Chapter 10: Does That Make You Happy?

"Got it, Mom. Go back inside and rest!" Zhou Xing'er turned around and waved at Liu Guihua with a smile.

From Zhou Family Village to the county seat was about half an hour's walk on the main road. But today they were pushing a heavy cart of vegetables along a bumpy dirt path, every step sinking into a pothole, and the going was especially tough.

Old Man Zhou pushed from behind, sweat streaming down his face, the veins on his neck bulging. Zhou Xing'er pulled the rope up front, her small hands chafed red by the rough hemp twine. Yet she didn't feel tired at all—if anything, she felt full of energy.

She knew it had to be the spirit spring water she'd drunk that morning. It hadn't just cured her aches and soreness; it had made her much stronger too.

"Xing'er, if you're tired, just let go of the rope. Dad can push it alone." Old Man Zhou looked at his delicate daughter and felt a pang of worry. Normally she couldn't even lift a bucket of water, yet today she'd walked all this way with him without a single complaint.

Zhou Xing'er wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned back with a sweet smile. "Dad, I'm not tired. After drinking that sweet water, I'm full of strength. Look, we're almost at the county bridge."

Old Man Zhou smacked his lips, puzzled. Today he'd been pushing a cart weighing at least a hundred jin, and his back didn't hurt at all. On any other day, his old waist would've been aching too much to straighten up. It seemed the water from their well really was miraculous.

Father and daughter walked for nearly fifty minutes before the outline of the county seat finally came into view.

Back then, the county town wasn't like later years, filled with high-rises everywhere. Most of the buildings were two- or three-story flat-roofed houses, the streets paved with bluestone slabs and lined with tall poplars.

The vegetable market sat on an old street in the east of town. It was a lively place—even before you got close, you could hear the vendors' cries and the haggling voices.

Zhou Xing'er and Old Man Zhou didn't go straight into the market, since the stalls inside all required management fees.

Zhou Xing'er pointed to an open spot not far from the market entrance. "Dad, let's set up here. There's plenty of foot traffic—everyone going in and out of the market will see us."

Old Man Zhou hesitated, lowering his voice. "Xing'er, can we sell here? I've heard the urban management officers in town are fierce. If they catch us, they'll fine us and confiscate our cart and vegetables."

Zhou Xing'er smiled to reassure him. "Dad, look over there—aren't there several people selling eggs and home-grown scallions from shoulder poles? We just need to be smart about it. If we see anyone in uniform coming, we push the cart and run. Ours has wheels—we'll be fast."

Hearing his daughter say so, Old Man Zhou felt more confident. He parked the cart steadily by the roadside and lifted the cloth covering it.

The moment the cloth came off, the cart full of bright red tomatoes and lush green cabbages was revealed. In the morning sunlight, dewdrops still glistened on the vegetables, making them look as fresh as if they'd just been picked from the field.

An old man selling dried wood ear mushrooms nearby craned his neck for a look and was so startled he crushed his hand-rolled cigarette. He rubbed his eyes and muttered in disbelief, "Good heavens, brother, how did you grow these tomatoes? They look like red lanterns! And these cabbages—must be ten jin each!"

Old Man Zhou smiled proudly, his voice gruff. "Grown in our own field. No chemical fertilizer—just good water and good soil."

By then, citizens on their way to buy groceries were passing by.

Zhou Xing'er took a deep breath and called out loudly, "Come take a look! Fresh-picked big red tomatoes from our own field—red and sweet, juicy as honey! And big cabbages, tender and solid—perfect for dumplings or stewed noodles! One mao per jin, everything one mao per jin!"

Zhou Xing'er was naturally beautiful, with fair skin and peach-blossom eyes that curved like crescents when she smiled—the kind of face people couldn't help liking. Her clear voice cut through the noisy street and drew plenty of glances.

A middle-aged woman carrying a bamboo basket stopped and came over, a little skeptical, to look at the cart of tomatoes. "Little girl, are your tomatoes really only one mao per jin? They're awfully big—they aren't hollow inside, are they?"

Zhou Xing'er quickly picked up a round, plump tomato and held it out to the woman with both hands, smiling. "Auntie, feel the weight—it's heavy. How could it be hollow? These are grown in our own village field. In the market, tomatoes like this go for at least twelve or thirteen fen per jin. We're selling on the ground here, no stall fee, so we sell cheap—just trying to move them fast. Only one mao per jin. Buy a few to stir-fry with eggs for your kids—I guarantee they'll be delicious!"

The woman weighed the tomato in her hand. It was indeed firm. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, weigh me three tomatoes and throw in a cabbage."

"Coming right up! Dad, weigh it for this auntie!" Zhou Xing'er answered crisply.

Old Man Zhou hurriedly picked up the steelyard. He was an honest man, but with decades of farm work behind him, he knew his way around a scale. He tied three tomatoes together with a length of straw rope, hung them on the hook, lifted the scale, and slid the counterweight out.

"Sister, take a look—the beam's riding high. Three tomatoes, exactly two and a half jin. Twenty-five fen." Old Man Zhou held the scale up to the woman's eyes so she could see clearly.

Then he picked out a big cabbage and set it on the scale. The beam tipped high. "This cabbage is eight jin—eighty fen. That's one yuan and five fen altogether. Sister, just give me one yuan. Forget the five fen."

The woman's face lit up. In those days, five fen could buy an ice pop. She quickly pulled a one-yuan bill from her pocket and handed it to Old Man Zhou, smiling. "You're a straightforward one, brother. If they taste good, I'll be back tomorrow."

"Take care—come again if you like them!" Zhou Xing'er took the money and tucked it into the little cloth pouch she carried, secretly delighted.

This was their first sale. Only one yuan, but a good omen all the same.

With the first customer, the onlookers couldn't hold back any longer.

"Give me five tomatoes! The fully ripe ones!"

"I want a cabbage—pick me a solid one!"

"Oh, these tomatoes are so fresh. Weigh me five—I'll take them home for my grandson!"

In no time, the Zhou family's stall was packed. Everyone pointed at the vegetables on the cart, afraid that if they were too slow, someone else would snap them up.

Zhou Xing'er handled the customers, her tongue sweet as honey—Grandpa and Grandma for the older folks, Brother and Sister for the younger ones—charming every single buyer.

Old Man Zhou did the weighing and bagging behind her. Sweat poured down his face, but watching the small bills pile up in his hand, he couldn't suppress his excitement, and his movements grew quicker and quicker.

"Don't crowd, everyone gets some! We've got plenty of vegetables, all guaranteed fresh!" Zhou Xing'er called out.

The other vendors nearby watched the bustling scene at the Zhou stall, green with envy. But there was nothing they could do—whose vegetables could match theirs for looks, or beat their prices?

In just over two hours, the two big baskets of tomatoes and the dozen-odd cabbages on the cart were picked clean, not even a stray leaf left behind.

The last old man to buy tomatoes stared regretfully at the empty bamboo baskets, smacking his lips. "Gone already? I wanted to buy more. You coming back tomorrow?"

Zhou Xing'er smiled. "Grandpa, we'll definitely be back tomorrow. Come early and we'll save the best for you."

"Alright, I'll be here first thing tomorrow." The old man picked up his basket and left reluctantly.

Old Man Zhou stared at the empty cart, dazed. He'd lived half his life selling vegetables wholesale to the town dealers—five to eight fen a jin, and they still picked through everything.

Today, they'd pushed the vegetables to the county seat themselves, and sold out in two hours.