“But…” Sheng Luhua looked hesitantly at Sheng Third, “my old man, do you think it’s doable?”
“I do. If my daughter wants to learn how to do it, we should support her. If we don’t have enough beans at the moment, they can use what we’ve set aside for sowing in the meantime.”
They got to work immediately. That night, Sheng Ning heated up a pot of water to soak the beans in, and Sheng An trailed behind her like a little puppy, recording everything in her notebook.
The weather was hot, and if the soybeans weren’t carefully tended to, they would spoil. Sheng Ning knew the soybeans were important to her family, so she was especially careful with them.
She woke up early the next morning and poured out the water the beans were soaking in overnight. Then, she placed the germinated beans in a specially prepared strainer usually used for washing rice.
Growing soybean sprouts required careful daily inspection, and they had to be watered precisely and on time. This would ensure that the bean sprouts would be fresh and tasty.
It was coming to the end of September, the hottest time of the year, and the soybeans grew very quickly. By the third morning, the beans in the strainer had grown into tender sprouts.
“They’ve sprouted! They’ve sprouted…” Sheng An’s excited shouts woke the whole family up.
Sheng Ning got out of bed and washed her face. By the time she reached the yard, everyone was already gathered around the beans and eyeing them!
“I never expected five catties of soybeans to yield this much!” Sheng An merrily pranced around. “Mom, should we try selling them today?”
“That’s a good idea. These sprouts won’t keep well in such sweltering heat.” Sheng Third thumped the table and said, “Hold on. Give your grandparents some first.”
“All right!”
Sheng Ning saw how happy everyone was, and she smiled along with them.
After breakfast, Sheng Third and Shen Luhua headed to the fields to work, and Sheng An and Sheng Ning headed to the market, pushing a small handcart along with them.
Along the way, several people pointed at the sisters and whispered among themselves.
Sheng Ning pretended not to see them. Sheng An, on the other hand, was so infuriated that she wanted to march over to them and slap them hard across their faces.
“Don’t be angry. We’re out today to make a sale. If you hit them, no one will buy anything from us!”
“Hmph! Since I’m in a good mood today, I won’t hold it against them for the time being.”
The sisters walked for half an hour, and by the time they reached the town, it had gotten late. They had no choice but to settle for a somewhat hidden spot, and after paying the one-cent fee to set up a stand, they put their cart into position. They peeled the covers open, revealing the fresh and tender bean sprouts in their baskets.
The farmer’s market was extremely lively, and people from all the nearby villages came to it. Sheng Ning hadn’t been to the market in more than several decades, and she felt her emotions stir as the familiar scene unfolded before her eyes.
She was so focused on looking around that she was surprised when Sheng An elbowed her. “Try calling out to buyers,” she urged.
Sheng Ning turned to look at Sheng An and realized that the usually loud and boisterous An’an was actually extremely shy, so she cleared her throat and called out at the top of her voice, “Bean sprouts! Soybean sprouts! Freshly grown soybean sprouts for twenty cents per catty! It’s a steal!”
Her voice was clear, and it reverberated around the market. Her mandarin was extremely articulate, and she sounded very cultured among the rough speakers of the northern dialect.
Many passersby came forward and couldn’t resist stealing a second glimpse at them, but no one bought anything.
The sisters stood for half a day. There were many people there, but they didn’t make a single sale. Most of the people who looked over were village hoodlums trying to steal a glance at Sheng Ning.
“You… you’re forbidden from coming tomorrow.” Sheng An glared at her angrily. “You are a jinx.” It definitely wasn’t a good thing for a woman to be too beautiful.
Sheng Ning was upset about being blamed and was determined to prove that their lack of sales wasn’t her fault. She saw a very familiar figure walk past, and called out to him. “Hey, stranger. Would you like to buy some bean sprouts?”
Sheng An almost suffered a seizure when she heard Sheng Ning. “How can you address him like that?” she asked. “It’s no wonder people accuse you of being indiscreet! You have to call him Comrade. Comrade!”
“Oh! Shall I try again, then?” She had grown too accustomed to her way of speaking. She initially wanted to address him as “Handsome,” but was worried it would be inappropriate, so she addressed him as “Stranger” instead. She didn’t imagine that even that would be frowned upon.
Qi Lei was walking through the farmer’s market when he heard someone call him from behind. He turned around in surprise and saw a very distressed Sheng Ning. He couldn’t help but laugh.
This was the third time he had ran into her, and all three times she had been in a state of distress.
“Hey! It’s Xiaohong’s uncle!”