16 Both a Tool and a Toy

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He Hu pushed the small cart in his hands, walking slowly along the main road leading out of the city.

The wheels of the cart were a full half a foot wide, and the chassis was low, making it very stable on the dirt road.

The handle was also high enough that when pushing it, he didn’t have to bend over. This was far superior to a flat cart or a wheelbarrow.

The cart required less wood to build, so compared to flat carts and wheelbarrows, it was particularly light. Not only could he push it easily, but even his five-year-old nephew could manage it.

In fact, after the cart was finished, several children in the family treated it like a toy. The younger ones squatted inside, while the older ones pushed from behind, playing joyfully. He had to persuade them for quite a while before they reluctantly handed the cart over to him.

Qin Jin’s original intention in making this cart was for carrying water. He tested it with his own water buckets, filling two buckets to the brim; the cart moved forward without shaking or spilling. It was not only stable but also lightweight.

Even his nine-year-old daughter could push it.

Before leaving, Qin Jin had said that once the cart was completed, they should come to the city gate in the morning to deliver a message to him.

But after the finished product was made today, he could find no fault with it and grew more fond of it the more he looked. So he took the initiative to deliver it to Qin Jin.

Moreover, recalling Qin Jin’s confident words earlier, he deliberately slowed his pace so passersby on the busy street could get a good look. With such convenience, who wouldn’t be tempted if they had the means?

But no matter how slowly he walked, he still had to come up to Qin Jin. He placed the cart in front of the small stall. “Qin Jin, take a look at this cart.”

The cart, like a wheelbarrow, didn’t need to be held up by hand and could stand on its own.

Yet it was so compact.

He Hu stood with hands on hips, eyes fixed on the cart, liking it more and more.

“Let me see.” Qin Jin stepped out from behind the stall, reached out to grab the handle, and was about to push it a few steps when Gu Nan’s voice came from behind, “Qin Jin, what are you holding?”

Turning around, he saw Gu Nan carrying a basket on his back and holding the hand of a small child he had met before.

This little child was Gu Dong’s son, named Gu Yiyun.

He smiled as he pushed the cart and gave it a little shake. “This is the new little cart I made for carrying water.”

“Really?” Gu Nan looked curious, leading Gu Yiyun around the cart.

Qin Jin found it amusing and handed the handle to him. “Try it, it’s very light.”

“Okay.” Gu Nan took it eagerly. This style was new to him, and he was quite intrigued.

“You can put the basket in here; these two spots are specially for water buckets or baskets,” Qin Jin explained.

Gu Nan did as instructed, placing the basket inside, then pushed the cart about ten meters, then turned back. Seeing Gu Yiyun standing still, looking up at him with longing eyes, he smiled and asked Qin Jin, “Can I put Yiyun inside?”

Yiyun was small and thin and could stand inside easily.

At this, He Hu couldn’t help but chime in, saying that his own children had played this way before.

After hearing this, Gu Nan picked up Gu Yiyun and set him in the bucket frame near the handle.

Yiyun reached out his small hands to grasp the long handle, and Gu Nan pushed the cart back and forth in front of Qin Jin’s stall.

Yiyun had been a bit scared at first, but when he got off the cart, there was a reluctant expression on his face; his big eyes remained fixed on the cart without moving.

Gu Nan squatted down and pinched his cheeks. “Yun’er, do you like this little cart?”

Upon hearing this, Yiyun nodded quickly, his big eyes still fixed on the cart.

“If you like it, we’ll buy one!” Gu Nan rubbed his head, then looked at He Hu. “Brother, this little cart…”

“This cart is one hundred wen each. Gu Xiao, if you want to buy one, come to the city and find Carpenter He,” He Hu said cheerfully.

“Alright, I’ll go later,” Gu Nan replied, then looked again at the little cart.

Yun’er’s mother had died early in childbirth. His brother Gu Dong was often away. His maternal family had only an elderly mother with limited mobility, so Gu Nan frequently took Yun’er back to Wangjiatun.

In earlier years, when Yun’er was small, he could carry him in the basket.

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But in the past two years, Yun’er had grown bigger. Wangjiatun was about ten li from his maternal home, and carrying Yun’er all that way was truly tiring.

But letting Yun’er walk by himself was also hard on the child, and Gu Nan felt heartbroken seeing this.

If only there were such a little cart with two spots—one for the basket, one for Yun’er—it would be as if it had been made just for him.

He was determined to buy one.

After bidding farewell to Qin Jin and He Hu, he led Yun’er into the city to visit his maternal home.

Qin Jin glanced after him, then looked at the little cart. Hmm… could this thing also serve as a toy to entertain children?

At this moment, He Hu spoke up: “Qin Jin, we agreed earlier to make a few carts for you free of charge, so you don’t have to pay for this one. When the rest are finished, I’ll deliver them to you.”

“Free?” Qin Jin was a little surprised.

“Yes, this one is free. Whether anyone buys it or not, my family plans to make a few more for our own use. Brother Qin, I have to thank you for coming up with such a brilliant cart.”

He Hu patted Qin Jin on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, the others will be delivered soon. You keep running your business; I have lots of things to do at home.”

Such a simple little cart—forget his father, even he could handle making it.

Now he was itching to get back and make several more.

He Hu left in a hurry, so Qin Jin didn’t try to detain him. After He Hu left, Qin Jin placed two baskets onto the little cart.

