Chapter 39: I’ll Spoil You Too, From Now On

Stepping out of the clinic, the afternoon sun cast a warm glow, making the sky look even more beautiful, which made for a pleasant mood. Cao Xiangnan reached out and took Qi Wanfeng’s hand, gently squeezing his palm. He said, “Didn’t you say we were going to buy vegetable seeds? See if there’s anything else we need at home. Let’s buy it all together.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Qi Wanfeng held the hand of their child, An’an, who had just woken up. The child had been a bit grumpy upon waking, but seeing the bustling street immediately cheered him up, his little face turning every which way.

The streets were lively with people coming and going. The South Street had everything for sale, including vegetable seeds being sold at stalls, which were much cheaper than in shops. They bought quite a few varieties of seeds at one of the stalls.

Thinking of the greenhouses of later generations, he could grow out-of-season vegetables to sell, which should earn a lot of money. But now it was spring, the season when vegetables were abundant. Growing them just for themselves was one thing, but growing them for sale wouldn’t even cover the labor costs, so Cao Xiangnan dismissed the idea. However, vegetable seeds were also much cheaper at this time of year, so he had Wanfeng buy more Chinese cabbage seeds to save for later use.

As they walked, Cao Xiangnan pondered what they could do to create a source of income for the family, so Wanfeng and the child wouldn’t have to go hungry, and their days could gradually improve.

“Baba, chickies!” An’an was captivated by the fluffy chicks and wouldn’t move. Children loved these adorable little animals. Qi Wanfeng glanced at them. “Does An’an want to raise them? If we buy them, An’an will be responsible for taking care of them, okay?” he asked.

“Okay, An’an raise them,” An’an said, pointing at himself with a look of determination.

Seeing his son’s serious little face, Cao Xiangnan exchanged a glance with Qi Wanfeng, knowing that Qi Wanfeng wanted to buy them. He took the initiative to ask the owner about the price. The chicks were one copper coin each, and when he bought ten, the owner even gave him a small one for free.

At the end of South Street was the Fen Shui Town pier. Ships from all over came to dock here. Some ships came to buy goods and some to sell goods. There were many bare-chested laborers working hard on the pier. There were also many food stalls, which also made this area a lively spot. The laborers had money in their pockets and were willing to spend a few copper coins for a meal.

Cao Xiangnan stared intently at the food stalls, lost in thought. Several ideas flashed through his mind about what he could sell if he set up a stall here.

“Husband, do you want to eat something?” Qi Wanfeng thought his husband was hungry and wanted to eat something, so he asked.

“No,” Cao Xiangnan replied, snapping out of his reverie. He shook his head and looked at Qi Wanfeng, who was gazing at him. “Let’s go,” he said. He just wanted to see what the situation was like here, and it was better than he had imagined.

There was a stall selling bing tang hu lu [Candied hawthorns on a stick, a popular Chinese snack]. He saw the child staring at the bing tang hu lu, sucking on his little fingers but not asking to buy one. Cao Xiangnan spent a copper coin to buy the child a string of bing tang hu lu, making the child so happy that his eyes squinted with laughter.

“You’re just spoiling him,” Qi Wanfeng gently chided his husband, but it was clear that he was also willing to spend on the child. This person was only unwilling to spend on himself.

“Children are meant to be spoiled,” Cao Xiangnan said, looking at Qi Wanfeng’s handsome face. He felt a deep affection for this person. Looking at Qi Wanfeng seriously, he said, “I’ll spoil you too, from now on.”

Qi Wanfeng didn’t expect his husband to say such things so earnestly, and he couldn’t help but blush. Cao Xiangnan saw his Wanfeng blushing and smiled, then said in all seriousness, “I mean it.”

“…” Qi Wanfeng was speechless.