ng Shuyan stared eagerly at the twelve animals, his little mouth slightly open, almost drooling. But his grown-up-like self-control made him close his mouth. Even though there was no drool, he still pretended to wipe his mouth. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Mom, you’re amazing."
The little animals his mom made were way cuter than the ones he made.
With admiration, ng Shuyan thought, Mom is the most amazing mom in the world.
That’s his mom. Having a mom feels so good.
While his mom wasn’t looking, he secretly wiped a tear away in a mont of sentintality.
The next morning, Tian Sangsang woke up early. She found a backpack basket, washed and dried it, then placed a thick cushion inside. After laying everything out, she put the stear on top and lined it with a layer of fine white gauze to cover the food. She packed other items, including dumplings wrapped in gauze, mung bean cakes, and sweet potato buns, into her spatial storage.
Tian Sangsang quietly closed the door and glanced at the little dumpling still lying in bed, not yet awake. Last night, she had coaxed him into agreeing not to tag along. Honestly, it was her first ti going to the town herself, and she was worried about the crowds and not being able to take care of him.
"Mom," the little guy suddenly opened his eyes, looked at her, and murmured softly.
Her hand, about to shut the door, froze in place. Tian Sangsang’s heart softened as she walked to the bedside, scooped his soft little body into her arms, and kissed his cheek. "Yanyan, Mom will be back soon. I’ve made breakfast for you—make sure you eat it."
ng Shuyan nodded.
Tian Sangsang looked into his eyes and asked, "Tell Mom, are you scared to stay ho alone?" If her son said he was scared, she wouldn’t have the heart to leave him.
"I’m not scared. I’ll go to Gousheng’s house to study and read." ng Shuyan’s eyes were a little red, but he tried hard to appear mature. "I know Mom needs to make money."
"Hmm." Tian Sangsang ruffled his hair tenderly and said, "You have to be good."
"Sangsang, Sangsang, are you ready yet?" ca Aunt Zhong’s greeting from outside the yard.
"Son, Mom’s really leaving now." Tian Sangsang reluctantly stroked his curly hair and steeled herself to stand up.
"Go, Mom! You can do it!" The little one put on a big smile, his long eyelashes fluttering.
So adorable! Tian Sangsang couldn’t resist planting another kiss on him. It’s true—the cutest phase of childhood only lasts a few years. When they grow older, they won’t let you kiss them or hold them. Best to seize the privilege while you can.
Halfway down the road, Tian Sangsang thought of ng Shuyan and let out a long sigh, "Ah~~~~!"
Aunt Zhong glanced at her. "Missing Yanyan already?"
Caught red-handed, Tian Sangsang blushed bright red and admitted, "Yes, Auntie. It’s my first ti leaving him for so long."
"Every mom misses their child when they’re at ho—it’s like a piece of your own flesh. Even Gousheng is close to his mom. You can rest assured; there’s nothing to worry about. Xiaoqin is keeping an eye on him. Let’s sell everything quickly so we can return early," Aunt Zhong said, now fully confident in her maternal instincts. It was hard to believe how much she’d disliked Yanyan in the past.
Up ahead, in the dim morning light, a person appeared. Aunt Zhong exclaid with a smile, "It’s Hehua!"
It was Li Hehua from the neighboring village. Li Hehua greeted them and after sizing up Tian Sangsang, said to Aunt Zhong, "Who’s with you today? Isn’t this the eldest girl from the Tian Family, Sangsang?"
Tian Sangsang promptly introduced herself. "Auntie, it’s . I’ve made so crab roe dumplings and pastries to sell in the town with Aunt Zhong."
Li Hehua was briefly surprised at her deanor before recovering. Aunt Zhong quickly filled the mont, saying, "Sangsang has grown more sensible since her grandmother passed. She’s nothing like before."
"Auntie," Tian Sangsang said, reaching into her basket (actually into her spatial storage). "Here’s a dumpling I made myself. The taste is pretty good—please give it a try."
This was the perfect mont to leave a good impression. In rural areas, it was always better to treat people kindly.
"This dumpling is so delicate," Li Hehua said, taking it without hesitation. She took a bite, and the crab aroma lingered on her tongue. "Delicious! This dumpling is delicious! I’m sure it’ll sell well!"
Everyone laughed and continued onward together.
The town wasn’t much more developed than the village, but it was lively. Especially now, with people occupying most of the street, setting up stalls selling all sorts of things—it was like a condensed snapshot of the marketplace.
Aunt Zhong found a spot near a vegetable stall, placed her wicker basket down, and said, "This is it. Sangsang, hurry up and set up your things too."
Li Hehua’s spot was across from them.
Looking around, Tian Sangsang noticed the nearby stalls were selling fish, vegetables, fruits, and eggs—all completely different from her pastries. She planned to sell mung bean cakes, sweet potato buns, and, secretly, two caral cakes she’d exchanged for in her spatial storage yesterday as her "secret weapon." These were hard to explain openly, so she would try selling them discreetly.
"Aunt Zhong, don’t you think there’s no one selling pastries or dumplings here? I’ll look for a spot near a dumpling shop to pick up so of their foot traffic."
"That works," Aunt Zhong said. "Sangsang, it’s your first ti at a street market. Do you know how to sell? You have to be sharp and yell. Whoever shouts louder gets the custors."
"I understand, Auntie." Tian Sangsang surveyed the area. "I’ll do as others do."
After bidding Aunt Zhong and Li Hehua farewell, Tian Sangsang set up her stall far away from them. She carefully laid out her mung bean cakes and sweet potato buns on a white cloth in the stear. The dumplings remained warm in her spatial storage, ready to be unveiled as custors arrived.
"Fresh crab roe dumplings~~ Five cents each, five cents each~~ Don’t miss out as you pass by~~!" Tian Sangsang shouted with all her might.
"Mung bean cakes! Mung bean cakes~~ One yuan and twenty cents per jin, one yuan and twenty cents per jin..."
"Sweet potato buns, fragrant sweet potato buns! Five cents each, five cents each~~!"
Honestly, for soone from the 21st century with a college education, yelling like this felt a bit cringy. But for money, there was no room for embarrassnt. Everyone was shouting; keeping silent would make her the odd one out.
Her voice was lovely, and her energetic calling managed to attract a few glances in her direction.
However, after looking—
People remained expressionless and walked away.
At first, they thought she was a pretty girl. But then, what was she selling?
Her shouting made passersby pause, but instead of looking at her goods, they appraised her with odd expressions before continuing on, as if they’d spotted sothing strange.
Seeing everyone else’s items sell while hers remained untouched, Tian Sangsang grew anxious. What was going on? Her pastries weren’t ugly, so why didn’t anyone buy them? Moreover, aside from the supply store, few others were selling refined snacks on this street. In the novels, isn’t this how it works? The female protagonist goes back to the 70s or 80s, sells so fruit or homade elaborate pastries, and that’s her ticket to success?
Did I transmigrate into a fake novel?
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