When the pears are green

Chapter 168 Chance Encounter

In the pleasant afternoon sunshine, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou sat in the yard to discuss going to the Mid-Autumn Festival Market tomorrow. Li Yi, who was throwing sandbags on the side, heard it and hurried to beg Song Li: "Sister, I want to go with you. I promise not to run around. I can also help you shout."

"You can go, but you have to leave home very early tomorrow. Can you get up?" Song Li looked at Li Yi, who was brought up by Master Li, with a slightly doubtful expression.

Li Yi quickly said that he was able to do so. Song Li couldn't bear to reject Li Yi's serious look, so she agreed with a smile. She then asked Jiang Qingye, who was squatting on the ground writing, if he would like to go with her.

Jiang Qingye quickly put down the stick in his hand after hearing it. He walked quickly to Song Li and said, "Sister-in-law, I want to go too."

"Okay, Qingzhou and I will wake you up tomorrow." After Song Li said this, she let the two of them continue to do their own things.

Li Yi was the most excited. In the past, whenever there were large markets like this, Master Li would lock Li Yi in the study, as he was afraid that Li Yi, who was playful by nature, would run to the market when he was not paying attention.

This excitement made Li Yi unable to sleep well all night. When the rooster crowed for the first time, she could no longer fall asleep, so she lay on the bed, staring at the window, quietly waiting for dawn.

Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li got up when the rooster crowed for the second time. Song Li went to prepare breakfast, while Jiang Qingzhou went to clean the pigpen and rabbit hutch at home. He would clean the chicken coop after returning from the market.

Li Yi also got up after hearing the noise. Song Li looked at Li Yi with dark circles under her eyes and wanted her to rest for a while.

Li Yi shook her head and told Song Li, "Sister, I can't sleep. I'll make up for it when I get back. I'll go wake Qingye up first, and I'll help you cook later."

Seeing that Li Yi was in good spirits, Song Li did not force her. After seeing Li Yi skipping and knocking on Jiang Qingye's door, she turned and went to the kitchen.

Not long after, Jiang Qingye came out rubbing his eyes. He went to help Jiang Qingzhou clean up the chicken coop, while Li Yi went to the kitchen to help Song Li cook.

After breakfast, the eastern sky began to turn pale. Song Li blew out the oil lamp in the kitchen and helped Jiang Qingzhou move three backpacks and two baskets to the cart.

Transporting goods using a cart is naturally much easier than carrying them by hand. When Song Li and his three companions arrived at the market, there were only a few scattered vendors.

"It's good to live close by. You can get a good seat without getting up early." Song Li couldn't help but sigh. She recalled the scene when she went early to ride Old Man Wang's ox cart during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year.

After hearing this, Jiang Qingzhou smiled at Song Li. He found a place, pulled the cart over, and started putting out the things he wanted to sell.

When the sun rose, Song Li saw that the surrounding shops had already opened, so she led Jiang Qingye and Li Yi to deliver the ordered bean sprouts to Hu's Restaurant, leaving Jiang Qingzhou here to close the stall.

The restaurant was already open, and the waiter who was wiping the tables and chairs saw Song Li and the other two coming in, and hurried to inform their boss who had told him about his plans in advance.

Kai Xin, who was eating in the kitchen, hurried to the lobby after receiving the notice. He first asked Song Li and the other two whether they had had breakfast.

"Happy. We ate at home before coming here." Song Li answered with a smile, and then asked where to send the bean sprouts?

Kai Xin led the three people out of the restaurant's main door, then walked west along the restaurant and turned in at the first intersection.

"Mrs. Jiang, this is the side door of the restaurant. Next time you want to deliver something, just come here and knock on the door. Someone will open the door for you." Kai Xin said this and knocked hard on the door. A woman in her forties opened the gate.

Happy introduced Song Li to the woman: "Aunt Chen, from now on, when this lady comes over, just come in directly."

Aunt Chen nodded quickly, and she smiled and showed her goodwill to Song Li. Song Li also smiled at her, and then led Jiang Qingye and Li Yi to the backyard happily.

Kaixin called Zhang Er, whom he had met last time, and told him, "Brother Zhang Er, weigh the bean sprouts that Madam Jiang brought, and then take Madam Jiang to find Shopkeeper Li to settle the bill. This is a friend of the boss and the future young lady, and we must not let that old man deliberately neglect her."

Zhang Er smiled and nodded. He first weighed the bean sprouts and then checked the number with Kai Xin.

Kai Xin saw that the number was correct, so he picked up a pen and paper from the table, wrote down the details and stamped it with his own seal.

After taking the note, Zhang Er led Song Li and the other two through a corridor into the lobby.

