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“Mom, even if I get lost in the mountains, I’m not afraid. I found my way back by asking people. If I get lost in the city, it won’t be a big deal. Despite being young, I have my own advantages. If I go out to sell things, I won’t need money for transportation, and no one will catch me. We still have debts to pay for building the house. Let me go, Mom. I promise I won’t get lost. If I can’t find my way back, I’ll go to the police.”
The child’s words were sincere and heartfelt. Zhang Lan looked into Wang Qian’s eyes and said, “Qianqian, how about this? I’ll take you to the town until you board the bus. Whether you can sell anything or not, you must come back in the afternoon. If you can’t find your way back, wait at the entrance of the department store in the city. If I don’t see you coming back, I’ll know where to find you.”
As long as Zhang Lan agreed to let her go, Wang Qian would agree to any other conditions. After all, she was already an adult in spirit. How could she possibly get lost? Even if she encountered a kidnapper, they would probably end up paying her. She wouldn’t be fooled easily.
After the mother and daughter settled the matter, Wang Qian continued to the reservoir in the afternoon to fish, hoping to catch more fish. She planned to go to the city to sell them the next day.
She spent the entire afternoon by the reservoir. The bucket in the space was also filled. As the sun began to set, she packed up her fishing gear and headed home. Wang Zhenli, coming down from the mountain, found the sight of the little girl walking quite amusing. She walked with such a confident and imposing manner.
“Qianqian, did you catch any fish these past few days?” he asked.
Wang Qian was surprised by his question. She thought no one had seen her, but it turned out that someone from the mountain had. Fortunately, she had been discreet, or she might have been discovered.
“Uncle, I didn’t catch any today. I think the fish are full and not biting,” she replied.
Wang Zhenli found it quite interesting to talk to his cousin’s little girl. She was articulate and polite. In comparison, his own daughter was far behind. She was shy and couldn’t speak when she met people. It didn’t seem like she could have such a child. It seemed like even heaven had blessed them by sending such a clever girl to their family.
“Qianqian, come over to Uncle’s house and play with my daughter when you have time,” he said before parting. He hoped his daughter could learn a thing or two from their family’s daughter.
In the evening, the family indeed made soup dumplings. Zhang Lan added a few oysters to the soup, and as soon as the lid was lifted, the delicious aroma wafted through the air, reaching the neighbors on the street. Wang Zhenhe and a few workers were about to have dinner when they saw his two siblings approaching, each carrying a bowl.
Wang Qian observed her increasingly plump aunt and uncle and couldn’t help but think that they were gluttons. Whenever a delicious smell emerged, they would show up without fail.
“Sister-in-law, we smelled the delicious aroma from your house in the yard, so we came over to join the fun,” Wang Zhenhe’s brother said, praising Zhang Lan’s cooking skills and emphasizing that they weren’t there to freeload, but to join in the fun.
Even Wang Qian, who found these two quite a headache, couldn’t let this opportunity pass. “Uncle, your nose is sharper than a cat’s. Next time you come over to eat, you’ll need to bring a meal ticket. Our family doesn’t have enough food, and you know that. If you eat, your niece will go hungry. If you don’t have meal tickets, you can bring more food. We won’t mind.”
Wang Zhenhe’s brother just laughed it off. “You’re quite sharp-tongued, little one. I’ve even helped out at your house. Why don’t you mention that?”
After saying this, he served himself a bowl from the pot and then filled his sister’s bowl before taking it to the table to eat.
The children in the kitchen couldn’t help but smile wryly. They wondered who their family had offended, as even a simple meal couldn’t be eaten without any fuss.
Zhang Lan, worried that the children might go hungry, quickly served them large bowls and asked them to eat by the stove. She also set aside some food for the guests on the kang, making sure there was enough for everyone to eat, and then hurried to have her own meal.
After finishing her own bowl, Zhang Lan quickly divided the soup dumplings among the guests. Teng Yongfa, a traditional man from northeastern China, was not pleased to see Wang Zhenhe’s sister joining a table full of men. He was a bit uncomfortable with the situation, as it went against traditional norms.
