Juhua huddled in the foot warmer for a good while before she finally caught her breath.
This made Mrs. Yang's heart ache for her. She told Zheng Changhe and Qingmu that they couldn't let Juhua go out again in this cold weather.
Zheng Changhe nodded repeatedly. "You're talking about Juhua, but what about yourself? Just stop carrying your goods to the villages below to sell. Just sell what you can at Xiatang Market. I'd feel more at ease that way."
But Mrs. Yang wouldn't listen. She said, "I go down with Laixi, what could possibly happen? I give him fifteen cents a day now. The kid is so happy and willing to go out with me, and he even earns some pocket money. It'll be the New Year soon. We need to earn some money to have a plentiful celebration."
Juhua said, "Mother, if it was just about the hard work of traveling and selling things, we wouldn't be worried. We're just afraid you'll run into some unreasonable ruffian and get taken advantage of."
