Chapter 312

By the end of October, the weather had turned cold.

Even though this winter wasn’t as harsh as the previous one, the cold wind still made people shiver.

The men of Shanshui Village wore their best clothes at home. In farming families, new fabric was generally used to make clothes for the head of the household, patched and mended as necessary. When these clothes became too worn, they were altered for the children to wear. Despite this, the clothes on the men in the team were still full of patches, with few intact spots.

However, despite their worn state, the clothes were clean and tidy, albeit thin. Although winter had arrived, they still wore thin garments.

The men’s faces were bright with cheerful smiles as they pulled their carts to the drying yard in front of the village schoolhouse, waiting for the group to depart.

The drying yard at the front of the village was bustling with activity, and the men were more excited than usual.

First, it had been a long time since they last went to the city to sell rabbits. During this period, they had planted potatoes and medicinal herbs. What they planted was not just crops but their hopes! And this time, besides selling rabbits, they also had kudzu root.

Although it might not sell, and the price might not be good, if it did sell, that would be great. If not, they could bring it back to eat. It was just a matter of some effort.

Secondly, and most importantly, they planned to buy fabric to make winter clothes!

Not just for one person, but for the whole family. Everyone would get a set of winter clothes!

Early arrivals stomped their feet to keep warm and chatted enthusiastically.

When Fan Qian arrived with Fan Erzhu and Fan Sanzhu, the chatter paused for a moment.

Fan Qian wore a smile and called out to Xu Laoda in the crowd, “Xu Laoda, what are you all talking about? I see you’re even happier than the last two times.”

Xu Laoda was known for being straightforward and approachable, so Fan Qian chose to talk to him.

Xu Laoda didn’t like Fan Qian much, but they lived in the same village and couldn’t afford to be too distant. He replied honestly, “Winter is coming, and we’re preparing to buy fabric to make winter clothes.”

His face lit up with an involuntary smile.

The men got new clothes every two or three years, but the women in the family often went countless years without a new set. They had only two sets of clothes to alternate, which were now in tatters. As for the children, they wore hand-me-downs from their parents or older siblings. Some children never had a new set of clothes even when they got married.

Xu Laoda’s wife, who worked at the medicinal herb workshop, earned 600 coins a month, contributing 540 coins to the public fund. With the income from selling rabbits and being among the first to plant potatoes, they didn’t worry about food. His wife and mother-in-law had decided to buy fabric for winter clothes for the whole family. The children were so excited they couldn’t sleep, waiting for him to return with the fabric from the city.

Hearing about buying fabric for winter clothes, Fan Qian’s expression changed several times before he forced a smile and said, “Yes, yes, it’s definitely time to make winter clothes.”

“It’s not just my family; everyone is making winter clothes. I asked Fan Xiaoliu, and he said that while the price of food has risen sharply since the floods, the price of fabric has actually dropped by a few coins. You should take this opportunity to make winter clothes too,” Xu Laoda suggested sincerely.

Fan Xiaoliu had bought fabric on his last trip to the city to make new clothes for meeting a prospective bride. They had asked about the fabric prices multiple times on the way back and were very tempted. However, they hadn’t expected to be able to make new clothes for themselves so soon.

Fan Qian, Fan Erzhu, and Fan Sanzhu looked extremely displeased.

Fan Sanzhu tugged at his father’s sleeve, his face dark, and asked, “Dad, is he deliberately trying to make us look bad?”

Recently, their family had a big argument because they had no rice to cook. They had to exchange a thousand pounds of black flour for Zhaodi and his second uncle’s wife. Everyone in the village knew about it.

The villagers didn’t know they had money; in their eyes, their family was struggling to get by. Under such circumstances, urging them to make winter clothes was indeed like rubbing salt in the wound.

Fan Qian took a deep breath, feeling he had misjudged Xu Laoda. He had thought Xu Laoda was a straightforward person, but now he saw him as sharp and sarcastic.

With a dark and unpleasant expression, Fan Qian looked at Xu Laoda and coldly replied, “My family isn’t like yours, lacking clothes. We made enough winter clothes before, so we don’t need any more this year.”

Not waiting for a response, he led his two sons away.

Xu Laoda scratched his head, not understanding.

Next to him, Wu Gousheng spat and said, “Don’t mind them, Uncle Xu! You meant well, but no matter what you say, they’ll take it the wrong way.”

Xu Laoda nodded, realizing it wasn’t his fault, and focused on waiting for Fan Jin and the others.

His wife had told him that people who overthink are hard to get along with. Otherwise, you’d constantly be second-guessing yourself, which is exhausting.

After a while, Fan Jin, Ding Heli, and Hu Wenhua arrived with two carts. The carts were neatly stacked with sacks, tightly bound with hemp rope.

Feng Da and Hong Mancang each pulled a cart, with Feng Er and Hong Manku standing by. The men of the village understood that the brothers would take turns pulling the carts. Fan Jin’s eyes calmly swept over his elder brother and two nephews at the edge of the crowd, treating them no differently from anyone else.

Ding Heli and Hu Wenhua saw them too but said nothing, treating it as a common occurrence.

Hu Wenhua routinely counted the people. Once everyone was present, he waved his hand and loudly called, “Let’s go!”

He led the way at the front of the group, but this time he wasn’t followed by his brother-in-law and Uncle Ding. The precious medicinal herbs were placed in the middle of the convoy, with the two men walking alongside the carts, guarding them.

The sky was overcast, and the wind was chilly, but after a while of walking, their bodies warmed up.

Entering the city, it was less bustling than last time, with only occasional dark glances from shadowy alleyways and damp corners.

The large group from Shanshui Village inevitably attracted attention. Hu Wenhua, mindful of the valuable medicinal herbs, led them to the pharmacy first.

The carts stopped in an empty space next to the pharmacy. The ones carrying herbs were placed in the middle, flanked by empty carts. The men surrounded the goods, vigilantly watching all directions, not relaxing for a moment.

Ding Heli and Hu Wenhua went into the pharmacy to negotiate.

The men, having previously asked Ding Heli for help selling kudzu roots, were anxious. They weren’t good at bargaining or knowing market prices, so they relied on him.

Shortly, Ding Heli came out, facing the men’s worried looks. He said, “Kudzu root isn’t worth much. I told the shopkeeper that our village’s kudzu roots are clean and well-dried. The highest he’ll offer is 18 coins per pound. What do you think?”

Xu Laoda thought he had misheard.

Eighteen coins per pound was still considered not valuable?

Xu Laosan reacted faster than his elder brother, immediately smiling and nodding, “That’s fine!”

The other men snapped out of their shock and joyfully agreed, “That’s more than fine!”

“Uncle Ding, you decide!”

“By the way, Uncle Ding, did the shopkeeper say how many pounds he’d take? Can they buy all we have?”