Chapter 12: How Are You Selling These Turtles?

When the two heard their parents say this, they didn’t say anything more.

Meng Ling also felt that not everything had to be shared.

Aunt Zhang saw they had no intention to talk further, so she could only sulkingly leave, still glancing a few more times at the few turtles in the bucket as she went.

In the morning, the three siblings ate rice mixed with pork lard, with some fried pork bits on top, each having a boiled egg. They all ate especially heartily.

Since they were still growing, the couple was willing to give the children better food.

The two adults themselves didn’t care much as long as they had enough to eat.

Meng Ling saw all this clearly and remembered it well.

After breakfast, she took the second child and headed to the town.

Halfway there, Meng Shiqiao was having trouble walking. “Sister, let’s rest a bit!”

“Okay, let’s rest. Anyway, it’s just over half an hour more to go.”

The road to the town and the county was the same direction, about fifteen li (roughly seven or eight kilometers), which would take about an hour on foot.

Qingshan Town’s market was held every ten days, and right now the streets were packed with people, stretching as far as the eye could see.

“Sister, how much do you think is a good price to sell these turtles for?” Meng Shiqiao asked.

Meng Ling didn’t really know the current market price. Before leaving, she had asked their father, who said they could get fourteen to fifteen wen (small currency) per jin (half a kilo).

That price was quite decent.

Meng Ling said, “You find a spot to set up first, I’ll go check the prices.”

“Okay!” Meng Shiqiao nodded.

Since they came late, good spots were naturally taken, so he found a less noticeable place to set up.

Meng Ling walked around the market and finally saw an uncle selling turtles.

She went up and asked, “Uncle, how do you sell these turtles?”

“Fifteen wen per jin.”

Meng Ling shook her head and turned to leave. When she returned, Meng Shiqiao had already set up the stall.

Seven or eight turtles were placed in two basins. He overturned the backpack basket to use as a stool and sat on it.

Meng Shiqiao asked, “Sister, how much should we sell them for?”

“Fifteen wen per jin.”

After speaking, Meng Ling took another basket and stepped back a few paces before sitting on it.

So valuable!

Meng Shiqiao was thrilled — after selling them, they’d have enough to buy the bow.

He began loudly calling out.

“Turtles for sale, big turtles from the river!”

“Come take a look, big turtles!”

“Turtles, turtles, eat them and prosper!”

“Turtle stew chicken, can understand the heavens’ secrets.”

“Turtle stew meat, prolongs life and health.”

“Turtle soup, blessings for health and longevity.”

“Tastes so good!”

Meng Shiqiao shouted with all his might.

“One jin of turtle brings great fortune, eat it and live to ninety-eight.”

“Two jin of turtle brings wealth, wives all eighteen.”

“Three jin of turtle brings joy and praise from wives at night.”

His lively calls caught people’s attention as they passed by.

Soon a middle-aged man came over. His clothes were fairly neat, only with one or two patches.

“Hey kid, how much for these turtles?”

Sigh!

No wonder she sent me to sell them while she hid in the back.

Meng Shiqiao smiled and said, “Fifteen wen per jin, tasty and affordable. Cooked in soup it brings blessings and longevity; stewed with meat it prolongs life; stew both ways and it brings health and longevity.”

“I think this three-jin one looks good.”

Meng Shiqiao quickly picked up a turtle to show him.

The middle-aged man nodded after looking it over, “Alright, I’ll take it.”

Meng Shiqiao hurriedly took out a scale to weigh.

“Three jin, one liang, five qian, four fen — just count it as three jin.”

After weighing, Meng Shiqiao looked at the man and said, “Forty-five wen.”

Clatter clatter.

The money pouch made a pleasant jingling sound.

“Sister, this trick really works,” Meng Ling smiled at her sister.

“Of course.”

Meng Ling sat watching while Meng Shiqiao kept shouting energetically.

“How much for your turtles?”

Don’t insult me!

You’re the turtle, your whole family’s turtles!

