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Jiang Cheng has just turned fourteen this year, his height has been sprouting up recently, almost catching up with his third uncle’s height.

Although he’s growing taller, he’s still a slender teenager. Carrying his little cousin on his back for 5 or 6 miles, he was sweating profusely.

After all, Yingbao now weighs twenty pounds. Very heavy indeed, almost as heavy as a piglet.

Finally arriving at the market, he sat on a stone by the road to rest a bit, then got up and started walking again.

Seeing this, Yingbao took a boiled water chestnut from her pocket and handed it to her big cousin.

Jiang Cheng took it and finished it in three bites, feeling warmth spreading all over his body. In no time, his exhaustion was gone.

Being simple-minded as a teenager, he thought he was just hungry and a water chestnut helped him recover.

He didn’t know that this water chestnut was an experimental piece that Yingbao had soaked in five-ding-zhi overnight.

Yingbao in the back basket was standing on her toes, looking everywhere for her second cousin.

The market was not crowded today, a lot less than during the holiday season.

But there were still many stalls. Mostly they sell seasonal vegetables, chicken eggs, goose eggs, and chicks or goslings.

There are also those who sell baskets, bamboo trays, chicken cages, and straw sandals, and offer fortune-telling services.

Many small vendors set up their stalls with bamboo fences, displaying colorful threads. There were five-poison embroidered bags, ai tigers, ai men, as well as amulets for women, such as peach wood hairpins, owl talismans, and so on.

Ai tigers and ai men were made from dried mugwort woven into the shapes of tigers, humans, scorpions, centipedes, and toads. They were worn around the waist to ward off evil.

Of course, these well-made ai charms were dyed and boiled into bright red with cinnabar. The more carefully made ones also had a few colorful silk tassels hanging from them, which looked quite beautiful.

Owl talismans were hairpins made from the feathers of an owl dyed red. They symbolize using poison against poison and prevent evil and Five Poisons when inserted into one’s hair bun.

Because the Dragon Boat Festival would take place the day after tomorrow, the vendors are trying to take this opportunity to make a big profit, so they put out all their festival goods.

Yingbao immediately spotted her second cousin, Jiang Quan, squatting by the roadside, negotiating with several old women who were carrying baskets.

“Old lady, these are water chestnuts I brought from the county town. A bag is ten coins and I won’t sell it for less. Your offer of seven coins just won’t do.”

The old lady glared at him, “You young man are too greedy, what thing could be worth ten coins a bag? There are only twenty pieces in a bag, I see these are just water chestnuts from the paddy field, seven coins is already too much.”

Jiang Quan was not happy, “Look at what you’re saying, could the water chestnuts in the paddy field grow this big? Old lady, could you be more reasonable, please?”

“I only have seven coins left, no more…” the old lady started to act shamelessly, picked up a bag of water chestnuts, about to leave.

Yingbao had her big cousin put her down, trotted up to her second cousin, hands on her hip, and exclaimed, “You cheater! You just sold it to me for twenty coins a bag, now you’re selling it for ten coins, give me back the extra money! Humph! I bought five bags just now, give me back fifty coins!” Jiang Cheng and Dani were dumbfounded, before they could say anything, Yingbao turned her head and winked at them.

Jiang Cheng immediately shut his mouth, took his sister, and turned to another stall, pretending to look at the goods.

Jiang Quan was more astute and responded immediately, pleading pitifully, “Little sister, it’s this old lady who kept bargaining, I always sell them for twenty coins per bag.”

As he was saying this, he turned to the bargaining old lady and said, “Old lady, why don’t you just not buy it? I’m still selling it for twenty coins a bag.”

“What?” The old lady was displeased when she heard this, “You lad are really cunning. You said it would be ten coins a bag, but then changed it to twenty coins. No! I insist on buying it for ten coins.”

After saying that, she threw down ten coins, picked up a bag of water chestnuts, and walked away.

Two onlookers saw this, each spent ten coins to buy a bag of water chestnuts, and hurried away for fear that the young vendor would change his mind.

Jiang Quan made two more transactions in the blink of an eye, unable to stop smiling. Just as he was about to talk to his little cousin, he saw her wrinkling her nose, glaring at him fiercely, “Liar! Leaving all by yourself without me.”

