3. Prodigal Son
One hundred and fifty yuan is not a small amount. Xu Wenqiang handed over the fish and shrimp flatteringly, "Auntie, one hundred and fifty yuan is really a good price."
The woman was stunned. She had calculated too quickly. Was the number correct? She looked at the boy beside her for help. Fortunately, the boy was calm. He said, "Mom, don't worry about the money yet. Where's your phone?"
"Yes, there's also a cell phone!" The woman quickly took out the cell phone from her bag and handed it to the boy.
The boy took the phone and said to Xu Wenqiang, "How many pounds of fish and shrimp are there, and how much is it? Tell me again."
Xu Wenqiang smiled. Were the mother and son afraid that her calculation was wrong, or did they think she was cheating?
"I didn't know a cell phone could be used as a calculator," she exclaimed, then added confidently, "In this market, my family's business is absolutely the most honest and trustworthy. We absolutely won't cheat anyone."
The boy said, "As long as you calculate correctly, we can buy another 150 yuan worth of fish and shrimp. But if you calculate wrong--"
"If I'm wrong, all these fish and shrimp will be given to you for free!" said Xu Wenqiang.
"make a deal."
The boy and Xu Wenqiang reached an agreement quickly. One of them read out a number while the other pressed a number on his cell phone, and soon, the result came out.
"How is it? Was she right?" the woman asked from the side.
The boy returned the phone to the woman and said with a helpless smile, "Mom, the fish and shrimp are fresh and cheap anyway. Let's buy some more and send them to grandpa and grandma later."
"It's actually true!" The woman still found it incredible.
"I promise to pick the best fish and the biggest shrimps for you!" Xu Wenqiang happily went to work.
The young man looked at the busy Xu Wenqiang, thinking about something.
When Xu Yanmei came back from strolling outside, she saw two wealthy or noble people standing at her stall, so she ran over.
"What do you want to buy?" Xu Yanmei asked with a flattering smile.
"Mom, they have all bought it, you can take the money." Xu Wenqiang said.
Xu Yanmei then glanced at Xu Wenqiang and saw that her face was covered in mud and blood. She cursed, "How did you get into this state?"
"She was beaten!" the woman said smugly. "If I hadn't stopped her, who knows what would have happened."
"Thank you so much!" Xu Yanmei turned around and said with a flattering smile, "Come often in the future!" If she had known there would be business, she would have come back earlier.
The woman was startled when she saw Xu Yanmei's face. Judging from the girl's appearance, the woman before her should be around her own age, but her hair was gray, her back was hunched, and her eyes were cloudy. She looked more than ten years older than she was.
Looking at this dark and gloomy farmers' market, it's really pitiful! The woman sighed and took out some money from her bag and handed it to Xu Yanmei.
Xu Yanmei put the money away and said with a smile, "Sister, come often in the future."
The woman's heart skipped a beat and her expression changed. "What did you call me?"
"Sister! You look—"
"Mom, you call Auntie old."
Xu Wenqiang stopped Xu Yanmei who was planning to stir up trouble, as she was not interested in money.
"Look at my mouth!" Xu Yanmei pretended to hit herself. She spent all day at the farmers' market, so she had seen all sorts of people and all sorts of thoughts. The moment the woman glanced at her, she wanted to curse her.
"Sister, you should call me sister. We look about the same age, and I thought we should respect the old and love the young, but I didn't expect to call you sister so old." Xu Yanmei wanted to say a few more disgusting words to the woman, but was stopped by Xu Wenqiang and restrained herself.
The woman was furious. With a cold face, she handed the money to Xu Yanmei and said to the boy, "This market is full of smoke and dirt. Let's go."
The boy didn't move.
He glanced at Xu Wenqiang. Her mental arithmetic ability was like a small thorn stuck in his throat, unable to be pulled out or swallowed, painful and itchy, extremely uncomfortable.
But even if she was powerful, so what? After all, she was just a seafood seller at the farmers' market.
"let's go."
The boy and the woman left. But when they reached the entrance of the farmers' market, the boy stopped again. He stuffed the fish and shrimp into the woman's hands and ran back.
"Handsome guy, have you forgotten something?" Xu Yanmei, who was counting money, looked up and asked.
The young man looked directly at Xu Wenqiang and asked, "How did you learn mental arithmetic?"
"My mental arithmetic—" This was a long story, and Xu Wenqiang didn't know where to start.
At this time, Xu Yanmei spoke up. She said nonchalantly, "I taught her mental arithmetic."
"Did your aunt teach you?" The boy looked puzzled.
"What? You don't believe me?" Xu Yanmei sneered and glanced at Xu Wenqiang. "She grew up with me in the market, watching me do business all day long. If I didn't have some skills, how could I raise her?"
"Auntie, what do you mean by learning from others?"
"I don't know how to say fancy words. Anyway, without me, she wouldn't have the ability to do so."
Looking at Xu Yanmei who looked arrogant, the boy asked, "Auntie, do you know how to do mental abacus?"
"What's mental arithmetic? What does it have to do with pigs?"
Hearing Xu Yanmei's answer, the boy smiled silently. She didn't even know how to do mental abacus, yet she had the audacity to claim that she had taught her.
"Auntie, don't you know? Mental abacus is a kind of—"
"I didn't learn mental abacus."
The boy was about to say something else when Xu Wenqiang interrupted him. She could clearly see the sarcasm in the boy's eyes, the sneer on his lips. She interrupted him not out of anger, but because she was afraid he would upset Xu Yanmei. In this market, few who came to spend money looked down on those who earned money. Xu Wenqiang had long been angry enough, but Xu Yanmei hadn't. Even though Xu Yanmei had been working in this market for half her life, her temper was like firecrackers at New Year's Eve. No matter how bleak the year, the commotion always grew louder with each passing year.
Xu Wenqiang didn't want to provoke Xu Yanmei. Once Xu Yanmei exploded, she would also suffer a layer of skin.
"Then what did you study?" the young man asked.
"What I learned is our family's unique secret skill, which is passed down within the family and not to outsiders, and passed down to girls and not to boys." Xu Wenqiang said nonchalantly.
"What a mess." After hearing Xu Wenqiang's nonsense, Xu Yanmei muttered and continued to count her money.
The young man looked at the half-dried mud and blood on Xu Wenqiang's face and didn't bother to say anything more. No matter how she learned her oral skills, they would only rot in this market...
It seems like he really feels sorry for me. Do I look that pitiful? Why hasn't he left yet...
Xu Wenqiang thought absentmindedly.
"Buzz~"
“Bang!”
A reckless mosquito flew by, and Xu Wenqiang swiftly swatted it to death in her palm. Wiping the mosquito blood from her palm, she raised her head and asked the boy with a forced smile, "Three hundred yuan for fish and shrimp isn't enough. Are you planning to buy some more?"
The young man finally understood: "I won't disturb you from doing business anymore."
Xu Wenqiang stood in the darkened seafood stall, watching the young man slowly walk towards the door, dodging passersby and stalls amid the vendors' cries. As soon as he walked out of that door, he would be greeted by a vast, bright world.
Before walking out the door, the boy stopped and threw the clothes in his hand into the trash can inside the door.
He just used the clothes to wipe off the mud a few times.
"Prodigal son!" Xu Wenqiang cursed.
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