Ye Yaodong and the others held on to the tractor's handrails as it clattered along. This time, instead of swaying every which way as they usually did, they were wedged firmly in place by the dried fish.
Since the load was stacked rather high and the mountain roads were difficult to drive on, they drove a little slower that day as a precaution. By the time they reached the city, the horizon had turned fish-belly white and dawn was breaking before they had even finished unloading.
The change from darkness to daylight happened in that instant just before the sun leaped over the horizon.
It was A-Zheng and A-Guang's first time there, and both were brimming with excitement. The moment they jumped off the tractor, they ran straight into the market, claiming they were afraid there would not be enough left if they waited.
After all, it was already light. Most of those rushing to the morning market had finished buying their stock and left; those still coming and going were mostly in no hurry.
As he unloaded, Ye Yaodong cursed, "Those two are so damn unreliable. I brought them along hoping they'd help carry things back and forth, but they disappeared before the tractor even stopped. Fuck. Come back and help me carry things? Carry things, my ass. By the time they finish looking around the market, the sun will be high overhead."
"Heh, maybe they're anxious because it's already light." Uncle Zhou helped lower the sacks one by one from the tractor.
"Really unreliable. Can't count on a single one of them."
"There isn't that much here. We'll finish in a few trips. Two people can do it quickly enough."
"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Zhou. I'm making you help with everything."
"No need to be so polite.