Chapter 14: Trade

“Eat quickly, a pregnant woman shouldn’t go hungry—you’re eating for two,” Jiang Cuihua said, full of concern for her daughter.

Liu Yinyin was over four months pregnant. Although her belly was already showing, she hadn’t gained any weight elsewhere.

From behind, it was impossible to tell she was expecting.

As the aroma wafted over, Liu Yinyin opened the package and was surprised to see a scallion pancake made from white flour.

White flour was considered a fine grain. She remembered that the family only had a few pounds of it, usually saved for special occasions like the New Year or holidays.

“Mother, you should eat it instead,” Liu Yinyin said. She wasn’t lacking in white flour herself, so she had no reason to take precious food from her family.

“Just eat it already! Why are you being so polite with your own mother?” Jiang Cuihua shot her a glare.

Liu Yinyin hesitated, but since it would be unseemly to argue in the middle of the road, the two of them ended up sharing the pancake, each eating half.

Liu Family Village was under the jurisdiction of Wangou Township, which comprised twelve villages in total.

The market fair was held near the township government, attracting people from several nearby villages.

Since Liu Family Village was far away, by the time Liu Yinyin and the others arrived, the market was already bustling with people coming and going.

On both sides of the road, small stalls were spread out on the ground, selling mostly homegrown or handmade items.

There were eggs, vegetables, mung beans, peanuts, and other agricultural products, as well as homemade rice wine, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Straw hats woven from wheat stalks, hand-stitched thousand-layer cloth shoes, bamboo baskets…

There was a wide variety of items, and the market was well-stocked.

After walking for a while, they finally found an empty spot.

Liu Mingyuan quickly pulled the cart over to secure their place.

They set up their stall, placing the Immortal Tofu out, along with bowls, spoons, and a container of sugar, then waited for business to begin.

Since the weather was hot, Liu Yinyin scooped a piece of Immortal Tofu, mixed it with sugar, and handed it to Jiang Cuihua. “Mother, have some to cool down.”

“I don’t need it; better to save it for selling,” Jiang Cuihua said, reluctant to eat it. She had already tasted it yesterday and didn’t want to waste any.

Liu Yinyin blinked and said, “Mother, just eat it. Once you start, customers will come.”

After all, most people had likely never seen Immortal Tofu before. How would they be drawn in if no one was eating it?

Jiang Cuihua immediately understood. Without further hesitation, she picked up the bowl and took big bites.

She had to admit, Immortal Tofu was perfect for such a hot day—cool and refreshing, making her feel instantly rejuvenated.

“Sister, what are you eating?” someone asked, approaching their stall.

Jiang Cuihua’s eyes lit up, and she instantly perked up. “This is Immortal Tofu, something we made ourselves. Little sister, do you want a bowl? It’s cooling and perfect for beating the heat!”

“Is it good? How much does it cost?” the person asked.

“Of course, it’s good! And we even add a spoonful of sugar,” Jiang Cuihua said with a grin. “Two cents for a big bowl. Or, if you prefer, you can trade an egg or something of similar value.”

“I’ll take a bowl,” the woman said, handing over an egg.

“Alright! Coming right up!” Jiang Cuihua said with a broad smile.

In times like these, food was always eye-catching.

Seeing someone exchange food, more and more people gathered around to inquire.

Immortal Tofu wasn’t expensive, and since it was something they had never tried before, many were willing to give it a go.

In no time, their stall became incredibly busy.

Liu Yinyin stood to the side, helping where needed.

Some customers paid with money, while others bartered with goods. As long as both parties found the trade fair, the deal was made.

After about two hours, they had sold all the Immortal Tofu they brought.

Liu Yinyin had been keeping track of sales, and if her calculations were correct, they had sold a total of seventy-eight bowls.

Once everything was gone, they sorted through the items they had received in exchange.

Seventy-eight bowls of Immortal Tofu had brought in:

• Forty cents
• Twenty-one eggs
• Two pounds of mung beans
• Five pounds of dried sweet potatoes

There were also small amounts of corn grits, potatoes, and red beans, but each was only about half a pound or a few ounces.

After selling all the Immortal Tofu, Jiang Cuihua took the eggs she had brought and went around the market to trade for household necessities—cooking oil, soy sauce, vinegar—whatever was needed.

Liu Yinyin accompanied Jiang Cuihua around the market, feeling tempted to buy things herself. However, since she didn’t have much money, she decided it was more cost-effective to purchase supplies directly from her system.

Once Jiang Cuihua used her last egg to trade for a few pieces of winter melon candy, they finally prepared to head home.

The cart was loaded with all sorts of miscellaneous items, making it much heavier than when they had arrived.

On top of that, the sun was now high in the sky. Pregnant women naturally had higher body temperatures, and Liu Yinyin, wearing a straw hat, was drenched in sweat.

“Aiya,” Jiang Cuihua said regretfully. “I should’ve never let you come along.”

Selling Immortal Tofu had been manageable with just her and her third son.

Her daughter was still carrying a child—she couldn’t afford to get heatstroke.

The weather had been strange, with no rain in sight. It was much hotter than in previous years at this time.

“I’m fine, just a little hot, not tired,” Liu Yinyin reassured her. Other than feeling overheated, she had no other discomfort.

Under the scorching sun, they made their way back to Liu Family Village. Liu Mingyuan pulled the cart and dropped Liu Yinyin off at home first.

When they arrived, Jiang Cuihua instructed him to carry all the goods they had traded for with the Immortal Tofu inside.

Liu Yinyin stopped her. “Mother, you and Eldest Brother and Third Brother also helped out. I can’t take everything for myself. I’ll just take some eggs—the rest, I don’t need.”

Jiang Cuihua compromised, “Alright then, take the eggs and mung beans, and the money too. I’ll keep the rest. We only contributed some labor, and these are enough for us.”

With that, she placed the items inside the house. After drinking a bowl of water with her son, she left.

Liu Yinyin washed her face with cool water, leaned back in a chair, and rested her hands on her waist. Having been out in the sun all morning, she just wanted to sit still and not move.

She didn’t even feel like cooking lunch, so she bought two meat buns and a cup of soy milk from the system.

After a simple meal, she rested for a while before lying down in bed for a nap.

She must have been truly exhausted because she slept straight through until the sun began to set.

In the end, she was woken up by a loud banging on the door.

Since she lived alone, she always locked the main gate whether she was home or not.

Hearing Liu Xiaoman’s voice calling out, Liu Yinyin got up to open the door.

“Aunt!” Liu Xiaoman greeted her, carrying a heavy wooden bucket into the house. This afternoon, he had brought something different.

“I caught a bunch of big-shelled shrimp from the river. Do you want them?”

The so-called “big-shelled shrimp” were actually crayfish.

At that time, crayfish were available, but they had large shells with little meat and a strong muddy taste, so most villagers didn’t eat them.

Liu Yinyin gasped in surprise. “So many?”

The bucket was full of crayfish—at least ten pounds!

Crayfish! There was no way Liu Yinyin could refuse. Her face lit up with excitement. “Of course, I want them!”

In total, there were twelve pounds of crayfish, which left Liu Yinyin in a bit of a dilemma.

According to their previous agreement, she would have to give Liu Xiaoman twelve pieces of candy in exchange for twelve pounds of crayfish.