Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhuang Zhuang had just woken up at this moment. Xiaoguo got him to help with letting the cows and donkey out.
Zhuang Zhuang happily took the ropes and skillfully put them around the cows’ neck. After keeping them for so long, the little cows had grown much taller. Zhuang Zhuang had to stand on tiptoes to secure the ropes around their necks.
Xiaoguo led the donkey out the door and walked together with Zhuang Zhuang to the river where they had been the last time. She untied the ropes and let the animals graze freely.
The mother and son pair sat on the rock and quietly admired the scenery. It was undeniable that the air quality here was really good. Every breath inhaled was like a purification process for the heart and lungs. Right in front of them was a panoramic view of the emerald green mountains. Birds were chirping in the background and the river water was clear and bright. Clusters of fluffy white clouds floated in the sky, moving quietly in tandem with the wind.
Xiaoguo was paying close attention to the animals in case they ventured too far away. Zhuang Zhuang sat in Xiaoguo’s arms and watched the sky. After a while, he pointed at a white cloud and called out to Xiaoguo, "Mother, look. What does that look like?"
Xiaoguo looked in the direction Zhuang Zhuang was pointing. It was an odd-shaped cloud. Xiaoguo studied it but could not figure out what it looked like.
"Mother can’t tell." Xiaoguo said truthfully.
Zhuang Zhuang wasn’t disappointed. He narrowed his eyes and smiled happily. "That looks like Mother."
Xiaoguo was very surprised. How could the cloud look like her? She couldn’t tell even if she looked closely. Zhuang Zhuang pointed at Xiaoguo and explained, "Look, this is Mother’s head. There’s your hair and... "
Xiaoguo was shocked by Zhuang Zhuang’s imagination. Through his explanation, it truly sounded like he was describing her.
"I think I can see it."
Xiaoguo was pleasantly surprised. She realized that the child was highly imaginative. She couldn’t tell from the shape of the clouds initially, but Zhuang Zhuang’s description was really vivid.
Zhuang Zhuang chuckled. Xiaoguo asked Zhuang Zhuang to talk about what the other clouds looked like. Zhuang Zhuang thought for a moment and pointed at them. "This is a horse. This is a puppy’s head... "
Listening to Zhuang Zhuang’s descriptions, Xiaoguo truly agreed with his interpretation of the clouds. They played happily for a long time. When the sun had set and the cows and donkey were full, they headed home.
Before dawn the next day, Xiaoguo set off with the donkey cart. It was the same time as before and the location was unchanged. As she slowly approached the village, Xiaoguo saw that there were people already lining up in a row.
Xiaoguo frowned. Could there be another person selling things there? Then she thought to herself that it was not impossible. If she had been able to set up a stall here the last time, others would definitely come too.
Xiaoguo stopped the donkey cart and decided to look for another location. Just as the donkey cart was turning around, the woman at the front of the line spotted Xiaoguo. Seeing that she was about to leave, she quickly stopped her. "Young lady! Young lady!"
Xiaoguo didn’t know that the woman was calling her, but she turned instinctively when she heard a voice. She recognized some familiar faces among the crowd.
The woman ran a few steps and stopped before Xiaoguo’s donkey cart. She said breathlessly, "Young lady, why are you leaving? We’ve been waiting here for a long time."
When she got closer, Xiaoguo recognized the woman. She was the first person to buy from Xiaoguo the last time she was here.
"Waiting for me?" Xiaoguo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"That’s right! Come on, I was here first. Give me three bowls. As usual, one bowl of mushroom soup with chili and two bowls of bone soup." With that, she took out her money and stuffed it into Xiaoguo’s purse.
When this auntie brought back the noodles for her family the last time, they were full of praise for the food. They finished all the soup to the very last drop. Knowing that Xiaoguo would be coming back on the day of the fair, she came early in the morning to line up.
Xiaoguo accepted the 30 copper coins in a daze. The kind auntie even helped her unload the items from the donkey cart.
Xiaoguo stood rooted to the ground as the middle-aged woman helped her with everything. With that, she just went with the flow and started selling right there at the corner of the street.
Everyone rushed forward. Some of them ordered the same soup that they found delicious. There were also many who had smelled the food but failed to buy anything previously. This time, they woke up early and came over to stand guard. Once the stall was set up, they hurriedly placed their orders in case the noodles ran out again.
"Two bowls of spicy mushroom."
"Four bowls of bone soup, two bowls with added chili sauce."
"I want... I want... "