"Young girl, would you like to hear a story?"
"Hear a story? Oh, yes! Yes!" Zhao Zhitong, who loved listening to stories, instantly perked up.
"Hmm, alright. Today, I'll tell you the story of 'Pulling Up Seedlings to Hasten Growth.' Legend has it that in the Song Country, there was a farmer. He planted rice seedlings in his field but was always dissatisfied because they didn't seem to grow tall enough. So, he came up with a plan. He went to the field and, one by one, pulled each seedling up a bit to make it taller... In the end, all the seedlings died."
When the story was finished, Grandpa Bai paused for a moment, then asked, "Young girl, tell me, what does this story teach us?"
Zhao Zhitong tilted her little head, her eyes sparkling as if full of stars. She said in a soft, sweet voice, "The farmer wanted his seedlings to grow very tall, so he helped them himself. But instead of growing taller, they all died. Hmm, that means... oh, I know! It means that farmer was a little fool! The method he used was wrong, because he didn't have the spring water from Grandpa Bai's house, right?"
Grandpa Bai's hand paused as he was stroking his beard. "...Well, that interpretation is acceptable too."
"However, today, Grandpa Bai wants to teach you another lesson from this story, young girl. One must not be impatient in anything. We cannot violate the laws of how things develop and be too eager for success. In the end, it will backfire, and nothing will be achieved. The spring water in the space is like fertilizer for plants. After you fertilize the vegetables, you must wait for the plants to absorb it themselves before they can slowly grow taller."
Zhao Zhitong said, "Oh, I see. I don't want my veggies to die. I'll wait patiently then. I won't be anxious anymore."
As evening approached, Zhao Dong, who had gone to the marketplace, returned.
When he left, the cart was laden with bamboo baskets. Upon his return, many were gone; it seemed he had sold quite a few.
"Yo, Brother Dong, back from the market?"
"Yeah, sold some bamboo baskets to help with household expenses. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. Hey, your craftsmanship is getting better and better! These baskets are woven so tightly, they could hold wheat directly. Leave one for me; mine just broke."
"No problem, just take one back with you."
Hearing Zhao Dong talking with a neighbor outside, Zhao Zhitong immediately jumped up and ran towards the gate, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy's back!"
The gate opened, revealing Zhao Dong talking with Zhao Shitou.
"Hello, Uncle Shitou."
Zhao Zhitong greeted Zhao Shitou sweetly, then eagerly scrambled onto the cart.
This cart was from her space! Oh, no, that's not right. It should be said that the body of the cart was from her space. In her previous life, before they transmigrated, it was right around the wheat harvest. Sun Mei had decided not to sell that year's wheat and had Zhao Zhitong store all of it in the space. A few bags of grain had been loaded onto a cart, and when Zhao Zhitong stored the grain, she took the cart in along with it. The wheels of modern carts are made of iron and rubber, so they couldn't be taken out and used directly here. However, they couldn't afford to buy a cart now, and they often needed one. Besides, they couldn't always borrow the one from the Village Chief's house. Zhao Dong thought about it, then went to Carpenter Wang at the edge of the village and paid him to make wooden wheels. And that's how they got the cart they were using now.
Zhao Zhitong, like a little monkey, was scrambling hastily onto the cart, making Zhao Dong quickly steady its body.
Shi Tou cautioned, "Hey, be careful! Don't fall!"
Shi Tou quickly put down his basket, reached out, and lifted the little girl, placing her into a bamboo basket in the middle of the cart.
Just then, Sun Mei came out, wiping flour from her hands, and said with a smile, "Shi Tou, have you eaten? Why not join us? I've steamed some buns."
"No, no, thank you, Sister-in-law. Liuniang has cooked at home."
Zhao Shitou waved his hands repeatedly, said his goodbyes, and was about to head home. "Brother Dong, I'll bring the money for the basket over later!" With that, he turned and went into his house.
Sun Mei glanced at the things on the cart. Some bamboo baskets were gone, and there were a few new cloth bags. She didn't ask immediately, but instead opened both leaves of the gate fully so Zhao Dong could push the cart in.
"Don't just stand out there. Push the cart into the courtyard first."
Zhao Dong had just pushed the cart into the courtyard when Sun Mei, while closing the gate, casually asked, "How was the market today? Did it go well?"
"It was alright, quite lively." Zhao Dong chuckled, then lifted Zhao Zhitong from the cart and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "My goodness, I haven't seen my daughter all day! Let me see if you've grown taller."
