After the autumn harvest, the fields still retain the fresh scent of the crops, and it's time to harvest sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are also a staple food in the family, and almost every household in the village grows them.
Fangjia Village is located at the foot of the mountain. The soil is loose and sandy loam. The sun shines brightly during the day, and the mountain wind cools it down at night. The temperature difference between day and night is large. In addition, the mountain spring water seeps down along the field ridges, so the moisture is even. In this area, the sweet potatoes grown are powdery and glutinous, and they have a natural sweetness when you swallow them.
The sweet potatoes grown in this village sell better at the market than those from other places.
Every year after the sweet potatoes are harvested, besides storing some at home, most of the rest are taken to the market to exchange for some money to supplement the family income.
Fang Shugen walked barefoot in the soft mud, swinging his hoe with a whooshing sound. When he inserted it into the soil ridge, it made a series of crisp sounds. Red-skinned, white-fleshed sweet potatoes rolled out of the turned-up clods of mud, like chubby babies hidden in the soil.
Hua Mei squatted by the ridge with a willow basket over her shoulder, picking sweet potatoes.
"Hua Mei, make sure you pick them all up carefully. We'll keep some for ourselves, and sell the rest at the market."
Hua Mei smiled, raised her sun-darkened face, and nodded vigorously.
She searched carefully, picking up both the big and the small, afraid that if she didn't pick enough, there wouldn't be enough to sell.
Soon the basket was piled high with sweet potatoes.
All the sweet potatoes in the field have been harvested.
"Hua Mei, go to bed early tonight. We'll go to the market early tomorrow to sell sweet potatoes."
Hua Mei nodded and nestled against the root of the square tree.
Just thinking about the peddler's rattle drum ringing through the crowd, the aroma of fried dough sticks wafting from the oil, and the lard-scented wontons in town, all mixed with the steam of hot soup, makes me feel warm and cozy.
She hugged Fang Shugen's arm and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Hua Mei got up. She removed the paper wrapping the cloth shoes. She worked every day and hadn't even worn these new shoes yet.
The new shoes feel incredibly soft underfoot.
Fang Shugen's mother was already busy in the kitchen. The firelight from the stove reflected on the wall, and the crackling of firewood mixed with the aroma of rice wafted out.
Hua Mei moved towards the kitchen, glancing at her shoes every few steps, moving very quietly.
"Hua Mei," Fang Shugen's mother said without turning her head as she added water to the pot, "I'm going to town with Shugen to sell sweet potatoes today. You stay home. I'll cook extra breakfast, and you can just heat it up for lunch."
Hua Mei's feet stopped.
Fang Shugen's mother then turned around, her gaze immediately landing on her feet, her face darkening. "You still want to go? Are you going to buy up all the money we have?"
Hua Mei hurriedly shook her head.
"You don't need to go. Go wake up the tree roots. We'll have breakfast and then go."
Hua Mei pursed her lips, turned around, blinked, and her eyes were a little red.
Fang Shugen had already gotten up and come over.
When Hua Mei saw Fang Shugen coming, she turned her face away, holding back her tears, and hurriedly went to find some work to do. She first went to the back door to see if there were any clothes that needed to be washed.
"Shugen, I'll go with you today. Huamei is at home," Fang Shugen's mother said directly when she saw Fang Shugen come out.
"Huh? I told Hua Mei last night that we were going to the market today."
"I'll go. If Hua Mei goes, can she handle it if others try to bargain? Can she even keep up with the price? She'll end up getting crushed by other people's prices."
“Mother, why don’t we all go? Let’s take Hua Mei to the market.” Fang Shugen paused, then softened his voice. “Even if we don’t buy anything, we can still take her for a stroll.”
"What are all these people doing? Are they going to carry the whole street back?" Fang Shugen's mother retorted irritably.
Hua Mei was still washing clothes when Fang Shugen called out to her, "Hua Mei, eat breakfast first."
"It's okay, she'll eat later. We've saved breakfast and lunch for her. Let's eat first, then we'll go."
Fang Shugen kept glancing at Hua Mei while eating.
"Eat quickly, or you won't get a good seat," Fang Shugen's mother urged.
"Mother, let her go with us," Fang Shugen suggested again.
“We don’t know when we’ll finish selling today. If we can’t sell it all at the market, we’ll have to take it to the nearby villages to sell. We don’t know when we’ll be back. We can’t do without someone at home.” Fang Shugen’s mother said sternly, “It’s not like we’re going somewhere for fun. Why do we have to take her?”
After finishing his meal, Fang Shugen brought the cart over.
"Hua Mei, come and help carry the sweet potatoes upstairs."
Hua Mei responded and came over. The two of them, one on each side, lifted the baskets full of sweet potatoes onto the car and placed them there.
Fang Shugen glanced at Hua Mei, his lips moved but he didn't say anything. He bent down and pulled hard, lifting the cart.
