Half a day passed in a flurry of activity. The gourds had already sold out, and only one barrel of drinks remained. When it gets hotter in the afternoon, people will have more free time, and the drinks will be sold out quickly. This is the experience they have accumulated in the past two years.
Ever since Lu Dongqing’s visit, Qin Yu had been looking at Qiao Suiman with a knowing glint in his eyes. Qiao Suiman, however, thought nothing of it. He only thought that Lu Dongqing was a nice person. He went over to give him money and help with business, but…
Qiao Suiman glanced at Lu Dongqing’s stall, which displayed an array of bamboo dragonflies, hairpins, and what looked like brush holders for scholars. He’d seen similar items at the village chief’s house which seemed to be called pen hangers. The ones on display here were even more finely carved, adorned with intricate patterns.
Only a handful of people were browsing the stall. Though his craftsmanship was excellent, Lu Dongqing’s stern and unapproachable demeanor made it hard to keep customers. Customers still came one after another to inquire about prices. The only problem was that he spoke too little, making it hard to keep them interested.
Qin Yu packed up the empty wooden barrels and stacked them on the bamboo basket. Qiao Ruifeng didn’t make many bamboo tubes, so only four remained, but it was enough.
Following Qiao Suiman’s gaze, Qin Yu noticed the same issue at Lu Dongqing’s stall. After a moment’s thought, he leaned in and whispered, “He went out of his way to help you earlier and he seems like a good-hearted fellow. We can’t just take his kindness for nothing. Since he barely speaks and it’s hurting his business, why don’t you go give him a few advice? Consider it returning the favor.”
In Qin Yu’s eyes, Lu Dongqing’s cold words was driving customers away. But his craftsmanship was superb, and it’d be a shame if his business failed. After all, the Lu family had settled in Xiahe Village now so they are fellow villagers. They would always have to interact with each other in the future, so they would help each other if they could.
“I’ll watch the stall. Just give him a few tips and come back. Don’t stay too long.”
“Alright.” Qiao Suiman wasn’t one to fuss over such things. At most, he’ll just help sell a few items. Making money was something he excelled at.
——
“Mother, I want this! I want it!” A little boy, no older than six or seven, tugged at his mother’s sleeve, pointing at a bamboo dragonfly with a painted stand.
“Fifteen wen, will you sell it for that?” The woman was quite helpless. Every time she took her child out, he’d clamor for this and that. Normally, she could indulge him with cheap trinkets, but he just wanted this one with two wings on each side and painted. It was so much more expensive than others.
“Twenty-five wen. Fifteen is too low.” Lu Dongqing knew exactly how much effort each piece took. The dragonfly the boy pointed at was the most intricate, adorned with painted designs so naturally, it wasn’t cheap.
“Tch.” The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance, then snapped at her child, “Stop whining. The vendor won’t lower the price. Let’s go.”
“No! I want it!” The boy, seeing his mother’s indifference, reached out to grab the dragonfly. “Just sell it! My mother will pay you!”
The colorful dragonfly was suddenly lifted out of reach. Qiao Suiman deftly avoided the child’s grasping hands. Children have no sense of restraint, and if it got damaged, they will only blame the seller. Instead, he turned to the woman. “The colors on this are well-done, no smudging at all. Plus, it comes with a stand, it won’t break even if it’s pressed. Twenty-five wen is a fair price.”
“Besides, the shaft is sturdy and will last for years. The design is unique too, not like the ones other vendors sell.”
Most farmers had some experience with bamboo weaving and Qiao Suiman was no exception. He could tell at a glance that this dragonfly had taken considerable effort. The carvings were smooth, the surface polished, and the joints sturdy. Fifteen wen was far too low.
“No, no, no, you won’t give me any discount.” The woman yanked her child away, shooting Qiao Suiman a displeased glare. If he hadn’t intervened, her son might’ve grabbed it, and if it got “accidentally” damaged, she could’ve pressured the vendor into lowering the price.
This type clearly wasn’t a serious buyer. Qiao Suiman didn’t bother trying to keep them. There was no point in underselling something made with such effort. He glanced at Lu Dongqing and sighed inwardly. The man really did speak too little.
“People like that aren’t serious. If the dragonfly got damaged, they will blame you for poor craftsmanship or even twist things around and accuse you of swindling them. They might not even pay fifteen wen in the end. You’ve got to keep an eye on your goods so kids don’t snatch them.”
Having run a stall for so long, Qiao Suiman had seen all sorts of tricks. Some losses were avoidable. Though the market has yayi[mfn]衙役 – a yamen runner, a low-ranking officer in ancient Chinese local government[/mfn] patrolling, they preferred to avoid trouble. Small vendors often swallowed their losses for peace, and those from the countryside were even more expendable.
Lu Dongqing stood there in a daze, and all he could see was Qiao Suiman’s lips opening and closing, and his hands on the bamboo dragonfly, which were paler than others. His eyes traveled upward, meeting Qiao Suiman’s questioning look, and he suddenly flinched as if scalded. “Ah, th-thank you.”
Qiao Suiman shook his head lightly. “We’re from the same village. You’ve mostly been to the medicine shops before, so you haven’t dealt with this kind of thing. I’m just saying what I know.”
Besides, you helped me earlier.
With no customers at the stall for the moment, Qiao Suiman lowered his voice. “What prices did you set for these? Just a rough estimate. I’ll help call out to customers. Consider it thanks for running that errand for me this morning.”
There were six bamboo dragonflies on the stall, only two of which were painted, and he didn’t know the price of the rest.
Lu Dongqing gestured to the other dragonflies. “These are fifteen wen.” Then he pointed to the neatly arranged hairpins. “Hairpins are fifteen wen. With a drawstring pouch, twenty wen. That’s the lowest.”