—–

After selling three turtles, no one came for a long time. They made a total of 133 wen.

“Sister, what do we do? So many left, we can’t eat them all at home.”

Meng Ling was a bit anxious; it was almost noon.

“Don’t worry, some people from far away have just arrived. If we can’t sell them, we’ll keep them to eat ourselves.”

She wasn’t worried at all; she didn’t believe they wouldn’t sell a single one all afternoon.

“But…” Meng Shiqiao started to say but was interrupted by Meng Ling.

“You stay here, I’ll go check around,” Meng Ling said and left.

She had just seen someone carrying lambs and wanted to ask the price. She had just gotten quite a bit of money from her father.

Pushing through the crowd, most people were taller than her by a head, blocking her view, so she couldn’t see the person she wanted.

She could only walk forward slowly, trying to find him. The street was crowded, barely moving — this was peak time.

She followed behind the crowd slowly, asking prices to get a sense of the market.

Radishes and cabbage were two jin for one wen; fish was three to four wen per jin. Since there were many rivers here, fish were cheap.

Walking from one end of the street to the other, she finally found the man selling lambs. Two lambs were in the basket, their hooves gripping the edge, heads stretching out.

“How much for the lambs?” Meng Ling asked.

“Two hundred sixty wen each.”

Quite expensive — that could buy ten jin of mutton.

Meng Ling said, “If you lower the price, I’ll buy both.”

“Miss, I can’t go lower. We’re honest farmers, no haggling.”

Meng Ling said, “Five hundred ten wen for both, how about that?”

The man hesitated then said, “Deal!”

After paying, Meng Ling tucked one lamb under her arm and weaved through the crowd.

She hadn’t expected the lambs to be so expensive. The 500 wen she got from her father this morning was now all gone, plus she put in 10 wen of her own New Year money.

“Sister, where did these lambs come from?” Meng Shiqiao saw her carrying two and asked.

“Definitely bought. You’ll be in charge of grazing from now on,” Meng Ling said while walking.

Meng Shiqiao laughed, “No problem. When it’s time to eat, can I have more?”

Meng Ling said, “If you raise them well, you get more. If not, less.”

“I promise to raise them fat and strong,” Meng Shiqiao patted his chest.

Meng Ling knew they wouldn’t eat the mutton soon. If raised until next year, it’d be a big fat sheep. If they ever needed food, they could sell it for grain — as long as it didn’t die, they wouldn’t lose out.

Meng Shiqiao stopped worrying about the turtles and squatted by the basket watching the lambs.

Now he was enjoying it, but Meng Ling wondered if he’d be so happy if he had to go graze them every day.

“Keep shouting, don’t slack off!” Meng Ling shouted.

“Sis, I need a break. My throat’s almost hoarse,” Meng Shiqiao looked miserable, still playing with the lambs.

He had been shouting for a while but no one came to buy. Not sure what was wrong, people kept walking back and forth but didn’t buy.

“Still want the bow?” Meng Ling asked seriously.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

He hurried back to the stall and started shouting again, using the same catchy rhymes.

“Turtles, turtles for sale! Old and young love to eat. Drink a sip of turtle soup, you’ll sleep better than King Yama. Eat a bite of turtle meat, King Yama won’t come knocking.”

“Delicious!”

“Turtle soup, thirteen spices, eat it and sleep soundly tonight.”

“Sleep soundly till dawn, body strong like Vajra…”

This shouting really worked. A woman came walking over.

“How much are your turtles?”

Meng Shiqiao saw she was well-dressed and plump — definitely not a farmer.

“Sis, fifteen wen a jin, nourishing yin and yang, guaranteed to make you younger and more energetic.”

“I can tell you have a big family. This four-jin one looks perfect for you,” Meng Ling said with a smile.

Although calling her “sis” was a bit rude, the woman felt pleased and didn’t mind.

Happy like this, things would be easier to deal with.

“Okay, I’ll take it.”

The scale sounded as the golden money was counted.

Meng Shiqiao tied up the turtle with straw and handed it over to the woman.