Chapter 12: Going to the Market to Sell Peaches
Jian Xingxia rubbed her eyes as she got up.
It was incredibly easy to fall into a deep sleep in the mountains; the night chorus of insects served as a natural white noise. The mountain air was cool at night, eliminating the need for air conditioning, and the gentle night breeze swept away the summer heat, leaving her feeling crisp and refreshed upon waking.
The only downside was the influx of mosquitoes. The hen had earned a new name: Dahua. Dahua needed her rest at night, so she wasn’t as diligent as she was during the day, and Jian Xingxia ended up slapping three mosquitoes to death over the course of the night.
It wasn’t that there were only three. It was simply that Jian Xingxia had slept so deeply that she hadn’t noticed the rest. The red dots on her arms and legs proved that while she slept, the mosquitoes had clocked in for the night shift.
Now that the washroom was usable, Jian Xingxia washed up and changed her clothes. Just as she moved the peaches to the front courtyard entrance, a faint beam from a flashlight pierced through the mountain path.
It was Fangfang and Little Hu Liu.
Little Hu Liu was Hu Da’s younger cousin, only sixteen this year.
“Sister Xiaxia! We’re here to help you carry the peaches!” The two waved excitedly toward Jian Xingxia.
The villagers all believed there were spirits in the mountains and rarely permitted their children to enter. It was only because Jian Xingxia had moved back into the old house that the two had received an “official pardon” to come in and play.
“Perfect. These two baskets and these two gunny sacks—can you carry them?”
Little Hu Liu leaped down from the three-wheeler. “Of course I can!”
The three of them joined forces to lift a gunny sack containing a full eighty pounds of peaches, carefully setting it into the cargo bed of the three-wheeler, which had been lined with a thick layer of straw.
Once all the peaches were loaded, Jian Xingxia let Dahua out, locked the house and courtyard doors, and headed out of the mountain with Fangfang and Little Hu Liu.
The three-wheeler was carrying two to three hundred pounds of peaches, making it a grueling pedal for Little Hu Liu. Jian Xingxia and Fangfang refrained from riding, walking alongside instead and helping push the vehicle whenever they encountered ruts or gullies.
From the old house to Lu’an Village, they first had to traverse several hundred meters of primitive mountain paths. The subsequent two kilometers were easier to navigate; though still a dirt road, the village had pooled money to level it out.
Fangfang mentioned that her summer break would only last until August 10th, as third-year high school students had to report early for remedial classes.
Jian Xingxia turned to ask Little Hu Liu, “What grade are you entering this year? Tenth grade? Or ninth grade? Do you have remedial classes too?”
Little Hu Liu was pedaling the three-wheeler with all his might, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Fangfang answered on his behalf.
“He stopped going after finishing junior high last year. He’s been at home helping out with chores ever since.” Fangfang explained, “There are no high schools left in the neighboring villages. If you want to go, you have to head to the town and board there. A lot of people just drop out.”
Stubbornly, Little Hu Liu insisted that it was his own choice. “I only scored two or three hundred on the high school entrance exam anyway; I wouldn’t have made it into a high school regardless.”
Fangfang let out a hinf. “You scored over five hundred on the graduation exam, but only two or three hundred on the entrance exam?”
Little Hu Liu fell silent. His mother was mute, and his family’s financial situation was precarious to begin with. Then, the year before last, his father fell at a construction site and was left with a crippled leg; the compensation money hadn’t even covered the subsequent treatments and rehabilitation. He didn’t want to place his parents in a difficult position.
Looking at Little Hu Liu’s lean, solitary back, Jian Xingxia felt a bitter pang in her heart. The outside world was developing at a breakneck pace, yet life in the mountains hadn’t improved alongside it.
If I can manage this manor well, maybe in the future, just like hiring ancient temporary workers, I can hire the villagers…
…
Once they entered the village, the road transitioned into concrete, stretching all the way to the town.
It was barely five in the morning when the trio arrived, yet many of the villagers were already awake and active. The village’s only two small pickup trucks and two cars were packed to the brim with people and cargo.
Auntie Lu parted the crowd around her and called out to Jian Xingxia and Fangfang, “Fangfang, Xiaxia, over here!”
Jian Xingxia and Fangfang, carrying the peaches, squeezed their way onto the pickup truck. Auntie Lu lifted the bamboo basket that was occupying a seat and wedged it beneath her feet, allowing Fangfang and Jian Xingxia to squeeze in together.
Someone nearby looked displeased and nudged back forcefully. Jian Xingxia bit the bullet and pretended not to notice.
This was simply how things worked in the village. Although a village minibus service had been established, it only ran six times a day, making a crowded and circuitous route. This was magnified tenfold on market days; by the time the bus reached Lu’an Village, there likely wouldn’t even be room to plant a foot.
