“Wait, I’ll send you off.” Lei Tie ate with absorbed concentration.
“No, I can—”
“Send you.” Lei Tie didn’t back down.
Qin Mian was thinking that it was quite far from the village to the town and it was a busy season, there would be no one on the road. In case of wild animals or someone robbing in the middle of the road, it would be really unsafe. “Might as well. By the way, where are our vegetable fields? It’s going to be cold. If we don’t grow vegetables, we won’t have vegetables to eat in winter.”
Lei Tie thought about it before saying, “The field was divided into half a mu.”
Qin Mian said: “We have too few fields. There’s no harm to grow vegetables in the half a mu field. If we have enough money, we can buy more fields.”
“Nn.” The little wife was indeed a person with ideas, Lei Tie had no objection. After thinking about it, he spoke, “No one eats sweets too early [in the morning].”
Qin Mian suddenly realized that who would buy sweets in the morning? It’s really something he had ignored.
When Lei Tie finished eating, Qin Mian took the bowl and went home. When he passed the grain-sunning ground, Xiao Hu and the little boy from yesterday impatiently looked at him. He suddenly lost his smile and beckoned them.
Two little demons came running over excitedly.
“Uncle Qin.”
“I only need two people here.” Qin Mian was afraid that Xiao Hu would call all the children in the village.
The two little demons, who dared to do mischief, understood his meaning and tapped their small chests to pledge, “Uncle Qin can rest assured. If there are more people coming, our share will be less.”
Qin Mian then knew that the other little demon called Gou Dan[1] was Xiao Hu’s older male patrilineal cousin. They enjoyed playing together.
“I’ll call you guys over when I have to leave.”
When Lei Tie was done with ploughing and came home, it was about ten o’clock. Qin Mian locked the door, wrapped the tanghulu’s stand with a clean cloth and let Lei Tie carry it first to keep it away from Xiao Hu and Gou Dan. It’s not that he was stingy and didn’t want to give them the tanghulu, but he still counted on to earn small money from the tanghulu. The children couldn’t hide it and if the information was leaked, it was far from good.
Assuming that Lei Tie had left the village, Qin Mian went to the grain-sunning ground to call Xiao Hu and Gou Dan over and tell them to turn over the paddy grain to dry it for a while before he left in a hurry.
Both sides of the road out of the village were planted with poplar and locust trees. It was still yet the time for trees to lose leaves, so the cascading leaves blocked one’s view. Qin Mian ran a few steps before he saw Lei Tie looking back from a hundred meters away.
“Where is eldest sister-in-law in a hurry to go?” Carrying a water jar, Zhao Shi walked over quickly and followed his gaze, “Isn’t that eldest brother? Are you guys going to town again? You just got a big ox yesterday. What do you want buy in town today? Your lives are getting prosperous ah.”
Qin Mian ignored her and quickened his pace.
Zhao Shi’s voice was so kind that it made one’s back chilled, “Eldest sister-in-law, I’m not telling you off. But if there’s any way to get money, take more care of the parents. Otherwise—”
Qin Mian interrupted her, “Second younger brother’s wife, I have something else to do. I’ll go first.”
“Hey!” Upon seeing that he was evading her so fast, Zhao Shi became more and surer of her guess. She gnashed her teeth, stamped her foot and swung her willow hips to turn back to walk home.
Qin Mian caught up with Lei Tie and wiped his sweat.
Lei Tie threw an eye at the back and said lightly: “Don’t mind it.”
Qin Mian waved his hand. For those people in the old house, he had nothing to say and simply gave a cold treatment.
When they got to the town, they went straight to the most prosperous street. On both sides of the street were stalls selling all kinds of things, pancakes, cloth, umbrellas, rouge and gauche, vegetables… The shouting of the hawkers sounded from time to time with some of the tones were lethargic and drowsy, while some were high-pitched and sonorous like singing, making people laughed. The ordinary people who strolled around the streets, the merchants who traveled in a hurry, and even the ruffians who did nothing at all, picked and chose in front of the small stalls, which was interesting.
Qin Mian found a place to set stand, but his enthusiasm suddenly faded in half —who was going to hawk?
He looked at Lei Tie with ardent gaze.
Lei Tie took a quick look at him and put the tanghulu’s stand on the ground without squinting or squeaking.
Qin Mian walked closer to him, patted him on the shoulder and looked at him smilingly. “Brother Tie, you’ll shout ‘delicious tanghulu, 2 Wen for a skewer’.”
Lei Tie still did not utter a sound or a word.
Soft approach did not succeed, Qin Mian used force, “If you don’t shout, you can’t eat at noon.”
Lei Tie’s mouth opened wide and suddenly shoved the stand into Qin Mian’s hand. “I’ll ask butcher Zhang if he needs preys.”
After saying that, without waiting for Qin Mian to respond, he walked away quickly.
“Hey, you—” Qin Mian was speechless. Seeing that Lei Tie really didn’t return, he became angry and his heart felt empty and cold. This town was completely strange to him and when he came here before, there was no special feeling. Today, there was an inexplicable sense of loneliness in his heart and a feeling of uneasiness surged from the bottom. It was as if he was the only one in such a big world.
People passing by all looked at the red tanghulu curiously. They wanted to come and have a look, but all he did was only smile. Did he really have to hawk? At this time, he regretted the idea of selling tanghulu. Why didn’t he expect such a problem?
