Chapter 131:
“Hehe, Father, I actually hope Zhi’er is a bit more selfish. She shouldn’t send these things to prison, just take care of her mother and daughter.”
Li Sanmao said faintly, his heart already filled with utter disappointment.
Old Li Tou was stunned. Sigh, he had finally lost heart.
Li Sanmao’s mind was fully occupied with Luo Zhi’er and her daughter.
Worried that they were having a hard time!
Luo Zhi’er saw there was still some time left, so she took Miaomiao to stroll around the market.
The things needed at home had mostly been bought last time. They had rice and flour, but they needed to buy some vegetables and meat.
She thought lean meat should be more expensive, so she considered buying some meat with a mix of fat and lean.
Miaomiao was growing, and she had been complaining about leg pain lately, so buy some pork bones to make bone broth when they got back.
She asked and found out that fatty meat was actually ten cents more expensive than lean meat. Alright then, she would buy all lean meat. The two of them didn’t need that much fat.
“Give me another ten jin of pork bones!”
“Sure thing!” the butcher replied cheerfully.
After buying, the butcher saw she hadn’t bargained, so he gave her some extra pork skin.
After buying the meat, she bought some vegetables: scallions, winter melon, eggplant, green beans, garlic sprouts.
Passing by the grain shop, Luo Zhi’er had a sudden idea and bought a bag of corn flour and wheat flour, throwing them onto the bamboo basket on her back.
Pulling Miaomiao along, they passed the livestock market, and Luo Zhi’er walked in.
The livestock market was filled with noisy clamor. As soon as they entered the gate, a mixed stench of manure assaulted them.
It was Miaomiao’s first time in this place. She had just finished her cake.
Earlier, her mother had bought her a stick of candied hawthorn at the vegetable market. Coming to market day was really great.
But this candied hawthorn really wasn’t as sweet as the ones Mother made by hand.
Pinching her nose, “Mother, there are so many oxen. Miaomiao is seeing a horse for the first time!”
As soon as they came in, she opened her eyes wide, attracted by the scene inside.
“But Mother, what are we doing here?”
“We’re here to buy a mule cart!”
“What? Mother, but do we have silver to buy a mule cart?”
Miaomiao could never have dreamed that her mother actually wanted to buy a mule cart. Didn’t that mean their family would be one of those with a cart from now on?
And she wouldn’t have to envy those people who could ride Grandpa Maogen’s ox cart to town anymore?
“Wow, Mother, is Miaomiao dreaming? I’m so happy!”
“Hehe, with a mule cart, Miaomiao won’t have to walk home anymore!”
Aspiration ignited in Miaomiao’s eyes, but thinking of her grandparents, her gaze dropped, and she let out a heavy sigh.
It felt unlikely.
“What’s wrong? You look like a deflated little fish ball.”
She scraped the tip of her nose.
“Mother, you always tease Miaomiao.”
“Miaomiao just thinks that if grandparents find out we bought a mule, they’ll definitely beat and scold you when we get back.”
Thinking of this made her heart panic. She wondered when she could grow up.
She hated that she couldn’t become a boy to protect her mother.
“You don’t need to worry about this. Who is Mother? Would they be able to hit me? Mother has ways to deal with it. You just need to happily ride in the mule cart.”
This girl had been quite frightened by the might of Old Li Tou and Zhou Shi. It seemed she still had shadows in her heart.
“Alright, Mother.”
Bright little sparkles rose again in Miaomiao’s eyes.
Her eyes gazed dreamily at the kind and amiable mother beside her.
Mother always gave her a feeling of being confident and steady. She felt so happy, so happy!
It was incomparable to before.
She was so afraid that all this was fake, afraid it was a dream, afraid Mother would disappear.
In her heart, she silently prayed that Mother must not change back.
She really liked Mother’s current attitude toward her too much.
Mother and daughter held hands, big hand holding little hand, chatting as they walked in. On both sides of the path were simple sheds made of wooden strips for penning livestock.
Inside, horses, oxen, mules, donkeys, and other livestock had their noses tied with ropes to the railings.
They stopped at a merchant who had horses, oxen, mules, and donkeys.
She saw that this place had customers coming and going nonstop.
The real estate agent standing at the doorway had just sent off a customer.
He greeted her with a beaming smile, without any impatience. “This fat lady, come in and take a look. With your build, you need a sturdy big yellow ox!”
The real estate agent said, looking her up and down.
Luo Zhi’er’s face was a bit embarrassed. “Hehe, young man, you’re right. I’m quite heavy, so I want to buy a tool for getting around.”
“Oh? So specifically, do you want a horse carriage, or an ox, or a mule?”
With this body type, a donkey definitely wouldn’t do.
“You come to market day carrying things, sometimes selling something. With you and your daughter, if your husband comes along, plus relatives from home and neighbors from the village hitching a ride, you’ll definitely need an even sturdier young ox!”
