Chapter 19: The Vegetable-Selling Incident
Not long after the New Year, school started again, and Yang Jiabo returned to class. Bai Cheng had been waiting at the school gate early in the morning, and when he saw Yang Jiabo, he looked like he was about to cry. He knew that Yang Jiabo had been seriously ill, but life without pocket money was simply a nightmare.
Yang Jiabo felt a chill under Bai Cheng’s gaze and decided that for the next month, he would take Bai Cheng out to earn money every weekend. Truthfully, he wanted to go too. During his illness, he hadn’t done anything productive and had completely let himself go. Thinking about all the embarrassing memories he couldn’t erase, Yang Jiabo could only comfort himself by saying he hadn’t had a proper childhood.
When Wei Feng found out about Yang Jiabo’s plan, he insisted on joining. Wei Jing offered to help, so the group of little vegetable sellers grew by two.
As soon as Yang Jiabo returned to school, his teacher who was worried that he might fall behind, suggested he repeat a grade. Yang Jiabo naturally refused, and the homeroom teacher didn’t push the issue, only asking him to try attending classes for a while and to come to her if he couldn't keep up.
Yang Jiabo’s homeroom teacher was the Chinese language teacher, a very responsible veteran educator. Some younger teachers criticized her for only teaching rote memorization, but Yang Jiabo thought, isn’t that what Chinese class is all about? After attending classes for a while, Yang Jiabo’s performance far exceeded the teacher’s expectations, and she never brought up the matter of repeating a grade again.
On the first weekend after school started, Yang Jiabo got up before dawn. As soon as Li Guizhen left the house with her bicycle, Yang Jiabo begged his dad to take him to the farmers’ market on the tricycle.
“Jiajia, why do you want to go to the farmers’ market?” Yang Jianjun asked, puzzled.
“I made plans with my classmates to experience life. We’re going to buy vegetables wholesale and sell them,” Yang Jiabo explained while urging Yang Jianjun to hurry up and get ready.
“Do you even know how to do that?” Yang Jianjun was skeptical.
“Don’t worry, we’ve tried it before.”
Yang Jianjun thought about it. His son had indeed sold vegetables at the intersection before, and nothing had gone wrong. So he didn’t press further and pedaled the tricycle to the farmers’ market with his son.
When they arrived, Yang Jianjun was surprised to find that his son knew most of the vendors and smoothly purchased a full cart of vegetables without needing his money. Then, in a daze, he followed Yang Jiabo’s instructions and hauled the vegetables to a crossroads not far from home. There were several large organizations nearby, and the intersection had formed a small market with plenty of customers.
Yang Jiabo spread a plastic sheet on the ground, and together with Yang Jianjun, they arranged the vegetables neatly. Then he waved at his dad. “Alright, Dad, you can go now.”
“Don’t you need a scale?” Yang Jianjun asked doubtfully.
“Someone will bring one later.”
Yang Jianjun felt he should say something, so he added, “Jiajia, you’re still kids. You should focus on your studies.”
“I know, but this doesn’t conflict with that,” Yang Jiabo nodded.
“Jiajia!” At that moment, Bai Cheng arrived, carrying a bucket and a scale.
It was still early, and Yang Jiabo hadn’t eaten breakfast. Yang Jianjun thought for a moment and bought two buns, handing one to Yang Jiabo. Yang Jiabo gave him a deadpan look and pulled him aside, whispering, “Wei Jing and Wei Feng are almost here.”
Yang Jianjun froze. His pocket money was only enough for one more bun, and this was awkward. Yang Jiabo knew what was going on by looking at his expression, he sighed and quietly slipped him five yuan, adding, “Now you understand the importance of private savings, right? Remember to pay me back when you get your salary.”
Holding the money his son had given him, Yang Jianjun felt a mix of emotions. He went back and bought two more buns, returning just as the Wei brothers arrived. He repeatedly reminded them to be safe before reluctantly leaving.
“Jiajia, what do we do next?” Wei Feng was at a loss. He had never sold vegetables before, nor had he ever bought them.
“First, go fetch water from the public restroom nearby. Wash the dirty vegetables and sprinkle them with water. This makes them look fresh and adds weight,” Yang Jiabo quietly taught them how to be proper vegetable sellers.
Bai Cheng, already familiar with the routine, took charge of washing and watering the vegetables. He led Wei Jing and Wei Feng in the task. Meanwhile, Yang Jiabo stood in front of the stall with a small bag, smiling sweetly at anyone carrying a basket and inviting them to check out the fresh vegetables from their “family farm.”
“Jiajia, did your family grow all these vegetables? That’s amazing!” Wei Feng exclaimed.
“Yeah, I’ll take you to our vegetable field sometime,” Yang Jiabo lied without batting an eye. Although his family were farmers and had land, he had never set foot in the fields. Bai Cheng smirked but didn’t bother exposing the lie.
“Alright, Jiajia, does this look good?” Wei Jing took out a handkerchief and wiped the water off his hands.
Yang Jiabo looked at the neatly arranged vegetables and couldn’t help but want to give a thumbs-up. Wei Jing had a natural talent for this, the best-looking vegetables were placed prominently. “Brother, you’re amazing.”
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