Chapter 44 This is a good omen
A rooster's crow awakened Dahe Village.
As dawn broke, Cheng Wanwan sat up in bed.
As soon as she got up, the other three boys lying on the same bed also opened their eyes at the same time.
Zhao Sidan mumbled sleepily, "Mom, I want to go to town too."
Zhao Sanniu chimed in, "Mother, I'm strong, let me go with you!"
Of these four children, only the eldest had been to town a few times to sell firewood and exchange it for salt; the other three had never been to town and all seemed to have never seen the world.
Cheng Wanwan hardened her heart and said, "I've only prepared 130 bowls of ice jelly today. Two people will be enough. But we might need to buy some things back, so we'll need someone to help carry them. Dashan and Sanniu, come with me."
Zhao Ergou's eyes widened: "Mother, shouldn't I be going with my older brother?"
If we go by the order, shouldn't it be him?
He glared angrily at Zhao Sanniu.
Zhao Sanniu grinned and said, "Because I'm strong, hehehe."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and nodded: "San Niu is stronger, so let him carry the grain back."
In reality, it's because San Niu is honest and simple-minded, unlike the second brother who is so cunning. If she takes something from her spatial storage and pretends it's something she bought, the eldest and third brothers are unlikely to notice.
Zhao Sanniu had no idea that he was chosen because of his intelligence, and happily got up to wash his face.
Zhao Da's oxcart was parked at the village entrance, empty and without a soul in sight. Come to think of it, these days every household was short of food. Wouldn't it be better to use a penny to buy some food? Why waste it on an oxcart ride? It would only take an hour to walk there. If they started walking before dawn, they could reach the town before sunrise. A round trip would save them two pennies, enough to buy a large steamed bun.
The mother and her two children got into the cart. There were two loads of four buckets: one bucket contained ice jelly, two buckets contained water for washing dishes, and the last bucket was used to store the dishes.
All the bowls at home were broken and unsuitable for customers. The first thing to do when we got to town was to buy bowls and spoons. We bought ten sets first. It was a good thing that it wasn't enough, which meant there was great market potential.
As Zhao Da drove the oxcart, he casually asked, "Where is Aunt Dashan going?"
Cheng Wanwan said, "I tried making some food and will take it to town to see if I can sell it."
She wants to make money honestly, build houses honestly, and live comfortably in this era honestly.
She never intended to hide her business dealings from the villagers.
Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal exactly how much money she made.
Zhao Da didn't ask any further questions. People from the village often took things to town to sell. Eggs and firewood were the most common items. Some skillful women could embroider handkerchiefs, and others made mung bean cakes and the like. In short, these were all small businesses to make a living, and each family had its own way of life.
The oxcart drove smoothly toward Ping'an Town.
They hadn't gone far when something suddenly flew down from a tree by the roadside and landed on Cheng Wanwan's arm.
Last time I rode in an oxcart, there were these things; they are locusts.
Zhao Sanniu grabbed the locust and crushed it to death. He wiped the locust's juices on his hands and then onto his trousers.
Cheng Wanwan was at her wits' end. They were about to start selling food, but this kid was still so unhygienic. If customers saw this, they wouldn't be able to sell a single bowl of ice jelly.
She quickly used a gourd ladle to fetch some clean water: "San Niu, wash your hands."
Zhao Sanniu's face flushed red: "Mother, I won't do it again next time... What is that?!"
A locust bumped into his face, and he slapped it down, his face covered in dirt.
Cheng Wanwan's brow twitched.
Zhao Sanniu quickly admitted his mistake: "Mother, I was wrong..."
He quickly got some water to wash his hands and face, fearing that he would be kicked off the bus.
Cheng Wanwan looked up at the sky. There were quite a few locusts flying overhead, not many, but not few either.
Zhao Da frowned: "This thing came once last year. If it comes again this year, Dahe Village, no, the entire Ping'an Town will be finished..."
"Uncle Da, no!" Zhao Dashan shook his head vigorously. "Grandpa, the village head, said that once the locusts fly away, they won't come back. These few that are left are probably those that didn't have time to fly away last year. They won't be difficult to deal with."
Zhao Da didn't speak and silently drove the carriage.
Cheng Wanwan didn't say anything. She counted the locusts flying overhead and, after a quick count, found there were nearly a hundred.
If the locusts really come, all the rice that has finally managed to grow ears and grains will be eaten by these locusts.
She vaguely remembered that in her previous life, when she watched the news, there was a trending topic about a "locust-sweeping duck army." Hundreds of chickens and ducks entered the rice fields and ate all the locusts flying around.
There are only three chickens at home, which is not enough. Even if they could start brooding and hatching chicks right away, there wouldn't be enough time. I wish there were chicks for sale in town.
Along the way, Cheng Wanwan was lost in thought, and the oxcart soon arrived at Ping'an Town.
The sun had just risen above the horizon; it was market day, and the streets were bustling with people, lined with all sorts of stalls.
"Selling buns, selling buns, four cents for a big meat bun!"
"Selling candied hawthorns! Sweet and delicious candied hawthorns!"
"Eggs for sale! Cheap sale!"
The streets were filled with shouts and vendors, and the stalls were packed with customers.
Dahe Village is too far from Ping'an Town. I couldn't even get a stall even though I got up so early.
Cheng Wanwan found an empty spot at the end of the street, set down the four buckets of belongings, and instructed, "Sanniu, you stay here and guard the things. Dashan, go to the restaurant over there and borrow two tables. They're two cents each, and don't borrow more than two cents. I'll go to the grocery store to buy tableware."
The mother and her two children split into three groups and each went about their own business.
Cheng Wanwan stepped into the only general store in town. The store was quite well-stocked, with some antique-looking porcelain bowls that looked very nice. She asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is one?"
The shopkeeper glanced at the patched clothes she was wearing and said indifferently, "Thirty-five coins."
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
That's too expensive. Buying ten bowls and spoons would cost half a tael of silver, which invisibly increases the cost.
She compromised and asked, "Is there anything cheaper?"
The shopkeeper looked impatient: "The cheapest ones here are one coin each, take your pick."
Cheng Wanwan looked down and saw that all the tableware placed there was defective. Some were broken, and others had ugly patterns. They were only slightly better than the broken bowls in their home.
She shook her head, turned around, and walked out of the shop.
The shopkeeper rolled his eyes at her from behind. Dressed in such rags, yet complaining about a bowl that costs only a penny—where did she get the nerve to say that?
Cheng Wanwan has the confidence to back it up.
She wandered into the alley, opened the online store, and saw a dazzling array of tableware displayed on the virtual panel.
She chose a set of medium-sized white porcelain bowls with pink plum blossoms reflected on the surface. Each bowl cost two coins, totaling twenty coins. She also bought ten spoons, which brought the total to only thirty coins.
She carried ten bowls to the stall, where she saw Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu carrying two tables down.
Cheng Wanwan was a little surprised. She didn't expect that the tongue-tied Zhao Dashan could actually borrow a table and chair successfully. This was a good sign!
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