Chapter 53: Love at First Sight
No matter how fierce the cold wind is outside, as long as there is stored grain and a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) at home, one will feel warm and cozy.
In these days of teaching and taking care of the seedlings, Shen Zhiyi actually felt a sense of leisure.
She consciously recorded the duration of this cold wave. The balance between cold and warm is like a natural law, and people are most relaxed when the temperature fluctuates, making them more susceptible to catching a cold.
The chill that had lasted for twenty-five days gradually dissipated, and all the villagers in Xiaba Village spent the time in warmth and began a new round of work. Now there are people specifically in charge of composting, but the fertilizer is clearly not enough.
So when Shen Zhiyi proposed raising chickens and pigs, some villagers who had the idea began to implement it.
The warmth was approaching, like the transition from late spring to early summer, and the tomato seedlings she was tending were almost ready for transplanting. It was time to make a trip to Shunshui Village.
"Zhiyi, are you home?" Tang Huaya's voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Here!" Shen Zhiyi replied, walked over to open the door, and found not only Tang Huaya, but also Aunt Zhao, Zhao Daya, Sun Sanni and Ge Niu. She immediately understood, "Wait a minute, I'll go inside to get something."
Aunt Zhao and Tang Huaya were carrying baskets on their backs, with a small section of coarse cloth sticking out from inside.
Shen Zhiyi turned and walked into the house, took out all the loose silver from the chest, and left with the thought that "if it gets stolen if I leave it at home, I might as well spend it myself."
As the group of six walked along the village road, they attracted a 100% head-turning rate.
Ge Niu walked at the very back, appearing hesitant and timid. With Shen Zhiyi's special intervention, her companions didn't pay too much attention to her. Gradually, they noticed that although she still seemed nervous and guarded, she no longer had the initial fear and anxiety.
As they walked along the main road outside the village, chatting and laughing, Zhao Daya, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke up: "Isn't that Grandpa Village Chief?"
“It really is!” Shen Zhiyi said.
Then they called out "Village Chief" and "Grandpa Village Chief" in different ways, which startled the village chief. He quickly turned around and asked, "Why are you all going out in such a group? Where are you going?"
"Why isn't the old man with you?" the village chief asked Aunt Zhao, turning his head to look at her.
"He slipped and fell on his way home in the dark yesterday. I don't know who threw a stone on the road, so I told him to rest," Aunt Zhao said helplessly.
"Oh dear, is the fall serious? Should we call a doctor?" the village chief asked with concern.
"No need, it will be fine tomorrow," Aunt Zhao said hurriedly.
"Who's so heartless as to throw stones in the middle of the road?" Zhao Daya said angrily. "Luckily it was Uncle Han this time. If it had been some grandpa or grandma, wouldn't they have been even more upset?"
Although the words were meant to express relief, they sounded strangely awkward. Shen Zhiyi glanced at Aunt Zhao and Tang Huaya out of the corner of her eye, and seeing that they didn't think much of it, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, that’s right,” Aunt Zhao agreed.
They walked and talked until they heard the mooing of cows, which stopped their chatter. Aunt Zhao said, "There are so many of us, I'm afraid we won't all have room. You all get in the car first, Huaya and I will walk."
“That won’t do!” the village chief retorted first.
“Yes, that doesn’t make sense,” Shen Zhiyi chimed in.
The oxcart slowly approached, and the group stepped aside. The old man driving the cart clearly knew Shen Zhiyi well, and he stopped the cart slowly without even having to stop it.
"Grandpa Village Chief, get on the bus first, then Aunt Zhao..." Shen Zhiyi subconsciously made the arrangements, glancing at Ge Niu who was silent, and said in an unbiased manner, "We'll get on the bus one by one, and whoever doesn't have a seat can walk."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Daya immediately switched places with Sun Sanni next to her and stood behind Shen Zhiyi.
The village chief sat in his seat, turning sideways to minimize the space he occupied, and directed the people getting on the bus to sit down, making room just enough for Zhao Daya, who was at the back of the line.
"Brother, my granddaughters aren't heavy, they won't tire your oxen," the village chief said with a smile to the old man driving the cart.
The old man driving the carriage glanced back before saying, "Oh, I know. Everyone, take your seats."
The warmth of the sun felt wonderful on my skin.
Aunt Zhao and Zhao Daya were not shy and quickly started chatting with the people around them. By the time they got off the bus, they had become so close that they had exchanged places to stay.
Such strong social skills truly impressed Shen Zhiyi.
"Girl, I'm going to the county government office first. Where are you planning to go? Do you want to come back together?" the village chief asked.
“We’re planning to sell some small items,” Shen Zhiyi replied.
The village chief nodded in acknowledgment, and then walked alone toward the county government office.
Shen Zhiyi asked Aunt Zhao for her opinion and learned that she wanted to try going to the cloth shop. So they went to the cloth shop first. There were only two cloth shops in the whole town that could be called "cloth shops", but the results of their inquiries were not ideal.
Seeing their dejected expressions, Shen Zhiyi said, "Now that we've found out the market price, we should start selling."
“Could it be like…” Zhao Daya’s eyes lit up as she began to speak.
