Around six o'clock, they finished their dinner. The moon was bright again tonight, so there was no need to light candles or oil lamps; the courtyard was bright and spacious.
The family sat in the front yard, with Zhou Chenyu sitting in the windy spot. The cool night breeze blew, and her hair was half-dry.
Li Xiuju couldn't stay idle, so she tied up the bamboo baskets and winnowing trays she had woven earlier and piled them up by the door. She would bring the cart over the next morning and move them out directly.
“Chenyu, you don’t need to go to the street tomorrow. Your mother and Baoyu will go.”
Baoyu also thought it made sense. He opened his eyes wide and almost forgot about it. "Yes, sister, Qingshui Town is only so big. What if you run into that scoundrel Qian Rushan again? It wouldn't be good if he came to cause you trouble."
Money is as plentiful as a mountain.
Zhou Chenyu recalled the scene of him being beaten senseless by her; he was just a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Although he may still seek revenge, if she is afraid...
Li Xiuju and Baoyu were no match for him.
She stretched and said casually, "You said it yourself, Qingshui Town is only so big, we'll meet eventually. You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever."
"The more you fear this kind of person, the more they will take advantage of you. If you are tough, they will back down. So I am not afraid of him. If I see him, I will not hit him unless he provokes me. If he dares to touch me in public, I will just die with him and gain a good reputation for eliminating a scourge for the people."
"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Li Xiuju glared at him in annoyance, then sat down and calmly thought about it, realizing that what Chen Yu said made sense.
A good horse is ridden, a kind person is bullied.
It's one thing to be weak and easily bullied, but if the children are tougher, they won't be bullied.
"Then be careful tomorrow."
The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu ate the breakfast prepared by Li Xiuju, took all their goods, and headed to the market.
For them, who don't have a shop, the place they frequent is the best choice for setting up a stall.
They arrived earlier than usual that day, but their spots had already been taken. Just as they were looking worried, a voice, both expected and reasonable, rang out.
Zhou Chenyu became even more certain of her thoughts from last night.
"Chenyu, Baoyu, I have another spot here, come over!" Chen Tongsheng moved the baskets aside, making room for them.
Vendors surged forward to claim their stalls, and the scene became noisy. Baoyu stopped and asked, "Sister, did you hear someone calling our names?"
Zhou Chenyu firmly denied it, saying, "No!"
Baoyu scratched his head and looked around the crowd. "No one?"
"No, you're overthinking it!" Zhou Chenyu muttered, "I'm deaf, I can't hear, I can't hear," while dragging Baoyu, who hadn't heard a sound yet, in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed past and blocked their path. Chen Tongsheng caught up, and Zhou Chenyu instinctively put on an innocent smile. "Brother Chen, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"
When Chen Tongsheng saw that smile, it was as sweet as honey. "Chenyu, Baoyu, are you looking for a seat? I've saved one for you next to me. You don't need to look anymore, come to my seat."
"Really?" Baoyu saw Chen Tongsheng and, as if seeing the roast chicken he had eaten yesterday, happily agreed, "Sister, let's go over there with Brother Chen!"
Chen Tongsheng not only helped move the things to the reserved spot, but also insisted on stuffing several large oranges into their hands.
Zhou Chenyu was caught in a dilemma: accepting the offer was bad enough, but refusing it was even worse. Holding these hot potatoes in her hands, her cheeks ached from smiling. She really wanted to give him a "good guy" card on the spot, but she was afraid of hurting his feelings.
Seeing her forced smile, Baoyu secretly leaned closer and asked, "Sister, the oranges Brother Chen gave us are really sweet, why don't you eat them?"
He who eats another's food is bound to do so.
Zhou Chenyu handed over the orange, saying, "I don't have an appetite, you can eat my portion."
"How could I dare eat the oranges he gave you?" Baoyu smiled mischievously, with a hint of teasing.
Zhou Chenyu's eyes were half-closed as he assumed a defensive posture. "What do you want to say?"
Taking advantage of Chen Tongsheng's inattention, Baoyu grinned and said, "Sister, Brother Chen is so good to you. I have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it."
Zhou Chenyu smiled and warned, "You brat, when you're in the martial world, don't eat what you shouldn't eat, and never say what you shouldn't say."
"What are you two siblings talking about? Let me hear and have a laugh." Chen Tongsheng looked over, and Baoyu was about to answer.
Zhou Chenyu took the initiative, breaking off a large piece of orange and stuffing it into his mouth, laughing, "He has blisters in his mouth, so I'm giving him some vitamin B."
"Vitamins? What kind of Chinese medicine is that? I've never heard of it before." Chen Tongsheng hesitated for a long time, afraid that his ignorance would make him a laughing stock, so he didn't dare to ask in detail and just smiled sheepishly.
In late June, as summer approached, Chen Tongsheng's fruit business reached its peak, with a steady stream of customers flocking to his stall.
The summer solstice mushrooms they painstakingly picked were sold by only one vendor, fetching ten coins per pound.
People accustomed to rich and heavy meals, especially those who had risen from humble beginnings, longed to taste the flavors of their childhood. As a result, many bought them. By afternoon, the summer solstice mushrooms in the baskets were almost sold out, with only a few remaining – enough to take home and enjoy. As for the remaining handicrafts made from winnowing baskets, they sold as many as they could.
Baoyu had eaten too many oranges and had an upset stomach, but he hadn't said anything. Now that many things had been sold, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and rushed to the toilet, leaving Zhou Chenyu and Chen Tongsheng alone.
Zhou Chenyu saw that there were still a few oranges left in his basket, and guessed that he would leave after selling them all. However, a customer came along and wanted to buy some, but he said he wouldn't sell them to him.
No way, no way.
Is he really going to be so blatant just to be with her?
What merit does she possess?
Zhou Chenyu put on a dramatic performance, calmly asking him, "Brother Chen, there are fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road. Some people are coming to buy oranges, why don't you sell them? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Chen Tongsheng withdrew his searching gaze and smiled, "Shenyu, to be honest, these oranges of mine have already been reserved. It's not that I don't want to sell them."
"Reserved by someone? Who is it?" Zhou Chenyu wondered. Chen Tongsheng, who was next to him, suddenly stood up and faced the man coming towards them, afraid that he would miss him if he was too slow. "Yang, the squad leader, you've arrived."
who?
Yang Ban Tou?!
Zhou Chenyu looked up in surprise and saw a man in a dark blue round-neck long shirt walking towards her in a hurry.
As the long nights spent in prison, accompanied by snakes, insects, and rodents, flooded her mind, she squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "What a coincidence."
Yang Xi looked at Chen Tongsheng and apologized slightly, "I kept you waiting. Something came up and I was delayed."
"It's alright, it's alright." Chen Tongsheng smiled as if he didn't care about money. "Squad Leader Yang, I've kept all the tangerines you wanted."
"Okay." Yang Xi took the bag of tangerines. Zhou Chenyu put away her murderous glare, tilted her head and smiled sweetly, "Sir, would you like to buy a pound of mushrooms? These mushrooms are not only delicious and perfect with rice, but they also promote longevity and bring many children. They're only twenty coins a pound, you won't regret buying them. How about a pound?"
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