Chapter 24: Two Big Bills for Buying Fish with the Wife

She hesitated for a moment and then asked:

“Li Zi, if you really want to sell these fish, how about selling them to me? What do you think?”

“Of course, I definitely won’t let you suffer any loss; I’ll buy them at the market price for fish. Since your fish are big, let’s say one yuan per pound. Do you think that’s reasonable?”

Xia Li had actually thought about asking Wei Xiaojun if she would buy fish since she had a small stir-fry stall, and it worked out well to bring it up now.

She hurriedly smiled and shook her head, “What’s with such a high price? Sister Xiaojun and I are familiar with each other; this is just helping each other out. But these fish are really fresh, so let’s not haggle too much—how about eighty cents per pound?”

Wei Xiaojun immediately widened her eyes and waved her hands, “How can that be? Isn’t that taking advantage of you? No way, that price is too low; when we buy small fish at the stall, it’s already seventy or eighty cents.”

After some back-and-forth, they finally agreed on a price of one yuan per pound.

Wei Xiaojun smiled brightly and quickly went to borrow a scale from a familiar vegetable stall to weigh the fish.

The man sat at the table, his straight nose and thin lips pressed together as he watched his little wife busily chatting and laughing with others, not paying him any attention at all.

He puffed his cheeks in annoyance just as Xia Li turned her head and called out to him, “Come help me.”

“Okay.” He hurried over.

In the end, they weighed the fish, and there were over ten pounds!

Xia Li couldn’t believe it; had she really earned two big bills just like that?

Wei Xiaojun placed the fish in clean water, wiped her hands on her apron, and pulled out two bills from the deepest part of her pocket along with two five-cent coins, totaling eleven yuan. She stubbornly shoved the amount into Xia Li’s hands without allowing for any change.

“Don’t be polite; wherever we buy fish, we still buy fish! You really helped me out!”

“By the way, Li Zi, your husband…”

She playfully teased Xia Li with a smile, “He’s quite capable, isn’t he?”

Xia Li could tell from her smile that there was a misunderstanding, so she explained, “Sister Xiaojun, he’s a distant relative from my mother’s side, not… well, you know.”

Wei Xiaojun was about to ask more, but Xia Li quickly changed the subject, asking her, “I didn’t see you at the market before; I didn’t know you were here cooking! I’ll come by another day to try Sister Xiaojun’s cooking.”

Just now, she heard Wei Xiaojun say that she had been running a small stir-fry stall here for about half a year.

Wei Xiaojun’s husband passed away early, leaving her to take care of herself and her child. Now, with her mother helping out, it’s also convenient for her to look after the kids during the day.

Wei Xiaojun suddenly slapped her forehead and said, “Look at you! You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Wait, I’ll cook a few dishes for you to try.”

Xia Li held her back, laughing and politely refusing.

Wei Xiaojun seemed to notice that Xia Li was willing to engage with her and became particularly enthusiastic. After a lot of back-and-forth, Xia Li finally managed to escape.

Before leaving, she reminded Xia Li that if she ever had fresh live fish, she should bring them here to sell, and Xia Li happily agreed.

She had been chatting with Wei Xiaojun, ignoring the man beside her.

On the way, Xia Li handed him the few bills in her hand: “Here, take this. First, get yourself some clothes, and then buy some other necessities.”

She looked at him with a smile, her full pink lips curving into a line: “It seems you really are quite capable; Sister Xiaojun just praised you, saying you earned over ten yuan this morning.”

Although it wasn’t her money, Xia Li felt pleased to have benefited from the fish and the feeling of money in her hands was different! The little money-loving part of her heart began to stir again.

The man pinched the money in his hand and stared at it, his handsome face deep in thought for a few seconds.

Then he obediently handed it back to Xia Li: “I won’t buy clothes.”

Xia Li: “Huh?”

She watched as he smiled shyly, the corners of his lips curling up, making his strong and upright face appear both innocent and vibrant. His voice was low and rough as he said, “I want to buy a hand-holding ticket.”

Xia Li:…

She: ??

A hand-holding ticket???