Feng Sixi limped his way slowly toward the Brigade Leader's house, passing right in front of Chen Jinhua's door along the way.
Chen Jinhua was cursing while handing tools to her husband to help him fix their front gate. She had been repeating the exact same complaints for days, until even her husband was sick of hearing them.
"I told you long ago, we should just let bygones be bygones with the Feng family, but you wouldn't listen and even made the kids go yell at them. What did we get out of it? The villagers look down on us, the Feng family didn't send any grain, and on top of that, our front gate and the winnowing machine I paid someone to make got ruined. Fixing them is going to cost extra money."
As Chen Jinhua's husband muttered away, Chen Jinhua flew into a rage.
"That's easy for you to say! When our eldest died, my heart was broken—did anyone ever care about my pain? They owe us, so why shouldn't I talk about it? Besides, weren't you standing right there when I taught the youngest what to say? Why didn't you stop me? What's the use of standing here making sarcastic comments now? Those women in the Feng family are just a bunch of crazy bitches. I didn't want to lower myself to their level, or else it'd be a fight to the death and I'd go hack their house to pieces!"
"Go ahead and hack it, then! Just think about it—the Feng family is a broken branch with no descendants left, but we still have several sons. If you end up in jail, no decent family will ever let their daughters marry our boys. Saying those things is one thing, but don't you dare actually do it."
"Hmph, I'd like to see what kind of good life they can possibly have. Their lineage is cut off, so what good can those women possibly cook up? I heard Li Xiulan has been heading to town constantly these days—she's probably hooking up with some man. Just wait and see. Once Li Xiulan packs up and skips town, I bet Zhang Guifen and Feng Sixi will cry their eyes out. Bah, good for nothing!"
"Your mouth never spares anyone, keep your voice down! If their family hears you, you're going to catch it."
Chen Jinhua's husband gestured with a look. Feng Sixi was limping toward them from down the road. Chen Jinhua's face twisted in displeasure, but she reined herself in, dropping her voice to a low mumble.
In the past, whenever Feng Sixi passed Chen Jinhua's house and saw the couple, he would always greet them. But this time, seeing them fixing the gate, he didn't even spare them a glance and walked straight past.
Chen Jinhua spat at his receding back and muttered curses under her breath.
Feng Sixi didn't care what the two of them were saying behind his back. Right now, his only thought was to get to the Brigade Leader's house and borrow the oxcart.
The Brigade Leader had just returned home and was busy sawing firewood in his courtyard. Seeing Feng Sixi arrive, he put down the saw and called out a greeting.
"Sixi, what brings you here? Come on in and sit down," Zhang Yecheng greeted him warmly.
"Brother Yecheng, I came today to ask if you need your oxcart tomorrow. We'd like to borrow it to haul some things."
"Hauling things? Feel free to take it and use it, we don't need it tomorrow. I heard your daughter-in-law has recovered and has even been going into town to buy things these days—that's a relief to hear. Daquan's accident was a tragedy, but those of you still living have to keep going."
The Brigade Leader readily agreed, then, remembering the gossip floating around the village over the last few days, added a subtle word of advice.
"That's right, she's all better now, and she's put it behind her. Xinghua and Youcai are planning to run a small business in town, so Xiulan is going to help out. Later on, whenever you need oil, salt, sauce, or vinegar, Brigade Leader, you and the others should come on over to Xinghua's place—I guarantee we'll give our fellow villagers a better price."
Feng Sixi caught the hint in his words immediately, so he offered an explanation while seizing the chance to mention Xinghua's business venture.
Doing business in town sometimes relied entirely on the support of the folks back home. Besides, once she started selling things in town, word would get back to the village soon enough, so he might as well use the opportunity to spread the word in advance.
As for Xiulan's plan to set up a stall near the mining area, he kept that to himself. Very few villagers ever went over to the mines, and after all, it was a business opportunity. Once Xiulan's business stabilized, the village would find out naturally; and if it fell through, at least nobody would be there to laugh at her.
