Li Yichen woke up very early the next day to prepare for his journey to Yuxi, to get fresh and dry ingredients in preparation for today's menu. The clock on the wall read 4:30. He moved quietly, afraid of waking his cousins, who were still sleeping.
Chen Liangliang had to be at school by 8, so Li Yichen didn't want to wake him before the usual 7 o'clock. Normally, Li Yichen and Chen Mingyu set off for Yuxi before Wang Shulan did. She usually came after preparing and setting up the kids for school, around 9 or 10. Yuxi was a one hour and fifty-minute drive by cart from Chenjia County, so she usually arrived at peak sales time.
The children would wake up around 6 or 7, depending on their mood, prepare for school, when they were dismissed, they return home for lunch, do their chores, and then play with friends until Li Yichen and the others arrived.
Wang Shulan got up just in time to see Li Yichen putting on his leather sandals.
"Yichen'er, awake so soon?" she asked softly, sliding her slippers on.
Li Yichen looked at her and nodded, fastening his sandals firmly. Wang Shulan went to the kitchen and fetched some leftover steamed buns they had prepared last night. She quietly handed them to him.
"Eat this, for strength," she said, her heart aching at the thought of her delicate nephew growing up. Very soon, he would find a wife and leave home, visiting only occasionally. Her chest tightened thinking about that day.
"Thank you, mother," Li Yichen said with a smile, feeling genuinely happy that someone cared so deeply for him.
Wang Shulan smiled back and glanced at the wall clock—it was a few minutes past 5. She quietly opened the door and bade Li Yichen goodbye before returning to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Meanwhile, Liu Meilan insisted on following Shen Anran to the county market that morning. They both dressed in matching mother-and-daughter outfits Shen Anran had gotten for 5 yuan each. The material was topnotch, which was why she had been willing to spend ten yuan. As a fashion designer in her previous life, she had an eye for quality.
They carried the things they needed, carefully locked their door, and departed. On the way, they met the early morning cart driver, Mr. Niu, and a few other passengers, mostly women. They greeted the women politely and ignored the dirty stares. The cart had space for only two more passengers. Shen Anran sat down, bored, and thought how wonderful it would be if she could invent phones. She laughed softly.
Soon, two more passengers arrived making the cart full and began speaking in veiled tones.
"I heard about some women who went to sell their bodies and were caught and beaten in the neighboring town," one of the women said, casting a side glance at the mother-and-daughter pair. Shen Anran ignored her; after all, she was still innocent. Liu Meilan's heart felt as if pierced by needles.
"Is that so?" another woman asked in a surprised, sneering tone, "that's a good lesson for them." In those days, even without phones, gossip traveled fast and far. Some damage could be repaired, some could never be undone. For Shen Anran, this topic had already ruined her chances of finding a suitable partner.
"I'd rather be childless than bring a bad egg into this world," one woman said, "someone who would ruin my reputation."
Shen Anran nodded calmly, catching the woman off guard. Why was she nodding? Wasn't she supposed to cry? To feel ashamed?
"A prostitute is a despicable job. I'd rather my child steals to eat," another woman said after a pause. The first woman agreed, "I wish they could catch more of those people. I also prefer stealing to doing disgusting things."
Shen Anran breathed deeply and looked out the window. They still had a long way to go. Quietly, she held her mother's trembling fingers, and Liu Meilan felt a little calm.
Soon after, the women grew tired of gossiping when they realized the person they were directing their disgust at simply did not care. Shen Anran would occasionally nod at a point they made, or completely ignore them, treating their words as meaningless noise.
These women were also heading to Yuxi County to open their stalls. Also working hard for them and their family.
What if she spread a rumor that they were involved in shady business? How would they feel then?
The thought crossed her mind, but she said nothing.
After half an hour of traveling along the bumpy road, the cart finally arrived at the market at 6:25 a.m.
Mother and daughter climbed down and walked toward the main, busiest area of Yuxi. Their stall stood there among the others.
Seeing it, Liu Meilan revealed a strained smile.
This stall was how they earned their daily bread. Not by doing disgusting things. Not by selling dignity.
But by working earnestly with their own hands.
She straightened her back slightly.
No matter what others said, this was honest work.
And that was enough.