◎She really likes you!◎
Feng Man rarely had a full night’s sleep.
After transmigrating for a week, she had stayed in the most cramped and stuffy room at the Feng Family home, with a bed board so hard it dug into her back. Then she spent a night in a truck compartment, leaving her with the same sore waist and back.
The Song Family had been warm and attentive. The bedding they prepared was soft and comfortable, allowing Feng Man to sleep until broad daylight for once. She finally relaxed.
Cheng Lang was nowhere to be seen early in the morning. Song Guodong explained, “Sister-in-law, Brother Lang had something to handle. He’ll be back in a couple of days and told you to wait here.”
In the book, her fiancé was someone who headed south to make his fortune. Feng Man knew he was capable, so she didn’t mind too much. “Okay.”
This gave her time to handle her own matters.
Feng Man, embarrassingly short on cash, was probably the poorest person in town. She had just twenty-two yuan in her pocket. Without finding a way to save more, she would end up with nothing but two train tickets bought outright.
Pocketing the treasure she had swiped from Feng Jianshe the day before the day before, Feng Man hurried out and wandered around town.
Peace Town was vast in area, with fairly developed commerce. Shops lined both sides of the streets, bustling with customers. Nearby street stalls did brisk business too. Unlike some places where people resisted trading and selling, the residents here loved it, especially making money.
Places that loved earning money naturally loved spending it too. Higher incomes inevitably led to higher consumption.
Feng Man carried the good item she had scavenged from the kitchen when she fled. She found a Chinese medicine shop in town.
Back then, Zhao Gang, to win the original owner’s hand in marriage, had given Feng Jianshe a 1,500-yuan bride price on top of many fine gifts, including a gift box of wild ginseng. It had all fallen into Feng Man’s lap. When she handed over the top-quality Changbai Mountain wild ginseng, the shop owner’s eyes lit up.
Zhao Gang cared about face, so he wouldn’t use subpar ginseng to fool anyone. The wild ginseng he gave his prospective father-in-law wasn’t a thousand-year-old root, but it was specially sourced from Changbai Mountain. The root was intact, with a long reed head, dense reed bowls, clear and slender rootlets. Experts recognized it as prime goods at a glance.
Boss Li of the medicine shop restrained the admiration in his eyes. He sized up the young girl before him—seemingly no older than eighteen or nineteen, truly beautiful, and obviously easy to fool. He feigned pickiness right away. “Comrade, this wild ginseng is decent, but not plump enough. The reed head doesn’t look that long either…”
Driving the price down—Feng Man knew that trick all too well!
From junior high through university in her previous life, Feng Man had gained rich experience haggling in all sorts of shops. Now as the seller, she could see right through a buyer’s intent to lowball.
“Boss, this is Changbai Mountain wild ginseng, over ten years old, a gift from someone. If I weren’t young and healthy and didn’t need it, I wouldn’t sell. Look at this long, curved reed head, the dense reed bowls—it’s even piled flower reeds. The rootlets are tough and flexible. Scan all of Peace Town; is there any wild ginseng with better quality?”
Boss Li had figured the girl was selling family goods and thus easy to trick. But she spoke unhurriedly, with full confidence, no timidity or false bravado. She really knew her stuff.
His eyes darted as he silently raised his mental offer from fifteen to twenty-five. “Comrade, the item is indeed good, but prime goods don’t always sell easily. Ordinary folks can’t use top wild ginseng. Tell you what, I won’t cheat you—an honest price of twenty-five per catty.”
The shop usually bought regular ginseng at twenty per catty. Feng Man’s wild ginseng weighed about eight taels. As he spoke, Boss Li reached to weigh it and pay.
“Twenty per catty might work for regular ginseng.” After scouting prices around town, Feng Man smiled brightly and pulled her hand back. She rewrapped the ginseng in the handkerchief and prepared to leave. “But that price for wild ginseng shows no sincerity. There are other medicine shops in town; I’ll check them out.”
“Hey!” Boss Li hurriedly called to stop her. “Comrade, let’s talk it out. Why leave just like that?”
