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墨書 Inktalez
Listening to the words of the adults, Songzi couldn't sit still any longer. With a serious expression, he reached out to pinch the doll's face and said in a tone that seemed far too mature for his age.
Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads and laughed. This Songzi was indeed clever beyond his years, speaking and acting with increasing poise.
With Aunt Xia having successfully given birth, the family felt a sense of relief. With Xia Jihua at home, taking care of the child became much easier. It was said that Aunt Xia had single-handedly taken care of several of Liu Family's daughters-in-law's children. Aside from feeding them, the older ones were already five or six years old and clamoring to share a bed with her. She was particularly attentive to Summer Snow Rose.
During the confinement period, a woman had to be especially careful about what she ate; there were many things she couldn't consume. Moreover, Aunt Xia could be considered an advanced maternal age mother. Although Xia Muxin was busy, she always made time to prepare meals for Aunt Xia.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. Cartoon Cake and Ming Yi were also baking now, so there was no need for Xia Muxin to stay glued to the oven.
The dough for the cat ears was also ready to be fried, so they took turns frying these with Xia Muxin.
Ming Peng and the others helped cut the cat ears and dough, while several others assisted in stamping the Cartoon Cakes. In just a day and a half, they managed to produce over five hundred pounds of finished products, which astonished everyone.
Previously, it had been Xia Muxin working alone; now that everyone was helping out, they opened another stove and set up a temporary cooking station in the yard specifically for preparing meals.
Summer Old Man's cooking skills were quite good. After Ermiao helped Xia Muxin with frying, Summer Old Man took over cooking for each meal, while Xia Jihua also came out to lend a hand.
Thus, on the morning of New Year's Eve, Xia Muxin had most of the prepared dishes loaded into the cart before heading into town with Shen Muhan and Ming Qi.
Xia Muxin had been exhausted these past few days. Once inside the carriage, Shen Muhan pulled her into his arms and covered her with a tiger fur coat, insisting that she get some good rest. As Xia Muxin drifted off into dreams of making big money that day, she noticed Shen Muhan lowering his head, his gaze fixed on her red lips. Suddenly feeling dizzy, she closed her eyes and murmured:
"I've fallen asleep."
As she spoke, sleepiness overtook her, and before long, she drifted into dreams.
Listening to her even breathing, Shen Muhan's lips curled slightly into a smile as he looked at the carriage filled to the brim, furrowing his brow slightly.
The town was so crowded today that even a fly couldn't get in. Perhaps it was due to the nice weather; villagers from all around had come out. Some were carrying fresh vegetables, others were bringing chickens and ducks, and there were even those with two buckets of fish. Xia Muxin's carriage could not enter either and was forced to stop at the town's entrance.
Seeing that Xia Muxin was sleeping soundly, Shen Muhan didn't have the heart to wake her. Just then, the horses were startled by something, rearing their necks and letting out a loud whinny. The carriage swayed for a moment but was quickly steadied by Ming Qi.
However, this commotion woke Xia Muxin from her slumber.
She lazily opened her eyes, only to be met with Shen Muhan's ethereal face magnified before her. After a moment of surprise, she pushed him aside, sat up, stretched her back, and lifted a corner of the curtain to peek outside. Then she asked, "Uncle, have we been here long?"
Shen Muhan's gaze flickered as he replied softly, "We just arrived. Didn't Ming Qi wake you when he stopped the carriage?"
"......"
Outside the carriage, Ming Qi was in tears. "Boss, if you want to please your future wife, don't drag me down with you! We've been stopped for at least three incense sticks' worth of time!"
No wonder when he was called out earlier, Ming Yi and Ming Peng had shown such schadenfreude; they had known all along that their boss would end up like this.
Xia Muxin didn't dwell on this matter. Looking at the bustling town, she felt a bit dejected and immediately prepared to jump down from the carriage.
Seeing this, Shen Muhan reached out to stop her and helped her down from the carriage.
