Chapter 64

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Early in the morning, Li Han led two spotted horses from the stable, padded them, and harnessed them to the cart. He then drove the cart over. Zhou Hao and his brother-in-law helped Li Han load the vegetables onto the cart. The vegetables were placed in small wooden buckets, neatly arranged, and looked very colorful.

Zhou Rui placed the last small bucket of vegetables, clapped her hands, and stood by the side, nodding and saying, "It's really beautiful, like a bunch of flowers."

"It does look nice. The tomatoes are quite big and taste good. They will definitely sell for a good price," Wu Miaomiao said with a smile, arranging the tomatoes into neat piles and placing a few leaves on top, which looked quite appealing.

After the vegetables were loaded, Wu Miaomiao and Zhou Rui helped their mother prepare lunch. They packed some cooked beef, which their father had specially prepared the day before, into large paper bags. There were also freshly baked, fragrant cream bread and small cakes.

Li Han reminded them, "Don't forget to bring two buckets of beer for lunch." His mother glared at him and said, "This kid is talking about beer so early in the morning. I'm afraid Dudu will learn and become a little drunkard. I'll tell you, if Dudu learns to drink from you, I'll skin you alive."

"Mom, it's just that the weather is hot. A little beer will quench our thirst. Dad, brother-in-law, don't you agree?" Li Han winked at his brother-in-law and father. His mother huffed, and his brother-in-law and father just chuckled and ignored him, turning to fuss with the vegetables on the cart, muttering about the big tomatoes, good cucumbers, and nice-looking green beans.

Li Han was speechless but was glad he had already put a bucket of beer on the cart. His mother nagged a bit, and Li Han just listened, finding an excuse to slip away. "Mom, I'll go see if Sister has finished dressing the two little ones." He ran upstairs, and Zhang Xiuying said with a mix of amusement and annoyance, "This kid, how old is he? He doesn't know to slow down." Wu Miaomiao and Zhou Rui giggled, finding it quite amusing. After lunch was prepared, they packed everything into large bags and placed them on the cart.

Li Han ran upstairs and found his sister putting cowboy hats on the two little ones. They looked like little cowboys with the hats, bandanas around their necks, cowboy pants, small boots, large buttons on their waists, and toy revolvers. The two little ones had been pestering their sister to dress them up and were eager to ride horses and wave lassos.

His sister stepped back, looked at them, and nodded. "Xiao Han, come and see how they look."

"Uncle, look at Baby's boots, they have chains," said the two little ones, showing off their boots, which had decorative leather braids that matched the patterns on the boots, looking like flowers.

"Really nice, two little cowboys. Let's go downstairs for lunch and then set off." Li Han pinched their little noses, teased them, and led them and his sister downstairs. Breakfast was quite hearty, and his mother kept urging them to eat more. Before they left, she packed some salted duck eggs, and Dudu and Baby each got two eggs in their pockets. After eating, they tidied up, and it was time to go. Li Han told Dana to take care of the farm.

The family sat in the middle of the cart, which was loaded with vegetables. Dudu and Baby sat in the center of the vegetables, and the two little ones didn't forget to bring their big turtle, two lambs, and two baby turkeys.

Li Han arranged for the two little ones, placing some hay on the cart to use as seats and to feed the horses. Everyone got on the cart. "Sit tight, we're off." The cart set off, and the cowboy market was a joint event held by four or five towns around Kemixing, happening two or three times a month. It wasn't far, and it took about an hour to get there by cart. On the way, they encountered many people driving pickups with various goods, mobile stalls, and cowboys riding horses and bulls, all adorned with various decorations.

The market was set up on a grassy field, and when Li Han and his family arrived, there were already many people there. "There are quite a few people. Let's find a place to park."

They found an empty spot, stopped, and unharnessed the cart, leaving it on the ground. The vegetables didn't need to be unloaded, and Dudu held up their sign. "This place is really nice. Look, over there, they're selling saddles made of high-quality leather, all handmade, very beautiful."

A stall was filled with saddles, pads, bridles, girths, cowboy belts, and other items. Two cowboys were talking, probably negotiating prices. Li Han's parents came over and said with a smile, "It's quite lively here. It's a bit like the rural markets back home."

