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Little Qiyue seemed to understand, as she tugged on Tan Erqian’s ear and let out a baby-like laugh.
Her laughter rang through the Tan family’s courtyard like the sound of silver bells.
Everyone in the yard couldn’t help but smile, and they all rushed over to give Tan Erqian a big hug.
The family sent Tan Erqian off amid the sounds of laughter and joy.
After becoming an apprentice at Shopkeeper Bai’s, Tan Erqian typically returned home every half month. Over the past few months, the family had gradually gotten used to his comings and goings.
Especially Wan Chunmei. After Tan Erqian left, she poured all her energy into preparing more pickled vegetables.
This time, she had made enough pickled vegetables and pickled chicken to send Tan Erqian off with over thirty jars. There were still some left at home, so she decided to take them to the village entrance to sell. If she could sell some, it would help with the copper coins needed to start building the house in a few days.
Little Qiyue and Tan Liujin had grown much older. With the cold weather and it being inconvenient to follow Wan Chunmei, they stayed behind with Tan Yiliang and Tan Sanyuan to be taken care of.
Wan Chunmei went alone to sell the pickled vegetables.
Tan’s fourth and fifth children didn’t have school that day, and they weren’t idle either—they went along with Wan Chunmei, becoming her little helpers.
The weather was clear today, with not even a cold breeze in sight.
Wan Chunmei pushed the cart to the village entrance and was so warm that she had broken into a sweat.
Sweating in winter was risky, as the cold wind could easily cause illness, so she quickly wiped her face with a towel and tried to dry the sweat on her back.
Tan’s fourth and fifth children were very well-behaved, watching the nearby streets. If anyone came, they would immediately call out to Wan Chunmei.
Before long, a group of farm women appeared at the western village entrance.
The women were wearing thick jackets, their hands tucked into the sleeves, chatting and laughing as they walked towards her.
Wan Chunmei straightened up and quickly called out to them, “Sisters, would you like to buy some pickled vegetables?”
“Little Sister!” A voice called from the crowd.
Wan Chunmei took a closer look. Wasn’t that Aunt Yu? She quickly waved and smiled, “Aunt Yu!”
Aunt Yu immediately grabbed a few of the women behind her and ran over, laughing, “Little Sister, all the women in my village love your pickled vegetables, so I brought them here. I just don’t know if you have enough?”
Wan Chunmei looked down, counted the people, and smiled, “Enough, enough, don’t worry.”
After thinking for a moment, she added, “Since it’s you, Aunt Yu, and your friends, I’ll sell them at three copper coins for two jars.”
Normally, she sold the pickled vegetables for two copper coins per jar.
Aunt Yu raised her eyebrows. “Little Sister, you’re here to do business, not charity. You sold me jars at that price, so sell them to the others for the same. We’re all honest farming folks; we don’t mind these small matters. After all, we’ve all worked hard in the same way, haven’t we?”
She then turned to the women behind her and shouted, “Isn’t that right, everyone?”
The farm women nearby laughed together and said, “That’s right, little sister. We all raise chickens and grow vegetables, so we know how hard it is. Nothing we have just falls from the sky. You should sell your goods for what they’re worth.”
Wan Chunmei was deeply grateful upon hearing this. She had originally planned to give Aunt Yu a special discount as a favor, but she hadn’t expected them to be so understanding and fair-minded. So, she spoke frankly, “Alright then, since you’ve all been so kind, I’ll be straightforward. The pickled radishes and cabbage are two copper coins per jar, and the pickled chicken is four copper coins per jar.”
She then handed out some pickled vegetables for everyone to taste. “Sisters, you can try the taste and buy whatever you like.”
The farm women eagerly took a piece of pickled vegetable to taste. As they ate, they nodded in approval. “Delicious, really delicious.”
“Little sister, give me one jar of the radish and cabbage and one jar of the pickled chicken.”
The others followed suit, saying, “I’ll have the same.”
“Me too.”
“Me three.”
There were five women in total, each buying two jars, which added up to thirty copper coins.
In just a short while, she had earned thirty copper coins, and Wan Chunmei couldn’t hide her delight, smiling from ear to ear.
“Little sister, your pickles are really great. Next time, make some more and we’ll take you to sell them in the village up on the hill. The people here all grow their own vegetables, but they’re missing this kind of dish to go with their meals. They might like it, especially since your prices are so reasonable—just a few copper coins can last for months.”
“Yes, make more, make more!”
The others happily tucked their jars of pickles into their bags and smiled.
Wan Chunmei thanked them with a smile, “Thank you so much, sisters.”
“Little sister, we need to get back to the fields, so we’ll be on our way.”
“Alright, take care, take care.”
Wan Chunmei smiled and walked with them for a while before waving them off.
The farm women looked back at her, clearly fond of the cheerful and gracious Wan Chunmei.
Before leaving, Aunt Yu didn’t forget to mention the house construction. “I’ve already talked to my husband about the house. We’ll probably start the day after tomorrow, when the ground has dried up a bit. You don’t need to prepare anything; just make a meal for three or four people. The workers will be hungry, and they’ll need a good meal to have the strength to work.”
Wan Chunmei nodded with a smile. “Alright, Aunt Yu.”
Aunt Yu waved and gestured for her to go back, then turned to leave.
After the women had gone, Wan Chunmei noticed that there were still some pickles left on the cart. She decided to stay and keep watch.
Tan’s fourth and fifth children helped tidy up the pickled vegetable jars, quickly and skillfully putting everything back in order.
Wan Chunmei could finally relax a little.