Rainy Morning at the Wet Market

清晨的菜市场人声鼎沸，湿漉漉的地面映着摊贩们的笑脸和招牌灯。

Qīngchén de càishìchǎng rénshēng dǐngfèi, shī lùlù de dìmiàn yìng zhe tānfànmen de xiàoliǎn hé zhāopái dēng.

At dawn the wet market buzzed with voices, the damp ground reflecting vendors’ smiles and their glowing signs.

本想着随便买两样凑合一顿，走到门口却被一篓新鲜的芥蓝勾住了目光。

Běn xiǎngzhe suíbiàn mǎi liǎng yàng còuhe yí dùn, zǒu dào ménkǒu què bèi yì lǒu xīnxiān de jièlán gōu zhù le mùguāng.

I had planned to grab a couple of things to make do, but a basket of fresh gai lan at the entrance caught my eye.

李婶见我，笑得眼睛弯弯：“哟，老顾客来了，今天要下厨啊？”

Lǐ shěn jiàn wǒ, xiào de yǎnjing wānwān: "Yō, lǎo gùkè lái le, jīntiān yào xià chú a?"

Auntie Li saw me, her eyes crinkling: “Well, my regular’s here—cooking today, eh?”

我正要讨价还价，她却不慌不忙地把菜叶掂在手里，说：“你看这筋脉，焯水一过就翠得发亮。”

Wǒ zhèng yào tǎojià huánjià, tā què bù huāng bù máng de bǎ càiyè diān zài shǒu lǐ, shuō: "Nǐ kàn zhè jīnmài, chāoshuǐ yí guò jiù cuì de fāliàng."

I was about to haggle, but she calmly weighed the leaves in her hand and said, “Look at these veins—blanch them briefly and they’ll shine emerald.”

我心里打起了小算盘：与其在超市买折扣菜，不如在这儿图个新鲜省心。

Wǒ xīnlǐ dǎ qǐ le xiǎo suànpan: yǔqí zài chāoshì mǎi zhékòu cài, bùrú zài zhèr tú gè xīnxiān shěngxīn.

I did the math: rather than buy discount greens at the supermarket, better to get freshness and peace of mind here.

她又顺手塞给我一把香菜，笑道：“一分价钱一分货，别挑肥拣瘦了。”

Tā yòu shùnshǒu sāi gěi wǒ yì bǎ xiāngcài, xiào dào: "Yì fēn jiàqián yì fēn huò, bié tiāo féi jiǎn shòu le."

She slipped me a handful of cilantro and smiled: “You get what you pay for—don’t be too picky.”

我仍旧还了个象征性的价，她听罢只摆摆手，算我老情分。

Wǒ réngjiù huán le gè xiàngzhēngxìng de jià, tā tīng bà zhǐ bǎibǎi shǒu, suàn wǒ lǎo qíngfen.

I still named a token price; after hearing it, she just waved her hand and gave me the old-customer rate.

转过鱼摊，海腥味扑面而来，摊主拍着砧板说昨夜才上岸的黄花鱼，肥得很。

Zhuǎn guò yútān, hǎixīngwèi pūmiàn ér lái, tānzhǔ pāi zhe zhēnbǎn shuō zuóyè cái shàng'àn de huánghuāyú, féi de hěn.

Turning to the fish stall, the briny smell rushed in; the vendor slapped the cutting board and said last night’s yellow croaker had just landed—nice and fat.

我本想货比三家，不料雨点说来就来，檐下站满了人，摩肩接踵。

Wǒ běn xiǎng huò bǐ sān jiā, bùliào yǔdiǎn shuō lái jiù lái, yán xià zhàn mǎn le rén, mójiān jiē zhǒng.

I meant to compare prices, but raindrops arrived without warning; the eaves filled with people, shoulder to shoulder.

索性当机立断，让他去鳞开膛，回头一想，精打细算并不在那几块钱上。

Suǒxìng dāngjī lìduàn, ràng tā qù lín kāitáng, huítóu yì xiǎng, jīngdǎ xìsuàn bìng bù zài nà jǐ kuài qián shàng.

So I decided on the spot, had him scale and gut it, and on reflection, penny-pinching wasn’t about those few yuan anyway.

拎着满满一袋子出门，雨停了，远处传来叫卖声，我忽然觉得，这城的烟火气，正是被这样一买一卖养活起来的。

Līn zhe mǎnmǎn yí dàizi chūmén, yǔ tíng le, yuǎn chù chuán lái jiàomài shēng, wǒ hūrán juéde, zhè chéng de yānhuǒqì, zhèng shì bèi zhèyàng yì mǎi yí mài yǎnghuo qǐlái de.

Carrying a full bag out, I found the rain had stopped and distant cries of vendors drifted over; suddenly I felt that this city’s everyday vitality is nourished by simple acts of buying and selling like these.