Chapter 11: Starting a Business

At the Temple, a group of people sat in a circle. This was their first time discussing things as a group. Cao Xi shared her idea of weaving baskets and hoped they would join her in this venture, aiming to escape the cycle of barely surviving from one meal to the next.

After hearing her plan, everyone instinctively looked at Li Feng. He was the leader of the group. Although each person was responsible for their own survival, when it came to important matters, they often turned to him for guidance.

Li Feng said, “We’ll work with you.” Having some experience in weaving grass, Li Feng developed a strong interest in doing business.

“I want to join too!” Da Yong said, with Da Zhuang, his brother, adding, “I want to join too!” Da Yong would help weave baskets, while Da Zhuang would continue begging in the town. The two boys were still growing, and any money they received would go toward food—none was saved.

“I want to join too!” Shui Niu raised his hand and said. He wanted to follow Li Feng’s lead.

“We won’t join for now. My little sister is still too young, and we don’t have any money. Once I save some, we’ll join in,” Xiao Chuan said. He was eager to make money with everyone, as he knew Cao Xi and Li Feng were capable, but his sister needed to be fed.

Cao Xi understood why some people didn’t join. They had no savings, no food stores, and their stomachs needed to be filled every day—they couldn’t afford to go without.

“You can join whenever you want,” Cao Xi said. Her main goal was to teach them to support themselves, as a way of repaying the kindness they had shown her and Qin Zhao.

The basket-weaving team was a group of five. They immediately set to work. Li Feng led them to the mountains to gather willow branches, while Cao Xi and Qin Zhao worked by the river to strip the bark off the branches. After the bark was removed, the branches were left in the water to soak.

After soaking in the river overnight, Cao Xi used her memories from her past life to slowly reconstruct the technique of weaving baskets. The first basket she made was a bit awkward, but the second one looked much better. With his grass-weaving experience, Li Feng’s baskets turned out the best.

Because Qin Zhao was still young, he could only do the work of stripping the bark, which left his small hands red and sore by the end of the day. Everyone worked hard, starting early and working until dark. After two days, they had made fifteen baskets. Cao Xi sorted them by quality and took two piles to the town to sell.

While Cao Xi went to sell the baskets, Qin Zhao and Da Zhuang continued begging. Cao Xi wasn’t comfortable with Qin Zhao being far from her, so she reminded them to beg near the stall and to shout for help if they encountered any danger.

Li Feng reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry, Da Zhuang is very responsible. He won’t lose your brother.”

Cao Xi smiled helplessly and replied, “Giving instructions is just my way of calming myself.”

As soon as they finished setting up their stall, a woman wearing a headscarf approached them. “How much for this basket?”

Cao Xi smiled. “Eighteen coins each, or two for thirty-five coins.”

Li Feng showed a surprised expression, but quickly covered it with a smile. He thought to himself, wasn’t it agreed that the baskets would be fifteen coins each? How did the price go up so suddenly?

The woman frowned. “That’s too expensive. Can you lower the price a bit?”

Cao Xi replied, “Auntie, if you look at the quality of our baskets, they’re among the best in the town. The surface is smooth, and the shape is regular.” She picked up a basket that Li Feng had woven and showed it to the woman.

The woman examined the basket and nodded in approval. “Alright, I’ll take two.”

As more and more people gathered around the stall, the baskets with good quality were mostly sold for thirty-five coins for two, while the lower-quality ones were sold for ten coins each.

While Cao Xi was busy handling customers, she faintly heard the sound of children arguing, which made her uneasy about Qin Zhao.

She quickly put down what she was doing and turned to Li Feng. “Li Ge, please watch the stall. I’ll be right back.” After saying that, she hurried off.

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Qin Zhao hadn’t had candy for a long time. Since the temple fair where he had sold candied fruit, he hadn’t had any. Today, while begging, a few children gathered around him and Da Zhuang, teasing him. “Little beggar, stinky, no one wants you, no candy for you,” they said, taunting him by waving a piece of candy in front of his face.

Qin Zhao’s small face tightened, and his eyes narrowed like a predator, glaring at the children as if he could pounce on them at any moment. Da Zhuang stood close to Qin Zhao, ready to whisk him away at a moment’s notice.

Cao Xi had just squeezed her way through the crowd when she saw six children surrounding Qin Zhao and Da Zhuang. She quickly stepped forward, positioning herself between them and the children, her eyes flashing with anger. “You little brats, stay away from my brother, or I’ll tear your mouths apart!” she shouted.

The children, perhaps intimidated by Cao Xi’s words, stopped their teasing. They exchanged uncertain glances before one of them stuck out his tongue at Cao Xi and they scattered.

Cao Xi turned around and gave Qin Zhao a once-over. She found that he wasn’t injured, and her gaze softened as she looked at his face. Qin Zhao no longer looked as tense as he had earlier.

He smiled brightly at Cao Xi. “Cao Xi, I’m fine. They didn’t dare lay a hand on me.”

As he spoke, he raised his arm with a grin. “I’m not someone you can easily mess with.”

Cao Xi was amused by his actions and words. “Yeah, I see you’re not someone who can be pushed around.”

Qin Zhao’s face turned slightly red. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of copper coins, handing them to Cao Xi. “Here, this is for you.”

