Chapter 6

Xia Hongsheng left the academy and deliberately took a detour to the market, but he did not see his sister-in-law. He thought she must have sold all the scallion pancakes and returned home. He went straight back home, but still did not see his sister-in-law. After waiting for a while, he finally saw her figure in the distance, carrying many things and moving slowly towards home, taking a break with each step. Xia Hongsheng quickly ran out and saw that his sister-in-law was carrying several coarse cloth bags on her back, a few tied to her arms, and a few more in her hands. Sweat was streaming down her face, and she had to stop to catch her breath after each step. Xia Hongsheng watched from a distance, and his nose stung instantly.

At twenty-two, he thought about what a woman of that age would be like in the future, and then looked at his sister-in-law. What a stark contrast! Xia Hongsheng quickly ran over, ignoring his sister-in-law's protests, and took the coarse cloth bags from her back, hoisting them onto his own. He forgot that he was just a teenager, and the heavy bags almost made him fall backward. However, he gritted his teeth and continued walking step by step, ignoring his sister-in-law's calls from behind.

When they finally got home, Xia Hongsheng was completely exhausted. He dropped the bags on the ground and slumped to the floor, leaning against them and panting. His sister-in-law, no longer burdened by the bags, quickly ran over, put down her luggage, and hurried to wipe the sweat off Xia Hongsheng's face.

"Sister-in-law, why didn't you hire a cart to bring everything back? Why did you carry it all yourself? You went to the market this morning too, right?" Xia Hongsheng was somewhat angry, blaming his sister-in-law for not taking care of herself.

"There wasn't much, and I could manage it myself. Why hire a cart? By the way, Hongsheng, our scallion pancakes sold really well. As soon as I got to the market this morning, a crowd gathered around! I've never seen so many people in my life! I kept making and selling them one after another, but the crowd never seemed to diminish. Later, someone wanted to buy all of them, but I didn't agree because many people had been waiting for a long time. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough flour today, so I used all the money from selling the pancakes to buy more ingredients, including the lard you mentioned!" His sister-in-law spoke excitedly without pausing to catch her breath, her tired face glowing with excitement and enthusiasm. Despite the heavy burden of life, she seemed more vibrant and hopeful.

Xia Hongsheng knew that scallion pancakes were still a novelty, so it was natural for them to sell well. However, seeing his sister-in-law so excited, he didn't want to dampen her spirits. He put on a look of eager anticipation and asked, "Sister-in-law, how much did you sell today?"

"Guess!" His sister-in-law looked at Xia Hongsheng with excitement, a proud and mysterious smile on her face. Xia Hongsheng was somewhat surprised; in his original memory, his sister-in-law had never been so cheerful. Before he could guess, she couldn't hold it in any longer and held up one finger, saying excitedly, "One string of cash! Hongsheng, I sold a full string of cash today!"

Xia Hongsheng's eyes widened. One string of cash was a thousand copper coins! How was that possible? Did they have that much flour?!

"How about that, surprised, right?!" His sister-in-law waved her finger in front of Xia Hongsheng's face, looking proud.

His sister-in-law had never shown such a lively side before. Xia Hongsheng knew that at twenty-two, the heavy burden of life had already weighed her down. But today was different. She finally saw hope in life, and the future seemed brighter. With a lighter heart, her true nature at this age returned.

"Sister-in-law, I know how much flour we had this morning. At most, we could make about a hundred pancakes. How much did you sell each for?" Xia Hongsheng was worried. Scallion pancakes couldn't be sold as a high-end delicacy; they had to be sold at a low profit but in large quantities. Soon, others would start selling scallion pancakes in the market, and if the price was too high, no one would buy from them. If they lowered the price later, it would damage their reputation.

"Don't worry, Hongsheng. I'm not stupid. I know we can't sell them too expensively. The Yixiangju in the market wants me to deliver three hundred scallion pancakes tomorrow, and this string of cash is the deposit. I told them that three hundred wouldn't cost a string of cash, but the manager said the extra money was to have me set up my stall opposite Yixiangju tomorrow." His sister-in-law patted Xia Hongsheng's head and smiled. "We made a string of cash in just one day. At this rate, we can repair our house in half a year. Maybe we can even build a new one. Then I can find a good match for you, and in a couple of years, you'll be ready to get married..."