Qiao Suiman’s eyes lingered on the hairpins. Lu Dongqing’s designs were unique. There were several shapes, including two types of plum blossoms at the ends: one with a single bloom winding around a branch, and another with several blossoms clustered together. The petals were carved so realistically that even the stamens were visible.
There were also auspicious cloud patterns, ruyi[mfn]如意 – a decorative scepter or talisman symbolizing good fortune and wishes coming true[/mfn] shapes, and antler-inspired designs. Each hairpin was displayed on a separate linen drawstring pouch, embroidered with matching patterns in colored thread. The two complement each other, and pleasing to the eye.
“You can hold them. They’re just bamboo, nothing too precious.” That wide-eyed fascination made him look even more like a little fox. Lu Dongqing’s lips quirked slightly. “Haven’t made these in a while, so I’m a bit rusty. It’s five wen cheaper than my master’s old prices.”
Since fleeing to Xiahe Village, he’s been busy clearing land, building fences, and fixing up the house. Only last month did he finally have time to pick up his craft again. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have enough tools. Some of them need to be borrowed from the village chief. And it’s not easy to borrow for too long either, so he can’t carve many things.
“They’re lovely. The embroidery’s excellent too. The price is lower than the peddler’s, so it won’t be a problem to sell it.” If only you were more enthusiastic. Qiao Suiman picked up a ruyi hairpin but kept that thought to himself. After a pause, he said, “The east market’s crowded. If you call out, aunties and madams will come take a look. Fulang and young ladies love these, too. You have to talk to them more.”
“Madams and young masters love haggling. If you raise the price by a few wen and let them bargain it down, they’ll be happier to buy.” Unlike food, these items are about personal taste. The final price depended on how you presented it. With such a low base price, letting fulang and young ladies knock off a few wen would make them happier.
“Mm.” Lu Dongqing nodded. That made sense. His master had only taught him carving. He never learned much about selling.
Although his mother was an embroiderer, she only needed to hand in the embroidered handkerchiefs to the embroidery shop to get the money. The price of the drawstring bag was set according to the embroidered linen handkerchiefs. She was afraid that the price here was different from that in Yuntai Town, so she didn’t dare to ask for a higher price.
Hearing Qiao Suiman’s advice, he felt reassured. “What do the peddlers charge?”
“Five wen more, and theirs aren’t as finely made.”
Qiao Suiman occasionally browsed stalls with Chen Xuesheng, though he never bought anything himself to avoid gossip. Chen Xuesheng loves these trinkets, so after seeing so many, Qiao Suiman had a good idea of the market.
That meant Lu Dongqing’s prices matched his master’s. But peddlers had to source their goods from others, profiting only from resale. At the same price, theirs couldn’t compare to Lu Dongqing’s handiwork.
“Oh, the hairpins here are prettier than the ones up front!” The speaker was a young lady in a pink silk dress, accompanied by a ge’r and two servants trailing behind. She’s likely a young miss from a well-off family.
“Look at this one.” The pink-clad miss picked up a plum blossom hairpin entwined with branches and showed it to her companion. “Mei-ge’r, this has plum blossoms too, it suits you.”
“How much is this?” The girl arched a brow at Qiao Suiman.
Qiao Suiman smiled. “This is his stall. I’m just here to browse.”
He shot Lu Dongqing a look, urging him to respond.
“The hairpin is eighteen wen. With the pouch, twenty-five.” Lu Dongqing spoke softly, then pressed his lips together, worried the young lady might find it too expensive.
“So cheap! Erfu, pay up.”
“Yes, miss.”
“W-Wait, Xiao He, I don’t…” The ge’r named Mei-ge’r tried to refuse, but the girl in pink cut him off. “It’s beautiful and much finer than the ones earlier. Hmph, and they dared call us ignorant.”
Mei-ge’r watched Xiao He’s fiery demeanor with a mix of amusement and exasperation. The two were neighbors who’d come to the market together, only to be swindled by a vendor selling crude wooden hairpins for sixty wen. When they refused, the man cursed at them.
The servants had nearly gotten into a brawl, and Mei-ge’r barely managed to stop them, fearing that causing trouble would mean never being allowed out again. Still, the incident had dampened their spirits.
Seeing that he couldn’t dissuade her, Mei-ge’r gave in. But as he took the pouch Xiao He handed him, his eyes lit up at the embroidered plum blossoms. The stitching and color choices were exquisite.
Xiao He grinned. “I knew you’d like it. I told you it was better than the ones before. Pity it’s linen, if it were silk, it’d be perfect.”
“I’ll have silk embroidery in the future,” Lu Dongqing murmured.
Qiao Suiman raised a brow. At least he wasn’t completely wooden. Tipping his chin toward his own stall, he caught Lu Dongqing’s slight nod and turned to leave. Behind him, snippets of conversation drifted over.
“Will you be here often?”
“Carving and embroidery take time. I’ll come on the first and fifteenth of the month.”
“Do you have lotus designs?” Mei-ge’r asked suddenly.
“I can make them. But I’d need to carve several of the same.”
“Good. Xiaoxi, come check next month.”
Xiao He beamed. She didn’t even need to ask to know it would be a gift for her.
For some inexplicable reason, Lu Dongqing glanced toward Qiao Suiman’s stall. The boy was still smiling softly while greeting some customers. His hair was tied up with nothing more than a whittled twig. So young, yet already hustling for a living. He’s nowhere near as carefree as the young lady and ge’r before him.
For some reason, Lu Dongqing’s chest tightened.
Translator [LUNE]: Lu Dongqing is so cute, isn’t he?
