Going to the provincial capital?

Anqing County was an administrative district under Fengxian City. Fengxian City bordered the provincial capital, Shang Du. Though Shang Du, being the provincial capital, wasn’t particularly far from Anqing County, county residents rarely visited without good reason. Farmers typically sold their produce in townships, with few even venturing to the county seat, let alone the provincial capital.

This made Xia Xiaolan’s courage all the more remarkable.

“I think the egg business in Anqing County can last a few more days. Why are you in such a hurry to go to Shang Du?” Zhou Cheng was equally bold, not questioning Xia Xiaolan’s actions but rather curious about her reasoning.

Xia Xiaolan enjoyed conversing with intelligent people. After her rebirth, Uncle Liu Yong was the first person she could communicate with freely, and Zhou Cheng was the second. Zhou Cheng understood that the egg business couldn’t continue indefinitely in Anqing County, even offering his judgment that it would “last a few more days.” Xia Xiaolan was forthright:

“I want to check out the market in Shang Du. I’ve brought other goods today that aren’t easy to sell in Anqing County.”

Zhou Cheng took her bicycle and peered into the back baskets. One side contained eggs covered with straw, while the other had something squirming beneath a waterproof plastic sheet.

“Eels?” Zhou Cheng smacked his lips. “Good stuff.”

Xia Xiaolan had chosen carefully – the eels were as thick as a man’s thumb, perfect for the season when their meat was richest. They were comparable to twenty-jin green carp in terms of culinary value. In skilled hands, eel dishes could be even more delectable than large green carp.

“These wouldn’t sell well in Anqing County, how did you…”

Zhou Cheng left his sentence unfinished. He wanted to ask why she chose such troublesome businesses – egg trading was hard enough, and now water products too? Neither was easy work. But remembering yesterday’s news about her being driven from home penniless, except for her uncle’s help, with her family wishing her dead, he realized that easier businesses required capital and connections – neither of which Xia Xiaolan possessed.

This realization disturbed him. Not because he believed the rumors, but like when he first saw the scar on her forehead, he wondered how someone so delicate could endure such hardship.

Xia Xiaolan smiled, not pursuing Zhou Cheng’s unfinished thought. “While collecting eggs, gathering some eels isn’t much extra trouble. I’ve accumulated these over several days. Someone brought twenty jin of eels last night, so I thought I’d try selling them in the provincial capital.”

“Do you know the way to the provincial capital?”

Zhou Cheng had hit upon Xia Xiaolan’s weakness. “Xia Xiaolan” was an unsophisticated village girl who had never ventured further than Anqing County, let alone visited Shang Du.

“I have a mouth under my nose – I’ll ask for directions as I go.”

Road signs weren’t as numerous as in later times, but if you got the general direction right, you could ask people along the way.

Zhou Cheng wasn’t sure whether to call Xia Xiaolan foolish or brave.

Why are people reluctant to travel far these days? Poor transportation, lack of funds, and unsafe roads. When they traveled from Beijing to Shanghai, no one ever went alone – highway robbers were numerous. Doze off alone, and both person and vehicle might disappear. However, since this summer’s crackdown, public security has improved significantly… Zhou Cheng, thinking about Xia Xiaolan’s future daily commute between Qijing Village and Shang Du, couldn’t bear to leave Anqing County.

“Come on, I know the way. I’ll take you today.”

“Brother Zhou, don’t you have your own business to attend to? This is too much trouble.”

Zhou Cheng lied brazenly, “Kang Wei took the truck to visit a relative nearby. I can’t leave today, so I might as well accompany you to Shang Du. Anqing County is too small, it’s boring.”

His drawled comment about Anqing County’s dullness carried a genuine young master’s disdain.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as Zhou Cheng had already seized her bicycle’s handlebars.

“Get on, I’ll give you a ride.”

Zhou Cheng patted the front crossbar of the bicycle. Xia Xiaolan, imagining herself practically sitting in Zhou Cheng’s embrace, repeatedly waved her hands: “I’ll sit in the back!”

“It’s bumpy back there, be prepared.”

Zhou Cheng maintained such a serious expression, seemingly without any intention of taking advantage of Xia Xiaolan, that she wondered if she was overthinking things.

With large baskets on both sides of the rear seat, she had to bend her legs upward. When the bicycle hit a bump, Xia Xiaolan nearly fell backward, instinctively wrapping her arms tightly around Zhou Cheng’s waist.