Fang Shugen's mother was carrying a basket of eggs she had saved up to sell at the market, so I followed her.
Hua Mei stared blankly at Fang Shugen pulling the cart away into the distance until he was out of sight.
Hua Mei looked at her new shoes and went to her room to change back.
Every year at this time of year, the sweet potato vendors all set up shop along the alley on the north side of the street.
Fang Meixiang's parents and Fang Meili had just arrived.
Seeing an empty seat next to them, Fang Shugen's mother gestured with her chin to Fang Shugen, "This is the seat."
"Mother, there's still room a little over there."
"Just leave it here. What, are you afraid of them?"
Fang Shugen's mother walked to the cart, grasped the handlebars, and pulled it to a position next to them.
"Meixiang's mom, are you here to sell today too?" Fang Shugen's mom greeted her before she even stood still.
"Oh, yes," Fang Meixiang's mother replied casually.
Fang Shugen's mother rolled her eyes, deliberately glancing around, before asking again, "Didn't Da Miao come with you? How are his sweet potatoes doing this year?"
Fang Meixiang's mother didn't reply, but just gave her a cold look.
"Oh, I heard that he didn't get many fruits in previous years, and this year he has even less time to manage the plum blossoms, right?"
"Whether he grows it well or not has nothing to do with you?" Fang Meili couldn't stand it anymore.
“Merry, it has nothing to do with me. I’m just showing concern as a neighbor.”
"You don't need to worry about me. Just take care of your own family!"
“My family is doing very well,” Fang Shugen’s mother immediately chimed in. “This year’s sweet potato yield is higher than in previous years. Our Hua Mei is very hardworking. She picks up every single sweet potato, big and small, without wasting a single one. Speaking of Hua Mei, although everyone says she’s crazy, she’s different from those crazy people who can’t do anything. Since Hua Mei came, my work has been reduced by half.”
"You're so lucky! The one in front of you hasn't had a child in all these years, but this one is so capable and good, she must have one by now, right?" Fang Meili retorted.
When Fang Shugen's mother was touched on a sore spot, her expression changed, but she still stubbornly forced out a sentence, "It will take a few months to see. Oh, some people are very fast. They get pregnant not long after getting married. How can it be so fast? Could it be that they were already pregnant and had no choice but to get married?"
Fang Meixiang's father couldn't stand it, but what others were saying was true.
He walked up to Fang Shugen and said, "Shugen, we got here first. If you want things to be peaceful today, and everyone can sell their sweet potatoes and go home happily, then you can take them somewhere else to sell."
"Mother, there are fewer people here. There are more people coming from over there. Let's sell over there." Fang Shugen pulled on the handlebars.
"Are you really that cowardly? What's wrong with selling it here?" Fang Shugen's mother tried to pull the car back.
But she couldn't resist Fang Shugen's strength. The handlebars were steadily pulled forward, and Fang Shugen's mother could only stomp her feet and grumble as she followed him.
Fang Meixiang's mother angrily turned her head to the side.
There were other people around, so they didn't say much.
In the evening, Fang Meixiang's parents and Fang Meili sat down to eat.
“Meixiang is due to give birth in a few months. Some people are watching her and making fun of her based on her due date. When the time comes, we’ll all say that Meixiang gave birth early. I’m going down to talk to Damiao about it later.”
After dinner, Fang Meixiang's mother took the pastries she bought from the market to Fang Damiao's house.
"Meixiang, you can't eat too much tonight. I'll give you one to try, and leave the rest here."
Fang Meixiang's mother took one out and gave it to Meixiang.
He handed the rest to Fang Damiao, saying, "Damiao, keep these safe. You can give them to Meixiang as snacks during the day."
"Okay, okay, Mom, I'll put it away." Fang Damiao took it and carefully placed it in the cabinet.
"Da Miao, Mei Xiang is due to give birth in a few months, so you need to be careful," Fang Mei Xiang's mother added.
“I know, Mother, now all the good food is saved for her.”
"Da Miao, the baby has been born. If someone were to calculate the time, they would know that Mei Xiang was already pregnant when she married you."
"More than half a year has passed, who would bother to calculate this?"
"Remember, when Meixiang gives birth, we'll all say that Meixiang gave birth early."
"Oh!" Fang Damiao nodded mechanically.
“Da Miao, plant more sweet potatoes next year,” Fang Meixiang’s mother glanced at the empty basket in the corner of the room. “Put some effort into managing them. Look, these past few days, everyone in the village has dug up their sweet potatoes, kept some for their own consumption, and the rest they can take to the market to sell. Selling them is money. If you don’t plant them well, you won’t have that money.”
Fang Damiao lowered his head in shame.
"Your strength will come back, so don't be afraid to put in the effort."
"I understand, Mother."
Fang Meixiang's mother went to Meixiang's side again to look at her belly, "When the work in the fields slows down in a few days, I'll prepare some clothes for the baby."
"Okay, Mother, thank you for your trouble."
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