Free Web NovelChapter 21: Chapter 21: Pickled Cabbage Turnover
Zhou Gu’er hadn’t guessed wrong. The woman listened to Gu’er’s sincere words and truly took a liking to her.
"Alright then, give me a bit of these dandelion greens, the hairy-stemmed ones, and these cucumber-scented ones. I don’t want the fiddlehead ferns. I’ve tried stir-frying them with meat, but they always taste bitter. I don’t like that flavor."
The woman pointed to the items she wanted to buy.
"Of course, Ma’am. You’re my first customer, so I’ll give you a bundle of green onions for free. We grow them ourselves, and they’re very sweet. Take them home and give them a try. I’ll also give you a handful of fiddlehead ferns. They aren’t bitter if you cook them right. Let me teach you..."
Zhou Gu’er’s hands moved nimbly as she packed the vegetables, adding in the free green onions and fiddlehead ferns. It was her first sale; she definitely had to offer a little something extra.
"It’s really not bitter if you cook it this way?"
The woman asked doubtfully, holding her purchase.
"Try it, Ma’am. That’s how I make it, anyway, and I’ve never found it bitter."
Zhou Gu’er said with a smile.
"Alright then. These things might not be worth much, but you gave them to me for free, and I appreciate the thought. I’ll go home and try them. If they’re really good, I’ll buy from you again next time."
The woman nodded, thinking that Zhou Gu’er was an honest person.
"Give me some too. Just yesterday, my Old Zhang was complaining we didn’t have any vegetables to eat. I’ll buy some to take back and cook."
Another woman, who looked to be in her fifties, came forward and asked for some as well.
"That’s right, there are no vegetables these days. My husband has been grumbling about it too."
Another woman chimed in.
"This girl seems nice. She even teaches you how to cook them, and everything looks clean. I’ll buy some too."
Several women gathered around, but they didn’t push or shove; they seemed very well-mannered.
A smile bloomed on Zhou Gu’er’s face. She packed vegetables for them one by one, giving each person a little extra something.
Everyone loves freebies, especially women, so the few who had bought the wild vegetables were all quite happy.
After they left, new people came forward, and Zhou Gu’er once again began offering samples and explaining how to prepare the vegetables.
When the midday sun was at its most scorching, Zhou Gu’er touched her throat and coughed.
’It must be past noon. I’ve been talking for over an hour, and my throat feels like it’s on fire. I didn’t bring any water with me when I left, so now I can’t even get a sip.’
RUMBLE RUMBLE. Her stomach made a noise, and Gu’er knew she was hungry.
She glanced at the wild vegetables she had brought; more than half were already sold. She picked up a few washed dandelion greens and put them in her mouth.
A slightly fresh yet bitter taste spread through her mouth.
She ate several more before stopping. ’Without any dipping sauce, these really don’t taste very good.’
But they contained water and had antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, so Gu’er forced herself to eat them anyway.
From a cloth bag, Zhou Gu’er took out a dark-flour flatbread. Li Hua had stuffed it into her hands that morning, telling her to eat it if she got hungry.
Zhou Gu’er took two bites, but it was so dry she could barely swallow. Even though her stomach was still growling, Gu’er didn’t eat any more. She was afraid she might choke to death.
Around one o’clock, Sun Jiaming returned. freewёbnoνel.com
"You sold them pretty fast, huh? Is this all that’s left?"
Sun Jiaming looked at the remaining vegetables with some surprise. He hadn’t expected Zhou Gu’er to actually sell them.
"Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. It’s mainly because there aren’t many vegetables in season right now."
Zhou Gu’er was also quite pleased. This proved that this path was viable. In her past life, she had never run a business. In this life, she would start by selling wild vegetables, accumulating experience and capital little by little. She believed she could definitely make money in the future.
"You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Here, these are pickled cabbage pastries my mom made. They’re still warm. Have one."
Sun Jiaming’s gaze flickered when he saw the dark-flour flatbread Zhou Gu’er had placed on the cart. He then took a small basin out of his cloth bag, which held several of the pickled cabbage pastries.
Zhou Gu’er glanced over. The pastries had been pan-fried to a golden brown, and the tantalizing aroma of dough and pickled cabbage wafted toward her, making her mouth water.
"No, thank you, Brother Jia Ming. You should take these back for your grandmother to eat. I’ve already eaten."
Although Zhou Gu’er thought they smelled wonderful, she refused. She knew Sun Jiaming’s mother must have made them for her son to take home. ’What would it look like if I ate them? I can’t take advantage of his kindness like that.’
"Look at you, being so formal with me again. I’ve already eaten. My grandma’s teeth aren’t good, so she can only eat one at most. And I don’t even like pickled cabbage. You have two. I’ll still have three left, which is plenty. If you feel bad about it, just bring me something good the next time you have it at your house."
Sun Jiaming said, handing the pickled cabbage pastries to Zhou Gu’er.
These were indeed for him and his grandmother to eat, a gift from his mother. They were made with white flour and filled with bits of fatty pork mixed into the pickled cabbage, making them incredibly fragrant. Because of them, his sister-in-law had said a string of nasty things and even shot them dirty looks.
Food like this was a rarity these days; some children had probably never even tasted it. It wasn’t that Sun Jiaming was being overly generous. He just saw that Zhou Gu’er was a young woman who had walked a long way and worked hard to sell her vegetables. It wasn’t easy. He was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold up if she didn’t eat something. As for anything else, he didn’t give it much thought.
Seeing how sincere his offer was, Zhou Gu’er thanked him and quietly accepted one of the pickled cabbage pastries.
As she ate it, Zhou Gu’er felt a complicated mix of emotions. But she knew that, for a long time to come, she would never forget this one pickled cabbage pastry.
Zhou Gu’er ate only one and wouldn’t take another. Seeing that she really didn’t want more, Sun Jiaming didn’t insist.
By the time all the wild vegetables were sold, it was nearly two o’clock. The two of them started their journey back.
"I didn’t think the wild vegetables would sell so well."
Sun Jiaming said with a smile on the way back.
Zhou Gu’er nodded. She had earned a total of thirty-eight fen today. It sounded like very little—in the future, people would hardly bother to pick up a one-yuan coin dropped on the ground—but things were different now. This amount, nearly forty fen, was what she had earned from two hard days of work.
If there was a market for it, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to earn thirty yuan in a year. Then, she could escape the fate of her previous life.
"If every day is like today, I can definitely earn that thirty yuan. But wild vegetables are seasonal. After a few more days, once the regular crops are harvested, no one will buy them. But in the fall, there are mushrooms, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, and pine nuts. Those can all be sold."
Zhou Gu’er smiled gently, her face radiating a kind of brilliance. She firmly believed that she could do it.
"Thirty yuan?"
Sun Jiaming frowned slightly when he heard that number. ’Why does Zhou Gu’er need to earn thirty yuan?’ Suddenly, he thought of Zhang Da. He had heard that Zhang Da had offered thirty yuan when he went to the Zhou family to propose marriage, but Zhou Mazi hadn’t agreed. It seemed that Zhou Gu’er had used thirty yuan as a condition to negotiate with her father.
’She really is smart and resourceful, to think of a way to make Zhou Mazi reject Zhang Da. Any other girl would have probably just resigned herself to her fate, right? But she’s thinking of earning the money herself to solve the problem. Life really isn’t easy for her.’
Still, Sun Jiaming couldn’t help but feel a little admiration for Zhou Gu’er. He thought she had her own mind and was capable. To change her destiny by earning money through her own hard work—that was something worthy of his respect.