In the late summer heat, Zhou Cheng wore just one layer, and through it, he could feel the softness of her hands.

Since Xia Xiaolan couldn’t see his expression, Zhou Cheng’s lips curved upward: “Hold on tight!”

Though she couldn’t see his face, the joy in his voice was unmistakable.

Xia Xiaolan pressed her lips together, feeling like she was being teased by a young heartthrob.

They reached Shang Du two hours later. Zhou Cheng, who had skipped breakfast while waiting for Xia Xiaolan, was now starving. Xia Xiaolan had at least eaten some leftover food from last night’s generous meal at the Liu household.

“Let’s eat first.”

Shang Du’s streets were wider than Anqing County’s, with taller buildings lining the roads and a much larger overall area – impossible to explore in just a short while. The provincial capital was also more bustling than Anqing County. While small vendors in Anqing County still operated somewhat furtively, those in Shang Du conducted business openly.

One street was dedicated entirely to food vendors.

Lamb noodle soup, meatball soup, bean foam, spicy soup, soup dumplings, white Ji flatbread – various local specialties lined the street, along with nationwide favorites like pulled noodles, porridge, and fried dough sticks with soy milk. Foods from all corners of the country were available here!

Xia Xiaolan took a deep breath, her entire body crying out with hunger.

She’d been unfortunate in her previous life. In her youth, focused on her career, she’d eaten breakfast irregularly, caring only about satisfying hunger rather than quality or taste. When she finally had money, she was even busier with work, and as her metabolism slowed with age, she maintained her figure by having just coffee for breakfast… Later, she became “Xia Xiaolan,” who wanted to eat but couldn’t afford to.

This lively scene moved Xia Xiaolan. During her career-focused eighties, shouldn’t she have treated herself better?

“Brother Zhou, what would you like to eat? My treat.”

Zhou Cheng noticed her good mood – when she smiled, she was especially beautiful, her eyes sparkled enchantingly, looking at people with such tenderness that it lifted his spirits too.

“How much money could you have? Don’t be extravagant! In Beijing, we don’t let girls treat us. You scared Kang Wei that day when you bought noodles.”

While speaking, Zhou Cheng pulled Xia Xiaolan into a donkey meat soup shop.

“Want some donkey meat? The lamb is too heavy for this weather. Let’s have a bowl of donkey meat soup and some soup dumplings, and we can ask the owner about the situation in Shang Du.”

Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t fussy – she’d eat anything except insects and vermin.

In her previous life, she’d had donkey meat soup several times during business trips to Shang Du, but none tasted this good. The steaming bowl of donkey meat soup was neither gamey nor heaty, each chopstick-full was pure meat, and the floating celery and scallions added wonderful flavor. In the future, even garnishes like scallions and celery would be greenhouse-grown, lacking this intensity of flavor.

Xia Xiaolan finished a large bowl of donkey meat soup and a basket of soup dumplings.

Zhou Cheng ate more – one bowl of soup, two baskets of dumplings, and a bowl of lamb noodle soup from the neighboring shop. After eating, gathering information became easier. When Xia Xiaolan mentioned selling eggs and eels, the donkey soup shop owner smiled:

“At the end of this street, there’s an eel noodle shop that uses over ten jin of eels on busy days. Turn right after this street, and you’ll soon reach the farmers’ market.”

Anqing County was too small, even with workers from two factories supporting it, consumption power was limited.

Shang Du was different.

Zhou Cheng pushed the bicycle while Xia Xiaolan approached the eel noodle shop owner. After examining the eels in her basket, the owner bought fifteen jin without hesitation. While pork costs 1.4 yuan per jin, eels cost 1.1 yuan per jin. How many county residents would spend pork money on eels?

Only in the provincial capital would people casually spend 0.7 yuan on a bowl of noodles topped with eel strips.

Eels were profitable – Xia Xiaolan bought them in the village for 0.8 yuan per jin, earning 0.3 yuan per jin, and they traveled better than eggs. She immediately decided to stop the egg business and focus on eels – this business could be profitable for two more months before November.

Seeing her excitement reflected in her smiling eyes and eyebrows, Zhou Cheng quickly tempered her enthusiasm:

“You still need to find major buyers. One eel noodle stand can’t handle all your stock.”