TSWPF – Chapter 5 Going to the Market

When Liu Zhimou saw the large patch of fresh, dewy mushrooms, his exhaustion instantly disappeared. He walked over to Li Qingling and asked which ones were edible.

Li Qingling crouched down and taught him how to tell the difference between mushrooms — some looked similar, but were poisonous and couldn’t be eaten. He had to look carefully.

There were plenty of mushrooms around, so it didn’t take long for both their baskets to fill up.

Looking at the pile of mushrooms, Li Qingling slung her basket over her shoulder and turned to ask, “Are you coming again tomorrow? I want to pick more and dry them at home. That way, we can eat them whenever we want without worrying about them going bad.”

“Tomorrow’s market day. I have to go to town,” Liu Zhimou said. His copied manuscript was finished, and he needed to deliver it to Shopkeeper Xing.

“Market day?” Li Qingling’s eyes brightened. She wanted to go too — to see if there was anything she could do to earn some money. Their family was so poor that they couldn’t even afford cooking oil. “Can you call me when you go tomorrow? I want to go to town too.”

Liu Zhimou nodded. “Sure, but we’ll have to walk. We’ll need to leave early.” His family was struggling, so to save the two copper coins it cost to ride the ox cart, he could only walk.

He still remembered the first time he had walked to town — it took him three whole hours, and he’d gotten blisters on his feet. But he’d gotten used to it since, and his pace was faster now.

Li Qingling didn’t mind walking at all. Even if she wanted to take the cart, she had no money!

Now she truly understood that saying — “A single coin can kill a strong man.” Having no money really was impossible to live with.

“As long as you’re fine with it,” Liu Zhimou said, adjusting the strap on his basket. “Let’s go back.”

Even coming with an empty basket had exhausted him; now that it was full, he wasn’t confident he could manage the trip back.

Li Qingling seemed to realize this too. On the way home, she deliberately walked slower and stopped to rest often. Her thoughtfulness warmed Liu Zhimou’s heart.

He remembered his father, before passing away, had asked him if he’d be willing to marry Li Qingling.

He’d guessed what his father meant — he wanted to find someone reliable for his three children to lean on.

So Liu Zhimou hadn’t objected and agreed immediately. Still, having grown up watching his parents’ loving marriage — gentle and refined, his mother embroidering by lamplight while his father read — he’d always imagined marrying an educated woman himself. The reality was different, and there was some regret in his heart.

But now, he didn’t feel that regret anymore. Having a kind, understanding wife who could share burdens with him — that was already a blessing.

“Eh…” Li Qingling suddenly set her basket down and ran toward a tree, crouching beneath it.

Liu Zhimou didn’t know what she was doing. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

She didn’t answer — just started digging in the dirt with her hands.

He sighed and walked over. When he saw her carefully digging up a wild plant, he squatted down, intending to help — but she stopped him.

“Hey, don’t move. Let me do it. This is valuable stuff — it has to be dug up whole to be worth anything.”

Hearing that, Liu Zhimou withdrew his hand and just watched her work carefully. After about fifteen minutes, she finally lifted something out of the soil with excitement.

“Look — wild ginseng!” She held it up for him to see, grinning. “We’re lucky today.”

It was about twenty years old — not very old, but still worth something. She could sell it at the market tomorrow, and with the money, buy oil and rice for home.

It really was ginseng. He’d bought some before when his parents were sick, so he recognized it.

“How did you know what it was?”

Li Qingling carefully placed the ginseng into her basket before replying, “I used to go hunting in the mountains with my father. He taught me.”

She picked up some pine needles and covered the ginseng, then did the same with Liu Zhimou’s basket, so that from the outside, it looked like they were just carrying pine needles — no one would guess mushrooms or ginseng were hidden underneath.

Liu Zhimou believed her. Uncle Li had indeed been a skilled hunter, so it wasn’t strange that his daughter recognized herbs too.

They continued walking, and when they reached the edge of the forest, they ran into Madam Lin, who was collecting firewood.

Seeing Li Qingling with her basket, Madam Lin walked over. “Xiaoling, what are you carrying?”

Li Qingling’s eyes flashed with dislike, but she still greeted her politely. “Auntie,” she said, stepping aside to avoid her prying hand. “Just some pine needles.”

Madam Lin frowned but leaned over to take a look anyway — indeed, it was pine needles. She curled her lips, then cast a teasing glance at Liu Zhimou. “Xiaoling really is different now that she’s engaged — even collecting pine needles together.”

Li Qingling hated that gossiping expression the most. Madam Lin was the village’s biggest busybody; now that she’d seen her with Liu Zhimou, rumors would surely spread that she was shameless.

She didn’t care much for gossip — but her mother did.

“He’s my fiancé,” Li Qingling said with a calm smile. “Helping out at my house is only right. By the way, Auntie, when is Cousin Baozhu getting engaged? Didn’t some young man come to see her recently? Did it work out?”

