Chapter 56: Selling Peaches in the County Town Triggers a Dispute

Bruised fruit spoils very easily, and since she was picking them to sell, Jiang Li plucked them from the tree and had Xue Man and Ah Ning collect them in a large wicker basket. She specifically instructed them, "Handle them gently. Take your time, just don't bruise the fruit."

Xue Man and Ah Ning looked up at Jiang Li, who was crouched on a tree branch, and replied loudly, "Mother, we are being very gentle. None of them are bruised."

Three baskets of peaches were filled in less than an hour and a half.

Jiang Li glanced at the two neighboring peach trees and estimated she could get another two or three harvests from them.

Leaving the peaches where they were, Jiang Li took the two children for a walk around the vicinity and found two patches of dandelions growing in the grass beneath some bushes. As lush and deep as the surrounding weeds, perhaps due to good soil and ample moisture, they grew particularly plump and tender. Jiang Li took out her knife and cut them, taking only the leaves while leaving the roots in the soil.

Dandelion roots were bitter, and she didn't like eating them, so she left them in the ground where they would likely sprout again after a while.

The three of them strolled around the area for a little under an hour, gathering two large bundles of dandelions and two bundles of plantain weeds.

Xue Man and Ah Ning looked at the tender wild vegetables with faces full of joy.

Children's happiness was simple; whether it was meat or vegetables, as long as there was something to eat, they were thrilled.

Jiang Li held open a sack and let them put the wild vegetables inside.

The sack wasn't quite full, and Xue Man said, "Mother, let's cut a bit more to fill the sack."

Jiang Li looked around and saw no other wild vegetables nearby. These greens didn't dry well, and if she picked too many, they would easily spoil in a few days.

"We won't cut anymore. We'll get more in a few days. If we have too much, we won't be able to finish it, and it will be a pity if it goes bad."

"Let's go back and make lunch. After lunch, I need to make a trip to Hewa Village to get some goat's milk for Huahua."

With that, Jiang Li picked up the sack and started walking back. Xue Man trotted along behind her, saying, "Mother, let me go with you. In the future, I can go fetch the goat's milk for Huahua."

If it were closer, letting Xue Man fetch the milk would be fine, but the distance from Daqiu Village to Hewa Village was quite far.

In the current environment, if someone got lost, there was no way of knowing where to even begin looking, so she decided against it.

For lunch, Jiang Li cooked a dandelion egg custard and warmed up some pork cracklings.

The dandelion leaves were tender with a slight bitterness, making the custard exceptionally refreshing to drink.

The small pot of dandelion greens was completely devoured, and they even drank a large bowl of the soup.

"Mother, this dandelion dish you made is so delicious. Let's have it again tonight."

Ah Ning finished the last drop of soup in her bowl, gave a little hiccup, and nodded in agreement.

Ever since moving into the new house, not only could they eat white rice and white flour pancakes at every meal, but they also frequently indulged in lard, pork, and eggs. Their lives were now worlds apart from before the family分家 (household separation).

Jiang Li looked at the brother and sister standing together; they seemed to have grown a little taller, their hair had darkened somewhat, and their cheeks had filled out considerably.

It seemed all the food they had eaten recently was nourishing their bodies.

"If you want to eat it, we'll cook it again tonight."

After finishing, Jiang Li put down her bowls and chopsticks, and both Xue Man and Ah Ning eagerly gathered them up and carried them outside to wash.

"Xiao Man, use that new earthen basin I bought yesterday to wash the vegetables and dishes."

After giving her instructions, Xue Man went to fetch it. Jiang Li gave a soft yawn and went back inside to take a nap.

When she woke up, she set off for Hewa Village to get the goat's milk.

The brother and sister wanted to come along, and Jiang Li didn't stop them. Jiang Huahua also bit at the hem of Jiang Li's trousers, wanting to follow. When Jiang Li agreed to take her, she started spinning around and digging in the dirt like a little dog.

Jiang Li frowned slightly. "Stop digging. You're kicking up all the dust."

As they reached the village entrance, they ran into Zhao Jiaxiu, who was carrying water back with Xue Xiaoduo and Xue Ling. The two little girls had just tagged along for fun, while Zhao Jiaxiu carried the shoulder pole and buckets.

