Chapter 32: Going to the Fair Together

Granny Shen made over a hundred pairs of gloves from the hide that Lu Lin found at home. Lu Lin gave Granny Shen two pairs and took home the rest.

"Big brother, are you going to the fair in a few days?" Chen Xiao Cai asked.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "Yes, we are all going."

With that Chen Xiao Mi tried on a pair of gloves and said, "We are going to sell these gloves on the fair.

Granny Shen made two styles of gloves, one was fingerless with an opening but no covering sheath for each finger, the other one had separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. Chen Xiao Mi was fascinated by them, his hands immediately felt so warm and he could move each finger freely.

Chen Xiao Cai also tried on one pair, he murmured, "I'm not sure whether we can sell them, they are warm and pretty, but some people might find it hinders them from doing farm work. Plus they will get dirty easily."

"I'm fairly optimistic. This fair we are going is a big fair, many rich kids will go there. Gloves is still a novelty, I think those rich kids will love the gloves, they can buy a few pairs to show off or impress the girls." Replied Chen Xiao Mi.

"Big brother, I'm going to ask you one more time to make sure, are you really going to take me and Xiao Mai to the fair?"

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, he assured Chen Xiao Cai, "It is true, we are all going."

Chen Xiao Mi had always wanted to take his two brothers to the fairs and marketplaces, but they didn't have carriage, so he kept delaying the plan. And now the kids could sit on the mule carriage and together they could see go to all the fairs.

The fair they were going to was the biggest Winter Fair in town, they would have customers from the town and the surrounding villagers.

Lu Lin woke up early that morning, he and Chen Xiao Mi cooked breakfast together and woke up the kids, everyone was radiant with joy.

Chen Xiao Mai was so stoked, he kept lifting the curtains on the carriage and looking outside. Chen Xiao Cai was a bit low-key compared to Chen Xiao Mai, but his glowing eyes had betrayed him, this kid was just as excited.

Lu Lin had met some villagers who were going to the fair on foot. There were only a handful families who had carriages, but everyone wanted to go to this fair, therefore, a lot of villagers had to walk there.

The villagers stared with the mule carriage with envy.

"Chen Xiao Mi's family is so affluent, they have such a big mule carriage all to themselves."

"I know, right? I heard people from Big Gulf Village sent him some really nice presents to thank him for teaching them the skills to build kang."

"I heard Zhang Da Zhu from our village also visited them and sent them some nice presents for the same reason."

"I've also heard the entire Big Gulf Village now are deeply grateful for Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin for bulk buying sweet potatoes from them, otherwise the potatoes will suffer frost damage."

Zhang Da Zhu and his team had also made some money thanks to Chen Xiao Mi, but it didn't occur them that they should visit Chen Xiao Mi and say a thank you in person until they heard Liu Gui Yong and his team had visited Chen Xiao Mi with some presents.

The steward in Yang Heng Zhi's family had heard that, he and Chen Xiao Mi maintained frequent contacts for fresh game meat, he knew Chen Xiao Mi well and he was filled with righteous indignation when he heard the villagers in Big Stone Village kept complaining Chen Xiao Mi for not teaching them the skills to build kang.

The steward spread the word that the villagers in Big Stone Village were ungrateful, and the villagers in Big Gulf Village were opposite, they were grateful and respectful to the hand that fed them.

People started to ask Zhang Da Zhu and his team questions like "where have you learned the skill", "have you thanked the person who has taught you the skill... ..."

Zhang Da Zhu and his team were so embarrassed, so they paid a visit to Chen Xiao Mi as well, they also had brought gifts. Zhang Da Zhu knew the Lus now had two kangs at home, so he brought a large amount of firewood in a thoughtful way.

The villagers in Big Stone Village had different opinions on Zhang Da Zhu's gesture as well, some thought that was completely unnecessary, Chen Xiao Mi had only done something that he was supposed to, while others thought Chen Xiao Mi should be appreciated by Zhang Da Zhu.

"What is going on? How come everyone is talking about Chen Xiao Mi?"

"He is probably the wealthiest in our village now."

"Oh my, do you know what happened to him?"

"Some people say he has found ginseng in the mountain and made a fortune through selling that."

"Who could expect someone like Chen Xiao Mi could be so favored by heaven, he is so unfilial towards his grandparents!"

"I beg to differ, it was Grandma Chen who forced Chen Xiao Mi's father to venture into the mountains for game, and we all know how that ended, Chen Xiao Mi's father lost his life because of that. Grandma Chen planned to sell Chen Xiao Cai as a servant to a rich family in town when she knows that young master in that family has beaten two girl servants to death. I can totally understand Chen Xiao Mi's behavior towards his grandparents."

Some villagers were convinced by that, those people who judged Chen Xiao Mi for being unfilial towards Grandma Chen just to fit in with the other villagers started to understand Chen Xiao Mi. And they thought Chen Xiao Mi must have done something right because he, out of all the hunters, had found ginseng, he was favored by Heaven and his family was doing so well.