Cao Xi took the copper coins from Qin Zhao and ruffled his hair, taking his hand in hers. “Let’s go to the stall first. Once we sell all the baskets, we’ll buy some sweet potatoes. Tonight, I’ll make you some sweet potato candy, and we’ll tease them with it.”

Qin Zhao smiled brightly, allowing her to lead him. By the time they returned to the stall, Li Feng had already sold most of the baskets. Cao Xi quickly joined the sales team, and soon, all the baskets were gone. They earned a total of three hundred seventy coins. Divided among everyone, it wasn’t much, but everyone was still excited.

It was the first time they’d tasted the fruits of their labor, and it greatly boosted their morale. They were confident they would be able to weave even better baskets in the future.

That evening, before returning to the Temple, Cao Xi and Qin Zhao went to the market and bought ten sweet potatoes. Looking down at Qin Zhao, Cao Xi said, “Tonight, we’re having roasted sweet potatoes.”

Qin Zhao nodded vigorously, and didn’t forget to respond, “Mm.”

Back at the temple, Cao Xi washed the sweet potatoes, peeled them, and cut them into small pieces, placing them into a large bowl to cook.

“If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat this while I make the sweet potato candy,” Cao Xi said as she handed the cooked sweet potatoes to Qin Zhao and placed two more on the fire.

Qin Zhao held the small bowl, using his chopsticks to pick up pieces of sweet potato and feed them to Cao Xi. “Cao Xi, eat.”

Cao Xi lowered her head and bit into the sweet potato, then smiled. “Mm, you eat too.”

When Cao Xi took a bite of the sweet potato, Qin Zhao smiled and ate a piece as well. The boiled sweet potato wasn’t as sweet anymore, and it was watery but very soft. For them, who often had no food or were barely getting by, filling their stomachs was enough.

Qin Zhao noticed that Cao Xi kept stirring the bowl of sweet potato water. Although he didn’t understand why she was doing it, he chose to trust her. As time passed, the water gradually became thicker. When it reached the right consistency, Cao Xi took the bowl away from the fire and set it aside to cool.

She handed him the stirring chopsticks. “Try it.”

Qin Zhao took the chopsticks, which were coated with sugar, and blew on them lightly before carefully tasting it. The sweetness spread across his tongue, and his eyes instantly lit up. He looked at Cao Xi, wide-eyed and disbelieving. “It’s sweet!”

Cao Xi laughed. “Of course it’s sweet. This is sweet potato candy. Once it cools, it’s all yours.”

Qin Zhao looked at the bowl near the fire, half full of candy, feeling overwhelmed by the amount. He picked up his chopsticks and held them up to Cao Xi’s mouth. “Cao Xi, eat.”

Cao Xi smiled and shook her head. “I don’t like sweets. You eat.”

She took a small wooden stick that she had prepared earlier, dipped it into the candy, and stirred it until it took the shape of lollipops. Afterward, she placed them in a cool, shaded area to dry.

Qin Zhao licked the chopsticks while watching Cao Xi make the lollipops, his eyes full of joy. In his heart and mind, he thought Cao Xi was amazing. He had never tasted such delicious candy, and he could hardly hold the handful he had.

Cao Xi smiled and said, “When we get back to the Temple, give one to Da Zhuang.”

Qin Zhao tightened his grip on the lollipops, his face filled with confusion. “Why?”

Cao Xi ruffled his hair and chuckled. “For not running off and leaving you behind today.”

Qin Zhao tilted his head, thinking for a moment. “Then I’ll give him one.” He lowered his head and picked the smallest lollipop from the pile.

Cao Xi wanted to laugh at his frugality, but she also felt he was doing the right thing. After all, they were often hungry, and candy was a luxury for them.

When they returned to the temple, Qin Zhao secretly pulled Da Zhuang behind the building. Da Zhuang, looking puzzled, watched as Qin Zhao pulled out a lollipop from his clothes.

Qin Zhao handed it to Da Zhuang, his face sincere. “Big Brother Da Zhuang, this is for you. Thank you for not leaving me behind today.”

Da Zhuang scratched his head, his face turning slightly red. “Qin Zhao, you don’t need to thank me. I promised Cao Xi to take care of you.”

Qin Zhao noticed Da Zhuang was still blushing and hesitating, not taking the lollipop from his hand. He pushed it forward a little. “Big Brother Da Zhuang, this is a lollipop.”

Upon hearing it was candy, Da Zhuang instinctively swallowed, glancing between the lollipop and Qin Zhao. After a moment of hesitation, he mustered up the courage to take it. He carefully licked it, and his eyes immediately lit up. “It’s sweet!”

Qin Zhao proudly lifted his chin. “Of course, it’s candy. How could it not be sweet?” Once he felt his task of gifting was accomplished, he happily ran off to find Cao Xi.

Da Zhuang stared at the candy in his hand, licking it again to confirm it was indeed sweet. Excited, he clenched the candy tightly in his hand and rushed to his brother’s side. The two of them shared the precious treat, savoring every moment of this hard-earned luxury.

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As time passed, the speed of basket weaving steadily improved with practice. In his spare time, Li Feng even began crafting small grass animals, adding an extra source of income.

Though they still lived at the Temple, there was a growing sense of warmth that resembled home. Xiao Qi and Xiao Rui no longer begged for food, while Da Zhuang and Da Yong joined in weaving baskets. Watching the transformation from begging to self-sufficiency, Cao Xi felt a deep sense of happiness in her heart for them.