As the siblings hurried to finish their meal and went to the kitchen to get more, they found that only the soup base was left in the pot.
Wang Zhi asked somewhat dissatisfied, “Sister-in-law, are there no more soup dumplings?”
Zhang Lan nodded and explained that they had already served the dumplings and there were only a few left, which they had given to the children.
Seeing that they couldn’t get more food, Wang Zhenhe’s brother pulled her aside and suggested leaving. After the guests left, Teng Yongfa patted Wang Zhenhe on the shoulder and praised Zhang Lan’s cooking. He also promised to help with moving when the family relocated.
As they bid the guests farewell, Wang Zhenhe handed the keys to their new house to his wife, suggesting that she go and tidy up when she had time. He expressed his excitement about finally having their own home after so many years of marriage.
The next day, after school, the three siblings kept their promise and went to help their mother tidy up. After dinner, Mingcheng began teaching his sister, with the other two occasionally chiming in.
In the dim light of the oil lamp, Wang Qian and Mingcheng began their studies. It was only then that the three children realized how intelligent their little sister was, as she demonstrated an exceptional memory.
The children secretly made a resolution not to be outdone by their little sister, and the couple was pleased to see their children’s enthusiasm for learning.
The next day, Wang Qian accompanied Zhang Lan to the station. Coincidentally, a group of people from their village was also heading to the city, so she asked them to take her daughter along, relieving them of the responsibility.
Finally on the bus, Wang Qian felt like she had gotten a great deal, as children didn’t need tickets. When the bus arrived at the terminal, the driver was still concerned and insisted on escorting her to her destination. However, she declined, as she wouldn’t be able to sell her goods with someone following her.
The city had a distinct atmosphere, with revolutionary propaganda posters and revolutionary songs playing in the streets. After some consideration, she decided to sell her fish in a residential area behind a department store, as she would likely be noticed on the main street. She found a somewhat run-down residential area and set up her space, taking out seven live carp and placing them in a bucket of water.
She knocked on the door of the nearest house, and a woman in her forties, with a fair complexion and a kind face, answered.
“Auntie, would you like to buy some fish? I have live carp. Do you want some?” Wang Qian asked.
The woman’s face lit up with joy at the offer. She explained that buying fish was usually restricted and that she was excited to have the opportunity to purchase live fish.
The woman asked about the whereabouts of the adults, and Wang Qian explained that she was selling the fish alone, while her mother was selling fish elsewhere. She then led the woman to the bucket of fish. The woman was impressed by the size and liveliness of the fish and immediately expressed interest in making a purchase.
“Little girl, how much is the fish per pound?” the woman asked.
Wang Qian felt a bit embarrassed and replied, “Auntie, how much do you usually pay for fish at the grocery store?”
She genuinely didn’t know the price. Even after asking her mother, Zhang Lan couldn’t provide a clear answer. People in the rural area rarely bought fish, and if they did, it was usually sea fish. Therefore, the price of freshwater fish was also unclear to Zhang Lan.
Seeing the child’s dilemma, the woman felt a surge of pity. She was touched to see such a young child taking on the responsibility of providing for her family.
“Little girl, I usually pay three mao per pound for fish from the store, but that’s for dead fish. Since these are live fish, I’ll give you three mao and two fen per pound. Is that okay?” the woman offered.
After learning the city’s prices, Wang Qian shook her head and said, “Auntie, let’s go with three mao per pound. If it’s more or less, please bear with me. I didn’t bring a scale. Do you have one at home?”
She had thought about bringing a scale but found it to be quite expensive. Their family didn’t have the means to acquire one, so she planned to borrow one. If that wasn’t possible, she would estimate the weight by hand.
The price Wang Qian asked for surprised the woman. “Yes, yes, I’ll get it for you. I’ll ask around to see if anyone else wants to buy,” she said excitedly.
The woman happily ran back home, and Wang Qian was also pleased to hear that more people were coming to buy. It seemed like a good day to start her business.