Sun Mei shot a glare at the doting father. "Is your daughter on growth hormones or something, to grow taller in a single day?"
Zhao Dong chuckled. "Nope! My daughter ate 'extra cute' pills, so she just gets cuter the more I look at her."
Zhao Zhitong giggled from the tickle of Zhao Dong's beard, not forgetting to praise herself, "Yes, yes! I'm the most super-duper, universally adorable!"
Shaking her head at this narcissistic father-daughter duo, Sun Mei muttered, "...I can hardly watch."
"Hurry up and wash. Dinner is almost ready."
With that, she went into the kitchen.
Zhao Dong put Zhao Zhitong down, washed his hands, and then slipped into the kitchen, sidling up to Sun Mei. "Mmm, smells so good! I smelled it the moment I got home. My wife is so talented! I'm truly fortunate to have such a skillful wife and such an adorable daughter. I must have saved the galaxy in my previous life!"
Sun Mei shot him a look and pushed him away in mock annoyance. "Go on, get out of the way. You're always so glib. You'll spoil our daughter with all that talk. If you're free, help me get the steamed buns out of the steamer."
"Yes, dear!"
"Dinner time! Dinner time!"
By dinnertime, it was usually almost dark. It was brighter and cooler outside in the courtyard, so they generally ate there.
At the table, Zhao Zhitong sat on her stool, brimming with excitement.
Sun Mei carried a bamboo basket covered with a steaming cloth and placed it mysteriously on the table. "Tongtong, guess what's in here?"
"What is it? Steamed buns! Big steamed buns!" Zhao Zhitong exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.
"TA-DA!"
When Sun Mei lifted the steaming cloth, several vegetable rolls lay in the basket.
"Wow! It's vegetable rolls! Mommy, you're the best!"
Sun Mei asked, "Happy?"
"So happy!"
Sun Mei broke off a piece, handed it to Zhao Zhitong, and said with a smile, "Go on, eat up. This is your reward for watering the vegetable garden today."
She had borrowed these vegetables from Sun Liuniang. There weren't many, enough for only seven or eight rolls.
Zhao Dong, who was ladling out congee, heard their conversation and exclaimed dramatically, "Wow! So it was Tongtong who watered the vegetables today! No wonder when I came back, I thought the vegetables looked much taller than when I left!"
Zhao Zhitong, her face beaming with pride, said, "That's right! I watered them!"
Sun Mei pressed her lips together and shot Zhao Dong a look. "Don't be so over-the-top. She'll actually believe you."
After saying this, she instinctively glanced at the vegetable garden. But, she wondered if it was just her imagination, or if the vegetables really did seem much taller than they were that morning.
After dinner, Zhao Dong led Sun Mei out into the courtyard.
He unloaded all the bamboo baskets from the cart and also took down a few cloth bags.
Sun Mei stepped forward to help. "What all did you buy? Are the bamboo baskets selling well?"
Zhao Dong placed two bags on the table and said, "They sold okay. There were a few other people selling baskets at the market, but your husband's baskets are the best quality, so they sold pretty well."
After boasting a bit, his tone suddenly shifted. "But this is just a temporary measure. Selling baskets isn't truly profitable."
When he said profitable, he meant making serious money.
"So, after I closed up shop this afternoon, I wandered around the marketplace, looking for a way to make money. And then, I discovered a huge business opportunity!"
Sun Mei's interest was piqued. "What kind of opportunity?"
Zhao Dong opened one of the bags for Sun Mei to see. "This will depend on my dear wife and your skillful hands."
"Plaster?" Sun Mei looked surprised. "What are you planning to do? Don't tell me you want to sell tofu! I'm not doing that. It's exhausting and doesn't make much money."
Zhao Dong said, "My wife is so clever! It is indeed tofu."
Seeing Sun Mei's unwillingness, Zhao Dong quickly tried to persuade her, "Honey, haven't you noticed? In your memories, you've never eaten tofu, have you?"
Sun Mei thought back, and it was true. Could it be that tofu is very expensive, so expensive that rural people can't afford it?
"How could that be?" Zhao Dong shook his head. "No matter how exquisite or precious it might be, there should still be some memory of such a thing. Besides, I walked all around the marketplace and didn't see anyone selling tofu. I even asked a couple of vendors, and they didn't even know what tofu was."