Last time it was Kay who gave her a ride on his bike. Whitaker Scarlett hadn’t realized how exhausting it was to cycle all the way to Harborfield!
Since she arrived in 1983, fatigue had become a constant companion. Yesterday, instead of heading into the city, she biked through more than twenty villages, collecting over 50 pounds of yellow eels. Today, Scarlett’s task was to sell the eels along with a few hundred eggs she had picked up along the way. With the busiest days of rice harvesting over, fewer people were willing to sell eggs to her. Besides, Scarlett had already scoured all the villages within dozens of miles around Wellwater Village multiple times. Even gathering eggs took time for the villagers.
Once she sold off these eggs, she could focus on flipping the yellow eels. The eels were fully grown, and she just needed to find them in the paddy fields and ditches. Scarlett wondered: selling yellow eels was one thing, but was it a waste to return with empty baskets after carrying them full into the city? Could she bring back some goods from Harborfield to sell in the countryside?
The purchasing power in rural areas, however, was dismal. Apart from essentials like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, rural folks held onto every penny as if their lives depended on it, avoiding spending whenever possible. In fact, even oil wasn’t a common purchase—some families spent an entire year buying nothing but salt. They could do without soy sauce and oil, but not salt, as going without it would leave them physically weak.
What could she bring back that would make farmers willing to part with their money?
Modern marketing wisdom suggested that women and children were the easiest demographics to target. However, in the countryside, women barely dressed up, and children ran wild in a free-range fashion. Family planning had just begun to take effect, so most families still had several children. Only an only child would be considered precious. For families with many kids, being able to feed them all was a triumph in itself, let alone spending on extras for the children. This was why Michael’s new school bag attracted so much envy from his classmates—most families couldn’t afford such an expensive new bag.
As for children’s clothing, that was out of the question. Older siblings’ clothes were passed down to the younger ones, like heirlooms, and could last for years until they were completely worn out and could no longer be used.
Scarlett racked her brains but couldn’t come up with an idea. She hopped on her bike and headed to the shop that first bought her yellow eels.
“Comrade, do you need yellow eels today?”
She tried to sound formal, but her voice was naturally sweet. At her greeting, even before the shop owner came out, all the noodle-eating customers turned to look at her.
Youth recovered quickly, and the wound on Scarlett’s forehead had long since scabbed over and healed, leaving only a faint pink scar. Although she wasn’t wearing makeup, her clean and tidy appearance made her beauty stand out—something rare in these parts.
She waited in place for a moment, but it wasn’t the same boss who bought her eels last time that came out. Instead, it was a middle-aged woman with a harsh tone.
“We don’t need yellow eels. Our shop already has regular suppliers. Don’t come here again!”
“But…”
“I said, can’t you understand plain language? We don’t want your yellow eels! Don’t bring them here again!”
The woman’s tone was rude, and the customers eating noodles couldn’t help but chime in:
“If you’re not buying, at least say it nicely.”
“Your loud voice might scare the young lady!”
“Looks like someone spilled vinegar at home!”