Not yet aware that walking out was the ultimate haggling weapon in later eras, Boss Li grew anxious.
Feng Man kept walking even as he chased her into the street. “Boss Li, if you’re not sincere in business, forget it. I may be young, but I’m not easy to fool.”
Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, yet carried an air of full control.
Boss Li could no longer underestimate the girl, especially with her lack of attachment as she turned to leave—it didn’t seem feigned.
“I was being petty. Come on, comrade, let’s go back to the shop and chat. I’ll give you an honest price for sure.” Unable to resist the prime Changbai Mountain wild ginseng, Boss Li gave in.
Thirty-five per catty: twenty-eight yuan for eight taels of wild ginseng. Her purse suddenly fattened, and Feng Man left in a good mood.
She had chosen this medicine shop after scouting around. Selling top wild ginseng at a street stall wouldn’t fetch a good price—ordinary people had little interest unless for health or medicine. Needing quick cash, a medicine shop was the best choice.
The final amount satisfied her too.
Before heading back to the Song Family, Feng Man went to the town’s department store and bought a jin of peach crisps, a jin of shaqima, and two cans of fruit. She had rushed over yesterday without gifts, so now she made up for it with a proper visit present.
Grandma Song insisted she was too polite and refused a few times before accepting. Having eaten and stayed at their home, Feng Man had no intention of idling, especially since the Song Family had a clothing stall in town. With Aunt Xiu Fen still minding it, Feng Man went straight to the kitchen to help.
Song Guodong had groped a grass carp from the nearby river—three and a half jin of plump fish. Feng Man sliced it into thin pieces. She added green and red chilies, fermented black beans, ginger, and garlic, then water to boil into a red broth. She simmered the fish head and bones for a few minutes before adding the fish slices, along with potato slices, lotus root slices, and Chinese cabbage.
The fish was tender and flavorful, numbingly spicy, fresh, and fragrant. The vegetables crunched satisfyingly. Once the pot of fish and veggies was done, she added noodles to the soup.
The hand-pulled noodles were chewy and resilient, soaking up the fishy broth. Each strand turned red and deeply infused, enough to polish off a big bowl easily and leave one satisfied.
Song Guodong had never known fish could be cooked so fragrantly. Though it was cool late spring weather, fine sweat beaded on his forehead and nose. He truly felt refreshed all over.
Temporarily forgetting Brother Lang’s assignment, Song Guodong gave Feng Man a thumbs-up. “Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are incredible.”
Someone who cooked this well couldn’t be bad!
Song Guodong wavered inwardly.
Aunt Xiu Fen usually ate lunch sent from home after the family had theirs. Feng Man ate her fill too and simply went with Song Guodong to deliver the meal and aid digestion.
Aunt Xiu Fen’s clothing stall was on the east side of town, amid a street of clothing stalls. Bright colors everywhere, stylish designs, plenty of vendors hawking along the street—competition was fierce.
As she ate the lunch sent from home, Aunt Xiu Fen praised Feng Man’s cooking, then grumbled, “Business isn’t easy anymore. Clothing stalls everywhere. I only sold one piece all morning.”
A four-yuan tank top.
Feng Man glanced around, her eyes lighting up. “Aunt Xiu Fen, I’ll be here a couple of days. How about I help you sell clothes?”
Aunt Xiu Fen was surprised. “Huh?”
Too many people in Peace Town set up street stalls for business. Plenty went south monthly to wholesale clothes. From the street’s head, eyes drowned in a riot of colors. Anyone passing by felt dazzled.
Until that afternoon, business exploded at the Song Family stall. Many young women couldn’t walk past, whipping out money swiftly to buy.
Nearby competitors watched enviously and sourly, muttering, “If I did what she’s doing, I’d steal all the business!”
“Forget it. The street’s full of that style. Who’s got her face and figure? No one looks that good in it.”
