Chapter 22: The Great Cotton Clothing Sale

Xu Nian walked over, grabbed a handful of soybeans, and examined them. No matter their size or quality, they were not as good as the ones in her personal space.

“Big girl, what do you need these soybeans for?”

“To make money, Grandma. Just wait and see.”

Madam Wang didn’t ask further and turned back to continue washing cotton clothes.

Old Man Xu finished storing the grain, and along with Old Man Wang and the others, began unloading the tiles.

“Father, leave it there. My third brother and I will take care of it.”

Xu Fugui put down his shovel and, along with Xu Youliang, ran over to help.

Fortunately, not many tiles on the roof were damaged, and within half an hour, they had replaced them.

Old Man Xu looked at the discarded tiles and felt it would be a shame to throw them away.

“Fourth son, bring over a few wooden beams. I’ll build a shed.”

Old Man Xu felt that their house had too few rooms and no proper storage space. A thatched shed would be just right, and the broken tiles could still be useful.

Once he made up his mind, the whole courtyard bustled with activity. The results were satisfying as well.

The house had five main rooms—one was the central hall, and the other four were bedrooms. The two eastern rooms belonged to Old Man Xu and his wife, as well as Xu Fugui and his wife. The two western rooms were where Xu Youliang and his wife lived, along with their children: Xu Cai, Xu Nian, and Xu Ling.

The eastern side room housed Xu Weian and his three younger brothers, while the western side room was used as a kitchen and dining area.

Adjacent to the western side room was the newly built thatched shed, which stored miscellaneous items, tools, and firewood.

Xu Weian had already finished making long benches for dining, so the Xu family no longer had to eat standing up.

Initially, Old Man Xu planned to have Xu Weian build beds for the family, but Xu Nian disagreed.

It would take at least four days to make a single bed, and given the number they needed, it would take more than half a month. Not only would that waste time, but sleeping on the ground for over two weeks could also make people sick.

So the next day, Old Man Xu went to the county and bought five large beds.

Once the beds were installed, the rooms finally looked like a proper home. However, Old Man Xu was troubled—most of the money his eldest granddaughter had given him was already gone.

For the past few days, they had been eating dry pancakes every day. Xu Nian knew they were running out of money. She had considered taking some vegetables from her space, but she dismissed the idea.

Once people get used to gaining things without effort, they can become lazy.

Fortunately, the cotton clothes had finished drying, so it was time to go to the county.

That night, Xu Nian told her family about her plan.

“Grandfather, Grandmother, I want to go to the county tomorrow to sell the cotton clothes.”

Old Man Xu had the same idea, but he was still worried.

“How about letting your second and third uncles go with you? They can protect you.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Grandma won’t be at ease if you go alone.”

Xu Nian had also considered this. She couldn’t drive the donkey cart herself.

“Second Uncle and I will go. Third Uncle still needs to go with Grandfather to clear land. Don’t worry, Grandfather, Grandmother, everything will be fine.”

“I will definitely protect Big Girl!”

Hearing his second son say this, the elderly couple didn’t insist further.

However, Xu Jian had other thoughts—he wanted to go too.

“Big Sister, let me go with you! I can help you call out to customers!”

Madam Zheng rolled her eyes at him. “Your father and big sister are going for serious business. You stay at home and behave!”

Xu Jian still wanted to argue, but Xu Nian stopped him.

“Xiao Ji, stay home and practice writing with the others. Once I exchange the clothes for silver, all of you can go to the village school.”

The first person to support this idea was Old Man Xu.

“Yes, yes, yes! Study well at home. Attending school is important…”

Once he started talking about school, Old Man Xu could go on forever.

The next day, Xu Fugui drove the donkey cart, carrying Xu Nian and a cart full of cotton clothes, and headed for the county.

On the way, Xu Nian nestled herself deep within the pile of cotton clothes as much as possible. The wind in the northern border was simply too fierce—it felt like knives slicing across her face.

It wasn’t until they entered the county that Xu Nian finally felt alive again. However, when she looked at Xu Fugui, he was in a miserable state—his face was flushed red from the cold, and his eyes were even slightly swollen.

Thinking about her grandfather and uncles working in the fields to reclaim land, Xu Nian realized that once she exchanged the clothes for silver, she would first need to buy them a few windproof leather hats.

Xu Fugui had never done business before, so he was momentarily unsure of where to go. It was Xu Nian who pointed him in the right direction.

She remembered that on the day she arrived, she had seen several fabric shops, and the place she was guiding her second uncle to was precisely that location.

When they arrived, Xu Nian saw that there were already quite a few street vendors setting up stalls on both sides of the road. She quickly led Xu Fugui across from a fabric shop and had him stop the donkey cart there.

Next to them was a stall selling cosmetics. Xu Nian walked over, greeted the shop owner, and asked,

“Madam, are there any rules for setting up a stall here?”

The shop owner looked at Xu Nian, noticing her delicate and fair skin. She couldn’t help but admire her—a truly beautiful young girl. In the harsh, dusty winds of the borderlands, it was rare to see a girl with such smooth and tender skin.

“Whoever arrives first gets the spot,” the shop owner replied.

She then glanced at the donkey cart beside them and continued,

“But you can’t leave your donkey here. If the patrol officers come by, they’ll fine you.

See that shed over there? Walk inside, and you’ll find a place that manages livestock. It costs eight copper coins per day, and they’ll provide feed as well.”

The shop owner was a straightforward person, and seeing such a bright and lively girl, she was quite fond of her. So, she gave her a detailed explanation.

Xu Nian thanked her and repeated the instructions to her second uncle.

“I’ll take the donkey over right now,” Xu Fugui said.

Xu Nian nodded and counted out eight copper coins, handing them to him.

Once Xu Fugui left, she began observing her surroundings. At this time, there weren’t too many people on the street, and those who were out were mostly there to shop.

It seemed that when the time came to sell her bean sprouts, she would have to come even earlier in the morning.

About fifteen minutes later, Xu Fugui returned. Seeing that the pile of cotton clothes remained untouched, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“Big girl, do you think these cotton clothes will sell?”

Xu Nian smiled. “Second Uncle, I don’t know if they’ll sell quickly, but I do know they definitely won’t be stuck in our hands for long.”

As more people started filling the street, Xu Nian used her hands for support and leaped onto the donkey cart. She pulled out a piece of clothing from the pile, held it up, and began calling out loudly.

“Passersby, don’t miss this chance! Come take a look!

Looking is free, touching is free—we won’t charge a thing!”

Xu Fugui watched his niece standing atop the donkey cart, feeling as though his understanding of her had once again been completely overturned.

Unaware of her uncle’s thoughts, Xu Nian was fully engaged in calling out to potential customers.

“There’s kindness in this world, and my family’s clothing is made with the highest quality.

Big brother, buy one for your wife—she’ll be overjoyed!

Young man, buy one for your parents—repay them for their love and care!”

“……”

Two men who had initially stopped just to watch the commotion glanced at each other. Was she talking about them?

Under the expectant gazes of the nearby women, they had no choice but to brace themselves and ask Xu Fugui about the price of the cotton clothes.

Seeing that business was finally coming in, Xu Fugui stopped watching the spectacle and quickly stepped forward to handle the sales.