The Little Lucky Girl

"No, mother," the child said with a frown, "I still have an article to memorize, and the teacher will check it this afternoon."

Soon, the sound of reading aloud, with a slightly childish tone, could be heard in the yard.

The wife and husband in the village listened attentively but found they could not understand anything. However, they were very excited because the sister-in-law next to them said that as long as they came down the mountain, their children would be able to go to school as well.

Even for adults like them, if they want to learn, it’s no problem for them to go to the classroom and listen.

The gentlemen were all very nice, never rushing anyone, and sometimes even slowed down intentionally so that everyone could understand.

The more the couple thought about it, the more excited they became. They simply gave up their afternoon business, delivered the food to the people in Xiaguan Village, and hurried back to the mountain.

The young men once again found the chief, who said helplessly, "I agree with moving down the mountain, but the elders disagree, and we can't move out by force. The elders are old, what if they really get angry and do something bad?"

The young men went back and discussed the matter for an entire night, and then Ali, the grandson of the oldest clan elder, Grandpa Tong, brought a jar of good wine to drink with his grandfather.

The others worked overnight to weave a large bamboo chair, and when it was just dawn, Ali wrapped his grandfather in a quilt and carried him out.

Grandpa Tong had drunk a lot and was in a deep sleep. The old man was shaken a few times but did not wake up. He swayed on the bamboo chair and fell into another long sleep. He did not wake up until he was halfway up the mountain.

Grandpa was startled as soon as he opened his eyes, and said in a trembling voice: "This, is this a robbery?"

The son who was following him immediately comforted him: "Dad, don't be afraid, Ali and the others are going to take you down the mountain to play."

Ali in front looked back and grinned, "It's very lively down the mountain. I'll take you to see it."

Grandpa Tong was so angry, who would kidnap someone for fun? He stretched out his hand to hit him, but Ali dodged it very experiencedly, turned around and threw his son, who was bubbling with sleep in his arms, to Grandpa Tong.

The mountain road was rugged and the bamboo chair was shaking violently. Grandpa Tong hurriedly hugged his great-grandson tightly with a snort of anger, and he no longer had any hands free to beat his son and grandson.

They came to the official road. It was already light in the day. The people of Xiaguan Village had already set up their stalls and greeted them warmly.

The young men in the village skillfully carried baskets and exchanged food with everyone. Soon everyone had several items in their hands.

Grandpa Tong looked at the egg that was stuffed into his hand and was so surprised. The people down in the mountain had such a good life? Everyone could have an egg in the morning?

Not only that, a few people nearby stuffed two or three into their mouths. Oh, it made him feel sad just seeing that.

Grandpa Tong patted his little great-grandson who was still sleeping in his arms, and quietly put the egg away, intending to give it to the child when he woke up.

He looked at the pasta called Huamo in his hand. It was made with a lot of white flour, but it was actually shaped into the shape of a small flower dog. He felt that the people living down the mountain really had such talent.

The spotted dog looked very cute. Grandpa Tong thought his great-grandson would like it, so he hid the spotted steamed bun, then took a bite of the glutinous rice cake made in their village.

Ali said hello to his new friends, took a walk and came back. Seeing his grandfather like this, he knew that he had not eaten anything else.

He handed over the tea egg in his hand, "Would you like something salty?"

“No, no,” Grandpa Tong shook his head and said, “You carried the chair all the way, keep it for yourself, and give me two pieces of the glutinous rice cakes we made later.”

Ali held back his laughter and stuffed the egg into Grandpa's hand, "You should eat more of this, so you won't feel bad later. A tea egg costs two cents, do you know how much our glutinous rice cakes can sell for?"

"How much more money could it be?" Grandpa Tong said disapprovingly, "Could it be two cents?"

The grandson chuckled and said, "It's more than that. The piece in your hand can be sold for at least five cents."

"How much?" Grandpa Tong was very surprised. "Are you kidding me? How can rice be more expensive than eggs? I am not senile yet. I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, and I have walked across more bridges than you have walked on roads..."

"You didn't even walk down the mountain." Ali muttered quietly, then smiled and said, "I'm not kidding you. Everyone says our glutinous rice cake is delicious and chewy. It's worth selling such a big piece for five cents. They say if we put some brown sugar in it, people will buy it for eight cents."

Seeing that his grandfather still looked unconvinced, Ali simply picked up the basket and stood by the official road to sell his goods.

The hawking words that the teenagers made up for them were so nice to listen to that he was too embarrassed to speak at first, but later he just sang it like a folk song. Unexpectedly, the effect was so good that not only did the goods sell well, but the customers also insisted that he sing a few more lines before leaving.

After a while, Ali opened the shop. He proudly waved the copper coins in his hand to his grandfather, and then put them all in his pocket.

Grandpa Tong's face was full of wrinkles filled with disbelief. This, this, this, there are actually people who buy this.

He looked at the glutinous rice cake in his hand that he had just taken a bite of, and regretted it so much. He actually wasted five cents.

He turned his head and looked around at the young men around him, then grabbed Yuxiang, who was recognized by the people in the village as the most knowledgeable, and whispered: "Sister, do you think these people down here are a little stupid?"

Yuxiang smiled and said, "We were also shocked at first, but later we found out that this glutinous rice is only delicious when grown on our mountain, and you can't buy it anywhere else."

Grandpa Tong immediately said proudly: "Of course, didn't I tell you when you were little that our ancestors found these rice seeds from far away and that they were given to us by the gods?"

"But no one would have thought that something we eat every day could be so valuable." Yuxiang said with emotion, "Grandpa, the book says that things become valuable only when they are circulated, just like the caravans traveling all over the country, we also have to bring things down the mountain to make money."

Grandpa Tong had figured out the intention of this remark. He said angrily, "You have been with the people down the mountain for a long time, and you have learned to play tricks on your grandpa. I won't stop you from selling things. Just get up early and come down the mountain. Don't even think about anything else."

Yuxiang stepped back reluctantly and winked at a few young men who were looking on the side. They brought back Ali who was singing happily, and everyone carried Grandpa Tong to the school again.

Tong Agong was chewing the glutinous rice cake with gusto. Ever since he knew he could sell it for five cents, he felt that this thing that he was almost tired of seemed to taste good again.

Seeing that the young men were coming to carry him again, he immediately changed into a comfortable position. He had heard that rich people in the city would ride in sedan chairs when they went out, and it seemed that the one he had should be similar.

These kids are too naive. As soon as they see a little bit of sweetness, they rush forward in a hurry. They don’t know how to leave a way out for themselves. What should they do if they encounter difficulties in the future?