Chapter Twenty-Three: Ring Toss

Zhang Guihua, seeing that Yang Xingwu had no solution, exchanged a few more polite words with the others before preparing to leave. She walked out of the house feeling somewhat dejected, resigned to her bad luck; she decided that even if she had to sell the several hundred pounds of wheat ears at a loss tomorrow, she had to get rid of them, or they would simply go to waste.

However, just as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard Yang Xingwu say he had an idea. Thinking he had only been testing her, she immediately ran back and eagerly expressed her willingness to follow his lead.

Seeing this, Yang Xingwu realized Aunt Guihua had misunderstood and quickly clarified.

"Aunt Guihua, do you have any more of these bamboo strips at home? They gave me an idea we could try."

As he spoke, he lifted the bamboo strips that were binding two rabbits. They were wrapped quite tightly, leaving the rabbits unable to move. These strips, made from the outer skin of bamboo, were known for being sturdy.

Hearing this, Zhang Guihua realized her mistake, but she didn't dwell on it; her only concern was offloading the wheat.

"We have some at home. How much do you need, Xingwu? Shall I have your Uncle Chunlei bring them over now?"

"Not much. Just have Uncle Chunlei make a few lightweight bamboo rings. Make sure not to use willow twigs; they’re too heavy, and once you put effort into the throw, they're too easy to land, which would be a loss for us. Tomorrow is Saturday—spend the day making them, and on Sunday, go set up a stall near the machinery factory. Let the children play ring toss. Charge a penny per ring, place some wheat ears at the front, and pile more behind them!"

The group was stunned by this suggestion. Wasn't this just the ring toss game seen at temple fairs? What was so special about that? Besides, with only wheat ears as prizes, it didn't seem very appealing to children.

"Xiao Wu, will that work? Ring toss is fine, but kids won't care for wheat ears, will they? There’s so much wheat being sold right now, it wouldn't be worth it for them to spend money on that!"

"Grandpa, don't look at it from your perspective. Think about what kids like. Ring toss is usually only found at fairs or during holidays. Having something like this now will definitely attract them. If you don't believe me, ask Xiao Long and Xiao Hu."

The family turned their eyes toward the three brothers: Yang Xinglong, Yang Xinghu, and Yang Xingbao. The boys were at that age where they were notoriously mischievous. Sensing everyone’s gaze on them, they shrank back, their eyes darting away.

Seeing this reaction, everyone realized Yang Xingwu was right. Zhang Guihua was overjoyed.

"As expected of the intellectual in our village—Xingwu, you have a way with things! I’ll head back now and have your Uncle Chunlei cut some bamboo in the mountains tomorrow morning, and you can teach him how to do it!"

She was about to leave to tell her husband, but Yang Xingwu stopped her.

"Aunt Guihua, wait. Wheat ears alone might not be enough. Take these two rabbits back with you, weave a small cage for them, and use them as prizes. You can charge a bit more for those, which will attract adults to play too. If you have any chicks at home, bring a few; they’ll draw in plenty of children. Since everyone is off on Sunday, you should be able to sell everything!"

"But these rabbits were meant to help you recover your health!"

"I’m feeling much better, and there’s not much nourishment in rabbit meat anyway. If you take them, you’ll be able to sell more wheat!"

Hearing this, Zhang Guihua stopped being modest and promised she wouldn't let Yang Xingwu's help go to waste. After chatting for a while longer, as the day turned to dusk, she happily carried the rabbits home. Yang Kaishan and his cousins talked for a bit more before heading off to rest.

The next morning, while Yang Xingwu was still sleeping, he heard a commotion in the courtyard. He got off the kang and saw Aunt Guihua’s family.

He dressed and walked outside to find Yang Chunlei splitting bamboo, carefully shaving it into thin strips. Unfortunately, they were in the north, where they lacked the specialized hatchets with thick backs and thin blades, but the small knife Yang Chunlei held worked well enough; in a few moments, the bamboo was transformed into fine splints.

As soon as Zhang Guihua looked up and saw Yang Xingwu, she greeted him warmly. "Xingwu, you're up! Come, have some wheat kernel porridge. I’ve been boiling it all morning until it’s soft and sweet—try some!"

"Thank you, Aunt Guihua!"

Yang Xingwu took the bowl of thick porridge, the aroma instantly whetting his appetite. He glanced around the courtyard; his father and eldest brother were out, but his mother and two younger sisters were helping. Once he finished the porridge, he went over to Yang Chunlei.

"Uncle Chunlei, stop for a second. That's enough for now; let's try weaving some."

Yang Chunlei stopped his work immediately. Following Yang Xingwu’s instructions, he wove a few rings from the bamboo strips. They were small, about the size of a palm in diameter.

Yang Xingwu examined the rings; the ends were secured with fine thread. They were very light in his hand. He tossed one forward with some effort, and it flew less than two meters before plopping to the ground. Yang Chunlei looked a bit embarrassed, just about to make an excuse, but Yang Xingwu seemed satisfied.

"Perfect! Because they’re so light, it’s hard to put force behind them. You need technique to throw them accurately. This way, we might actually make a decent profit!"

Yang Chunlei was a bit confused, but the logic seemed sound. To test it properly, Yang Xingwu had his uncle make several more rings. He called his two sisters and the three children from Uncle Chunlei’s family, gave them ten rings each, and told them to try it out.

He arranged a pile of wheat ears on the ground. He placed the closest ones within easy reach—after all, since it cost a penny per ring, they had to give the customers a fair chance of winning something.

The five children ran over excitedly. They had always envied others playing ring toss at temple fairs, and now that they finally had a chance to play, they were thrilled.

They stood at the marked line and threw the rings toward the pile of wheat. At first, they couldn't control their strength and walked away empty-handed. Even after using up all their rings, they had won nothing. Refusing to give up, they tried again, with the same result.

The children’s faces turned red, and they puffed out their cheeks in frustration. They became determined, and after playing seven or eight times, they finally figured out the trick and managed to win several bundles of wheat, which made them ecstatic.

Seeing this, Yang Chunlei and Zhang Guihua looked at each other in surprise. Was it really that addictive?

"Uncle Chunlei, Aunt Guihua, you see how much this attracts them. There won't be any problem in the city tomorrow. Finish making the rest of the rings, take the chicks, and use these two rabbits as the grand prizes—selling that cart of wheat won't be an issue. If you run into someone who is truly unlucky and doesn't win anything, just give them a bit of wheat as a consolation prize; that way, we won't be losing out!"

"Alright, alright! We'll do exactly as you say!"