Chapter 16 Preparing to sell radishes

Zhou Daniu grinned from ear to ear. “Tastes good, doesn’t it? All of these were dug up from our own land. When we first bought that plot, it was full of rocks. Who would’ve thought radishes would grow there now?”

Du Wanchun looked surprised, but soon her eyes curved into a smile. “That’s wonderful!”

“Yes! We can make radish soup for lunch today.” Zhou Daniu emptied the basket of radishes onto the ground. After looking at them for a while, she sighed, “But there are so many—we won’t be able to eat them all.”

Du Wanchun squatted down, picked up a radish, and weighed it in her hand. Suddenly, an idea struck her. “Mother, why don’t we take these radishes to the county and sell them?”

“Sell radishes?” Zhou Daniu was a little surprised.

Du Wanchun flashed her sweet dimples and nodded. “Yes, exactly—let’s sell them!”

Zhou Daniu looked doubtful. “Would people actually buy them? Every household in the village grows radishes.”

Du Wanchun stood up and explained slowly, “Mother, it’s true that the villagers all grow radishes, but the noble families in the county don’t. They usually send people to nearby villages to purchase vegetables. Why don’t we take them directly to a household and sell them?”

“Who would we sell them to?” Zhou Daniu asked quickly. She had only lived in Changliu Village for a few years. Not only did she know very few people in the county, but even in the village, she wasn’t familiar with many.

Du Wanchun suddenly thought of someone—Aunt He, a kitchen maid in the residence of Magistrate Li.

Aunt He and her mother were from the same village and had grown up together, maintaining a good relationship. Later, Aunt He married a guard from Magistrate Li’s household and began working as a kitchen maid there, which led to less frequent contact over time.

However, back when her mother was still alive, Aunt He often helped by purchasing a good amount of their family’s grains and vegetables. Du Wanchun had accompanied her mother on these deliveries many times and had met Aunt He on several occasions.

“Mother, I know a kitchen maid in Magistrate Li’s household. How about I go to the county tomorrow and see if we can sell the radishes there?” Du Wanchun said with a smile.

Zhou Daniu thought for a moment. “That could work, but I should go with you.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhao stepped forward. “Mother, you’re busy making new clothes for Sister-in-law. How about I go with her instead?”

Zhou Daniu hesitated and glanced at the remaining fabric on the table, looking conflicted.

“Third Brother has to tend to our land. I should just go by myself,” Du Wanchun said, worried that Zhou Daniu would refuse. She quickly added, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ve been to the county before. I’ll be fine on my own.”

The family’s land had just been reclaimed, and if no one was there to keep an eye on it, the Chen family next door might try to seize it again.

Zhou Daniu furrowed her brows as she looked at the fabric. She was worried about letting Du Wanchun go alone, but she also didn’t want her to be without new clothes when she returned to her maiden home in two days. For a moment, she truly didn’t know what to do.

At that moment, Zhou Ruiyuan pushed his chair out from the room. “How about I go with her?”

“You?” Zhou Daniu looked at him in disbelief.

“Ruiyuan, haven’t you always refused to go out?”

Zhou Ruiyuan wheeled himself next to Du Wanchun and slowly gazed outside. “Mother, sometimes, we can’t keep hiding forever.”

Zhou Daniu’s eyes darkened slightly, and she immediately understood what he meant. “Alright, if you accompany Wanchun, I’ll feel at ease.”

Zhou Zhao walked over and asked, “Big Brother, won’t it be inconvenient for you to travel with your leg like this?”

Zhou Ruiyuan replied, “It won’t be a problem. With so many radishes, we’ll need a cart to transport them anyway. I’ll have Third Brother go to the Wang family at the village entrance and borrow a horse cart.”

The Wang family at the village entrance was an elderly couple without children. Like the Zhou family, they weren’t well-liked by the villagers, but they had always been exceptionally kind to the Zhous. They were generous and never hesitated to lend a bowl of rice or a horse cart when needed.

Hearing this, Zhou Daniu thought it was a good idea. She quickly picked out a few of the best radishes from the pile and handed them to Zhou Zhao. “Go ask Uncle Wang if we can borrow the horse cart, and give these to them as a thank-you gift.”

Zhou Zhao took the radishes and nodded. “Alright, Mother. I’ll go now.”

With that, he turned and left the house, heading toward the village entrance.