By the time they reached the county town, it was already broad daylight. Gufeng County was a market town for people from all around, with markets held on the 5th and 10th of each month. Today was the 10th of the Lunar New Year, the second market day after the holiday, and it was quite lively. Most of the people there were like them, rural peasants, mostly wearing brown or dark blue coarse cloth clothes, and the poorer ones wore patched clothes.

Many peddlers hawked their wares along the streets and alleys.

Lu Yunfeng first sold the baskets at the weaving shop for seven coins each. Today he brought back thirteen in total, for a total of ninety-one coins. Since winter bamboo shoots were scarce, the two went to the morning market. Lu Yunfeng set the price at three coins per pound, based on the market price at this time last year.

Only three coins a pound?! This price is really low. Qin Xiaozhou felt a toothache. This was the result of her and Lu Yunxing and Lu Yan's hard work climbing mountains and trekking through forests yesterday. They carried it all the way here this morning, and her shoulders still hurt. She knew there must be marks from carrying it without even looking.

Even at such a low price, some elderly women still complained that it was too expensive, glanced at the vegetables and left, ignoring Qin Xiaozhou's attempts to persuade them to stay. The morning market was full of vegetables from nearby villagers, freshly picked from the fields to supplement their household income. Even if it was only a few coins, it was still enough for a meal.

The past two years have been difficult due to drought, and no one, except for city dwellers who have no land, would buy bamboo shoots, something that can be found in the mountains. Qin Xiaozhou squatted by the market all morning, loudly hawking her wares. She was a very open and straightforward person, and she wasn't shy about setting up a stall at the market. "Come and see! Crisp and fresh winter bamboo shoots, just dug up yesterday, selling cheap!"

A woman who had come to the early market carried a basket and pinched the bamboo shoot with a small husk peeking out from the top. "How much?" she asked.

The woman was dressed in brown clothes, made of fine cotton fabric rarely seen in the countryside, and without a single patch, clearly indicating that she was not short of money.

Qin Xiaozhou said with a smile, "Four coins a pound, don't worry, sister. These winter bamboo shoots are fresh, but they are a bit drier than those that grow after the rain. This big one is probably only two pounds, so it's only eight coins, enough for a big plate."

Qin Xiaozhou deliberately quoted a high price of four coins. If it didn't work out, they could negotiate the price. If they could sell it, they would earn a few more coins. The Lu family was really poor; they didn't even have the money to take a boat or an oxcart.

Lu Yunfeng glanced at her in surprise, but said nothing. This made Qin Xiaozhou think that he was alright; he was neither rigid nor did he know how to read the situation and not undermine others.

Upon hearing this, the woman said, "I want a lot, sister, can you give me a discount?"

Qin Xiaozhou immediately beamed, "Sis, how many do you want?"

"Seven or eight."

Has this become a big customer? "Sister, you've ordered a lot, so I'll give you a price of three coins per pound. How does that sound?"

"Okay." The woman smiled, clearly pleased with Qin Xiaozhou's respectful address, and picked out half a basketful. "Let's see how much it's worth?"

Qin Xiaozhou took the borrowed scale and weighed it. "Sister, look, it's a full ten jin and two liang. I'll give you ten jin and thirty coins."

"Doing business is all about being friendly," was a saying her grandmother used, and the woman indeed paid promptly. Having those old memories was a good thing; she could even read a scale. Qin Xiaozhou was pleased and became increasingly adept at hawking her wares.

Her voice was neither rough nor shrill, and it carried a hint of laughter, so others didn't find it offensive. When they saw her smiling face, they felt a sense of warmth and familiarity, and naturally, more people asked her questions.

After two hours of selling, all the bamboo shoots were sold out, and I earned a total of ninety-seven coins. Today is the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, a market day in the county town, so there are a lot of people. On ordinary days, there are not many people shopping on the streets, and it would be difficult to sell these things.

In Gufeng County, there's a market every five days, and people sell whatever they have at home on that day.

Qin Xiaozhou happily took the copper coins to buy shoes. She received a pair of sturdy and comfortable shoes, and finally had new shoes to wear. "How much are these shoes?" she asked.

Seeing her old clothes and worn-out shoes, the shopkeeper snatched the shoes from her and said, "Forty coins."

Forty coins? That's expensive, but the soles are thick and the uppers are soft, so it should be worth the price.

Qin Xiaozhou visually inspected the shoes, saying, "Let me try them on to see if they fit."

The shopkeeper looked her over suspiciously, but seeing that she really wanted to buy, he suggested that she wash her feet in the backyard before trying it on. Qin Xiaozhou went to the backyard, which was a house facing the street. The shop and the living quarters were separated by a courtyard, which was convenient for both opening a shop and living. It was exactly her ideal type.

After putting on her new shoes, she went to Qin Xiaozhou, who was standing in the middle of the street. "Wait a minute," she said, and then walked towards a restaurant.

Lu Yunfeng frowned when he saw her destination. Every dish at this kind of restaurant was expensive. A few years ago, when his father and grandfather were still alive, his whole family would occasionally come here to eat once or twice. Now it was a luxury. He thought Qin Xiaozhou was willing to suffer with him and had secretly made up her mind to live a good life. But now the money was being spent before she even had a chance to enjoy it. He couldn't quite describe how he felt.

She was disappointed and a little angry. As a new bride, she had no responsibility to support the family. It was not her fault for not thinking about the elderly and weak in the family, but she did not dig the bamboo shoots by herself. At least she should have left some for her second brother and third sister, who had also contributed to digging the bamboo shoots yesterday.

As for his disappointment, it was because his expectations were too high. Although it was an official marriage, it was still a marriage. As a twenty-year-old man, he still had fantasies about marriage and his wife. Now, he had no such thoughts. He just wanted Qin Xiaozhou to stop asking him for money every day.

Lu Yunfeng followed and saw Qin Xiaozhou standing in the lobby asking the waiter, "Young man, what are some of your restaurant's specialties?"

It was still early, and there weren't many people in the shop. Two waiters were wiping the tables and chairs with their heads down. Wang Xiaohu sized up Qin Xiaozhou without making a sound. Seeing that she was plump and tall and wearing new shoes, he smiled and came up to her: "Our shop is one of the top restaurants in the county. We have beef, mutton, chicken and fish, as well as many seasonal dishes. We can boil, stew and fry them all. What would you like to eat, Madam?"

These days, it's already a blessing for ordinary people to be able to eat their fill and not starve. Someone who can eat so much must not be from a poor family. Moreover, Wang Xiaohu smelled the meaty odor on Qin Xiaozhou, so he dared not neglect him.

Qin Xiaozhou sniffed and could also smell the stewed meat in the kitchen. It was all pure meat or with some vegetables like bamboo shoots, lotus root, and radish. There were almost no spices like star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, or cardamom. So even the dishes in restaurants and hotels were very simple.

She already had a plan in mind. "Young man, could you please inform your manager that I would like to meet him?"

Wang Xiaohu's expression turned serious. Thinking he wasn't busy, he went upstairs anyway, figuring he'd just get a scolding from the manager. Soon, a man in his forties, slightly overweight with a double chin, came down from the second floor. Chen Haiping was a smiling tiger, always greeting people with a smile. "What brings you here, madam?" he asked.

They made no attempt to invite him upstairs, and simply stood in the lobby talking. Wang Xiaohu, with his keen observation, introduced Chen Haiping and then went about his business.

Qin Xiaozhou didn't care. If he wanted others to think highly of him, he had to have some skills. "Manager Chen, I have a recipe here that can't be found in Gufeng County. I wonder if you would be interested?"