Jiang Quan touched his nose guiltily, whispering, “I was afraid I would lose you.

Don’t be angry, I’ll buy you some candied fruit later.”

Yingbao snorted, turned around, and went to find her big cousin.

She wanted her big cousin to take her to the harness shop to make one for Youyou so she wouldn’t have to be carried by others wherever she went.

Humph, it’s better to rely on yourself than others. In the future, she must be a self-sufficient person.

And so. Tiang Cheng carried his little cousin. leading his big sister around the market.

They saw a food stall selling owl soup, served with steamed glutinous rice balls or water chestnut dumplings.

The owl soup was made with owl meat. It was flavored with salt, spices, and dogwood powder, then thickened with wheat flour. It was thick, spicy, and very delicious.

Owl soup is a common food people often eat during the toxic month of May. It signifies using poison to combat poison, resisting evil spirits.

Smelling the aroma, Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but swallow and asked his little cousin:

“Yingbao, are you hungry? Shall we have a bowl of owl soup?”

“Okay.”

Actually, Yingbao didn’t want to eat soup made of owl meat, but since her big cousin and Sister Dani wanted to, she compromised.

So the three siblings sat down, ordered three bowls of owl soup and six green dumplings from the vendor, spending a total of 18 coins.

The vendor stirred the pot with a large spoon, filled up three bowls, and the strong aroma hit their nostrils.

He then took out six green dumplings from the steamer, each wrapped in a mulberry leaf, and placed them in front of the three.

Yingbao only ate one green dumpling and took a small sip of soup before declaring she was full.

Jiang Cheng took his little cousin’s bowl without hesitation, leaving no trace of the soup or even the meat at the bottom of the bowl.

After eating and drinking to their hearts’ content, the three continued to stroll around.

When they spotted winter melon candy, Yingbao bought several packs, kept one for herself, and asked her big cousin to take the rest back for Granny and Auntie.

“Big brother, where can I find saddles? I want to get one for Youyou,” Yingbao asked from her carry basket.

Jiang Cheng knew this, “There is a saddle shop on the northern street. However, a saddle costs quite a lot of money.”

“I have money.” Yingbao confidently said from her basket, “I have a lot of money, enough to order the best saddle.”

Jiang Cheng merely said “Ah, ” without taking any notice.

The three of them continued browsing until they reached the saddle shop.

There were plenty of people around the entrance of the shop, and several mules and horses too.

Two assistants were busy fixing the animals’ hooves and attaching iron shoes.

“Do you make leather saddles?” asked Jiang Cheng.

An assistant straightened up and answered, “Of course. What kind of saddle do you want? For a donkey or a mule?”

“For a deer,” said Jiang Cheng.

The assistant thought he had misheard, “What?”

“For a deer,” Jiang Cheng repeated, “I have a deer at home that needs a leather saddle.”

The assistant, annoyed by this, glared at Jiang Cheng, “You must be joking. Never before has anyone asked for a saddle for a deer here.”

“Who’s joking with you,” Jiang Cheng was also somewhat irate, in a frosty tone he said, “Just say whether your shop can make it or not.”

The assistant sneered, ran into the shop to consult the shopkeeper.

The people standing at the entrance laughed, one of them said, “Young man, you might as well bring the deer here, let us see what kind of deer needs a saddle.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t pay them any mind, his gaze focused on the shop.

Soon, the assistant came out and said in a loud, ringing voice, “The shopkeeper says bring the deer here so that we can measure its size.”

Jiang Cheng turned to ask his little cousin, ‘Should we bring the deer here?’

Yingbao nodded, stood up in her carry basket, and asked the assistant, “How much does a saddle cost?”

Seeing the inquirer was a two or three-year-old toddler, the assistant twitched at the corner of his eyes, reluctantly answered, “A cowhide saddle is eight coins.”

Yingbao, “You’re saying it’s for a big mule saddle. My deer is even smaller than a donkey, is it still eight coins?”

The assistant rubbed his nose, “Well not that, the smallest saddle we have here is for donkeys, and it costs two coins.”

“Oh.” Yingbao nodded at the assistant, “I will bring the deer tomorrow.”

The assistant turned his face away, snickering quietly.

He wouldn’t believe for the life of him that a two or three-year-old child could be in charge and bring a deer, bah!