"There are so many people; the chances of being squeezed are high."
Seeing her still gazing at the entrance of the town, Shen Muhan couldn't help but add a bit of salt to the wound.
However, what he said was true. Many children had already started crying, and there were a series of quarrels, likely because the adults were scolding each other after seeing their kids cry from being jostled.
"Then... let's set up here."
Xia Muxin bit her lip, feeling somewhat reluctant. She had worked day and night for several days to prepare this, and it was not her style to pack everything up just because there were too many people. Scanning around, she pointed to a corner at the entrance of the town.
Shen Muhan did not object; he merely gave Ming Qi a glance, and Ming Qi obediently went to move the items.
Xia Muxin brought out the thatched grass mat she had specially prepared before coming. Fortunately, there was plenty of dry thatched grass in the Thatched Cottage where the Brick Factory rested. She had gone to make a thatched grass mat, and after laying it down, she covered it with a gray cloth before letting Ming Qi bring the items over.
Since these were fried dry goods, she had used baskets for packing this time—ten baskets in total. At this moment, four were placed in front of her: Furry Ears and Cartoon Cake, along with two types of noodles.
"Don't miss out as you pass by! Fresh New Year goods! Try before you buy! Only for today; it's a rare opportunity..."
Xia Muxin took out the scale and asked Ming Qi to buy some large oil paper for wrapping. Once Ming Qi left, she clapped her hands and began calling out.
As soon as she shouted, people immediately turned their attention toward her and curiously walked over, pointing at each basket and asking questions.
Xia Muxin answered them one by one but kept the names of the items a secret, saying they were just something made at home without any thought for names yet, inviting everyone to try them.
Upon hearing about the free samples, everyone was delighted and eagerly began tasting them without hesitation.
"Miss, how much are these?"
After tasting, they immediately began to inquire about the prices.
"The price is uniform, two taels of silver per pound. You can mix and weigh; this stuff is light, and a pound is quite a lot," Xia Muxin replied cheerfully. She had thought this through at home, knowing that most of these people came from rural backgrounds and were not well-off. During the New Year, they would bring out a few items to sell but would hesitate to buy even a little festive food back home. Two taels of silver could sustain an ordinary family for half a year.
She could have raised the price, but the cost was low, and she wanted to make a name for herself.
Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated but eagerly gazed at the goods.
Xia Muxin didn’t push them and continued to invite everyone to taste.
"Miss, can I get two taels?" At that moment, an elderly man in tattered clothes approached with a cane. He looked at the four baskets and trembled as he reached into his pocket for money, speaking excitedly.
His hands were so wrinkled that they were almost unrecognizable, his nails filled with black dirt, and the corners of his mouth trembled continuously.
Xia Muxin observed him for a while and confirmed that he had Parkinson's Disease; such patients often tremble uncontrollably, and their limbs can be uncooperative. Seeing him pull out a money pouch that was hard to distinguish in color—likely an old cloth bag—he shakily opened it and took out several copper coins. Xia Muxin handed them over, her eyes also moistening.
"This little... money, miss, can buy quite a bit... just weigh out as much as you can. My partner has been with me... for most of my life; this is the last time I can buy... something for her to eat; it will also be her last meal."
As he spoke, the old man couldn't help but wipe the corners of his eyes.
Xia Muxin took the money, counted it in her hands, and then began weighing the items for him. As she rummaged through the basket, she magically pulled out a small piece of paper, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Ha ha, sir, you’re in luck! We recently had a celebration at home, and my father was so pleased that he placed a note in this basket. He instructed that anyone who buys something today and finds this note will not only receive One or Two silver coins but also two extra pounds of this.”
As she spoke, Xia Muxin carefully wrapped the two pounds of goods and placed them into the gentleman's basket. She then handed him One or Two silver coins along with the several copper coins he had given her earlier.
The old man stared in astonishment, his mouth agape, trembling as he struggled to find words.