Li Baozhu was her older cousin — fat, lazy, and gluttonous, truly living up to the name “Bao Zhu (Precious Pig).” She was fifteen already and still unmarried. Every time someone came to propose, they ran away after seeing her.

This was a sore point for Madam Lin, and Li Qingling’s casual jab hit right on it. Her face darkened instantly.

“What young man? Don’t talk nonsense and ruin Baozhu’s reputation!” Madam Lin snapped loudly.

“Really? But I clearly heard Grandma say that a boy from the next village—”

“You heard wrong! There’s no such thing!” Madam Lin interrupted again, even louder this time, then quickly picked up her firewood and hurried down the mountain.

After that encounter, Li Qingling figured Madam Lin wouldn’t be spreading any rumors about her now.

When she turned back, she saw Liu Zhimou watching her with amusement. She shrugged innocently. “People like her only understand if you hit where it hurts.”

Liu Zhimou chuckled. “Got it. I’ve learned something.”

Li Qingling: “…”

When they got home, Li Qingling immediately pulled Mother Zhao into the room and carefully uncovered the pine needles to reveal the wild ginseng.

“Mother, look! I found a wild ginseng. I’m planning to sell it at the market with Brother Zhimou tomorrow. Then we can buy some rice.”

After eating mushrooms for several days straight, she was getting sick of them. She desperately wanted rice to change the flavor — and maybe even some meat for Mother Zhao, who was pregnant, to nourish the baby.

Mother Zhao looked from the ginseng to her daughter, delighted. “You’re such a lucky girl! If you found it, it’s yours to decide what to do with.”

“Wow, Sis, you’re amazing!” Li Qingfeng exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration. “Are you really going to the market tomorrow?”

There was eagerness in his gaze. His father had taken him there twice before, and he remembered how lively the town had been — stalls full of goods, bustling crowds. Even if he couldn’t buy anything, he wanted to see it again.

Li Qingling couldn’t ignore that look. After thinking it over, she decided it was fine — she only needed to sell the ginseng and look for some work opportunities anyway. “If you can get up early, I’ll take you.”

As soon as she said that, Li Qingfeng threw his arms around her neck in excitement. “Thank you, Sis! I’ll wake up super early!”

Mother Zhao looked worried. “Maybe Xiaofeng shouldn’t go. It’s crowded and messy in town.”

Li Qingfeng’s face immediately fell. Afraid his sister would change her mind, he quickly said, “I’ll be good! I’ll stay close to you and won’t run around! Please take me, Sis!”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t,” Li Qingling said, rolling her eyes. She turned to reassure Mother Zhao. “Don’t worry, Mother. Brother Zhimou and I will hold onto him.”

“Mother…” Li Qingfeng tugged at Mother Zhao’s hand, coaxing her sweetly.

Thinking that Liu Zhimou would be with them, Mother Zhao finally nodded, and Li Qingfeng cheered up again.

He was so excited that night that he couldn’t stop talking. Finally, Li Qingling had to threaten him — if he didn’t sleep, she wouldn’t take him. That shut him up, and he fell asleep.

Before dawn, around three in the morning, he woke up by himself and shook Li Qingling awake.

Half-asleep, she almost threw the little rascal out of bed. Looking out at the still-dark sky, she ground her teeth. “Why are you up so early?”

He blinked. “Father used to get up this early to go to market.”

She sighed, covered his eyes with her hand, and said, “Go back to sleep. We’ll get up when Brother Zhimou comes.”

“But—”

“If you don’t sleep, I won’t take you.” That threat again — her last resort.

Li Qingfeng pouted pitifully. “Fine…”

It felt like she’d barely slept when Liu Zhimou came knocking. Li Qingfeng shot up instantly, answering loudly, and rushed to wake his sister.

“Sis! Sis! Brother Zhimou’s here! Get up!”

This brat…

Li Qingling sighed and resigned herself to getting up. Going to town really wasn’t easy — you had to rise in the middle of the night.

She tidied her hair, quickly washed up, wrapped the ginseng carefully in a handkerchief and tucked it into her sleeve, slung on her basket, and after Mother Zhao’s repeated reminders, left with Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhimou.

At first, Li Qingfeng was full of energy, asking Liu Zhimou endless questions. But after two hours of walking, he was exhausted, tugging on Li Qingling’s hand and whining, “Sis…”

Two hours was impressive for a child. Li Qingling didn’t push him further — she let him climb into her basket and carried him on her back.

Seeing her small frame, Liu Zhimou offered to carry the boy instead, but Li Qingling refused. “It’s fine, he’s light.”

Since she insisted, he didn’t argue, just told her to switch if she got tired.

She nodded, but never once complained of fatigue.

Though small, she’d done farm work since childhood. Li Qingfeng’s weight was nothing to her.

By the time they reached the gates of Mao’an Town, Li Qingling finally set the basket down and gently shook her sleeping brother awake.

“Xiaofeng, wake up. We’re here.”