Yan Xue did want to make a trip to town—to let Shan Qiufang know she had met the person in question and reassure her, while also checking on Da Qiang, who had fallen into the water the day before.
The reason she hadn’t planned it for today initially was simply because she was unfamiliar with the area and didn’t even know when the small train would arrive.
If it weren’t for having to make pancakes, Yan Xue’s suggestion might have led Liu Daniu’s wife to take them along. But since she couldn’t leave her work, she had no choice but to ask around and eventually entrusted an elderly man who was also heading to town to sell goods. "This is my Chun Cai’s first time going. Uncle Wang, please keep an eye on her."
The old man, carrying a woven basket on his back and wearing a faded, blackened cotton coat tied tightly with a belt, agreed without hesitation. "Sure."
With that, the young girl Liu Chun Cai felt at ease. Being a child, her excitement was practically bursting from her face, especially when the small train arrived and she boarded it with Old Man Wang and Yan Xue.
"Mom said you’re related to Qi Fang. Sister, is everyone in your family this good-looking?" she asked Yan Xue curiously during the ride.
"Maybe. My parents and younger brother are all quite handsome," Yan Xue replied with a smile. "And I think you’re very pretty too."
"How could I compare to you? I’ve always been a little yellow-haired," Liu Chun Cai said, tugging at her dry, frayed braid with a hint of dejection.
In these times, poor nutrition meant that half the children had yellowish, brittle hair, and it rarely improved even by their teens.
"Your family’s actually doing alright. Old Liu knows how to hunt, so you get some wild game. Other kids’ hair is worse than yours," Old Man Wang chimed in from across the aisle.
Yan Xue seized the opportunity to ask about hunting. "Is hunting still allowed? Doesn’t the forestry station regulate it?"
"Of course it is!" Liu Chun Cai said. "There are so many wild animals up in the mountains. If you don’t hunt them, the forestry station’s security team will. Otherwise, they’d hurt people or ruin the crops from the farming brigade."
It seemed the restrictions on firearms and hunting weren’t as strict as they would be in later years, and animals like wild boars hadn’t yet become protected species.
Yan Xue then glanced at the basket the girl was carrying. "What are you selling? Mushrooms? Wood ear fungus? Surely not pelts?"
"Frozen mushrooms. Pelts are sold by my grandpa and dad. They say I’m too young to know the prices and would get cheated."
That made sense. Mushrooms had standard prices, but pelts varied greatly depending on size and quality, even for the same type of animal.
"That’s still impressive. Not many would brave the cold to sell at a small market like this."
Yan Xue understood children needed encouragement, and sure enough, Liu Chun Cai, who likely rarely heard such praise, blushed. "It’s my first time. And mushrooms sell best right before New Year’s—people buy them to stew with chicken for the holiday. Usually, no one’s willing to spend the money."
As it turned out, the pre-New Year period was indeed prime time for selling mushrooms. When they arrived at the small market in Chengshui Town and unpacked their baskets, Old Man Wang was also there to sell frozen mushrooms.
These mushrooms were rare, delicious, and the most valuable of all varieties. But they didn’t yield much—twelve pounds of fresh mushrooms only dried down to one pound.
The old man and the girl each set up their own stalls. Seeing that her help wasn’t needed here, Yan Xue excused herself and left the market to find the supply and marketing cooperative.
Shan Qiufang had waited for her in the freezing cold at the station and even accompanied her to the forestry station for the matchmaking. It would be inconsiderate to show up empty-handed. Besides, the child who had fallen through the ice the day before was surely sick—likely with more than just a cold or fever.
Unlike county-level towns, which had separate department stores, grain shops, and grocery stores, this town’s supply and marketing cooperative sold everything—candies, biscuits, daily necessities, shoes, socks, even hardware like wire and shovels.
After browsing, Yan Xue settled on two cans of food. Following the address her grandma’s sister had given her, she went to Shan Qiufang’s home, only to find her absent.
"Da Qiang had a fever again this morning. Aunt Qiufang took him to the hospital for an injection," said the girl who had been wearing ice skates the day before, playing outside.
Shan Qiufang’s door was unlocked, and her two younger children were being looked after by the neighbor—the girl’s mother. Yan Xue asked when she had left and waited by the door for a while.
But after nearly an hour with no sign of them, Yan Xue, worried about Liu Chun Cai back at the market, left the gifts inside and asked the neighbor, who was washing clothes, to pass on a message: "Tell her I’ve met the person and she needn’t worry. I’ll visit again when I have time."
To her surprise, in the mere hour she was gone, Liu Chun Cai and Old Man Wang were now in a heated argument.
The two, who had gotten along fine earlier, now stood in stark contrast—one red-faced and on the verge of tears, the other calm, hands tucked into his sleeves as if the girl were making a scene.
"You promised my mom you’d look out for me! Fine if you won’t, but why steal my customers?" the girl shrieked, her voice cracking.
Old Man Wang didn’t even lift his eyelids. "If your goods are no good, who’s to blame but yourself?"
"Who says they’re no good? My mom and I picked and dried these last autumn!"
Yan Xue listened from a distance before stepping in. She first approached another vendor nearby, who was craning their neck to watch the spectacle, and asked quietly, "Comrade, what’s going on here?"
Gossip was a universal language. The vendor immediately spilled everything.
Turns out, Old Man Wang had agreed to keep an eye on Liu Chun Cai, but whenever a customer approached, he’d badmouth her mushrooms, claiming they were past their prime and urging them to buy his instead.
In an era without preservatives, mushrooms that had been stored since summer would often develop worms, making them unsellable. The girl had held back at first, respecting her elder, but after losing three or four sales to him, she finally snapped.