Zhou Hao, Zhou Rui, and Wu Miaomiao also looked around curiously. It was quite interesting, not just the saddles but also cowboy-themed stores selling decorated jeans, chaps, holsters, hats, and boots, all handmade. Many cowboys, both men and women, and even children, were wandering around, playing and chasing each other. On the far side of the field, many people had spread out tablecloths and set up food and drinks, treating it like a picnic.

Li Han had been to the market a few times and wasn't too surprised. He smiled and said to his parents, "Mom, Dad, brother-in-law, there's a showboy performance of horse riding and bull roping up ahead. It's quite interesting. Let's go check it out later." As he spoke, he placed the price tags in the vegetable buckets, and Dudu and Baby helped set them up. The two little ones were eager to earn money, having seen a small shop selling sandwiches, cream cakes, and ice cream.

Li Han set up the price tags and placed the electronic scale nearby, then clapped his hands. "Let's go for a walk." "What about the stall?" "It's fine, Mom. People can just weigh the vegetables and pay according to the price tag. We can't just sit here and sell vegetables all day."

"Dudu will sell the vegetables." Dudu looked up with a serious expression, referring to the vegetables he had planted. "Okay, okay, Dudu will sell the vegetables. We'll all help Dudu sell them when we come back. Let's go see the little horses, okay? There are some up ahead."

Dudu thought for a moment and nodded. Dudu and Baby led the two lambs, with the two baby turkeys following behind and a slow-moving big turtle. The group attracted quite a bit of attention, especially since there were few Chinese people around. Along the way, Li Han recognized a few people and stopped at a stall selling second-hand goods. The stall had many small trinkets, wooden cowboys, horses, pigs, turtles, and other small items, as well as small saddles.

There were also some second-hand items at very low prices. Next to the stall was a jewelry stand with turquoise and other items. His sister and mother liked them, and the girl selling them said she designed them herself. The prices ranged from a few dollars to a few dozen dollars, and they were quite pretty. His sister picked out several, a few of which were over a hundred dollars. Dudu and Baby also got some crystal bracelets, and Zhou Rui and Wu Miaomiao bought a few pieces as well.

After visiting the two stalls, Li Han had two bags of small items to bring back as souvenirs. They didn't walk far before coming to an interesting stall selling decorations made from cow bones and skulls. The owner was quite friendly, giving small items to visitors, and the carvings were quite interesting, including bracelets and other small trinkets.

His mother and father felt a bit embarrassed about taking so many things, but Li Han said with a smile, "It's fine. It's a gift, and we're happy to receive it. Both sides are happy, isn't that great?"

"There are many things here, half sold and half given away. Some stalls are even unattended, with just a small iron bucket where you can take what you want and pay what you think is fair," Li Han said with a smile.

"This place is really interesting," Zhou Rui said. Many stalls sold small items and handicrafts, and many people did it as a hobby, not to make much money. They just sold things for a bit of cash. It was quite interesting, and the family chatted and laughed as they picked out some small items. The prices were low, and they collected several items, including cow and sheep bones and small wooden carvings.

"Sister, the jeans here are really cheap," his sister said, pointing to the jeans hanging on the side, which were priced at four or five dollars, with the most expensive being around ten dollars, and they were even branded like Levi's.

"These are all discounted or outdated styles, but the quality is good. Cowboys don't care much about fashion, so as long as the quality is good and the price is low, it's fine," Li Han explained.

His sister, hearing that they were genuine, suggested bringing a few back for friends in China, as they were quite cheap. Li Han thought it was a good idea to buy these as gifts, as items over a hundred dollars were too expensive. They picked out a few nice pairs of jeans, saddles, and exaggerated cowboy decorations, but Li Han didn't like them much.

"Let's go listen to some music later," he said.

"Is it a band?" Zhou Rui asked curiously. Li Han smiled and said, "Not necessarily. Some are impromptu performances, mostly bands, but there's no stage or sound system. You'll see when we get there. There are no seats, but there are hay bales, and people sit facing each other, which is quite interesting."

"Let's go quickly," Zhou Rui said, interested in country music and a fan of Taylor Swift.