books44 Chapter 32 Idle Talk on the Ox Cart
Chapter 32 Idle Talk on the Ox Cart
The burly man opened his eyes, which had been feigning sleep, and looked...
Two girls, around ten years old, stood before me, one dressed in yellow and the other in pink.
They look about four or five points alike, both having almond-shaped eyes and oval faces.
"Yes, we'll leave in a couple of quarters."
How much will it cost for two people?
"Fifteen coins per person, twenty-eight coins for the two of you together. Twenty-eight coins for a round trip."
"Here are twenty-eight copper coins. Please count them carefully."
Lin Chunyi gave the big man twenty-eight coins, pulled her sister onto the cart, and nodded slightly to the women sitting there.
The two sat facing them, close together.
They looked at the two sisters with some curiosity.
"I've never seen you two before. Are you two young girls going to the county town alone?"
A woman couldn't help but ask a question.
Lin Chunyi replied with a smile:
"It was our first time going to the county town, yes, just the two of us."
Having received a reply, they felt that the two should be easy to get along with, and so they started a new conversation.
One person asked a question, and another followed suit. Another person asked a question, and yet another followed suit.
Are you two sisters?
“Yes, they are sisters from the same parents.” Lin Lanshan nodded in response.
What are you going to the county town for?
“I’ve never been there before, so I wanted to go and broaden my horizons,” Lin Chunyi replied.
"You're not even fifteen or sixteen years old yet. Where are your parents? Why aren't they with you? Aren't they comfortable letting you travel such a long distance on your own?"
Lin Chunyi's voice was somewhat heavy as she said:
"My parents...have passed away."
Lin Lanshan lowered her head, then raised it again, and said:
“My older sister is sixteen this year, and I’m thirteen. After our parents passed away, it’s just the two of us left. We’re fine on our own.”
The scene fell silent for a moment...
The woman who had just asked the question looked at the two sisters with some sympathy and said apologetically:
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know... Please don't take offense."
The other two women also began to offer words of comfort.
"You guys are amazing! I was too scared to go to the county town alone when I was a teenager. You guys are awesome!"
"Yes, yes, I have some candy here. Take it, and don't be sad. Your parents are surely watching over you from heaven!"
The last woman to speak placed two pieces of candy in the hands of the two sisters, who couldn't refuse them.
I had no choice but to accept it, then thanked them and changed the subject.
"Thank you, we're fine. We have some dried peaches we made ourselves, please have some too."
Lin Chunyi gestured to her younger sister to take off the purse containing snacks and give it to her.
Then she opened the cloth bag, poured out a handful of dried peaches, and held them out to several women.
They looked at each other, feeling a little embarrassed, yet also attracted by the rich, sweet aroma of peaches.
"How could I possibly take food meant for young girls like you..."
Lin Chunyi grabbed four or five pieces of dried peach and placed them in their hands one by one, saying:
"These dried peaches aren't hard to make. My sister loves them, so I made a lot last year. Just don't mind them."
The three people who were chatting so openly just now are now acting a little awkward while holding the dried peaches.
I could only take one piece to eat, and gathered the rest in my palm.
"These dried peaches are so delicious! They're soft, chewy, and sweet. You must have used a lot of sugar, I'm so sorry, how about we buy some from you?"
The three women were delighted with the dried peaches and wanted to buy some from the two sisters.
Lin Lanshan said:
"Sisters, it's just a few dried peaches, please enjoy them. I'm sorry I ate quite a lot on the way here, so I can't give you more."
When they heard the address, their cheeks flushed slightly, and their eyes smiled.
“I’ve been married for several years now, I’m not some kind of older sister.”
Changing the subject, she said, "My husband's surname is Yang, so you can just call me Sister Yang."
The other two were also a little embarrassed, chuckled a few times, and continued:
"My husband's surname is Wang..."
"My husband's surname is Zhang..."
There was a hint of anticipation on their faces.
Lin Lanshan's smile froze for a moment as she exchanged a glance with her sister.
Husband's family...
Lin Chunyi picked up the conversation, smiling as she said:
“The sisters all look to be under twenty years old. If it weren’t for their hair being tied up, I would never believe that they are already married.”
Then my sister and I greeted everyone one by one.
"Sister Yang."
The woman wearing a soft blue coat is Sister Yang.
"Sister Wang."
Sister Wang's outer garment was light blue.
"Sister Zhang."
Sister Zhang's outer garment is lilac-colored.
The teenage girl, her voice still a little childish, called out "sister" repeatedly, which was very comforting to hear.
The three young women were so amused by his greeting that their faces were practically wrinkled with laughter.
At this moment, Lin Chunyi whispered something to her younger sister.
Lin Lanshan stood up and stepped forward, "Uncle, please have some dried peaches."
The burly man was somewhat surprised. "This is a sweet treat for young ladies. How can I eat it? You can eat it yourselves."
Lin Chunyi sat on the cart and called out:
"Uncle, please accept this. Thank you for your hard work traveling today."
At this moment, Sister Yang spoke up, laughing loudly:
"Brother Zhou, are you unhappy that the young girl calls us 'sister' but 'uncle'? Haha, how petty of you."
“Yes, Brother Zhou, the young lady treated you, so just accept the food,” Sister Wang chimed in.
Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan hesitated, wondering if they should also call him brother.
Seeing the two sisters' expressions, the big man looked helpless and quickly stopped them from speaking.
"What are you saying? You're corrupting the young girl."
He then spoke gently to the two sisters:
“My child is almost as big as you are now, just call me Uncle, don’t listen to their nonsense. I’ll accept the dried peaches, I’ll take them back for my son. Thank you.”
Uncle Zhou took a few pieces of dried peach, wrapped them up, and put them in his pocket.
The atmosphere on the cart was harmonious.
The big man, seeing that it was time, called out.
"Sit down, let's go."
He drove the yellow oxen ahead of him.
"Wait, wait! Zhou boy, why are you running so fast! You see an old woman like me and you run away? I haven't even gotten on the bus yet!"
An elderly woman, about fifty years old, followed behind the cart, carrying a basket and walking briskly with small steps.
The big man muttered something under his breath:
"It's that old woman Huang again."
The three older sisters on the cart also frowned. Sister Yang whispered to Lin Chunyi:
"Tell your sister to put away her purse full of snacks. Keep a close eye on everything you have on you, you old woman..."
Seeing that the old woman was close enough, he sat down and said no more.
The two sisters were a little confused, but they listened to the advice and quickly put all the snacks they had on them into their baskets, and even took off their water bags and threw them in.
Then he carried the baskets on his lap.
Lin Lanshan looked at her sister, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and excitement:
Is this some kind of shrewish, domineering woman from a novel?
Lin Chunyi:
You have a lot of interests...
Seeing the oxcart stop, the old woman, without paying, swaggered onto the cart.
Then he plopped down next to the two sisters.