“Sir, you should head back now; your wife must be waiting for you to bring her the things you promised.”
Tears welled up in the old man's eyes as he nodded. He then knelt down to bow to Xia Muxin, but she quickly stopped him.
The old man appeared to be over seventy years old. Xia Muxin worried that his elderly wife might have trouble chewing, so she chose something soft for him. The cartoon cake would melt in his mouth even without chewing. She hoped he could accompany her through her final journey together.
Life is filled with unexpected separations and farewells. Therefore, during our lifetime, we should cherish those we can accompany and do what we can while we still have time. It’s too late to think about making amends once something is lost. Even if you regret it deeply, it won’t change anything. Yet she believed that even if this old lady had to leave, she would do so happily and peacefully.
At least this old man, though poor, had always cared for her. Even at the end of his life, he still wanted to buy her favorite treats. To him, no matter how valuable they were, he would spare no effort to get them if he could just buy a piece.
Sometimes, the most ordinary love is the most precious.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the note in her hand was blank, and they admired her character even more.
“Miss Muxin! It really is you! You’re such a kind-hearted child; you always pay out of your own pocket. I truly admire you from the bottom of my heart! In my long life, I’ve never met someone as compassionate as you.”
At that moment, an elderly man spoke up again. Xia Muxin turned toward the voice and realized it was the elder from Dayao Village. She remembered buying the first batch of fava beans from him.
He was dressed in tattered clothes, full of patches, yet his complexion was still quite good. Xia Muxin greeted him warmly:
"Uncle Xu, you're in town today too. How are Grandma and Small?"
She had been there to purchase Fava Beans and was quite familiar with his family. That child, Small, should be about four years old now.
"Good, very good! Now he can eat enough at every meal, all thanks to you, young lady. If it weren't for you, my family would have starved long ago."
The old man spoke with such emotion that his eyes glistened with tears.
"Grandpa, these are the ones raised at home; they are meant for sale."
Xia Muxin smiled and noticed he had a few castrated chickens in his basket, so she asked playfully.
"Yes, during the New Year, there are so many people. I can't squeeze in, so I'll come back next year to buy."
At that moment, Shen Muhan exchanged glances with Ming Qi, who then approached and asked Uncle Xu how much the chickens were selling for before buying them all.
By now, quite a few townspeople had gathered around, drawn in by Xia Muxin. They began asking when the Orchid Beans and Wine-Pickled Fish would be available. Xia Muxin smiled and answered each question while inviting everyone to sample her goods. Once they tasted them, they eagerly pulled out their money to buy.
Xia Muxin was quite shrewd; as long as the customers were from Town, she would weigh generously based on their attire and appearance. For those from the countryside, she would often give them an extra one or two taels; after all, no one could really tell the difference with such small amounts.
In no time at all, she was bustling about energetically.
Shen Muhan stood out too much; after Xia Muxin finished setting up her stall, he warned her not to let him help out or else she might lose her voice.
Xia Muxin was kind-hearted and straightforward. There were several occasions when she mistakenly gave the wrong amount of silver, but those people always returned it, often joking about the mix-up.
In less than an hour, she had sold ten baskets full of goods, amounting to several hundred pounds.
Shen Muhan was even more impressive; he had Ming Qi sell the chickens bought from Old Man Xu to the Fortune and Longevity Restaurant, earning an extra ten taels of silver in the process.
By the time Xia Muxin finished her work, the market was already thinning out. Some villagers remained, squatting there with leftover vegetables and other unsold items, looking rather forlorn.
Xia Muxin looked at them with deep sympathy. However, she could help one person but not the whole world. She could only hope they would find good ways to earn money and improve their situations.
After selling her goods, she exchanged her silver for banknotes at the money exchange and then went on to buy a large number of items.
"Have you seen this person?"
As she was walking back with her arms full of purchases, she was stopped by someone dressed like a soldier who presented her with a portrait.
- End of Chapter -
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