Chapter 34: Market Day
The roads in this era were all dirt paths, full of potholes and uneven patches, making them quite difficult to walk.
Miss Su pushed the cart with her two children sitting on it, and after just a short distance, she was already sweating heavily.
Fortunately, most of the road was flat without any steep slopes, so when they finally arrived at Xinxu Town's market, Miss Su couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Earning a few coins was truly no easy task.
The good spots had long been taken by the locals, but Aunt Niu managed to secure a decent location near the center of the market for Miss Su.
After setting up their goods, the two women sat on the small stools they had brought, waiting for customers to inquire about prices.
By seven o'clock, the market was already crowded.
In this era, people didn't like sleeping late—going to the market was an early-morning affair.
The crowd flowed back and forth, and many were curious about the fried dough cakes Miss Su had displayed. Finally, someone couldn't resist stepping forward to ask, "How much for this snack?"
In truth, fried dough cakes like these had been made and eaten before, but no one in Xinxu Town had ever thought to sell them.
The main reason was that they required a lot of oil. People in those days were frugal with oil when cooking, let alone using so much just for frying.
"Twenty cents each—they're really tasty. Would you like to try one?" Miss Su said with a grin.
The man didn't hesitate and immediately bought one. To his surprise, it was freshly fried when he took it.
After taking a bite, he found it unexpectedly delicious. "I'll take five more," he said.
"Sure thing!" Miss Su beamed as she bagged the cakes.
Seeing someone buy, other shoppers stopped to ask about the price.
Some thought twenty cents was better spent on two baozi, while others were willing to give it a try for such a low price.
By the time the initial wave of customers passed, Miss Su's business was steady and better than expected.
Aunt Niu, noticing the flow of people at Miss Su's stall, couldn't help but say, "Miss Su, let me try one of your sweet potato fritters."
"Don't worry about paying! I was just thinking of offering you some at noon if you got hungry."
Miss Su handed over a fritter, smiling. Aunt Niu didn't insist on paying. After taking a bite, she realized it was filled with sweet potato—and that frying it made it incredibly tasty.
"Did you use the sweet potatoes I sold you for this?" Aunt Niu asked in surprise.
"Yes," Miss Su replied with a bright smile.
Right then, Aunt Niu decided she must maintain a good relationship with Miss Su.
With her golden touch, Aunt Niu figured she might ride her coattails someday.
The two children sat obediently beside Miss Su.
After some thought, Miss Su took out some small change from her pocket and gave each child a few coins. "If you want to buy snacks or toys, use this. If it's not enough, come back to me. But if a stranger tries to take you away, come find me right away, understand?"
"Yes, Mama. I'll watch my sister," Zai Zai nodded solemnly.
After the two kids went off hand in hand to explore the market, Su He's brows stayed furrowed.
"Don't worry, it's fine. When mine were that age, I let them play on their own too. The more you restrict them, the less they'll stick around," Aunt Niu comforted from the side.
"They're both still too young," Su He sighed.
"True, but your Zai Zai is so mature and sensible for his age. My six-year-old grandson isn't half as well-behaved as your boy."
Aunt Niu's praise immediately cheered Su He up—what mom wouldn't glow at that?
"Not at all, Zai Zai just hasn't hit his mischievous phase yet," she said, though she couldn't stop grinning.
"They say three-year-olds are at that 'even dogs avoid them' stage, but your two kids are so well-behaved. You're clearly raising them right."
As they talked shop and made sales, time passed quickly.
Su He had assumed her fried cakes wouldn't sell out, but once again, she was wrong—hers sold out before Aunt Niu's did.
Regulars who'd come back for more after tasting how good they were helped clear her stock.
Once everything was sold, Su He didn't even break down her stall before rushing off to find the kids.
"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things. You can come back to pack up later," Aunt Niu said with a smile.
She still had plenty left and wouldn't be done for a while.
It was peak harvest season, so Aunt Niu's goods had lots of competition, making it harder to sell quickly.
After thanking Aunt Niu, Su He hurried off to find the children.
She'd barely left when someone came up and asked, "Where's the owner of this stall?"
"She's sold out. Nothing left."
"That fast? When will she be back?" he asked.
He was Su He's first customer—a man in his thirties.
"Not sure, but she'll probably be back for the next market day," Aunt Niu replied.
After the man left, Aunt Niu muttered to herself, "Miss Su's got such a sharp mind—no wonder she's killing it. Her stuff sells like hotcakes."
Meanwhile, Su He anxiously searched the market for the kids, second-guessing letting them go alone.
They were still so young—what if someone snatched them?
She found them outside a bookstore in town, huddled with another kid, peering at a book and pointing.
"Zai Zai, Niu Niu," Su He called.
The two looked up and called out together, "Mom!"
Then they immediately rushed over, each grabbing a leg.
"I told you not to run off. Don't you know how worried I was?" Su He said sharply.
Seeing her anger, Zai Zai gave her hand a little pull and said, "Mom, I'm sorry."
"Mom, my fault—I made brother stay here with me and look at the book with the other kid," Niu Niu added, holding tight to her mom's hand.
"It's alright, just don't do it again." Seeing the two kids like this, Su He's heart melted.
"Please don't be mad at Niu Niu, Auntie." At this moment, the little boy who had just been surrounded by the two children couldn't help but step forward and speak to Su He.
"Auntie is just worried about them, not blaming them," Su He smiled at the boy.
"Do you kids want to keep playing for a while? Mom's gonna take you shopping for new clothes," Su He asked the two kids.
"Mom, did you sell everything?" Zai Zai looked up and asked.
"Sold everything!"
"Wow! My mom's the greatest!" Niu Niu couldn't help but praise.
"We're going shopping with Mom now. Bye, big brother!" Niu Niu said to the boy in front of her.
"Mm, my name is Ji Liangchuan. Next time you're in town, you can visit me at this bookstore—it's my grandma's shop," the little boy said.
Ji Liangchuan!
What!
Isn't that the male lead from the novel? And we're meeting him this soon! she thought.