Chapter 4: Going to the Town – No Worry Grass

The chef saw that it was the same man as last time, so he kept all three wild chickens, which weighed a total of 11 jin (about 5.5 kg), and paid 220 coins for them.

Just as the stall was set up, a woman came over.

“How much are these fish?”

Li Guo replied, “Black fish is five coins per jin, grass carp is eight coins, and yellow catfish is ten coins.”

“These fish are too expensive, can you make them cheaper?” the woman complained.

Li Guo smiled, “Auntie, look at how fresh these fish are, they were caught just yesterday, and they taste especially fresh.”

The woman took another look at the fish in the basin, which were still swimming energetically. She nodded, “Alright then, give me the two biggest grass carp.”

Li Xing and Li Wen quickly helped their sister scoop out two grass carp from the bucket.

“That’s three jin two liang (about 1.6 kg), so I’ll charge you three jin’s worth, which is twenty-four coins.”

Li Guo took the money and put it in her pocket.

“Big sister,” Li Wen said, pouting, “Someone really bought the fish! People in our village don’t like fish; I thought we wouldn’t sell any!”

“That’s because people in the village don’t know how to cook fish, which is why they don’t like it. You see, didn’t mom make it delicious?” Li Guo replied, teasing, while Li Wen’s mouth watered at the thought.

“As long as it’s food, someone will buy it. The reason they don’t buy it is because they can’t cook it, and even if they did, it would have a muddy taste.”

“Ah!” Li Wen exclaimed, finally understanding.

At that moment, a woman in her thirties approached, looking at the baskets and asking, “How much are these baskets and carrying baskets?”

“The basket is four coins, and the carrying basket is six coins,” Li Guo answered.

“Wow, why are your prices so high? Over at the shop on the east side, they sell carrying baskets for only five coins. How about this, I’ll take one carrying basket and one basket for eight coins,” the woman said, already picking up a basket and carrying basket.

Li Guo smiled and said, “Auntie, look at how tightly woven our baskets are. Even if you put soil in them, they won’t leak.”

“Alright, you don’t need to sell them to me for eight coins. How about nine coins for both?” the woman bargained.

“That sounds fair!” Li Guo agreed, taking the money and handing over the items.

“Thank you! Take care!”

The woman walked off, and Li Guo called after her, “Take care!”

Then, another person asked, “How much for the shepherd’s purse (wild herbs)?”

Li Guo replied to the woman who asked about the shepherd’s purse, “It’s three coins per jin. How much would you like?”

“I’ll take two jin.”

The woman then asked, “How much for the small garlic sprouts?”

“Five coins per jin.”

“Ah! This is highway robbery! Selling wild vegetables for such a high price!” the woman shouted in displeasure.

Li Guo smiled and replied, “Auntie, rarity makes the price higher. Shepherd’s purse is hard to find! My sister and I had to go deep into the mountains to dig them up!”

The woman grumbled, “Well then, can you make it cheaper?”

Li Guo thought for a moment and then said, “Alright, Auntie, I’ll make it nine coins for two jin. I’ll give you a discount of one coin.”

The woman smiled, “A discount of one coin is still money! I can buy a sugar-coated hawthorn for my grandson when I get home!” She laughed and handed over the money, taking the basket with a smile.

Passersby, seeing the fresh green wild vegetables, couldn’t resist and bought some as well.

Soon, the wild vegetables were sold out. Li Youyin, watching his daughter’s bright smile, couldn’t help but think about how capable his eldest daughter was. He wondered which young man she had ended up with, and the thought of her marriage made him sigh.

Once the goods were sold, Li Guo took her younger siblings to the butcher’s shop and bought two jin (about 1 kg) of pork fat. Their oil jar was almost empty, and if they didn’t buy some soon, they’d be eating boiled vegetables for the next few days!

While at the butcher’s, Li Guo noticed a pile of bones next to the pork fat and asked, “How much for these bones?”

The butcher looked at the young girl in her faded, worn short brown tunic, and the small holes at the sleeves. It seemed the family wasn’t wealthy, and otherwise, no one would buy bones without much meat on them.

“Two coins per jin for the bones. If you want them all, I’ll let them go for eight coins.”

The bones seemed to weigh five or six jin. Li Guo bargained, “Can you make it five coins for all of them?”

The butcher took another look at the girl and her two small siblings, who were thin and frail. His heart softened with sympathy.

“Alright, you can take them for five coins,” he said, helping her pack the bones and fat into her basket.

After thanking the butcher, Li Guo and her siblings shouldered the baskets and walked towards the edge of the town. When they passed a candy figurine stand, Li Wen couldn’t help but look at the colorful sugar figures and swallowed his saliva.

Seeing her younger brother eyeing the sugar figurines, Li Guo smiled a little sadly. She asked, “Do you want to eat a sugar figurine?”

Li Wen, being sensible, replied, “Big sister, I don’t want one. I just think they’re so beautifully made, I couldn’t help but look. But I’m not going to eat it,” quickly wiping his mouth with his hand.

Li Guo looked at her eight-year-old brother, who was as small and thin as a six-year-old. Her heart ached. She thought, it’s all because of poverty. She had to figure out how to make the family prosperous, but what could she do to earn money?

In the end, Li Guo bought two sugar figurines—one for her younger brother and one for her younger sister. When the little girl saw her older sister buy one for her too, she looked up at Li Guo with sparkling eyes and said, “Thank you, big sister!” before happily munching on the candy.

When Li Youyin saw the three siblings emerging from the town, he quickly stepped forward to take the baskets from them and placed them onto the cart.

On the way back, with the cart empty, Li Youyin picked up his youngest son and placed him in the cart.

By the time they arrived home, it was already the late afternoon. Shen Shi was in the yard feeding the chickens.

When she saw that everything had been sold, she was very happy and asked with a smile, “I thought no one would buy the wild vegetables!”

She grabbed the basket and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, but Li Guo quickly said, “Mom, I bought some bones. Can you make us a mushroom and bone soup for dinner?”

Shen Shi agreed, “Sure, I’ll go make it now,” and went into the kitchen.

By the time Li Youyin and the children had washed up and come out, the fragrant aroma filled the entire yard. They all inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell.

On the table was a bowl of wild mushroom bone soup, and a plate of cold, tossed shepherd’s purse. The bone soup was fragrant and tender, while the shepherd’s purse was crisp and refreshing.

As soon as the food was served, Li Xing and the younger siblings dug in hungrily. Even Li Youyin ate more than usual.

Li Guo, being more refined, didn’t eat as hastily, though she still ate quickly.

Seeing how hungry the children were, Shen Shi exchanged a look with Li Youyin, silently questioning him about the situation.

Noticing his wife’s gaze, Li Youyin quickly explained, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to buy food for the children. They didn’t want me to spend the money. They wanted to save it for something better.”

Li Guo, hearing her father’s explanation, spoke up, “Mom, don’t blame Dad. We didn’t want him to spend the money. We’re trying to save for a brick house with blue tiles.”

Upon hearing her eldest daughter’s words, Shen Shi’s eyes grew teary. Their mud-brick house had been repaired a few times, and although it was a little stronger than a thatched house, it was still in poor condition. The walls had started to crack, and every year they had to patch them up with mud, or else, when it rained, the inside would get wet.

Her children were all well-behaved and thoughtful, especially the eldest daughter. The only problem was the difficulty in her marriage.

Seeing his wife’s tear-filled eyes, Li Youyin understood that she was remembering the sad things, so he gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.

After dinner, the children, exhausted from the day, went to their rooms early to sleep.

In the room, Shen Shi looked at the pile of copper coins that her husband had placed on the bed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. So many copper coins!