“Little brother, what are you selling?” An old lady with gray hair cheerfully asked.
Qin Mian said: “This is tanghulu. It’s sour and sweet, suitable for children. Does Aunt want to give a skewer to your family member?”
“Tanghulu? Is it delicious?” The old lady asked with a strange look in her eyes.
Qin Mian saw that she was plainly dressed and there were several patches on her clothes; she was probably not a generous person. But anyone dropping in was a customer. He took a skewer with a smile on his face and handed it over to her. “How about tasting it first and buy it if you think it’s delicious?”
A few other people around also showed some interest. Who wouldn’t want free food?
Qin Mian simply took three more skewers and handed them to several envious children.
“Have a taste, the children definitely like it. 2 Wen for a skewer.”
The old lady took a bite and frowned at the sourness, but she was very kind and still smiled, “This old lady can’t eat it, but the little baby definitely like it.”
After saying that, she fished out a few coppers from her bosom and took four to hand over to Qin Mian, “Give two skewers.”
The business was finally opened. Qin Mian breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly took two skewers to exchange with the money.
“Mother, it’s delicious. I want another one.” A little girl about six years old, tugged at her mother’s sleeve as her eyes stared at the bright red fruit on the stand, shining brightly.
“It’s very sour, how can it be eaten.” The woman glanced at Qin Mian secretly and pulled the little girl away with some embarrassment. That being said but the skewer of bitten tanghulu in her hand was not thrown away.
Qin Mian felt helpless. He felt that today was a blunder. Looking in the direction where Lei Tie left, he still couldn’t see the man’s figure, so he harbored even more bellyful of fire. This aroused his fighting spirit instead. Carrying the stand, he shouted, “Take a look, come visit, sweet and sour tanghulu, 2 Wen a skewer. Take a look, come visit…”
He walked half the street and also shouted for half the street but only sold six skewers.
Qin Mian realized the reason being that there were few people who dared to try because this thing was new. But he really couldn’t believe that as an open-minded modern man, he couldn’t help turning into a conservative ancient man.
Instead of hawking, he went back to the original place and handed two skewers to the woman in her fifties who sold cloth on the left and the young man who sold vegetables on the right.
“If you don’t mind, try it.”
People who did business were basically adept at dealing things for others’ interest. The two people generously thanked him after receiving the skewers.
Qin Mian took a skewer to eat himself and shouted loudly, “2 Wen for a skewer of delicious tanghulu; 2 Wen for a skewer of delicious tanghulu…”
“Not to mention,” The woman said with a smile, taking a small bite. “It’s a little sour, but it’s just perfect. It’s delicious.”
The young man also bit a hawthorn from the bamboo stick, “I don’t like it very much, but my wife likes to eat sour and sweet snacks. Little brother, give me five skewers.”
This method actually worked. The people who passed by saw all three of them eating and even chatting, they became interested. It’s worth spending 2 wen to buy a skewer and try something new.
Soon Qin Mian sold more than ten skewers. A girl less than ten years old came from the opposite rice shop and bought five skewers.
Qin Mian generously gave her an extra.
The little girl looked at him with a smile and ran back happily. After a moment, a little girl about her age was dragged from the deli food shop next door and also bought five skewers.
Qin Mian also gave her an extra.
After more than an hour, the tanghulu was sold out.
Qin Mian felt a sense of achievement. Looking at the declining sun, he unhurriedly found a small restaurant with the stand carried on his shoulder. He ordered a scrambled egg with tomato, a fried meat with green pepper and a bowl of rice, and ate by himself. As for Lei Tie, who cares?
He only took two bites and a shadow fell in front of him. Qin Mian looked up and saw that Lei Tie had come out of nowhere and automatically sat beside him.
A waiter ran over immediately. “Are you two together? What else do you need?”
Qin Mian ate without saying anything.
Neither did Lei Tie speak.
The waiter looked at Qin Mian suspiciously and then at Lei Tie. Both of them kept silent, so the waiter had to walk away helplessly.
Qin Mian raised his eyelids and looked at Lei Tie defiantly.
Lei Tie’s expression was indifferent as before.
The dishes in this shop were well fried. Qin Mian ignored him and ate with big bites.
“Wife, I’m hungry.”
Qin Mian was shocked and immediately covered his mouth. “Shut up!”
Mouth covered by the other person, Lei Tie still didn’t move. He blinked and because Qin Mian’s hand blocked the area under his nose, his dark eyes turned more and more deep.
Qin Mian’s heart was shaken by his blink. He turned to look at other customers in the shop. Seeing that no one heard Lei Tie’s words, he took a sigh of relief and gave Lei Tie a fierce look.
Lei Tie backed away from his hand and said, “I’m hungry, wi—”
“Waiter, another bowl of rice!” Qin Mian shot a dagger look at him.
The waiter almost dropped the dish he was carrying in his hands by Qin Mian’s roar.
Note:
[1]狗蛋 [ɡǒu dàn] = son of a bitch; or literally dog’s egg meanwhile小虎 [xiǎo hǔ] = little tiger. {Seriously? Like seriously, why would anyone name their kids that? That’s why I left it in pinyin lest it left a bad taste in my mouth.}
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