The real estate agent looked her up and down again and reminded her. “You alone are worth three or four people. At least a medium-large young ox is needed!”
“Young man, you’re right.”
Although this real estate agent’s words made people blush with embarrassment, they were all truthful and practical.
This also made her believe why so many customers came to this place.
No one wanted to spend silver on livestock that wasn’t worth it.
“Then come with me to take a look. I recommend buying a three-year-old ox.”
He led her to a sturdy yellow ox and introduced it.
“Look at this one. The muscles on its legs are very solid, and its haunches—take a look!”
Luo Zhi’er followed by knocking on the young ox’s haunch. It was quite elastic. She nodded. “Indeed good. What’s the price?”
“May I know this lady’s honorable surname?”
“Luo.”
“Good, Luo Niangzi, this young ox is six taels of silver. If you want a cart frame, for good luck, six taels and six hundred cash.”
“Six taels and six?”
This was really a bit expensive!
If Zhou Shi found out, she wouldn’t faint from anger!
“Hehe, waiter, I’m just a rural person without that much silver. How about you recommend a good mule instead!”
The waiter didn’t react otherwise. Hearing this, he nodded and led her to a row of mules, pointing to one. “This mule isn’t much cheaper than an ox. This medium-large one, about two and a half years old, costs three taels and nine hundred cash.”
“Oh, like that!”
Luo Zhi’er nodded. This mule was pretty good, just a bit young, might not be durable for pulling.
She still preferred one a bit older. In the end, she picked a three-and-a-half-year-old mule, originally five taels and five hundred cash.
Luo Zhi’er haggled persistently and got it for five taels, with a cart frame included.
This waiter was quite impressed with her. The boss actually agreed.
After paying the silver, the waiter helped her lead the mule out, harnessed the cart frame, and let her practice on their open space for driving.
Without practice, she wouldn’t dare hit the road.
They practiced until sunset. Luo Zhi’er was sweating all over. She lifted Miaomiao into the cart frame, and put the bamboo basket in too.
The mother and daughter went to Yumian Tower, loaded the wheelbarrow and the morning belongings, greeted Shopkeeper Zhu, and headed home.
In the city, she walked leading the mule by the rope on its nose, planning to drive after leaving the city.
Miaomiao was in the cart bed. It was already afternoon, and she was a bit hungry, eating the cake she bought.
Near Huaihua Road, they encountered a strange middle-aged uncle.
Disheveled hair, beard a tangled mess, eyes darting around, sizing up passersby.
Leaning on a tree branch, looking like he hadn’t eaten for a long time.
Like a beggar!
From the direction, he came from the seed shop side.
“Want some treasure?”
He grabbed the sleeve of a well-dressed passerby nearby. That person saw his filthy appearance.
Scared with a jump!
And he had this mysterious look, so they thought he was a madman.
“Ah! Oldest Brother, go beg at the restaurant! You scared me to death, got it?”
“Want some treasure?”
“Nutcase!”
He shook off his sleeve and walked away!
“Tch, selling to you is giving you face!”
The madman muttered curses and grabbed another person. This young man was well-dressed.
Covering his nose, hearing about treasure, he agreed to look.
The madman slyly observed the surroundings, then quickly pulled it out from his bosom.
The young man leaned in and saw a few unidentified beans in his palm.
The young man suddenly felt deeply insulted. He thought he might pick up a bargain, like some gem or jade, but it turned out to be a few broken beans!
“Stinky madman, peddling trash to scam people, daring to fool me—what kind of treasure is this crap, stinking dog shit!”
“Pah! Blind dog eyes, get lost—you wasted my time.”
He kicked him away with one foot. The madman fell flat on his face! The treasure happened to drop right at Luo Zhi’er’s feet as she passed.
This looked like someone not to be messed with.
The madman cursed inwardly. “Not treasure? Do you know what this is? Ever seen it? Tch!”
Luo Zhi’er paused, stared at the beans on the ground in a daze for a moment, picked them up, and looked in her palm: brown, oval, like cashews, surface uneven with small spots.
Hmm? Coffee beans?
“Treasure, my treasure, give it back quick!”
The madman immediately ran over and snatched the beans back.
Coffee beans in this place?
This was the northwest region of Dongli Kingdom. Coffee beans generally grow in the south, tropical regions.
Like modern Africa’s!
How did they end up in this person’s hands?
Luo Zhi’er stepped forward.
“Hehe, oldest brother, you say this is treasure?”
“Yes!”
The madman saw the woman in front of him was unusually fat and thought she was the sucker, someone who hadn’t seen the world—maybe he could make a killing!
“How about it? Want to buy? I’ve got two big bags!”
“I don’t tell this to just anyone.”
He leaned close, sly-eyed. Luo Zhi’er smelled an indescribable stench.
