Back home, Tian Sangui told his family about supplying kimchi and renting a shop.
"Mother, I want to go to my aunt's house and ask her to take me to the potter's house. I need a lot of jars to make pickles."
"Then I'll go with you this afternoon. But I heard from your aunt that the man has a bad temper, so I'll have your older brother follow behind you for courage."
Zhang was afraid that her daughter would be taken advantage of. With Tian Da around, at least that person would have some restraint and wouldn't be too unreasonable.
"Haha, Mother, you're overthinking it. I'm not buying just one or two jars, I'm starting with at least twenty. Even if he's being unreasonable, do you think he'd turn down money?"
Tian Sangui kneaded dough in his hands, chatting and laughing with Zhang.
"Yes, that makes sense, but I'll only feel at ease if your eldest brother goes with you. Better safe than sorry, so we should also have a second son on standby for added security."
After lighting the stove, Zhang thought for a moment and wished she could bring Tian Laosi along. She was afraid that when the cursing started, she wouldn't be able to manage without enough people around.
Although her husband wasn't good with words, at least there were many men in her family. With her older brother and several nephews together, they could easily overpower that lecherous woman.
"Mother, we don't need our brothers' help."
"Listen to me, bring them all. If it weren't for your dad being at home watching the two boys, I would have brought your dad along too."
In this respect, Zhang was rather stubborn.
Seeing Zhang's reaction, Tian Sangui smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Mother. If you say I'll take her, then I'll take her."
After lunch, Tian Er was harnessing the donkey to the cart when Tian Sangui brought a small jar of kimchi to his aunt. She had helped them all day when they visited, and now that it was ready, it was only right to bring it to her to try.
Zhang gave a few instructions to Tian Laosi, who was guarding the house, and then chatted with her two younger sons. Finally, she and Tian Sangui got into a donkey cart, which was pulled by Tian Da and Tian Er, and headed to Zhangjia Village.
"In just a few days, the donkey foal has grown quite a bit, and its belly is getting bigger and bigger."
"It's clear that Second Brother takes good care of them. If I were to raise them, they certainly wouldn't be this robust!"
The mother and daughter laughed and praised Tian Er and the donkey, teasing Tian Er until his face turned red with embarrassment.
"Third sister is meticulous. If she were to raise it, she would definitely do a better job than I could. Mother, please stop praising her. Raising a donkey is nothing special."
Seeing his second brother's embarrassed look, Tian Da joined the mother and daughter in laughing at him.
An hour later, they arrived at Zhangjia Village. The mother and daughter, who didn't need to walk, were exposed to the scorching sun, which made them feel dizzy and their eyes gradually squinted.
"Oh dear, my aunt and uncle aren't home. The front door is locked."
Tian Da fiddled with the old copper lock, his eyes asking Zhang what to do.
"They're definitely busy in the fields at this time. I'll go call them. You guys wait here."
After saying that, Zhang got off the donkey cart and swung her arms as she walked to the edge of the field.
......
When the two women returned, they chatted and laughed together, as close as sisters.
"San Gui, look at your flushed face, aren't you hot?"
"It's not hot, Auntie, but the sun makes me feel a bit tired."
Tian Sangui rubbed his eyes and greeted Wu with a smile.
"Getting up and working before dawn is exhausting, even for adults, let alone you children. Come inside and have some water to quench your thirst."
Ms. Wu opened the door, and a thin yellow dog scurried out, its ears tucked under its nose, its tail wagging like a propeller. It was so excited that it licked anyone it saw and wasn't shy at all.
“Look at this beast, he knew the children were a family the first time he saw them. If it were anyone else, he would have pounced on them and started barking.”
Seeing how excited the dog was, Wu smiled at Zhang.
“My two sons love these things. Look at that donkey foal. It was in such good shape when it came back. Thanks to the younger son’s careful feeding, it can pull my daughter and me without any trouble now.”
"That's great, they'll be a great source of strength when they're working in the fields."