Seeing He Hu’s hurried demeanor, he felt confident about the cart.

Just then, a nearby steamed bun vendor approached. He had bought pea cakes and dried tofu from Qin Jin several times and, though not close, could chat a little.

He had noticed the scene earlier and grew curious about the cart.

Not only him, but all nearby stall owners were now watching the cart intently. Those nearby without customers couldn’t resist coming over to take a closer look.

Soon, many gathered around Qin Jin’s stall.

Qin Jin simply pulled out the baskets and let them push the cart for fun.

After the surrounding vendors had their fill of novelty and returned the cart, Qin Jin changed his advertisement: “Buy pea cakes and try pushing this convenient double-bucket cart!”

With the actual cart displayed in front of the stall, the ad drew quite a few passersby. For people of this time and place, the cart was truly novel and practical.

With the cart’s help, the pea cakes sold quite quickly that day.

After packing up, he loaded the two baskets and a bench onto the cart and slowly walked back to the village.

It was mealtime; country folk liked to squat outside their doors to eat, and along the way, he attracted many curious glances. When he arrived home, Ye Miao had already prepared lunch: noodle soup.

The hand-rolled noodles were so thin they were translucent yet still chewy.

The sauce was stir-fried green beans with eggplant, with large golden pieces of egg, oily and appetizing.

Ye Miao had been in the kitchen. Upon hearing Zhao Feng say that Xiao Jin had returned, he hurried to the door and peeked out. Seeing the small cart in Qin Jin’s hands, his eyes lit up immediately.

“You finished it so quickly!” he exclaimed, walking toward Qin Jin.

Zhao Feng was also curious, but seeing Ye Miao go to look at the cart, he went into the kitchen to serve the noodles into bowls and set the table outside the door.

He picked up several pieces of fermented tofu and placed them in a bowl, then set the tofu on the table as well.

The fermented tofu wasn’t just alcoholic; it had several spices. Miao wasn’t fond of it, but Zhao Feng loved it. Even though the noodles had sauce, he would still eat several pieces along with them.

Ye Miao pushed the little cart around the yard repeatedly, growing more and more fond of it. Upon learning it was free, his affection grew even stronger, and he wanted to push it to the old yard to get water immediately.

“Eat first, then go,” Qin Jin grabbed his arm.

He acted like a child—once he had a new toy, he forgot to eat.

“Yeah, come eat,” Zhao Feng called as well.

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Reluctantly, Ye Miao left the little cart at the door, washed his hands, and sat down at the table.

But his gaze remained fixed on the cart, yearning to go fetch water immediately.

He wanted to fill the water vat in one go!

Qin Jin took in this scene and thought to himself: This time, I’ve really lost out.

Modern people were used to shopping carts and delivery carts, but the ancient people here had never seen such a thing.

For them, the little cart was not only a tool but also a toy.

This was something he hadn’t anticipated.

Really, who would have thought a cart meant for work could also become a plaything? Yet the He family, Gu Yiyun, and Ye Miao all clearly treated it as a toy.

With these two roles combined, Qin Jin had truly lost out this time.

Had he known earlier, he would have negotiated better terms with Carpenter He.

But now it was too late for regrets. The He family had already given it away for free. If he were to go back and haggle about terms now… forget it. Just consider it a lesson learned. After all, he still had other cart designs in mind, and he would discuss terms with the He family again then.

After finishing the noodles, Ye Miao immediately pushed the cart to the neighboring old yard to fetch water. The Qin family, seeing the cart, eagerly asked where it came from.

After hearing Ye Miao’s explanation, they all took turns pushing it, their fondness no less than Ye Miao’s.

That afternoon, Zhao Feng pushed the cart out to the fields.

Today’s work was still irrigation. There was only one cart, so Qin Jin let him use it while he continued to carry water with a shoulder pole.

The cart moved freely across the fields, its speed no slower than walking, but it saved much effort. When he returned home in the evening, he felt far less tired than usual, and Ye Miao didn’t need to massage his shoulders.

Practice proved the cart was indeed useful.

Meanwhile, the men of the He family all pitched in, making four carts in a day, and delivered them to Gu Nan the same day.

Gu Nan bought two—one for himself and one for his elderly mother. His mother had difficulty walking and had to care for Yun’er; with such a cart, she could save a lot of effort.

The other two carts remained with the He family. They had no choice; their children treated the carts as toys and loved them dearly, always clamoring to play.

The next day, having become proficient, the He family made seven carts in one day. At this time, neighbors came seeking to buy, having seen the children playing with carts in the alley.

They sold four and kept three.

Actually, they could have sold all the carts at once since more than one family came asking. But due to the agreement with Qin Jin, they had to fulfill it first.

Anyone with eyes could see the He family had gained a great advantage this time.

When they had ten carts assembled, He Hu led his children to deliver them to the city gate.

Their agreement with Qin Jin had been that after selling thirty carts, they would give him six for free. Although only ten or so had sold so far, they were glad to give Qin Jin these ten carts willingly.

This was just the beginning. If the little carts sold better than expected, they would have to negotiate terms with Qin Jin again.

Although the business was good, they didn’t want to ruin their family’s reputation.

Moreover, Qin Jin, though a young man from the countryside, was running a good business, selling dried tofu and little carts in a short time.

He also knew Gu Nan.

Their family always valued harmony and avoided making enemies whenever possible.