Chapter 15 – A Warmth That’s a Little Hard to Let Go

That night, Yi An’an cooked some noodles and made a batch of meat sauce. Zhan Nanhui ate three bowls in one go. Once he was full, he had the energy to study.

To help Zhan Nanhui focus on his studies, Yi An’an had bought a bunch of candles—enough to last him for a while.

While Zhan Nanhui read his books, Yi An’an busied herself thinking of ways to make money.

She had spent the whole day helping Zhan Nanhui register for the college entrance exams and hadn’t had any time for business. Now that she had some free time at night, she made hair accessories out of the cloth strips she had brought home the other day, planning to sell them the next day.

Zhan Nanhui was reading in the outer room. When he saw light still coming from the inner room, he thought Yi An’an had stayed up deliberately to keep him company, and his heart couldn’t help but feel warm.

He read late into the night and only went to bed after finishing. When he walked in, he found Yi An’an already fast asleep at the kang table, with a cloth flower still clutched in her hand.

Zhan Nanhui hesitated for a moment before going over to help her lie down on the bed, then gently covered her with the blanket.

As he lay down, Zhan Nanhui looked at the sleeping woman and couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe it was because he had spent the past few years alone, but the sudden warmth made him feel a little attached to it.

---

The next morning, Yi An’an got up early as usual, left a note, and went out to catch a bus.

She was heading to the city to sell the hair accessories. She needed money if she wanted to eat.

She set up her stall in her usual spot. But before she could make a single sale, Yi Jixiang came storming out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Yi Jixiang glared coldly at her. “Yi An’an, are you trying to get me killed? You’re not allowed to work at the cooperative, so you set up outside selling this junk just to disgust me, is that it?”

As she spoke, Yi Jixiang kicked the stall. A few of the hair accessories went flying to the roadside.

Yi An’an frowned and looked at her coldly. “You’re overestimating your importance.”

Yi Jixiang snapped, “I’m telling you—get back home right now! Stop making a fool of yourself here!”

Yi An’an sneered. “Then call the Public Security team to arrest me. Otherwise, stay out of my way. This isn’t your cooperative’s property.”

Yi Jixiang glanced back nervously. She didn’t want the cooperative manager to find out about her relationship with Yi An’an, which was why she’d rushed out to drive her away. If the Public Security got involved, it’d blow the whole thing up.

“What do you want, Yi An’an? Keep this up and I’ll get Big Brother to beat you to death!” Yi Jixiang growled. “If that old bastard at home hadn’t given Big Brother money for his wedding, you think Mom would let you humiliate the family like this?”

Yi An’an couldn’t be bothered to respond. She stepped forward to pick up the accessories that had been kicked away. But just as she reached for them, two passing girls scooped them up.

“These are so pretty! Did you make them?” the girls asked.

Seeing potential customers, Yi An’an quickly nodded. “Yes, I made them myself. Thirty cents each. Two for fifty!”

Yi Jixiang saw that not only was Yi An’an ignoring her, she was actually selling her stuff, and got even angrier. “Just for some rags, you’re asking thirty cents? Why don’t you just rob people?”

“This one’s a peony—symbolizes wealth and prosperity. It’s really well made!” one of the girls said.

“Yeah, it looks so lifelike. And the fabric’s nice—real silk! Thirty cents is a bargain,” the other girl chimed in.

Each girl bought two and walked away happily, chatting and smiling with their new accessories in their hair.

Yi Jixiang’s face turned red. She glanced at a few of the fabric flowers and had to admit—they were actually kind of nice.

With those two girls modeling the hairpieces, more women came to buy them. Almost all of them bought two. In no time at all, Yi An’an had sold over twenty pieces and made more than five yuan.

Yi Jixiang stared at the stack of bills in Yi An’an’s hand, eyes blazing with jealousy. She wanted to chase her away but couldn’t even get close.

Just then, the cooperative manager rode up on his bicycle. Yi Jixiang rushed over.

“What’s going on here?” he asked coldly.

“That girl who used to sell mops is back—selling hair accessories now,” Yi Jixiang replied. “I saw her and tried to get rid of her, but the crowd’s too thick!”

The manager frowned and handed his bicycle to her. “You go back to work. I’ll take a look.”

Yi Jixiang quickly nodded and left.

The manager crossed the road and walked over to Yi An’an’s stall.

“These are beautiful! Look at this yellow one—so vivid!”

“This red one’s nice too. Perfect for New Year’s!”

“I’ll take two!”

…

The crowd around the stall was all young girls, excitedly picking out what they liked and chatting happily, their faces glowing with joy.

The manager frowned slightly. He didn’t interrupt right away. Instead, he stood back and observed for a while.

Once most of the flowers had been sold, he finally stepped forward, picked one up, and examined it.

“You’ve got some skill,” he said coldly.

Yi An’an pretended not to recognize him and replied with a smile, “Just a hobby. I can make more than just hair flowers—I can also make pickled vegetables. You know how the cooperative only ever sells the same three kinds—plain preserved mustard, fermented bean paste, and shrimp oil radish. I know how to make all kinds—like pickled cabbage, Sichuan pickles, and even Eight-Treasure Pickles from the capital!”

The manager paused. “You know how to make Eight-Treasure Pickles?”

“Sure do. I even have a jar ready at home—just didn’t bring it today. I was planning to sell pickles next and steal the cooperative’s business!” Yi An’an grinned.

The manager snorted. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you.”

“I really do know how to make them. Too bad I don’t know the cooperative’s manager. Otherwise, I’d try selling them to him. I bet he’s someone who knows quality!” Yi An’an said.

The manager raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You think so? Are you selling here just to get his attention?”

“You could say that. This is a small business—just earning a few coins. But if I could sell my pickles to the cooperative, that’d be a big deal!” Yi An’an said. “Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance to meet that wise and capable manager!”

Manager Han of the cooperative had been furious at first, but after that compliment, he found himself unable to stay mad.

“How do you know he’s wise and capable? He might just be a stubborn old man,” he said.

“My father told me. He used to work at the cooperative and retired recently. The job was passed to my younger sister,” Yi An’an replied, pointing at Yi Jixiang. “That girl who went inside earlier? She’s my sister.”

Manager Han was stunned. Yi Jixiang hadn’t mentioned that the vendor outside was her sister.

“If you’re so good at making pickles, why didn’t your father pass the job to you instead of your sister?” he asked.

“I can make pickles and sell them on my own. My sister doesn’t know how to make anything—she can only help sell what others make. If you were my father, and both daughters were yours, who would you choose?” Yi An’an said with a smile. But there was a hint of bitterness behind that smile. “As long as my sister isn’t ashamed of having a street vendor for a sister, that’s good enough for me.”