Erli Village was bustling with people, and the banks of the Qinghui River were especially noisy. From a distance, you could see sets of stone steps climbing from the river's edge up to the embankment, with a new set appearing every so often.
People constantly hopped off the boats below, climbing the steps to the shore. Villagers who had risen early for the market streamed toward the town, while others went down to the river to load goods onto boats of all sizes.
The area beside the embankment was also quite flat. However, aside from a few small stalls selling steamed buns and noodle soup, there were no other shops. For safety reasons, no buildings were allowed here. If the tide came in, there would be no time to escape.
Xiatang Market wasn't exactly large—few wealthy families or major merchants were willing to live here. But it wasn't small, either—farmers from all the villages for miles around depended on it for their shopping!
