Chapter Eleven: Proof of Payment

Knowing her beauty would attract unwanted attention at the docks, Chunnuan decided to smear some soot from the bottom of a pot onto her face, instantly turning her complexion dark and grimy.

While others longed to be fair and pretty, her younger brother, Chunning, felt his heart ache to see his older sister deliberately disfiguring herself. He secretly swore to grow up quickly and shoulder the burdens of the Xiao family so that she could live a life of ease.

The journey from their home to the town was three miles. Because the flower cakes were freshest right after being deep-fried, they quickened their pace, almost jogging. Chunnuan was breathless and exhausted, yet she refused to stop. Watching her, Chunning made another silent vow.

The docks were already bustling with activity by the time they arrived.

"Sugar-coated fritters!"
"Pea cakes!"
"Tofu pudding!"
"Cold jelly noodles!"
"Steamed rice cakes!"
"Buns and steamed rolls!"

With people carrying shoulder poles, baskets on their backs, or holding buckets, the crowd was a sea of movement, and the shouts of vendors filled the air. Whenever someone stopped to ask about prices or taste, the vendors would immediately interject, claiming their own goods were the most authentic and threatening—in jest—that they would not charge if the food wasn't delicious. They would say anything to get the customer to part with their money.

"We need to call out too," Chunnuan whispered. "If we don't, no one will know what we're selling."

"What should I say?"

"Selling..." Chunnuan began, but Chunning quickly stopped her.

"Sister, tell me what to say, but don't speak yourself."

Looking at the firm resolve in her younger brother's eyes, Chunnuan felt a lump in her throat. He was trying so hard to protect her from being exposed to the public gaze.

"Flower cakes, fresh flower cakes, fragrant and crispy flower cakes." Chunnuan had observed that buns sold for one copper coin each. She believed her flower cakes were tastier, even if they were smaller. A pack of ten for five copper coins seemed reasonable. "Chunning, you need to call out to the children and the ladies."

These weren't staples like buns that filled one's belly; they were meant as snacks.

"Alright, Sister, watch me."

Chunning took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Flower cakes, fresh flower cakes, fragrant and crispy flower cakes!" His shout caused a group of people to turn their heads in unison.

A young man who had spent his life studying the classics had never felt so humiliated. His fair face flushed a deep red. Chunnuan looked on with worry.

Unexpectedly, Chunning seized the momentum and called out several more times. He even approached a woman with a child directly: "Ma'am, buy some flower cakes for the little one as a snack. They were just fried, fresh and delicious."

They were indeed delicious; after frying them, Chunnuan had let the whole family try a piece, and they had all exclaimed that they had never tasted anything so good.

"No, thank you."

The woman looked awkward. She was just a rural villager and had never been addressed as "Ma'am." Flustered, she quickly pulled her child away.

*Chunning thought, "Did I scare her off?"*

"Brother Chunning, you have to choose your customers," Luo Xiaogang, who was watching from the side, offered a friendly tip. "Look at her clothes—they're covered in patches. Five copper coins could buy half a catty of flour; she would never spend that much on a snack for her child."

Chunning paused, then nodded, acknowledging the lesson. It turned out that judging people by their appearance could sometimes be useful.

Chunnuan watched as Chunning truly learned to judge by appearances. He became quite smooth with his words, addressing younger women as "Miss" and older ones as "Ma'am." He even called a wrinkled old woman "Big Sister," which delighted her so much that she parted with her money happily. Most importantly, Chunning had learned instinctively to open a package and offer samples; once the children tasted them, they would pull their parents over to buy.

Seeing Chunning and Luo Xiaogang finally make their first sale, then the second, third, and fourth—with a crowd gathering around them—Chunning’s lips curled into a smile. Life would eventually get better.

"Make way."

Suddenly, two men walked through the crowd. The leader was broad-shouldered and muscular, with dark skin and a head taller than the other men.

"The Third Master is here."

"Third Master, I've already paid the fee." A vendor quickly presented a slip of paper with a seal on it with both hands.

Wherever the man went, everyone carefully produced their payment receipts. Xiao Changfu glanced at them and walked on without stopping. When he reached Chunning, he halted.

"Whose boy are you?"

"Third Master, we are from the Luo family in Shuikou Village, Annan Town." Luo Xiaogang remembered Chunnuan's instructions not to reveal that they were from the Xiao family, as the main Xiao clan had driven them out, and there was bad blood between them.

"Coming to the docks to do business? Do you know the rules?"

"Third Master, we're just selling some flower cakes. Please, tell us how much the fee is."

Chunnuan had instructed that if the fee was small, they should pay it, but if it was too much, they had to leave immediately.

Xiao Changfu glanced at the banana-leaf-wrapped items in Chunning’s small basket and frowned.

"Third Master, these are homemade flower cakes. Please, have a taste."

Chunning hated the man to his core, but he knew he couldn't show it. He hurriedly offered a pack to Xiao Changfu. "They are very fresh and delicious, please try them."

Xiao Changfu weighed the package in his hand and suddenly laughed. "Go pay the fee. Doing business at the Xiao family docks costs twenty copper coins a day."

"Ah, oh, alright!"

Chunning and Luo Xiaogang asked, "Where do we pay?"

"Boy, don't you know? It's at the inn. The Sixth Master is collecting the money there. Remember to get a receipt," a helpful bystander pointed out.

"Right, thank you, thank you."

Luo Xiaogang looked at Chunnuan. Although her heart was bleeding, she nodded, signaling them to go pay.

What a formidable Xiao clan! They could have simply robbed them, yet they chose such a "civilized" method. They drew a circle around the land, and anyone wanting to sell small goods at the docks had to pay twenty copper coins.

Touching the thirty-five copper coins they had just earned, and looking at the dozen packs left in the basket, Chunning felt a deep sense of frustration, yet he had to compromise. Luo Xiaogang had warned him that if they didn't pay, their goods would be thrown into the river. These were his sister's hard work!

The two ran off to pay and returned with a slip of paper stamped with a red seal. Chunnuan looked at it; it read: "Xiao Family Docks, Eighth Day of the Fourth Month."

Just as she was looking at it, the dark and burly Xiao Changfu appeared again.

"Third Master, we've paid." Luo Xiaogang showed him the receipt just like the others.

"Remember this next time, and don't make me come check on you," Xiao Changfu said coldly. "If I had to manage everything myself, would I even have the time?"

"Yes, yes, we'll remember."

Watching Xiao Changfu's retreating back, Xiao Chunning wanted to spit on him, but he had to endure it.

"Flower cakes, flower cakes, fresh flower cakes..."

Chunning quickly adjusted his mood and began to shout with renewed vigor. He had to sell all the cakes to make his sister's efforts worthwhile.

Chunnuan watched from the side, sighing in her heart: *Making money is truly hard!*

According to her plan, this small basket should have netted her over a hundred copper coins, which would have allowed them to buy some necessities for the house. Instead, a bandit had appeared out of nowhere and snatched twenty coins in one bite. The money that should have been their profit was now in the pockets of thugs.

They say merchants are cunning, but could one even make a profit without being cunning?