The town was louder than Wei Lian expected.
Voices overlapped everywhere—vendors shouting prices, customers bargaining, carts rolling over uneven stone roads. The air carried mixed smells of oil, meat, sweat, and dust. It was chaotic, but alive.
Wei Lian slowed her steps and began to observe carefully.
Shen Yi had been right.
Very right.
She stopped in front of the first stall selling vegetables.
The vendor held up a small bundle of wilted greens.
"Five copper coins!"
Wei Lian blinked.
Five copper… for that?
She moved to another stall.
Two shriveled eggplants—ten copper.
A handful of radishes—eight copper.
She frowned slightly and continued walking.
Then she reached the meat section.
Chicken hung openly, freshly slaughtered.
Pork slabs stacked neatly.
"Ten copper for one jin!"
"Cheaper if you buy more!"
Wei Lian's heart skipped.
Vegetables were expensive.
Meat was cheap.
After the war, people had stopped planting. Fields were abandoned, seeds scarce, labor redirected. Livestock, however, bred easily.
This imbalance—
was opportunity.
Wei Lian lowered her gaze, hiding the spark in her eyes.
I can sell vegetables, she thought calmly.
Fresh ones. Clean ones. Better ones.
Her backyard was large.
Her daughters could grow crops quickly.
And no one would know how.
But before business—
Education came first.
Wei Lian turned toward a quieter street and entered a modest stationery shop.
Books lined the shelves—old, yellowed pages bound with string. She flipped through them carefully.
Characters.
Basic arithmetic.
Reading primers.
The script was familiar enough. Her daughters had learned modern Chinese—this wouldn't be too hard to adapt.
She bought:
– Character books
– Simple writing manuals
– Cheap paper
– Charcoal pencils
Then she paused and smiled faintly.
She added toys—small wooden animals, a cloth ball, a rattle meant for children far younger than their bodies.
Her daughters were still only three inside.
They deserved joy.
Next, she went to the cloth stalls.
Cotton filling was stacked high, soft and white.
She tested it between her fingers.
Good quality.
She bought enough cotton to make mattresses and pillows, then added cotton cloth and several cut pieces—cheaper remnants perfect for stitching.
Tomorrow night, her daughters would sleep properly.
As she turned to leave, a small stall caught her eye.
An old woman sat behind a basket of dried herbs, her hands rough, her eyes sharp.
Wei Lian stopped.
She recognized it instantly.
Soap herb.
In her previous life, she had worked in a beauty company. She knew this plant well—used to create natural cleansing agents.
She picked it up, sniffed lightly.
Yes.
This was it.
"Not many buy this anymore," the old woman muttered.
Wei Lian smiled.
That's exactly why mine will sell.
She imagined it instantly—
Soap infused with rose.
Lavender.
Hibiscus.
Clean.
Gentle.
Fragrant.
She bought several bundles without hesitation.
She bought meat—chicken and pork—cheap enough to stock for days.
When she counted her money afterward—
She still had five hundred copper coins left.
Enough.
As she walked, she noticed something else.
Every food stall sold meat dishes.
Stewed pork.
Fried chicken.
Grilled skewers.
But—
No vegetable dishes.
Not one.
Wei Lian slowed, eyes thoughtful.
If I sell vegetable dishes… fresh ones… seasoned properly…
People would buy.
She smiled faintly.
Her late husband's old possession surfaced in her mind.
A cycle.
With a cart attached.
Used long ago to sell sweets before the shop expanded.
It still worked.
She could clean it.
Use it.
She also noticed stalls selling crude bowls and plates. Uneven. Thick. Heavy.
Her gaze drifted to the roadside where white and red clay were visible beneath disturbed soil.
She knew this too.
In her past life, she had run a handmade goods business.
Plates.
Bowls.
Jars.
Clay was easy.
This world lacked refinement.
I can make better.
By the time she reached the waiting area, the sun had shifted westward.
Shen Yi was already there, chatting with another woman.
When she spotted Wei Lian, she waved.
"You're fast!"
Wei Lian smiled. "So are you."
They talked lightly—about prices, crowds, small village gossip—and laughed together. For a moment, Wei Lian felt like an ordinary woman again, not someone clawing her way back from nothing.
Soon, it was time to go.
They parted at the village road.
"See you tomorrow," Shen Yi said.
Wei Lian nodded. "Thank you for today."
When Wei Lian reached her house, the door was closed tightly.
Good.
She opened it slowly.
Three figures rushed toward her immediately.
"Mama!!"
"Mama back!"
"Mama long time!"
They hugged her waist, arms, legs—everywhere at once.
Wei Lian laughed softly, setting the basket down and hugging them back.
"I missed you too," she said, kissing their hair.
Her daughters pressed closer, smiling brightly.
The house was still poor.
The road ahead still long.
But Wei Lian's heart was steady.
She had plans now.
And tomorrow—
She would begin turning them into reality.