"So that's how it is! You'll be using the oxcart tomorrow to haul your goods then. I've heard that doing business won't get you arrested anymore, and that's a good thing. Transportation is convenient in town, and running a small business can actually make some money. When the time comes, we'll definitely go check it out."
Hearing this, the Brigade Leader finally understood what the Feng family had been up to over the past few days. Besides, buying these daily goods anywhere was the same, and Xinghua was a daughter of the village who had married out; buying from her meant they wouldn't get cheated.
The attitude of the people at the supply and marketing cooperative was terrible these days—every time you went there, you got an earful, yet there was nowhere else to buy these items, leaving people swallowing their anger time and again.
"Thanks a lot, Brother Yecheng. I'll come hitch the ox tonight, and I'll bring it back tomorrow evening. Don't worry, I'll make sure the ox is well-fed before we return it. Also, since this oxcart trip is going all the way to the county town, we'll bring the cart rental fee over tomorrow together."
"What rental fee? We're all from the same village, don't be so formal! Just make sure you feed the ox well, and if you dare bring any money over, I'll be really upset with you." Hearing this, the Brigade Leader quickly waved him off.
"Ah, right, right." Feng Sixi didn't make any promises, but in his heart, he resolved to tell Xiulan and the others when he got back so they could buy some pastries in the county town and bring them over as a gift for the Brigade Leader's family.
That evening, the second son-in-law came to the village. As soon as he got home and found the house empty, he guessed his wife must have gone to her parents' place, so he headed straight over.
After hearing Xinghua outline the inventory list they had discussed that day, He Youcai read through it and finally looked at this sister-in-law—who had previously been so quiet—in a completely new light.
He had always fancied himself the most successful person in the entire family. He had seized the opportunity to land a job at the mines, but although the wages there were higher than average, the work was grueling.
Furthermore, he was still just a temporary worker, and there was no telling when he might become a permanent staff member. Nowadays, getting a permanent position at the mine mostly depended on having connections.
That was why he had always wanted to start something of his own, but given the political climate before, they hadn't dared to make any rash moves. It was only this year that people in town started doing business, and he had caught the scent of opportunity.
After Xinghua talked it over with him last night, he became even more eager to get into business right away. His parents favored the eldest brother's family and looked after them in everything. With three sons in their own household, relying on just two rooms in the future, there was simply no way they would have enough living space.
So, the couple put their heads together and decided to pool their savings from the family split along with his private stash to fund the venture.
"Xiulan, you really are smart! I'll drive the cart tomorrow. I've been to the county town a few times, so we can scout things out first and try to buy all these items back."
He Youcai didn't waste any words. He spent the night at his father-in-law's house, and before dawn broke the next morning, they hitched up the oxcart and headed toward the county town.
All four of them were bundled up tightly. The mother, Zhang Guifen, and Grandma wrapped scarves around Xinghua and Xiulan's heads, warning them that the morning wind was biting, and if they caught a chill, they would suffer for it when they grew old.
There was nobody else in the oxcart—just family. He Youcai drove the cart at the front, while the three women chatted in the back. With conversation to pass the time, the journey didn't feel difficult at all.
They traveled until the sun was high in the sky and the streets were bustling with people before finally reaching the county town.
There was a designated parking lot for oxcarts and horse-drawn carts in the county town; you paid a fee, and someone looked after the animals for you.
Once they climbed down from the cart, they headed straight for the county's agricultural trade market. Changsui County currently had only one agricultural trade market, which didn't just sell agricultural and sideline products—it also had sections for clothing and all sorts of general merchandise, sustaining the production and livelihood needs of the entire county.
In the past, every single stall in this agricultural trade market had been state-run, satisfying needs outside of the supply and marketing cooperative and the department store, right down to the pork and vegetables sold by public vendors.
It was only later that spaces were gradually leased out to individuals. Even now, a large portion of the market in Changsui County remained state-run, with only a small minority operated by private individuals.
Li Xiulan looked out over the agricultural trade market. If she had enough capital to secure a stall in this market, she'd make a fortune in the future. But for now, those thoughts were still unrealistic; she had to keep her feet on the ground and make her first pot of gold before anything else.