In the crowd’s center, a red tank top made Feng Man’s skin snow-white. Two thin straps draped from her beautiful shoulders and neck, revealing swaths of lovely skin. As Feng Man picked up clothes, the tank top shifted, exposing a sliver of slim waist—glistening bright—before the hem covered it again, hugging her sky-blue denim shorts.
A live model drew eyes far better than clothes piled coldly on the ground. Customers, hooked by how it looked on her, couldn’t resist buying—and specified her outfits.
That afternoon through the next full day, Feng Man modeled three outfits, selling a bunch of Aunt Xiu Fen’s clothes. It was shocking.
As Aunt Xiu Fen tallied the accounts, she marveled, “Little Feng, you’re… too amazing.”
Feng Man thought to herself that she just had seen too much modern marketing. Selling clothes needed aesthetics and outfit pairing. Matching ready clothes for great effects and recommending to customers doubled sales naturally.
She gave a few pointers on pairing clothes for Aunt Xiu Fen—color choices, styles—especially not selling wrinkled messes. That was a common flaw among stall owners: dumping rumpled clothes reduced appeal.
Aunt Xiu Fen took it to heart. After settling the two days’ accounts, she pulled out two bills and handed them over. “Little Feng, take this money. After costs, we split the earnings half-half.”
Feng Man had only said she’d help sell, not expecting such sincerity—straight-up eleven yuan.
The costs of sourcing goods, stall labor, and time were all Aunt Xiu Fen’s, yet she split evenly, treating Feng Man like family.
Aunt Xiu Fen stuffed the money into Feng Man’s hand, her face beaming brighter. “What you taught me, I’ll remember in a lump. Later, have Guodong write it down for me so I don’t forget. Hey, if not for your tie to Little Cheng, I’d want you to stay and work together. Auntie can see you’ve got real talent!”
Feng Man smiled and pocketed the money while pondering the words. But her hometown Ink River held more appeal; she still wanted to go there.
Song Guodong wrote notes for his mother nearby, confirming unclear bits with Feng Man. Soon, he had filled a page.
Aunt Xiu Fen tucked the note into the pocket sewn inside her clothes and began packing goods. Remembering Feng Man would leave tomorrow, she called out, “Little Feng, you’ve got no luggage. Just pick some clothes here.”
Feng Man didn’t refuse then. She chose two small tank tops, one pair of denim shorts, one pair of denim pants, and a shirt.
With the clothes folded, Aunt Xiu Fen and her son busied packing goods into woven bags to carry home. As they prepared a bag for Feng Man’s picks, customers arrived. “Little Feng, grab a bag yourself for the clothes.”
The stall was a mess. Feng Man searched but saw no bags, unsure where they were. She simply picked up a ragged black cloth from the stall’s edge that no one wanted and used it to wrap her clothes.
“Oh my.” Aunt Xiu Fen sold another piece, took the money, and turned to see the black fabric in Feng Man’s hand. Her mouth nearly split to her ears. “Young folks in love are different—still remembering to get clothes for Little Cheng. Take more!”
She promptly shoved several men’s items into Feng Man’s hands, with an “I’ve been there, I get it” look.
Feng Man: QAQ
The second night at the Song Family, around eight, as dusk deepened, Cheng Lang finally returned under the stars and moon.
Song Guodong heard the noise and rushed out. At the courtyard gate, he asked curiously, “Brother Lang, did you handle it?”
“Mm.” Cheng Lang’s expression was flat. He glanced indifferently at Song Guodong and asked, “What about what I tasked you with? Notice anything off?”
Song Guodong struggled to reply. “In just two days, my mom and grandma are totally won over by Feng Man—like she’s their own daughter.”
Cheng Lang’s eyes flickered slightly. “And you?”
“Me.” The mouth that had eaten their food grew soft. After two days of watching, Song Guodong truly saw no issues with Feng Man—especially with her cooking so well. “I think she’s pretty good too.”
Cheng Lang’s sword brows furrowed slightly. Just as he opened his mouth, Song Guodong added,
“And, I think sister-in-law really likes you. Today my mom let her pick clothes, and she still eagerly picked some for you too—super thoughtful!”