister-in-law, is the injury on your forehead feeling better?” Wang Lanzhi asked with concern.
Li Wanting recalled the original owner’s memories and recognized Wang Lanzhi as the wife of her good friend Zhou Dachang. She smiled and said, “Much better now, sister-in-law.”
In truth, Li Wanting’s forehead injury had been quite severe, but after drinking Lingquan water for two days, it was fully healed by this morning—without a scar. Still, to avoid suspicion, she kept it wrapped.
“That’s good. Don’t do anything foolish again,” Wang Lanzhi advised.
“I won’t, sister-in-law, don’t worry,” Li Wanting replied.
“That old Zhou woman is never-ending trouble, always bullying widows like you. That day I wasn’t home, or I would have taken care of her for you. But now it’s over, the family tie’s cut, you can live quietly. Just live well, and if anything happens, come to me,” Wang Lanzhi said, both angry and satisfied at seeing Li Wanting’s troubles resolved.
“Yes, I know, sister-in-law,” Li Wanting replied.
…
As they chatted, the villagers on the cart occasionally chimed in. Before long, they arrived in town. After getting off the cart and paying, everyone went their separate ways. Old Zhou Gen collected four wen from the three of them, counting the two children as one person.
“Little sister, I’ll go check on Dachang first. We’ll take this ox cart back together this afternoon,” Wang Lanzhi said after Li Wanting paid.
Zhou Dachang worked as a carpenter in town and only came home once every ten or fifteen days.
“Okay, sister-in-law, you go ahead. See you this afternoon,” Li Wanting said.
“All right,” Wang Lanzhi replied, turning and leaving.
Li Wanting led her two children toward the bustling marketplace. The market was lively, with vendors selling candied haws, rice cakes, sweet soups, and other treats, all shouting louder than one another.
The children’s eyes lit up—they had never been to town before and were amazed by all the people and excitement.
“Old sir, three sticks of candied haws, please,” Li Wanting said to an elderly vendor.
“All right, six wen,” the old man said, handing over the three sticks.
Li Wanting took them and, pretending to search in her sleeve, actually pulled six wen from her space and handed it to him.
“So this is candied haws? I’ve seen Granny buy some for Brother Wen before,” Zhou Zimeng said, taking the treat from his mother.
“Don’t call that old witch ‘Granny’ anymore. She’s not our grandmother—our real grandmother is gone,” Zhou Zimo scolded his sister.
“That old witch is bad,” Zhou Zimeng pouted.
Li Wanting didn’t correct her children—they were right. That old witch was awful, and they had every right to complain.
Li Wanting bought sugar figurines, wooden animal carvings, and pretty hair accessories for her daughter, which made the little girl extremely happy.
After browsing for a while, they entered a fabric shop.
The shop had rolls of fabric—plain, patterned, silk, everything imaginable.
“Little lady, what are you looking for? We have all kinds of fabric and ready-made clothes,” the shop owner greeted them with a smile, not looking down on the three of them for wearing rags.
“Oh? Ready-made clothes?” Li Wanting’s eyes lit up. Ready-made clothes were perfect. Although the original owner was skilled at sewing and embroidery, Li Wanting herself wasn’t. She decided to buy two sets for each of them now and a few rolls of fabric to have Granny Tian make additional outfits later—she was famous for her sewing.
“Yes, all the ready-made clothes are upstairs. Little lady, you can go upstairs to see them—there are clothes for adults and children,” the shop owner enthusiastically recommended.
“Good, lead the way. I want a few sets of ready-made clothes,” Li Wanting said.
“All right, follow me, little lady,” the owner said, delighted, and led them upstairs.
The entire second floor was filled with ready-made clothes for men, women, and children, in every style and fabric.
“Little lady, take a look. You can even try them on,” the owner said.
“All right, I’ll see… cotton and plain colors are best. Take down that pink dress for me,” Li Wanting said, instantly spotting a perfect choice for her daughter. It was pretty but understated.
“All right,” the owner responded and handed it over.
Li Wanting felt the soft cotton fabric and tried it on her daughter.
“Oh, it’s beautiful! The little girl looks even prettier,” the owner praised generously.
The little girl, Zhou Zimeng, had never worn new clothes before. Seeing herself in the mirror, she could hardly believe it. “Mom, is the pretty little girl in the mirror me?”
“Of course it’s you, little beauty,” Li Wanting said, playfully pinching her daughter’s cheeks.
“I’m not just a beauty! I want to be like Beauty Sheep! Hehe…” The little girl twirled around, admiring herself.
“Get that light purple outfit in the same size. One for my son—a long tunic and a short set. For me, one in blue and one in cream,” Li Wanting instructed the shop owner.
“All right,” the owner quickly gathered everything. They tried the clothes on, and everything fit perfectly. They also picked out a few pairs of cloth shoes and sets of underclothes.
After dressing, the three of them, though still dressed like villagers, looked entirely transformed. Truly, clothes make the man, and appearance changes everything.
Li Wanting had the shop owner pack the remaining outfits, underclothes, and shoes. She also picked a few more rolls of fine cotton fabric and some quilts downstairs. There was cotton in her space, so no need to buy any more. Only then did she ask the shop owner to tally the bill.