His sister-in-law looked up at the sky, her face filled with anticipation. Xia Hongsheng, however, was stunned. Wait, did he hear that right? In a couple of years... he was still a minor, and she was already thinking about finding him a match?!

Xia Hongsheng sighed softly, not wanting to interrupt his sister-in-law's daydreaming. He casually took a few copper coins from the string and walked out, remembering that there was a carpenter in the neighborhood.

He ran to the carpenter's house. The old man, who was planing a piece of wood, saw Xia Hongsheng and called out with a smile, "Xia's boy, what did you feed my grandson the other day? He's been picky about food for days, refusing to eat anything at home and crying for your pancakes!"

"It's the scallion pancakes my sister-in-law made. I didn't know, or I would have brought some. Don't worry, I'll bring a few over later, enough to satisfy your grandson!" Xia Hongsheng smiled and bowed in greeting. His family was poor, and the neighbors often helped him and his sister-in-law, so he couldn't be stingy.

"No, that won't do! It's not easy for you to make food, and it's a waste for a child to eat it all. Tell me, what brings you here today? What do you need help with?" The old man, who had been joking, waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to bring the pancakes.

Xia Hongsheng entered the yard, bowed to the old man, and said, "I know you're a skilled carpenter, and today I want to ask you to make something. Here's the deposit, please take it."

The old man didn't even look at the coins. He glared at Xia Hongsheng and said disdainfully, "Hey! You're too formal. You're a scholar, and if you like my work, just ask. We've been neighbors for two generations. If you had extra food, it would be different, but now you and your sister-in-law are barely getting by. My family isn't rich either, and we don't give much help. If you need something, just ask. But you're actually paying me? Do you think I'm an unscrupulous merchant? I may not be educated, but I know right from wrong. Don't pick up those petty scholar habits in the academy!"

Xia Hongsheng scratched his head. This wasn't what he had expected. Were people in the Tang Dynasty really this generous, even a carpenter living in a thatched hut? The power of universal values was truly formidable.

"Old Mr. Zhang, that's not what I meant. My sister-in-law has been selling scallion pancakes and made a string of cash. Things are much better now. Besides, the item I want to make is quite complex and not easy to build, so please take the money. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty and won't dare to trouble you!" Xia Hongsheng was very polite but firm.

Seeing Xia Hongsheng's serious expression, the old man waved his hand and said, "Let's make it first, and we'll see. What do you want me to build? Do you have a design?"

Xia Hongsheng ran to the old man's kitchen, pulled out a piece of charcoal from the hearth, and ran out to draw on the ground. He wanted to build something like a food cart from the night markets in the future. It would have a canopy to hang a sign and protect from the sun and rain, a workbench below, a place to store dough on the left, a space to knead dough in the middle, a stove on the right for cooking, cabinets under the workbench to store ingredients, and wheels at the bottom with handles on both sides for pushing. This way, his sister-in-law wouldn't have to carry everything to the market. She could push the cart and make the pancakes on the spot, which would be more convenient and mobile.

Xia Hongsheng drew a rough sketch on a stone slab and explained his idea in detail to the old man. The old man's eyes and mouth opened wide, and he swallowed hard, looking at Xia Hongsheng as if he were a monster. He rubbed his hands and said, "What kind of brain do you have? How could you come up with something like this? You're amazing! I need to live a few more years to save money and send my grandson to the academy to learn more!"

Xia Hongsheng smiled. The old man was very interested in the cart and promised to have it done in no more than half a month, assuring Xia Hongsheng not to worry. Xia Hongsheng went back home, where his sister-in-law was already busy kneading dough. He asked her to make a stack of pancakes and insisted that she hire a cart the next day. Then he went out again, delivering the pancakes to the old man's house. The old man and his son, who also worked as a carpenter, were delighted. The old man slapped the table and told his son to help, promising that Xia Hongsheng would see the finished cart in no more than seven days.

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