The vendor clicked their tongue. "That old man’s really something, bullying a little girl like that. She’s only sold two liang all morning."
Dried mushrooms expanded when soaked, so people usually bought just a couple of liang at a time—meaning Liu Chun Cai had only made one sale all morning.
And since the round-trip train fare cost eight mao, selling too little would mean a loss.
Seeing the girl wipe her tears, Yan Xue pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it over. "Dry your eyes. Let’s move to another spot."
"Why should I move? Why doesn’t he?" Liu Chun Cai fumed.
Yan Xue smiled. "If you stepped in dog poop in the morning, would you stand there fuming or hurry to clean it off somewhere else?"
The analogy, far more satisfying than the old "don’t stoop to their level," drew laughter from bystanders. Even Liu Chun Cai forgot her tears. Only Old Man Wang’s face darkened, as if he’d just swallowed something foul.
Yan Xue bent to help the girl pack up. "We’ll find another spot. I promise you’ll outsell him and earn more."
Old Man Wang sneered at the remark, "You little brat, do you even know the difference between frozen mushrooms and hazel mushrooms? Such big talk."
"Why would I need to know that?" Yan Xue blinked innocently, her tone unbothered from start to finish. "I know the difference between humans and animals—that's enough."
Liu Chuncai, still young, didn’t catch the underlying meaning, but the onlookers burst into laughter again.
The girl might be young, but she had a sharp tongue—quick to mock and skilled at dressing someone down without a single curse word.
Even though she didn’t fully understand, Liu Chuncai’s trust in Yan Xue remained unwavering. The girl swiftly packed up her things, hoisted the basket onto her back, and followed Yan Xue to the other side of the market.
Watching the two set up their stall with practiced ease, Old Man Wang scowled. "They don’t even know how to hawk their goods. Let’s see how they manage to sell anything."
Liu Chuncai wasn’t comfortable shouting to attract customers—her youth and shyness held her back. But Yan Xue had grown up helping her father in the market.
Back when Yan’s father lost his job and then suffered an accident that led to the amputation of his leg, he couldn’t find work. So he used his disability scooter to haul goods to the market, selling them to put her through school and raise her.
Later, when misfortune struck their family again, Yan Xue had spent half a year squatting in the market, scraping together enough money to start her own business.
As soon as they unpacked the goods, she turned to Liu Chuncai. "Let’s sort these. Pick out the biggest ones and divide them into two piles."
"Why?" Liu Chuncai asked, confused but obediently following instructions.
"We’ll sell them at different prices," Yan Xue explained.
She had already noticed that Liu Chuncai’s frozen mushrooms were no worse than Old Man Wang’s—in fact, they were slightly better. But the difference wasn’t obvious, especially with so many smaller ones mixed in. The previous buyer must have had a keen eye to spot it.
Once they finished sorting, Yan Xue placed the larger pile prominently at the front while tucking the smaller ones into bags at their feet, out of sight.
No sooner had they finished than a passerby noticed the difference in quality. "How much for these frozen mushrooms?"
"Three-forty per pound," Yan Xue answered without hesitation, raising the price by twenty cents.
The customer frowned. "Isn’t it three-twenty? Everyone else is selling them for three-twenty."
Liu Chuncai was puzzled too—until she witnessed how Yan Xue talked up, or rather, sold their goods.
Yan Xue grabbed a handful from each pile and held them side by side. "We do have the three-twenty ones, but they’re not as good. These up front are first-harvest mushrooms—grown longer, their aroma preserved, better texture and appearance. The color and grain make them perfect for gifts."
Even an amateur could see the difference when comparing the two. The customer hesitated visibly. "Can’t you make it cheaper?"
"Then you should buy these," Yan Xue said, putting the better batch back. "The taste and texture aren’t as good, but you won’t notice unless you’re really paying attention."
Yet the more she downplayed them, the more the customer’s eyes lingered on the superior pile. Finally, they relented. "Fine, I’ll take these. Weigh me two taels."
After all, the difference was just a few cents. Who’d settle for second-best when the better option was right there?
Liu Chuncai quickly weighed the mushrooms and took the payment while Yan Xue wrapped them in old newspaper. "Don’t worry, these mushrooms are delicious. If they’re not, come back and find us."
In reality, after today, there was no telling if they’d ever set up shop here again—where would anyone find them?
But the customer left satisfied, even lingering to chat for a bit.
And people tend to follow the crowd. The moment others saw someone buying—or even just inquiring—they couldn’t resist stopping to ask. Before long, Yan Xue and Liu Chuncai made their second sale.
Not everyone was willing to spend the extra cents. When Yan Xue noticed a customer genuinely balking at the price, she adjusted her pitch. "If it’s for your own family, these are just as good. They’re smaller and not as pretty, but the taste isn’t that different—and they’re more budget-friendly. Perfect for stewing a big pot without worrying about the cost."
And just like that, Liu Chuncai watched her sell another three taels of the three-twenty batch…
The girl’s eyes widened. "Yan Xue-jie, you’re amazing! Even Old Man Wang doesn’t sell things as fast as you!"
Since this was her first time at the market, Old Man Wang was her only point of comparison.
Her admiration was genuine. She impulsively grabbed Yan Xue’s arm. "You should marry my brother! He’s only a few years older than you."
After just one successful mushroom sale, she was already trying to pawn off her brother—what touching sibling devotion.
Yan Xue was torn between laughter and exasperation when she caught sight of a figure in her peripheral vision. "That Old Man Wang is coming over."
