With the help of their uncles and aunts, they no longer had to rush to make tofu.
Also, since there was a marketplace tomorrow, many farrs would go, which ant villagers selling tofu in the surrounding villages might have poor business. So, Zhao Dong told them this afternoon that, starting tomorrow, they wouldn’t wholesale tofu to villagers, other than those from distant villages. Thus, they didn’t have to stay up late preparing tonight.
After splitting the money, Zhao Dong and his two brothers-in-law carried the purchased soybeans into the west room. Afterward, Grandfather’s family prepared to leave. While waiting for Zhao Dong and Sun i, Zhao Guifen asked about Zhao Zhitong’s apprenticeship.
Upon hearing Sun i talk about buying a piece of at to make a knee pad, Zhao Guifen slapped her thigh and said, "Luckily I asked about this, or you would have indeed been impolite."
Sun i looked puzzled. "Mother, what’s wrong? Can’t we give the knee pad?"
Zhao Guifen said, "It’s not that you can’t give a knee pad. But when apprenticing, a disciple should give the Six Etiquettes Bundle to the Teacher. The Six Etiquettes include celery, lotus seeds, red beans, dates, longan, and dried lean at strips. Celery symbolizes diligence and love for learning, lotus seeds symbolize bitter-hearted education, red beans represent good fortune, dates stand for early high achievent, longan signifies perfect accomplishnts, and dried lean at strips convey the disciple’s intentions."
Upon hearing her mother’s words, Sun i’s eyes widened. "I never knew there were so many things to consider."
Zhao Guifen laughed. "Well, there’s a marketplace tomorrow, so we can have your husband buy everything. As for the knee pad, you can make it and give it to the Teacher as a festival gift."
Sun i kept nodding. It’s so lucky Mother asked, she thought. Otherwise, we really would have been rude and made ourselves a laughingstock.
So, after sending off Grandfather’s family, Sun i imdiately told Zhao Dong about it.
「—」
The next day, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt, and Uncle arrived right at dawn, just as the rooster crowed. The little ones were still asleep, so they didn’t co along.
By around 7:30 AM, all the tofu was ready. After the villagers ca and collected their tofu, Zhao Dong and the others loaded the remaining hundred-odd pounds of pressed tofu and unpressed tofu onto the flatbed cart.
Just then, Zhao Zhitong was awakened by the noise in the courtyard. She peeked out the window and saw Zhao Dong already loading the tofu.
In a hurry, she paid no mind to her clothes, randomly throwing them on. She scrambled down from the bed and ran outside, shouting, "Daddy, wait for ! I want to go sell tofu too!"
Zhao Dong said, "Don’t worry, we’re not leaving yet. Go wash your face and drink your egg porridge first."
Sun i brought the egg porridge out from the kitchen and set it on the table. Then, she grabbed her daughter to wash her face.
Zhao Zhitong wiped her little face. Without waiting for Sun i to dry it, she ran to the table, picked up the porridge bowl, and began to gulp it down.
"Okay, Mom, I’m done!"
She placed the empty bowl on the table and turned to run outside, but Sun i caught her. "Look at how you’re dressed! All crooked."
Zhao Zhitong stood still while Sun i fixed her clothes. Suddenly, she thought of sothing, her eyes lighting up. "Mom, I want to wear the new clothes Grandma made for !"
Sun i laughed. "Oh? You want to wear them today? Weren’t you saving them for when you et your Teacher?"
Zhao Zhitong pouted, feeling conflicted. Oh, right. I wanted to wear my new clothes to the school, but I also really want to wear them to the marketplace today.
Finally, she made up her mind. "I’ll wear them tomorrow then!"
I’ll wear my new clothes to et the Teacher!
Just then, the noisy chatter of several children ca from outside the door.
Zhao Zhitong instantly recognized their voices and ran outside, shouting.
"Eldest Cousin, Second Cousin, Third Cousin!"
It turned out Sun Youcai had brought Sun Daji, Sun Daqing, and Sun Daxiang over.
When the three of them woke up, they heard Zhao Guifen talking about Zhao Dong’s plan to go to the marketplace today, so they pestered Sun Youcai to bring them along.
Coincidentally, Zhao Dong planned to set up two stalls with his second brother-in-law, so Sun Youcai could help watch Zhao Zhitong. The children could also go out and play, so Zhao Dong agreed to take them all.
Seeing her cousins were also going, Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed. "Great, great!"
Zhao Dong pushed one handcart, and Second Aunt pushed another. Second Cousin and Third Cousin sat on top, responsible for steadying the tofu on the cart. Eldest Cousin said he was older and didn’t want to ride; he wanted to help push the cart instead. As for Zhao Zhitong, she was too restless and refused to sit still.
Sun Youli had no choice but to grab Zhao Zhitong with both hands, hoist her up, and with a surge of effort, place her on his shoulders.
The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Zhao Zhitong giggle.
"Off we go, to the marketplace!"
Accompanied by the children’s cheerful chatter, the large group set off.
「...」
This marketplace was ford by several nearby villages, so it wasn’t far from their Zhao Village—only about a thirty-minute walk.
When they arrived, the marketplace was already bustling with many people. They didn’t linger but started looking for a place to set up their stalls. After all, they didn’t co to the marketplace often, so the good spots were certainly not available to them.
As luck would have it, on their way to sell at at the marketplace, they ran into Butcher Zhao. Zhao Dong and his second brother-in-law followed him, and they found two rather inconspicuous stalls on that street.
After setting up the stalls, Zhao Dong took out the prepared bowls and lotus leaves from the cart, placed them aside, and also brought out the sauce, preparing to mix a bowl of unpressed tofu.
Because they were new faces selling sothing unfamiliar, no one ca to their stall at first. In contrast, people frequently approached the other surrounding stalls to ask about prices.
The children stood in a row in front of the stall, curiously observing everything around them.
Seeing that Butcher Zhao had already sold a piece of at while not a single custor had co to inquire at their stall, Zhao Daqing scratched his head and wondered aloud, "Why do you think no one is coming to buy from us?"
The other children also looked bewildered.
Zhao Zhitong was also puzzled.
So, she looked at the surrounding stalls and then at their own. After a mont, she suddenly exclaid, "Oh, I know!"
Sun Youcai couldn’t help but laugh. "And what did you see that made you figure it out?"
Zhao Zhitong crossed her little arms. "Hmph, I just know!" Pointing at a nearby stall, she said, "Look! When custors pass by their stalls, they shout loudly to attract attention."
Sun Daqing watched for a while and noticed that, indeed, just as Zhao Zhitong had said, all the other vendors were shouting. He asked, "Shouting? If we shout, will people co?"
Zhao Zhitong confidently replied, "Of course! If you don’t shout, how will people know what you’re selling?"
Sun Daqing scratched his head and laughed, a look of realization dawning on his face. "It seems like you’re right!"
Sun Daji and Sun Daxiang also nodded, agreeing with Zhao Zhitong’s discovery.
Zhao Zhitong said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s start shouting too!"
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