C3 Going to Set up a Stall with Her Father

When little Qiaoqiao spoke, her parents didn't take her seriously. That night, Bai Shengli and Lin Yuefen lay in bed, both deep in thought, tossing and turning until midnight without falling asleep.

The next morning, as the rooster crowed for the third time, Bai Shengli and Lin Yuefen were already up. At that time, the Bai family still lived in their old wooden house in Lotus Root Village. The staircase in their home was dark, but to save on electricity, they would navigate it in the dark.

Qiaoqiao woke up early, hearing the creaky "squeak, squeak" of the wooden stairs. She quickly got out of bed and followed them. It was a miracle she didn't fall and hurt herself on the way down! In the end, she had no choice but to back down the stairs, sliding down step by step on her stomach. Tears welled up in little Qiaoqiao's eyes.

In her past life, she had been a pampered princess from elementary school, and later, for over a decade, she mingled with the elite as the wealthy Miss Bai. She had never done anything like this before! But there was no choice; if she didn't do it this way, she might have fallen.

By the time she finally made it downstairs, Lin Yuefen was already busy cooking breakfast. Bai Shengli and his four older nephews were chatting in the kitchen. The eldest, Bai Feng, and the second, Bai Liang, were in high school, while the twins, Bai Jin and Bai Xi, were in middle school.

In the village, there's only an elementary school, so before dawn, the kids have to set off, walking over an hour through the mountain paths to get to the school in town.

Meanwhile, Bai Shengli also heads out at this time every day, carrying a few pairs of handmade leather shoes from home to sell at the Bless Coming Gate.

With a family funeral happening, the kids haven't been to school for the past few days.

In the kitchen, Bai Shengli was advising them, "Since you're going to school, focus on your studies..."

Just then, Bai Feng turned his head and saw the chubby little Qiaoqiao standing at the door.

He was surprised, "Qiaoqiao?"

Bai Qiaoqiao ran over and hugged Bai Shengli's leg, "Daddy, are you going to the Bless Coming Gate? I want to go too!"

The Bless Coming Gate! The first major hub for the booming shoe industry!

She had long wanted to see what the Bless Coming Gate was like in this era.

Bai Shengli was startled too and quickly picked her up, saying, "Don't make a fuss, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."

He was about to take the little one back upstairs to bed.

"No, I want to see it," Bai Qiaoqiao insisted, using her cute charm to get her way.

Bai Shengli chuckled, "What would you do there? Don't make trouble."

"I can help you sell, Daddy. I'm really good at it," Bai Qiaoqiao said.

Her business acumen from her past life could help the family rise to success sooner.

She clung to him, pleading sweetly for quite a while. Bai Shengli, unable to resist his little darling, picked her up and went to his wife. "How about I take her out for a bit?"

Without turning her head, Lin Yuefen replied, "No way."

The market was too chaotic, and she worried about losing their child.

Little Qiaoqiao knew her dad's soft spot and kept calling, "Daddy, Daddy, please take me!"

Bai Shengli added, "Yuefen, let me take her. I'll keep a close eye on her."

In the end, Lin Yuefen gave in to their combined pleas, but warned, "Bai Shengli, if she gets lost, I'm divorcing you!"

Bai Shengli couldn't say much to that, just held his little girl and grinned sheepishly.

Lin Yuefen made sweet potato porridge and boiled some potatoes for the family’s breakfast. She packed lunchboxes for Bai Shengli and the four older kids, each with an egg and plenty of small potatoes.

Bai Shengli's lunchbox had an extra egg today, but that was for Little Qiaoqiao, not for him.

Once everyone had eaten and drank their fill, Lin Yuefen sent the four older boys off with a reminder, "Study hard."

Little Qiaoqiao peeked out from the small basket on Bai Shengli's back. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and her four brothers looked rather glum.

"Come on, guys, you can do it!" said Little Qiaoqiao.

It was the kind of encouragement you'd expect from a child her age. The Bai brothers paused for a moment, then their expressions softened, and they all started to smile.

...

Wenzhou has a long history of shoemaking, dating back to the Ming Dynasty when its shoes were considered tributes. In areas like Lucheng and Xianjiang, many are artisans who have inherited their craft through generations. However, craftsmen like Bai Shengli, from the more remote areas, still make a few pairs of leather shoes during the off-farming season. They would set out before dawn, carrying their goods over the mountains to sell at the Bless Coming Gate to supplement their household income.

They likely set out around six in the morning, walking for over an hour to reach their destination. Little Qiaoqiao looked around and noticed that most of the stalls were still scattered, not yet at the heart of the Bless Coming Gate, which left her a bit disappointed.

Her dad, Bai Shengli, had an extra small basket today to carry his daughter, and he was already huffing and puffing. By the time they arrived, several others had beaten them there. Next to them was Shen Jian, one of their friendly neighbors.

Bai Shengli quickly offered him a cigarette and said with a smile, "Thanks a lot."

The Shen family also made shoes, and the two often teamed up, usually planning their outings together. The Bai family had been busy with a family event recently, so they hadn't been around.

Shen Jian had promised to save him a spot today. As he took the cigarette, he glanced at Little Qiaoqiao and chuckled, "Why'd you bring this little girl along?"

Qiaoqiao curiously sized him up. In her past life, the Bai family was surrounded by all sorts of freeloaders and con artists, and the Shen family stood out as rare good folks among them. The Uncle Shen she remembered was like a jolly Buddha, and she had a hard time reconciling that image with the skinny man in front of her.

Bai Shengli took a sip from his water bottle and chuckled helplessly, "She insisted on coming along, and there was nothing I could do."

The two of them were chatting away, not quite in business mode yet. Suddenly, Qiaoqiao turned around and tugged at a passerby's pant leg, "Hey, mister, want to buy some shoes? Our leather shoes are top-notch!"

Bai Shengli: "..."

Shen Jian: "..."

The passerby, a man in his thirties, found her antics amusing. He squatted down to take a look at Bai Shengli's stall and asked, "How much for a pair?"

Bai Shengli was about to say ten dollars.

Qiaoqiao chimed in, "Fifteen dollars."

Bai Shengli kept quiet. But Qiaoqiao wasn't just throwing out numbers; she could tell from the man's attire that he appreciated quality, and fifteen dollars wasn't too much. If it was too cheap, he might walk away.

Sure enough, the man didn't think it was expensive. Instead, he smiled at Bai Shengli and said, "You've got a clever little girl here."

Bai Shengli was taken aback.

Then Qiaoqiao added, "Mister, you wear a size 10, right? Just your luck, I've got a pair right here. Want to try them on? Trying them on is free."

The guests were stunned and asked, "How did you know he wears a size 10?"

Bai Qiaoqiao quickly praised her dad's craftsmanship, "My dad's been making shoes for years. I can tell at a glance."

Her dad is a straightforward man, dedicated to his craft, and he's inherited a great skill in shoemaking. Back then, he was just an honest farmer, and Bai Feng hadn't yet faced his college entrance exams.

But now there's Bai Qiaoqiao!

In her past life, her eyes were like scanners. She even worked in retail stores and could instantly tell a customer's shoe size.

Bai Qiaoqiao was ready to roll up her sleeves and show off her real skills!