“This treasure is a magical bean. Eating it strengthens the body, beautifies, aids weight loss, and brings long life!”
“Especially for a fatty like you—cuts the grease!”
Luo Zhi’er’s eyes lit up. She realized this person wasn’t a madman but a scammer. But it really was a treasure.
To others, it was just junk.
“Oldest brother, where did you get this treasure?”
The madman faltered. This fat woman wasn’t stupid; she was pretty sharp.
His eyes turned, squinting. “This is a secret, but since you look kind, I’ll tell you. I got it by chance on the road while studying in Jue Lun Kingdom.”
“You studied martial arts in Jue Lun Kingdom?”
Luo Zhi’er found it unbelievable. So he was a martial practitioner?
“Uh.”
The man’s eyes lost their shine. “No need to mention it. That was just youthful folly and dreams.”
“Oldest brother had dreams too?”
He gave her a disdainful glance.
“Look down on me? When I was young, oldest brother dreamed of becoming a peerless martial arts master, punishing evil and promoting good, becoming famous!”
“Did you achieve your dream, Uncle?”
Miaomiao’s young, crisp voice rang out.
“Since it’s a dream, of course it couldn’t be achieved. Uncle now lives just for the people around him!”
So he hadn’t succeeded in learning. His dream hadn’t come true, leading to mild mental derangement.
The man sank into memories. On the way to Jue Lun Kingdom, he had been so high-spirited, but halfway he received news of his mother’s serious illness at home.
Houses collapsed, younger brother and sister had no one to care for them, so he had to turn back midway.
Just like that, he muddled through most of his life in a daze. He couldn’t tell if it was a dream or if he really went and came back halfway.
These beans he had picked up from a stinking ditch near the sea.
To give these unseen beans a mysterious identity, he made up stories. Surprisingly, someone actually bought?
Naturally, Luo Zhi’er unhesitatingly bought his coffee beans. Whether they could be planted successfully or not, she had to try.
Looking at the beans beside her—what two big bags, just two packets, probably less than 500g.
After that person left, the mother-in-law selling tiger-head shoes on the street side called out to her:
“You fat daughter, Grandma winked at you for ages, how come you ignored me?”
“What is it, Grandma? Why were you blinking at me? Did sand get in your eyes?”
“You got scammed. That guy is a dung collector.”
“Ah?”
“I recognize him!”
Grandma’s little eyes narrowed into slits.
No wonder she smelled an indescribable stench.
Out of the city, heading south all the way.
To avoid tiring the mule on its first trip, mother and daughter went slowly.
A bit bored.
“I want to hold your hand and never let go, can love be simple without hurt?”
“You lean on my shoulder, fall asleep on my chest.”
“A life like this, I love you, you love me.”
Fat person, honest and simple.
Cracking the whip, beating a rhythm!
Miaomiao bobbed her head along.
“Mother, Miaomiao thinks that bean-selling uncle from earlier is so pitiful!”
“Why?”
“He couldn’t become the person he wanted to be, so he went mad!”
Luo Zhi’er chuckled lightly. “Yes, but failing to achieve dreams and not succeeding is common. We’re all ordinary people.”
“We shouldn’t cling to it like the uncle, driving ourselves mad. We should keep a level head, adjust our emotions, and face the next challenge life gives us!”
“Right?”
“Right!”
“So what dreams does Miaomiao have?”
“I don’t know yet. I just want to be with Father and Mother forever.”
“Little fool, forever is very far!”
“Anyway, always together, always.”
“That’s not up to you. When our Miaomiao grows up, she’ll sprout wings and fly away!”
“Hold on tight, flying!”
“Flying!”
With that, Luo Zhi’er drove the mule cart fast. Mother and daughter laughed hee hee hee.
The wind carried their laughter far far away.
“But Miaomiao, remember, whatever dreams you have in the future, go for them. Father and Mother will definitely support you.”
“Thank you, Mother!”
Midway, they encountered Zhao Maogen catching up from behind.
Zhao Maogen’s eyes went wide, thinking he saw wrong. But with that huge figure, who else but Luo Zhi’er?
When he saw who was leisurely driving the mule cart ahead, the people on the cart were in disbelief!
It instantly exploded!
Zhao Er’s wife rubbed her eyes hard and yelled loudly, “Luo Zhi’er, whose mule cart did you steal?”
Miaomiao replied crisply, “Second Grandmother, Mother wouldn’t steal. This is one we bought ourselves.”
“What?”
“Absolutely impossible!”
Everyone on the cart was shocked. This was an unbelievable event.
Where did Luo Zhi’er get the silver to buy a mule cart?
Didn’t their family always have Zhou Shi controlling everything at home?
Their family members were all in prison.
Could it be those things on the wheelbarrow this morning?
What kind of business was she doing? With whom?