Mrs. Wu added some fuel to the fire in the kitchen, then opened the door to the main room and welcomed the family inside.
"There's some cooled boiled water in the pot. We'll mix it with hot water later so we don't burn our mouths."
"You're the most meticulous!"
Tian Sangui looked around the house. It was all fenced and had a yard with a yellow dog and a few hens. Behind the main room was a large vegetable garden, which was full of seasonal vegetables.
Right next to the wall was a thatched shed, which was the cow's dwelling.
"Where are my two cousins?"
Tian Sangui took the large bowl of plain water handed to him by Wu and asked.
"They're helping your uncle in the fields. You don't know, those two kids are really tough these days. If you don't let them work, they'll turn the house upside down in no time. They're such a nuisance."
“My grandsons are so obedient and well-behaved, unlike those two, who are like skyrocketing monkeys, always causing me trouble.”
Zhang felt pleased with her sister-in-law's praise, and accepted the water with a smile, politely declining.
“It’s not as good as you say. Your son is no bad either. Boys are just a bit mischievous when they reach this age. They’ll be fine when they get a little older.”
"Sigh, I hope so, otherwise I'm sure I'll be tortured to death."
"Hahaha!"
Wu's words amused everyone in the room. Tian Sangui took a few sips of water and then asked about important matters.
"Aunt, do you still remember the way to that potter's house?"
"How could I not remember? He was a famous figure, impossible to forget!"
Wu raised her eyes and pursed her lips.
“Great! I need to go to his house to buy some earthenware pots. I need my aunt to show me the way.”
Mrs. Wu put down her bowl and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you are my niece, I wouldn't bother to step into his house even if you said a thousand words."
"Thank you so much, Auntie. You really dote on me the most. Look, I brought you a jar of the cabbage I made last time. You can have it with your uncles and cousins tonight. Even the head manager of the restaurant said it tastes very good."
Wu took the plump, short jar and, upon hearing Tian Sangui's words, her eyes were filled with joy.
"Look at this girl, she still cares about me, her aunt. Come on, I'll take you to visit that potter!"
Now Wu was even happier, and she was willing to argue with the potter.
After locking the door behind Wu, the group pulled the donkey cart into the potter's house.
"Knock knock knock, is Boss Cao home?" Wu pounded on the tightly closed iron gate.
In this village, a family that can afford a large iron gate is quite a spectacle in the entire countryside, after all, iron is not cheap, and such a large iron gate cannot be made without at least ten taels of silver.
It's clear that Mr. Cao is quite wealthy; no wonder he looks down on small sums of money.
"Who is it? Why are you knocking?"
The middle-aged man roared and opened the tightly closed iron gate.
His upper body was bare, revealing his thick shoulders and round waist. He wore coarse gray-black cotton and linen clothing on his lower body, with one trouser leg rolled up to his kneecap.
His sparse hair was tied into a small bun in the middle of the square cloth. He had a thick face, was panting heavily, and his copper bell-like eyes glared at Wu with warm anger.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Ms. Wu, who is 1.6 meters tall, is a head shorter than him. She greeted him with a smile and couldn't be more friendly.
"I am Wu from Zhang Qiang's family. My niece would like to buy a few earthenware pots from you, Mr. Cao. Is that convenient for you?"
Upon hearing this, Old Cao exclaimed, "How many? That's inconvenient!" Losing his patience, he slammed the iron gate shut with a loud bang.
Ms. Wu almost got a rude awakening, but luckily she was quick on her feet and took a few steps back.
"Pah, you old lecher, you have no sense of right from wrong."
Zhang watched from the side. She had been prepared when Wu mentioned it before, but after experiencing it firsthand today, she realized that this person was indeed very foolish.
They exchanged a glance naturally, and both looked at Tian Sangui.
He wasn't exactly rolling in money, but he was one of the wealthiest nouveau riche in the village, so his temper naturally became capricious. However, he was still no match for Tian Sangui.
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