Chapter 12 Liu the Peddler
In one evening, six pairs of straw sandals were sold.
In exchange he received eleven copper coins, five coarse porcelain bowls, and three eggs.
Dalang said that one egg could be sold for one cent, so if he saved up some, he could take them to the town to sell during the market day, and that would earn him several cents.
Although the coarse porcelain bowl has a crack on it, it is much more useful than the broken pottery bowls at home.
Qin Yao counted out six copper coins and asked Dalang which family in the village sold oil and salt.
Dalang swallowed his saliva and said, "The peddler has some at home."
"Do you know how to sell it?" Qin Yao asked, picking up the remaining four pairs of straw sandals and the torn mat.
If I had bought some oil and salt, I would have been able to have delicious meals tonight. There is still half a handful of vegetables left from yesterday.
Dalang shook his head. He almost never had the chance to buy things from the peddler's house. In the past, when they picked some wild fruits in the mountains and wanted to sell them to the peddler, they were directly driven out.
When so many villagers gathered around them today, the four brothers and sisters were actually a little flattered, because in the past, the villagers would only drive them away or stay away from them with disgust.
But today, everyone gathered around them, not only did they not look down on them, they also bought their things.
Dalang and Erlang vaguely realized that it might be because they washed their faces, combed their hair, and put on shoes that they no longer smelled.
And all these changes were due to the stepmother. After she came to their house, the house became brighter, the bed became softer, and even they became cleaner.
The days that were dark in the past gradually became brighter.
Fortunately, Dalang and Erlang knew where the peddler's house was. While it was still light and some outlines could be seen, Qin Yao asked the four brothers and sisters to wait there. She took the copper coins and the remaining four pairs of straw sandals and walked quickly towards the peddler's house.
The peddler's surname was also Liu. He was in his early twenties and he often went to the shops in the town to buy needles, thread, oil, salt and other daily necessities, then sold them in the surrounding villages to make a profit.
Normally, he also collects various mountain products and embroidery made by girls and women, sells them on their behalf, and charges a middleman fee.
By doing business on both sides, I can earn some money, and my family lives one of the better lives in the village.
Because he roamed the streets everywhere, people in the surrounding villages called him Liu the Peddler.
Liu the peddler's house is easy to find because he sells goods and has set up a stall in front of his house, so you can see it at a glance.
When she got closer and saw the tall courtyard wall neatly built with stones, Qin Yao was deeply envious.
But she firmly believes that her own family will soon have one.
I knocked on the half-open wooden door, and a young woman's puzzled voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"I'm here to buy some oil and salt!" Qin Yao replied.
The door creaked open, and Liu the peddler's wife looked suspiciously at the slender, pretty woman at the door, "Who are you?"
Although she didn't want to say it, Qin Yao still had to introduce herself. "I'm from Liu Ji's family at the end of the village. My name is Qin Yao. I just arrived in the village. Sister-in-law, you may not have seen me."
"Yunniang, who is it?"
Liu the peddler also came over and thought Qin Yao looked familiar. He had met Qin Yao once and recognized her.
"Is it Brother Liu's?"
Qin Yao nodded.
Liu the peddler hurriedly invited her in and said to Yunniang, "Then you have to call me sister-in-law. Third brother is older than me."
"Sister-in-law, what do you want to buy? I just went to town the day before yesterday to buy some goods, and now I have all the goods."
Liu the peddler led Qin Yao to a small stall on the left side of the door, lit the oil lamp, and let her choose.
Yunniang followed and looked at Liu Ji's young sister-in-law curiously.
Qin Yao asked about the prices of oil and salt.
Rapeseed oil is 12 wen per pound, lard is 23 wen per pound, fine salt is 30 wen per pound, and coarse salt is 18 wen per pound.
Qin Yao looked at the copper coins in her hand and felt sad, very sad.
He shamelessly raised the four pairs of straw sandals in his hand and said, "Brother Liu, can I let you sell these straw sandals? Or you can buy them and I'll give them to you at a low price. I just sold six pairs at the village well today, and all the buyers said they were good."
In fact, as soon as Qin Yao entered the door, the couple noticed the straw sandals in her hands, so they were not surprised to hear this.
The girls and wives in the village would always ask him to sell their homemade insoles, handkerchiefs and other items, and straw sandals were also acceptable.
"Sister-in-law, how much are you going to sell it to me at the lowest price?" Liu the peddler asked politely.
The more Yunniang looked at Qin Yao, the more she felt sympathy for her. She looked like a capable woman who could even weave straw sandals, but she married Liu Ji, that evildoer. What a miserable life she had.
Seeing Qin Yao's skinny appearance, Yunniang pushed her husband and said, "A pair of straw sandals in town costs five or six coins. You can help my sister-in-law sell them and give the money directly to her. It won't take up much trouble."
What this means is, don't ask for any middleman fees.
"No, no, no." Qin Yao said quickly: "Business is business. Everyone's life is hard, and you have to make money. I sell them at the village well for three cents a pair. If you take them, I will give you two pairs for five cents. How about that?"
I heard Yunniang just say that a pair of straw sandals can be sold for five to six cents in the town, and Liu the peddler can make half of it if he buys the goods from her.
Liu the peddler quietly pried open his wife's hand that was pinching his arm, "Okay, I'll sell it first, and then give the money to my sister-in-law, how about that?"
Qin Yao readily handed over the four pairs of straw sandals in her hand, "Then I'll leave it to you."
At the end, he added, "If it sells well, I still have stock. We can make it in sizes for boys, girls and children."
"Okay, okay." Liu the peddler took the shoes and asked Qin Yao how much oil and salt she wanted.
Qin Yao was short of money, so she could only buy two taels of vegetable oil and two taels of coarse salt, not more, not less, exactly six cents.
She didn't bring any containers, so Yunniang kindly lent her a bamboo tube to hold the oil and wrapped the coarse salt in a banana leaf, and handed them all to Qin Yao.
"Then I will ask Dalang to return the bamboo tube to you tomorrow morning."
As Qin Yao left with the oil and salt, she thought to herself, this peddler couple are pretty nice people.
When they arrived at the village well, the four Liu brothers and sisters immediately surrounded her, looking excitedly at the bamboo tube and banana leaf in her hands. They smelled the vegetable oil and their stomachs growled as they were already starving.
Qin Yao raised her chin and said, "Let's go home and cook."
The four brothers and sisters nodded in unison, their eyes sparkling, and trotted all the way home, especially looking forward to today's dinner.
As soon as he got home, Dalang replaced the original ceramic bowl, took out another one, covered it with straw, and planned to use it to hold the eggs.
Even though they drooled at the sight of eggs, they never thought of eating them.
If you save up this precious stuff and sell it for money, you can buy more brown rice and have more meals.
So, Dalang excitedly went to the kitchen to find Qin Yao with a bowl padded with straw.
Just as he was about to speak, his eyes widened instantly!
Qin Yao skillfully cracked three eggs, put them into boiling water, stirred them with chopsticks, sprinkled a handful of salt, added a drop of vegetable oil, and finally added a handful of wild onions that she had just caught by the river. In an instant, an extremely tempting and fresh fragrance hit her face!
Liu Dalang, who couldn't remember the last time he had eaten meat, swallowed hard.
Then, he poured out the straw in the bowl without hesitation.
The four brothers and sisters gathered around the stove, staring at the egg soup boiling in the pot, flashing a faint green light.
Qin Yao could clearly hear the sound of slurping saliva coming from behind her. Her stomach also became uncontrollable and made a loud "gurgling" sound.
(End of this chapter)