"Shopkeeper Li, this is Madam Jiang who delivers bean sprouts to the restaurant. Please settle the bill." After Zhang Er finished speaking, he handed the note to the shopkeeper who was sitting at the counter using an abacus.

Shopkeeper Li looked at the note and told Zhang Er in dissatisfaction, "In the past, the restaurant would settle the bill every five days when purchasing vegetables. Why does she want to settle the bill on the same day? Could this lady be a relative of Xiao Kai Xin?"

"Shopkeeper Li, don't talk nonsense. This is a friend of the boss and the future young lady. It was the boss's order to settle the bill with Madam Jiang on the same day. I see the boss has returned, so why don't you go and ask him." Zhang Er repeated to Shopkeeper Li what Kai Xin had told him. If he insisted on touching the boss's bottom line, he could not do anything about it.

Shopkeeper Li knew that Hu Zhimin wanted to replace him, so he certainly didn't dare to make Hu Zhimin unhappy because of such a thing. He smiled and took out eighty cents from the cash box and handed it to Song Li.

Song Li thanked Zhang Er, put the copper coins into her purse, and left the restaurant with her two children behind her.

Li Yi and Jiang Qingye discussed the scene they saw in the restaurant as they walked. "It's so big" and "It's so beautiful" were the words Song Li heard most often from them.

When Song Li and the other two returned to the stall, Li Yun'an was driving a ox cart past Jiang Qingzhou's stall. He smiled and greeted the four people in the stall, then drove the ox cart away in a hurry.

Li Yun'an first met Yang Yu who was on the road. He stopped the ox cart and asked Yang Yu where he was going.

"It's Yun'an. I want to go to Wuzhuang Village to see my student. I'm afraid he will neglect his studies during the holidays. I have nothing to do today, so I want to go and urge him." Yang Yu told Li Yun'an the purpose of his visit to Wuzhuang Village in a very emotional voice.

Li Yun'an didn't expect that the young Yang Yu actually had such a strong sense of responsibility to teach and educate people. He quickly said to Yang Yu: "Brother Yang, take my ox cart. I also want to go to Wuzhuang Village to find Mingde."

Yang Yu thanked Li Yun'an quickly. After he got on the ox cart, he looked ahead, wondering where Yang Jing was. After leaving home, he and Yang Jing agreed to go their separate ways. He would go to Song Xing's house first, and then wait for Yang Jing at the village entrance to go back to town together.

Just as Yang Yu was lost in his memories, Li Yun'an suddenly pointed at the woman not far from the ox cart and asked Yang Yu: "Brother Yang, is that Miss Yang in front?"

Yang Yu took a look and nodded, and Li Yun'an hurriedly stopped the ox cart next to Yang Jing. Yang Jing did not recognize Li Yun'an, whom she had met once before. Just as she was about to leave quickly, she heard Yang Yu's voice.

Yang Jing then remembered that the young man driving the ox cart was Li Yun'an. She smiled at Li Yun'an shyly, then pretended to be surprised and asked Yang Yu: "Third brother, why are you out too? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check on Song Xing's homework. Jing'er, why are you here?" While speaking, Yang Yu signaled with his eyes that Yang Jing should restrain her exaggerated expression.

Yang Jing looked at Yang Yu's blinking eyes in confusion. She first touched her face, then adjusted her clothes. Then she raised the paper bag in her hand and answered, "It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival, I bought mooncakes for Sister Mingshu."

Yang Yu held his forehead with his hand, he remembered what Yang Zhang said: Yang Jing's heart and eyes are all on Yang Yu.

After hearing what Yang Jing said, Li Yun'an looked at Yang Jing and Yang Yu in surprise. They were obviously going to the same place, so why didn't they go together? Did Yang Yu trust Yang Jing so much to let a girl go alone?

Regardless of whether Yang Yu was relieved or not, Li Yun'an would not just take Yang Yu with him and leave Yang Jing behind. He smiled and explained to Yang Jing, "Miss Yang, I know Song Xing that Brother Yang mentioned. He and Sister Mingshu are both from Wuzhuang Village. Since we are going to the same place, let's go together."

"Wow, what a coincidence. Thank you, Mr. Li." Yang Jing thanked Li Yun'an first, then looked at Yang Yu. After Yang Yu nodded, she handed the mooncake in her hand to Yang Yu, and then did a beautiful side flip and landed on the ox cart, shocking Li Yun'an so much that his eyes widened.

Yang Yu was already used to it. He just told Yang Jing not to act naughty in front of Li Yun'an, and then told her not to do that again in the future as it was too unsafe.

Yang Jing curled her lips and stretched out her hand to wave in front of Li Yun'an. Li Yun'an quickly retracted his surprised expression.

Li Yun'an started driving the ox cart again. He thought to himself that if Lingling could flip over like Yang Jing, he would also let Lingling run around alone without worry.