Chapter 410 - 410: The Town ‘s Market
Tao Eryong knew his big brother was sad but did not know how to comfort him. He quietly approached Tao Dayong and said softly, “You still have us, Big Brother. We hope you’ll be content with us. Everything will be okay soon enough.”
After a while, Tao Dayong turned and looked at his brother. “Yeah, everything will be fine. You don’t have to worry about me, okay? Go to sleep.”
“All right,” Tao Eryong said.
The two of them relaxed and lay on the heated brick bed. They felt a sense of peace and security as they listened to the sound of the north wind outside.
After all, being home was still safer and more comfortable.
The duo had an exceptionally comfortable sleep as the brick bed was warm. The brothers covered themselves with a thick winter blanket and fell asleep, listening to the wind blow.
Tao Dayong hurriedly got up out of habit before the sky even brightened the following day. He had developed a biological clock from working at the docs and would typically wake up with an anxious mind before dawn.
However, he dazedly realized he was at home and not in town. The sky was still dark, and he had nothing much to do today.
‘Mother and Father said we’d go to the town’s market in the morning.’ Tao Dayong’s anxious mind relaxed when he thought of that.
“Phew.” He let out a long breath as he lay down again and covered himself with the blanket. The bed was still warm, but winter was near, so the air was cold.
Even so, he felt it was warm enough.
After all, the cold would wake the two brothers up when they worked at the docks. There would usually be frost and dew in the morning if the brothers lived in town.
Tao Dayong lay in bed and relaxed as the sky was still dark. Therefore, he decided to sleep a while more. After growing accustomed to waking up before dawn, his anxious mind could not relax.
However, he felt terrific now that he could relax and go back to sleep. He could not even describe how he felt. Tao Dayong thought he would have to wake up early but suddenly realized he could sleep in instead, so he instantly felt relieved.
He closed his eyes and continued sleeping—this time, more relaxed, as he did not wake up until dawn.
Meanwhile, Tao Eryong slept the entire time and did not wake up halfway through like his elder brother. The sun rose, and the sunlight shone through the window into the room. The morning sun made him feel lazy.
Tao Dayong felt he had slept very well, full of energy after waking up. On the other hand, his younger brother felt the sunlight shining on him and opened his eyes.
Tao Eryong looked around the room and excitedly said, “Dayong, we slept at home last night!”
Tao Dayong smiled.”Yes, we did.”
Tao Eryong hugged his blanket and rolled around happily.
Tao Dayong noticed the sky had brightened. He said, “You can sleep a little longer if you want. I’ll get up first.”
Tao Eryong had slept enough, but he had not felt so relaxed in a long time and wanted to indulge himself a little. Therefore, he stayed in bed for a while and did not get up.
However, he got excited when he recalled his parents saying they would go to the town’s market today. He said, “I’ll wake up too, Big Brother. I can sleep more in the future if I want to, anyway.”
To the two brothers, being able to wake up in the morning was a sign of good sleep.
Miss Li saw that her sons were awake. She had already prepared breakfast and boiled some water. She started her morning by getting cold water from the vat and pouring it into the bucket to boil.
Then she carefully checked the temperature with her hand, and it was just right for her sons to wash themselves up.
Tao Dayong let his younger brother wash up first, so Tao Eryong put his hand in the water and said with shock, “Mother, this water is so nice and warm.”
He and his brother had grown accustomed to using cold water to wash up when they worked at the docks. Their hands and face would freeze since the weather was cold. Therefore, the brothers would do it quickly.
Miss Li felt a sense of bitterness when she looked at her second son. “Yeah, you’re used to cold water, huh? I’ll always give you warm water in the future.” She felt sorry for her sons’ suffering when they were away. Now that her family would start improving, she wanted to make it up to them.
Meanwhile, Tao Dayong used another bucket to scoop some water and wash his face. He said, “We’re not that delicate, Mother. We’re okay with washing up with cold water. Don’t spoil Eryong.”
Tao Eryong’s smile disappeared when he heard his older brother’s words. He said, “Dayong is right, Mother. You can’t spoil us. We’re men, so we must be tough.”
Miss knew her eldest son had been sensible and mature since childhood, but his statement was reasonable. She could not spoil her sons as it would only make them soft.
She said, “Still, it’s colder now, so it’s okay to use warm water to wash up. You two are too skinny and need nourishment. Come on. We’ll head to town and buy some things after breakfast.”
Tao Eryong was ecstatic when his mother said that. “Mother, I only remember following you and father to the market with Dayong when I was a kid. I recall it being very lively there.”
However, the family did not buy anything then and just went there for fun. Sometimes, Miss Li would carry a basket to town to sell eggs, but even after standing there all morning, she still failed to sell her eggs.
After all, many other people would sell their eggs in town.
Although the family was having breakfast, they only had pretty tasteless soup. The soup had few ingredients and noodles, so the family felt like they were just drinking water.
Still, the whole family felt warm after eating because they had not eaten noodles for a long time. Even if the soup barely had anything, they still thought it was delicious.
Immediately, the family went to town. Although the weather was cold, many people were in town, especially at the market. It was even livelier with people coming and going.
The people selling things at the market yelled left and right, bargaining with their customers.
Miss Li had only been to town a long time ago. After seeing such a lively scene, she said, “Why is the town much livelier than I remember? Only the stall owners would come here in the past. Did the market double in size?
She was puzzled.
“More merchants and people are going in and out of town now,” Tao Dayong explained, “Most people wouldn’t even rest at our dock when they arrived to drop off their goods. But after discovering how much delicious food our town has, they would rest here for a day or two just to try the food.
“Some even come here mainly to try hotpot. That’s why there are so many people in town now. Since doing business here is more accessible, many people have opened shops and stalls.
“I heard that people might not even receive a single customer when they set up a stall here in the past. However, they might even sell out after setting up their stall for a short time now.”
Tao Eryong added, “Miss Su had created these delicacies, so they belong to the
Su family. She’s capable, so our future will improve if we work for her.”
Tao Dayong and Tao Eryong knew these things because they worked at the docks. Miss Li and Tao Zhenggang were shocked upon hearing their words.
Then the family went to buy rice and noodles before getting some pork. Still, they were reluctant to overspend, even though they now had dozens of silver taels..