Chapter 26: Heading to the Market to Sell Goods

Thinking of the vegetables they had brought onto the boat, Lin Yi advised Chen Wenjun, "If you go to sell the fish, you might as well sell the vegetables too. We have so many that we won't be able to finish them, and it would be a pity if they spoiled."

Since vegetables wouldn't sell in the village, they might fetch some price in the city.

Lin Yi agreed.

That night, while preparing for bed, the whole family discussed the arrangements. It was finally decided that Lin Qin would sleep in the aft cabin with the two children, while Lin Yi and Chen Wenjun would sleep in the front, so that if Lin Yi needed to get up during the night, Chen Wenjun would be there to help.

Chen Ping'an had remained silent throughout the planning. It wasn't until Lin Qin led him into the aft cabin and saw the little boy standing there at a loss that she realized his unease. She hurriedly pulled him over to Liu Yaya, gently patted his head, and said, "I'll get some hot water for you to wash your hands and faces. Then we'll sleep, alright?"

Liu Yaya, suffering from seasickness, was already exhausted; she nodded weakly and collapsed onto the bed without moving.

Lin Qin washed each of them, tucked them into their blankets, poured the dirty water into the Nanxi River, closed the bamboo canopy, and lay down with the children. Before drifting off, she whispered to Chen Ping'an, "When the weather gets warmer, I'll give you a haircut and a proper bath."

She fell into a deep sleep without waiting for his response.

Chen Ping'an slowly opened his eyes in the darkness, looking toward Lin Qin. He edged closer, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. Only after a long while, as sleepiness took over, did he finally drift off.

When Lin Qin woke up the next morning, she found both children huddled tightly against her, holding her arms so she couldn't move. She had to carefully extract herself and slip out. Seeing the boat moving, she knew Chen Wenjun was already awake, perhaps already checking the traps.

She hurried over to help. Upon reaching the front, she saw several buckets on the deck, all filled with the catch. Seeing her looking refreshed, Chen Wenjun’s smile widened involuntarily. "Look, one of the traps was overflowing last night. We caught three river eels, over a dozen marble gobies, and another trap held five carp, each weighing about four or five taels. The river shrimp have already filled half a bucket. Let's sell these today—they're worth quite a bit!"

The river shrimp in the Nanxi were small—essentially tiny shrimp that never grew large. City restaurants used them to make batter-fried fritters, which were exceptionally fragrant, fetching about two yuan per catty. Because they were small and difficult to catch, one usually only caught a handful—not even enough for a bowl—so few people went to the city specifically to sell them. It was clear that, having been reborn, their luck was truly extraordinary.

Both felt a surge of gratitude, though they dared not voice it.

Thinking of Lin Yi's instructions from the day before, Lin Qin hesitated and suggested, "Do you want me to go with you? I can sell the vegetables, and you can sell the fish. We can help each other out and finish selling everything faster."

"Are you sure?" Chen Wenjun asked, surprised.

In their past lives, once Lin Qin boarded the boat, she rarely left it. If forced to go ashore, she would keep herself hidden, terrified of the world's judgment. Her timid, shrinking demeanor only drew more attention, leading to even greater self-doubt and fear. He remembered one year, during the year-end market, there was too much stock for him to carry alone. Lin Qin had offered to help, but once they arrived, the crowds made her tense up completely. She didn't say a word, and wouldn't even respond when he called her name. Chen Wenjun had never seen her handle a sale.

Lin Qin nodded firmly. "The shadows of the past no longer have a hold on me. Heaven has given me a second chance; I cannot be so spineless again. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Chen Wenjun thought about it and agreed.

The two prepared breakfast for Lin Yi and the children. Before leaving, Chen Wenjun carefully arranged everything Lin Yi would need and instructed Chen Ping'an to assist him. Once everything was settled, Lin Yi wheeled the small cart from the fishing boat onto the bank. The cart couldn't hold much, but a basket of vegetables and a bucket of fish fit perfectly. Lin Qin pushed the cart, while Chen Wenjun carried two large buckets on a shoulder pole. Lin Yi and the two children watched them leave, feeling a lingering sense of worry.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun focused entirely on the journey, paying no heed to anything else. To avoid running into the Liu family, Chen Wenjun chose not to go to the usual fish-selling spot, instead taking a detour toward the Xia Tian district.

Xia Tian was home to a residential compound for factory workers; the residents there were relatively well-off and willing to spend money on food and clothing. A temporary produce market street had opened there this year, which Chen Wenjun had never visited before.

It was nearly seven o'clock when they reached the street. It was the peak hour for the market, and people were everywhere. Chen Wenjun was worried about Lin Qin, keeping his attention on her, but she pointed to a small, empty spot not far away and said excitedly, "Let's set up over there."

Chen Wenjun followed her lead and carried his gear over. As soon as they set their items down, the vegetable sellers nearby craned their necks to look. At this time, there were no large-scale wholesalers; everyone sold produce grown in their own gardens, so each stall had a very limited variety.

Chen Wenjun uncovered a bucket and began to call out, "Selling fish! Fresh marble gobies, eels, carp, and big-headed carp! Come and take a look!"

His shout drew four older women over immediately.

"Young man, where is the big-headed carp?"
"What do the marble gobies look like?"
"How big are the carp?"
"Oh my! Such small river shrimp? How did you catch so many?"

The four women spoke at once, each interested in something different. Chen Wenjun quickly brought out his cutting board, knife, and scale. Lin Qin took charge of scooping out the fish to show them.

Seeing the large big-headed carp, one woman's eyes lit up. "It's still alive! How much?"

"Ma'am, it's one yuan sixty at the supply store, but I'm selling it for one fifty. I can't go any lower—look, it's still very much alive!"

As if to confirm his words, the carp lashed its tail, splashing water all over the woman's face. She leaned back, slapped her thigh, and laughed. "Good fellow! I'll take this one! Cut it a bit further down; I'll make a tofu soup—delicious!"

Chen Wenjun asked everyone to step back, then expertly chopped the fish, hooked it onto the scale, and weighed it in one fluid motion. After the woman paid, he thoughtfully cut off the gills and chopped the fish into pieces for her.

The woman beamed. "That saves me so much trouble! Young man, I'll come find you next time!"

As soon as she left, others scrambled for the remaining fish tail. Chen Wenjun sold that off and turned to the next customers. The woman who bought the carp was buying it for her daughter-in-law, who was recovering from childbirth and needed it to boost milk production. Since Chen Wenjun’s carp were all alive and of similar size, she bought the entire lot and even went back to get her own bucket to carry them. While waiting for her, they sold the rest of the carp and marble gobies bit by bit.