Shen Zhiyi shook her head calmly and smiled, "We can cooperate with the peddler!"
“Peddlers usually buy from the same people. If we go looking for them without proper guidance, they might not accept our goods,” Sun Sanni warned.
“Sanni’s words have reminded me that we need to find someone to guide us,” Shen Zhiyi said slowly, glancing at the young women around her. “I’ll go ask him about the situation and come back in a bit.”
"I'll go with you."
"I'll go too."
Sun Sanni and Zhao Daya spoke up at the same time. If Tang Huaya and the others hadn't spoken up too slowly, they probably would have all been shouting that they wanted to go.
Sometimes being too popular can be a problem.
Shen Zhiyi pulled Zhao Daya aside and said sincerely, "I'm worried about leaving Aunt Zhao and the others here, so I wanted you to stay and keep them company. I have Sanni with me, and she'll be back soon."
Zhao Daya glanced over there, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Alright then, you should go and come back as soon as possible."
"I know," Shen Zhiyi quickly replied, pulling Sun Sanni along as they disappeared into another alley.
Walking into the alley where there was the sound of boiling water, Shen Zhiyi walked to the familiar shop and saw the aunt and Ge Ermazi talking about something. One of them had a stern expression, while the other looked dejected.
"Auntie, someone's here." Ge Ermazi perked up instantly, unusually enthusiastic. "You must have something to tell me! Let's go outside and talk!"
Shen Zhiyi knew her chance had come, and with an extremely kind smile, she said, "There's a small matter I need your help with."
As she spoke, she led Sun Sanni a few steps outside, echoing her words, "Let's talk outside."
"Then Auntie, I'll go take care of my work now," Ge Ermazi said with a smile, but his steps as he got up and walked out were hurried.
His expression immediately relaxed as soon as he stepped out the door, but when he caught a glimpse of Shen Zhiyi out of the corner of his eye, his expression became somewhat impatient. Not wanting to show it at this moment, he quickly led her to the nearest corner, his gaze occasionally sweeping over to the shop entrance over there, his tone casual: "What's the matter? You even came all this way to ask me for help?"
"Do you know any peddlers?" Shen Zhiyi asked directly. "I have business to do with him. If we succeed in our deal, I can give you a referral fee of ten coins."
"Tch, only ten coins." Ge Ermazi scoffed, saying nonchalantly, "You still owe me a meal at Jufu Restaurant. We'll talk about paying you back when you pay me back."
Sun Sanni didn't like Ge Ermazi's changed opinion, and gently advised, "Zhiyi, let's go."
At this moment, Ge Ermazi finally saw the woman hiding behind Shen Zhiyi. She had a gentle temperament, spoke softly, and looked delicate and frail, so he knew that she needed his protection.
He suddenly became concerned about his appearance, silently fixing his hair, when he suddenly heard Shen Zhiyi say, "Then I'll go talk to my aunt."
His good mood vanished abruptly, and Ge Ermazi lowered his voice, saying, "Can't you try something else? Fine, fine, I'm in a good mood now, so I'll help you with this. As for that referral fee, you don't need to pay it."
If someone who used to value money the most suddenly stops valuing it, then there must be some other motive!
"Let's go," Shen Zhiyi said, turning around and pulling Sun Sanni away.
"Hey! Why are you leaving? Didn't I already agree?" Ge Ermazi quickly caught up, his mind racing. He hurriedly said, "Consider it a good deed, ten coins it is. Just don't go looking for your aunt!"
Ge Ermazi swayed to the side, pretending to be anxious as he covered the location of the shop on that side.
"Then you should first find a peddler who is willing to buy new goods. Go to the alley next to the cloth shop on the main street and discuss the business there," Shen Zhiyi said slowly, constantly observing Ge Ermazi's expression. The change was so sudden that she had to be on her guard.
"What are you selling? At least tell me what you're selling," Ge Ermazi said.
“Small cloth items can be used as hair ties, wristbands, or sleeves…” Shen Zhiyi noticed that Ge Ermazi’s gaze was looking at Sun Sanni next to him, so she subtly blocked her way. “Anyway, we’ll talk about it when we get there.”
After finishing her sentence in a hurry, Shen Zhiyi led Sun Sanni back in the direction they were heading.
"Alright, I'll definitely bring her here." Ge Ermazi replied happily, humming a little tune as he stepped to the right. He saw the person still sitting and waiting for him. "Auntie, weren't you urging me to get married? I've met the girl I want to marry, the one who came to see me."
Upon hearing this, the woman seemed lost in thought, and slowly said, "I've seen that girl here a few times; she's quite nice..."
"No, it wasn't her. It was the girl she brought with her, the one following behind. She's really pretty!" Ge Ermazi said cheerfully, only regretting that he hadn't asked the girl's name, otherwise he could have told his aunt about it.
"Following behind..." The woman thought carefully, but before she could figure it out, Ge Er Mazi quickly said, "Auntie, I have something to do, I'll be back in a bit!"
"Go, go," the woman said slowly.
Ge Ermazi responded and hurriedly put on his outer robe. He still needed to find several people. Although he was not optimistic about it, this was to show off in front of the girl he liked, so he had to make sure things went smoothly!
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