After Jian Xingxia sat down, two more people squeezed their way inside.
“Hey, whose bag is this? Let me shift it over, can I sit here?” Lacking a place to sit, people would feel around this sack or that bag, and upon finding a suitable one, call out a request.
The owners of the bags didn’t take offense either, calling out from whatever corner they were wedged into, “Go ahead and sit, go ahead. It’s just corn inside.” The seatless passengers would then sit down with a peaceful mind.
Someone circuited the truck to collect the fare. “Five yuan per person! Bags can’t occupy a seat, it costs extra if they do!”
Jian Xingxia reached into her pocket to pay, but Auntie Lu forcefully intercepted her hand. “I’ve got it!”
Jian Xingxia’s hand was slapped red, so she didn’t dare dispute further, quietly accepting this kindness.
The pickup truck set off. With every start and brake, half the passengers in the bed would lose their footing and slide. Jian Xingxia gripped Fangfang’s arm tightly, while Fangfang was practically squeezed right into Auntie Lu’s embrace.
Once the truck settled into a steady cruise, a familiar villager turned to ask Jian Xingxia, “Why didn’t you stay in the city? It’s so much better to find a job there—the wages are high!”
Jian Xingxia shook her head. “I looked, but I couldn’t find anything. The monthly salary was 3,500 yuan, without room and board provided.” If you factored in nothing else but rent, utilities, food, and transportation, there wouldn’t be a single cent left over.
“3,500 is a bit low.”
“And without room and board included, eating out is so expensive nowadays.”
“There are too many college graduates now. Even the news says a lot of people can’t find jobs.”
Everyone chattered and discussed, their tones adopting a layer of sympathy toward Jian Xingxia.
One man, however, spoke with a hint of smugness, “See, what’s the use of studying so much? You’re still not as good as us farmers!”
No one paid him any attention. Not being able to find a job was a matter of sheer helplessness. But studying wasn’t solely for the purpose of finding work; as long as a family could afford to provide it, who wouldn’t want their children to study more, understand proper reason, and acquire a proper trade?
…
The pickup truck swayed and jolted, taking half an hour to cover the dozen or so kilometers. They finally arrived at the great market.
The pickup driver called out for everyone to disembark; he still had to head back for a second trip. Jian Xingxia worked alongside Auntie Lu, hastily unloading their belongings from the truck.
Fangfang was quick on her feet and had already secured a prime spot.
“Over here!”
They had headed to the open-air market section right outside the marketplace entrance. No stall fees were collected here; as long as one didn’t set up fixed frameworks, the market administrators wouldn’t interfere.
Auntie Lu had brought a large basket of fresh jujubes, a gunny sack of sweet potatoes, and a small bag of river shrimp she had dried herself. Jian Xingxia only had peaches. She observed the vendors around her and followed their example, laying out a plastic sheet and arranging the most attractive peaches right on top.
Fangfang took a quick stroll around the area and returned to report, “The peaches inside are selling for four or five yuan. The five-yuan ones are large and have great eye appeal.”
“There are people selling for three yuan outside, but they aren’t nearly as good as Sister Xiaxia’s peaches.”
“Then we’ll sell for four yuan.”
Jian Xingxia wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of selling goods; she had worked plenty of part-time retail jobs during her four years of university. She divided the peaches into two piles, single-handedly picking out twenty to thirty specimens that had average eye appeal or were smaller in size to set aside.
With the stall established, Jian Xingxia’s first move was to purchase a roll of plastic bags. It cost ten yuan for three hundred bags, and they were very sturdy.
Savings -10, remaining balance 3,561.
Jian Xingxia picked out six large peaches, packing them into a bag to gift to the elderly couple selling lotus roots at the neighboring stall, securing an agreement to borrow their electronic scale later.
The peaches from her grandmother’s house were of an unknown variety, but they were large and beautifully colored. The elderly couple took an immense liking to them and warmly set the electronic platform scale right between their two stalls.
Auntie Lu tucked her steelyard balance away, her heart filled with joy. Xiaxia has become much more sensible.
Fangfang went off and purchased three deep-fried dough sticks and three bowls of sweet tofu pudding.
“Fresh out of the pot! A ton of people are lining up to buy them!”
Jian Xingxia took a large bite; the dough stick was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, filling her mouth with a rich, savory fragrance. The tofu pudding was incredibly tender and smooth, sprinkled with white sugar—a distinctly sweet flavor profile favored in the Lu’an Village region. Jian Xingxia could drink it either sweet or savory, but the sweet style currently suited the cup format better, making it convenient to hold.
She had only finished half of her dough stick when someone approached to inquire about the price of the peaches.
