Chapter 20: Selling Radishes with Her Husband

Du Wanchun called out, “Auntie.”

Aunt He snapped back to reality, took the radish from Zhou Ruiyuan’s hand, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “This young man is truly handsome. I’ve lived in this area for years, and I’ve never seen someone as good-looking as him.”

Du Wanchun smiled, her dimples appearing. She knew her husband was good-looking. “Auntie, try the radish first.”

Aunt He stared at Zhou Ruiyuan for a while longer before finally shifting her gaze. She took a bite of the radish in her hand.

The moment she bit into it, her eyes lit up with delight.

“Wanchun, this radish is delicious!” Aunt He spoke between bites, unable to stop eating.

Du Wanchun chuckled. “Auntie, why don’t you buy some for the household?”

Aunt He nodded eagerly. “Alright! It just so happens that Madam recently gave me money to buy radishes.”

She pulled out some coins from her pocket and said, “But I only have 60 wen on me right now. If I buy all the radishes in your cart, you’ll probably take a loss.”

Du Wanchun glanced at the radishes in the cart and nodded. “That would be a loss.”

Aunt He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “How about this? I’ll add another 60 wen of my own money and buy the rest.”

Du Wanchun was overjoyed. “Really?”

Aunt He laughed. “Of course! You’ve always been a likable child. You might not have been talkative before, but you were honest and well-behaved. And these radishes of yours are delicious—why wouldn’t I buy them?”

It had been a long time since Aunt He last saw Du Wanchun. Seeing that she no longer seemed as dull-witted as before, Aunt He simply assumed she had just been a quiet and honest girl in the past.

“Alright then, I’ll bring the radishes down right away.” Du Wanchun beamed and turned to climb onto the cart.

However, before she could do so, Zhou Ruiyuan had already lifted the radishes down himself.

Though his legs were not strong, he had impressive upper body strength. He single-handedly lifted all three large sacks of radishes from the cart and placed them on the ground.

“Here you go,” he said.

Aunt He quickly handed Du Wanchun the copper coins, which were wrapped in a cloth pouch—a total of 120 wen.

After giving her the money, Aunt He turned and called for the workers to help move the radishes.

Soon, two or three strong men came out and carried the three large sacks of radishes into the house.

Holding the copper coins in her hands, Du Wanchun felt an overwhelming sense of joy. She had never held this much money before.

Now that they had sold all the radishes they had brought, Du Wanchun bid Aunt He farewell and climbed onto the cart, ready to go home.

As Zhou Ruiyuan lifted the curtain to glance at the shops outside, he asked, “Wanchun, should we buy something before heading back?”

Du Wanchun nodded. “Yes! We should buy some rice and oil for the household.”

The two of them drove the cart to a nearby rice shop and purchased ten pounds of rice and one pound of oil.

By the time they returned to the village, the sky had already turned dark.

The journey from Cheng’an County to Changliu Village included a stretch of mountain road, making the carriage sway as it moved.

Sitting inside the carriage, Du Wanchun felt dizzy from the constant rocking.

Zhou Ruiyuan lifted the curtain and asked, “Are you alright?”

Du Wanchun shook her head and took a sip from her water flask.

Zhou Ruiyuan tightened his grip on the reins, trying to steady the horse as much as possible.

Watching him skillfully control the carriage, Du Wanchun asked, “Husband, do you know how to ride a horse?”

Zhou Ruiyuan nodded. “Yes, I learned in the past.”

Hearing this, Du Wanchun glanced at his immobile legs, feeling a wave of sympathy.

He had once been literate and skilled in horseback riding and archery—what could have happened to leave him in this condition?

Just as she was lost in thought, a bird suddenly flew through the night sky.

The horse, startled by the sudden movement, neighed loudly and bolted forward in a frenzy.

Inside the carriage, Du Wanchun swayed uncontrollably, her head spinning. “What’s happening? Husband!”

“The horse is spooked.” Zhou Ruiyuan’s deep, unreadable eyes darkened as he firmly gripped the reins, trying to rein the horse in.

Although the horse kept running, it slowed down under the pressure of Zhou Ruiyuan’s forceful control.

He continued pulling the reins, but his weak legs made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his grip.

Ahead, a large tree loomed dangerously close.

Frowning deeply, Zhou Ruiyuan tightened his hold on the reins and gave them a sharp tug.

At that moment, as he exerted force, he suddenly felt strength returning to one of his legs.

The unexpected sensation filled him with a surge of exhilaration, as if he had regained his former confidence and vigor. Seizing the moment, he used his waist for support and pushed off with his newly responsive leg, leaping onto the horse’s back.

With both hands gripping the reins tightly, he pulled hard to bring the horse to a stop.

The horse reared up on its hind legs and let out a loud neigh before finally coming to a halt under Zhou Ruiyuan’s control.

Du Wanchun was completely stunned by what she had just witnessed.

Clutching the side of the carriage in shock and excitement, she looked up at Zhou Ruiyuan and exclaimed, “Husband—your leg?!”