Seeing Jiang Li heading out with Xue Man, Ah Ning, and the tiger cub, Zhao Jiaxiu asked, "Where are you heading?"

"I'm going down to Hewa Village to get some goat's milk."

She hadn't run into Zhao Jiaxiu for several days, so taking the opportunity, she asked, "Do you and your family have a lot of work on your hands lately?"

"What do you need?"

"I want a wooden basin about this big." Jiang Li gestured, indicating a diameter of about sixty to seventy centimeters and a depth of over twenty.

Zhao Jiaxiu nodded slightly. "Is it for holding water?"

"Yes, and I also want a winnowing basket, a bit smaller in diameter than the wooden basin, but about four or five inches deep. And I want two bamboo baskets for holding dried vegetables."

Hearing the list of items Jiang Li rattled off, Zhao Jiaxiu smiled and asked, "What are you up to? Why are you suddenly needing so many utensils?"

Noticing there was nobody around, Jiang Li smiled and said, "I have some plans, but nothing is finalized yet. I'll talk about it once I start doing it. There are too many things lacking in my house. We've been making do by muddling through, but after a while, it gets troublesome. I see every household in the village drying bamboo shoots and string beans, yet we don't even have anything to store dried vegetables in. Earlier, I thought making a few sacks would be enough, but after being busy for several days, I only managed to make four..."

"It's too much trouble. Might as well just make some bamboo baskets to store things in."

It was rare to see Jiang Li talking on and on, and Zhao Jiaxiu curved her lips into a smile.

She felt that Jiang Li had become more talkative and smiles more easily than before. Looking at Xue Man and Ah Ning, who had grown taller and plumper, the three of them looked to be in good health and spent their days cheerfully, which was a pleasant sight for anyone.

"I'll weave a few storage bamboo baskets for you. The smaller ones can hold dried vegetables and later bran, and you can use the larger ones for grain."

Jiang Li was secretly delighted and thanked her.

Zhao Jiaxiu felt a bit shy. "Why are you being so polite?"

The two didn't chat much longer as they each had things to attend to. Xue Xiaoduo looked at Xue Ning and Xue Man, and said to Zhao Jiaxiu, "Mother, I want to go play in Hewa Village with Big Aunt and the others."

Zhao Jiaxiu looked at the tiger cub crouching by Jiang Li's feet and felt a twinge of apprehension.

"Aren't you afraid of that tiger anymore?"

Xue Xiaoduo was still afraid, but the tiger always behaved so obediently around Jiang Li and the others. She couldn't possibly stop going to play with Ah Ning just because of the tiger, could she?

"I'm scared, but isn't Big Aunt here?"

"Do as you please, but don't cause trouble for your Big Aunt and mind what she says."

Finding her mother's nagging tedious, Xue Xiaoduo turned to Xue Ling. "Sister, are you going?"

Xue Ling shook her head; she was too lazy to move.

With that, Xue Xiaoduo waved her hand and chased after Jiang Li's group while calling out, "Big Aunt, wait for me! I'm coming with you to play."

Watching this wind-like child, Jiang Li shook her head with a helpless smile.

All the way to Hewa Village, Xue Xiaoduo played with Ah Ning and Xue Man while keeping her eyes fixed on Jiang Huahua. Seeing how affectionately the cub interacted with Xue Man and the others, she wanted to try touching it too. She had an overwhelming urge to pet its furry head, but she didn't have the courage.

Jiang Li chuckled inwardly as she watched Xue Xiaoduo tentatively stretch out her hand and pull it back several times.

Jiang Huahua ran around playing until it grew tired, and after being carried by Ah Ning for a stretch, Xue Xiaoduo furrowed her brow deeply.

"Ah Ning, can I pet it?"

Ah Ning looked confused, wondering why anyone wouldn't be allowed to, and immediately held the cub out. "Go ahead and pet it."

Xue Xiaoduo jumped in fright and took a step back. Jiang Huahua glanced at her with a look of utter contempt in its eyes.

