Chapter 9: What Can We Sell?
Leaving the medicine shop with money in their pockets, the siblings finally felt a bit of relief.
As the saying goes, with money, you can travel the world; without it, you can’t take a single step. Now that they had some money, at least they wouldn’t starve.
Looking at the ancient-styled streets, Wen Yao tightened her grip on Datou’s hand and glanced at Wen Jun. “Brother, why don’t we walk around the market for a bit?”
Wen Jun looked at the bustling street, nodded, and bent down to pick Datou up.
“I’ll carry Datou. Look around as much as you want.” He knew his sister wouldn’t just be wandering aimlessly—she definitely had something in mind.
As they walked, Wen Yao observed everything, occasionally stopping to ask questions. Thanks to her sweet-talking nature, the street vendors were more than happy to chat with her.
Before they knew it, nearly an hour had passed. Datou, perched on Wen Jun’s back, was starting to get restless. Several times, he reached out, trying to grab Wen Yao’s sleeve as she veered off in different directions, but he kept failing. In frustration, he wiggled around, anxiously looking in one direction.
Wen Jun nearly lost his balance from all the fidgeting and had no choice but to put him down.
“Datou, what’s wrong?” Wen Jun asked.
Datou frowned at Wen Yao, then looked toward the direction Wen Xiuyi had pointed before he left. He stretched out his hand.
Wen Jun’s lips twitched. This little guy is upset that Yao Yao took too long shopping and delayed finding Father, huh?
Chuckling, he pinched Datou’s nose. Then he called Wen Yao back.
“Are you done looking around?”
“Mm-hmm.” Wen Yao nodded, then noticed their little radish-looking brother pouting in discontent. Taking the chance, she ruffled his hair and teased, “What’s wrong with our Datou? Your lips are sticking out so far, you could hang an oil pot on them.”
Datou froze, seemingly trying to figure out what an oil pot was. Then, he lifted his little hand and pointed toward the docks.
“Datou doesn’t want you to keep wandering—he wants to find Father,” Wen Jun explained.
Wen Yao laughed and pinched Datou’s chubby cheeks. “Oh, so you’re blaming me, huh? You little ingrate. Alright, alright, let’s go find Father.”
After asking for directions along the way, the three of them finally reached the docks.
When they arrived, they realized the docks were just as lively as the main market. Numerous merchant ships were moored along the river, and people bustled about—traders, workers waiting for jobs, and of course, plenty of street vendors.
Wen Yao’s sharp eyes immediately spotted several fishmongers, so she led Datou over.
Datou, still holding her hand, kept looking around for Wen Xiuyi. Unfortunately, being small and weak, he couldn’t resist when Wen Yao tugged him toward the fish stall.
“Uncle, how much for the fish?” Wen Yao asked.
The middle-aged vendor looked at the three of them and, rather than dismissing them, responded with a friendly smile. “Twelve wen per jin. Don’t worry, my fish are fresh—just caught from the river this morning.”
Inside two large wooden tubs, the fish were indeed lively, splashing about.
Wen Yao was about to say, “Give me two,” when Datou tugged on her sleeve. The little guy’s brows were tightly furrowed, his face filled with worry.
Wen Yao crouched down and whispered, “We made money today. Father worked hard—shouldn’t we buy something to nourish him?”
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, Datou’s expression eased. He even reached out and pointed at the biggest fish in the tub.
This one.
Wen Yao and Wen Jun exchanged glances. Looks like Old Man Wen’s newly acquired little coat is quite warm.
“Uncle, we’ll take this one. How much?” The fish was at least four or five jin—enough for the four of them to share.
“This one’s a bit over five jin, but I’ll round it to five for you.” The vendor scooped up the fish and placed it on the scale—it actually weighed more than five and a half jin.
Wen Yao quickly handed over the money. The vendor tied the fish with a strand of straw rope to make it easier to carry.
With Wen Yao holding Datou’s hand and Wen Jun carrying the fish, they wandered around the docks, but there was still no sign of Wen Xiuyi.
“How are we supposed to find him?” Wen Yao muttered, glancing at Datou. The little guy hadn’t said a word, but after walking around for so long, he was sweating despite the cold weather.
Wen Jun, also worried that his younger siblings were getting tired, decided, “You two stay here. I’ll go look for him.”
Once Wen Jun left, Wen Yao found a spot to sit with Datou. She pulled out a cloth bundle and took out two steamed buns, handing one to him.
Datou stared at the warm bun in confusion, then looked at Wen Yao.
Wen Yao took a bite and explained, “I wrapped them up when we left home, so they stayed warm. Eat up.”
Only after Datou took a bite did she relax. This kid was sharp—he’d probably notice if something was off. The bun had just come straight out of her space, so of course, it was warm. Good thing he couldn’t talk yet. If he started questioning her, she wouldn’t know how to explain.
As they ate, Wen Yao continued observing the docks. Compared to the marketplace, this area was much more chaotic. Vendors had no set stalls and simply set up wherever it was convenient. Despite that, business seemed to be booming.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, Wen Jun finally returned with Wen Xiuyi.
Compared to when he had left that morning, Wen Xiuyi now looked much more disheveled. After dusting off his clothes, he sat down, pulled Datou into his arms, and settled in the same spot they had been waiting.
Wen Yao wiped his hands with a cloth before handing him a warm steamed bun.
“So? Do you think your idea will work?” Wen Xiuyi asked while eating. He tore off small pieces and fed them to his youngest son as well.
Wen Yao gestured toward the vendor stalls. “I think it’s doable. The docks have all sorts of vendors, but the most common food stalls are selling steamed buns and mantou—there are four of those. Then, there are two selling noodles, three selling dumplings and wontons, and several tea stalls where merchants take breaks. Those usually sell things like fried pancakes, pastries, and simple stir-fries.”
Wen Xiuyi nodded. “So, what do you think we should sell?”
Wen Yao motioned for Wen Jun to sit down as well. The four of them formed a small circle, and she began explaining her thoughts.
“Before coming here, my brother and I walked around town and talked to some vendors. In the city, most customers are either residents or people from nearby villages coming to buy supplies. Unless you’re selling something really special, business is just average.”
“But at the docks, I noticed that the food doesn’t need to be fancy—the priority is filling people up. Who are the most common visitors here? Laborers and merchants. But we can’t immediately aim for the merchants. If they have money, they’ll just eat in the city. They’re not going to sit at the docks for a meal, right?”
Father and son both nodded in agreement. Even Datou, after watching them, copied their movement and nodded along.