Jiang Li couldn't help bursting into laughter and gently pulled Xue Xiaoduo over to stroke Huahua's head.

The moment she touched it, Xue Xiaoduo was so happy she nearly jumped up and down—only to catch Huahua rolling its eyes at her...

They had only been raising it for a short while, yet it already had such attitude. This suggested that training it to be as obedient and sensible as a dog was just around the corner.

"How come none of you are afraid of it?"

Xue Man and Ah Ning furrowed their brows in confusion and asked in return, "Why would we be afraid of it? Huahua is just a fat cat."

Xue Xiaoduo's jaw dropped.

A fat cat...

To think they actually called a tiger cub a fat cat! It was truly admirable. Brother Xue Man and sister Ah Ning really had changed after starting to live with their Big Aunt.

Hearing their conversation, Jiang Li suddenly realized that Xue Man and Ah Ning seemed to have treated the tiger as a cat all along.

If she told them it was a tiger right now, it would probably scare them.

Better wait and tell them another day.

Since other households also kept sheep, Jiang Li had Xue Man hold Huahua by the roadside while she went alone with an earthen jar to find the elderly woman.

Having grown familiar with each other, and since Jiang Li always paid in copper coins, the old woman warmly welcomed her into the house as soon as she saw her.

"Granny, I won't sit down. I have chores waiting at home. Is there any goat's milk left?"

The old lady smiled cheerfully. "Yes, there is. I'll go milk the ewe for you right now."

Jiang Li offered the usual three copper coins, but noticing how frequently the old lady came, the grandmother only accepted two.

If this tiger cub kept eating like this for a bit longer, it would probably start wanting meat.

She could afford to feed it goat's milk, but how on earth would she afford to feed it meat once it started eating that?

Would she end up having to take it hunting in the mountains?

The thought unexpectedly filled her with a bit of anticipation. Even though it was still small, it was a tiger after all.

With Huahua's goat's milk secured, it would have enough to eat for a few more days.

Since she was heading to the county town tomorrow and the journey was long, selling things required setting out much earlier than buying things.

After finishing the evening meal and practicing her boxing routine, Jiang Li transferred the peaches from Xue Man and Ah Ning's baskets into the sacks. She laid a thick layer of straw at the bottom of the baskets, placed the sacks on top, cushioned them with more straw, and secured everything with vines.

Since she was making the trip anyway, she might as well carry a bit more. The foot traffic in the county town was vastly greater than in the township, so selling them shouldn't be a problem.

She just wondered about the prices. With it being the exact season when peaches ripened, people in the county town might also be selling them.

Going early would allow her to check out the prices first.

Jiang Li went to sleep early, and the moment the rooster crowed its first dawn call, she got up. After having a quick breakfast, she hoisted her baskets and set off.

When she arrived at the county town gates, the sun had not yet risen and the gates had just opened, with four or five people already waiting ahead of her.

She conscientiously joined the back of the line, and when she casually glanced back, she spotted the old man who had previously sold Chinese cabbages coming out with a load of vegetables. Beside him was an old woman, though Jiang Li couldn't clearly see what vegetables she was carrying from a distance. The two of them came over and took their places two spots behind Jiang Li in line.

The old man didn't recognize Jiang Li. Once she had her travel pass checked and entered the city gates, she waited to the side.

Seeing the elderly couple enter, she walked over.

Recognizing them as an elderly couple, she greeted them warmly, "Good morning, Grandpa and Grandma."

The old woman turned around and looked at Jiang Li with some unfamiliarity, but the old man smiled and said, "It's you! I've been carrying those seeds around for many days." Then, turning to the old woman, he added, "This is the young lady who wanted the cabbage seeds."

Hearing this, the old woman smiled warmly at Jiang Li. "Young lady, you certainly have a good eye. These cabbage seeds came from another county; I've been growing vegetables with them for years, and the yield has always been great. I also have radish seeds and pumpkin seeds, would you like some?"

Hearing the word "radish," Jiang Li caught sight of the load the old woman was carrying—it consisted of radishes with green tops, long and white with vibrant, tender green leaves. Jiang Li stared at them with glowing eyes.

"Yes, please! Granny, did you bring them all?"