Chapter 255 Helping Myself

With Xiao Tiantian back in Shanghai, Yao Shula and her two siblings had to focus all their attention on the Chinese New Year.

The steamed buns and other food have all been prepared, so we definitely won't go hungry during the Chinese New Year.

But we still need to prepare some other dishes.

Yao Shula took a day to go shopping with Yao Shuxin and Yao Shuli.

If we celebrate the next Chinese New Year, it will be 1985. Yao Shula clearly felt that there were many more New Year's goods available for purchase on the streets this year than in previous years.

Previously, those who secretly sold things only dared to do so in the alley behind the supply and marketing cooperative. This year, the government specially designated a place as a free market for everyone to sell their goods.

Small vendors who bring their produce from the countryside to sell, and farmers who bring their goods to sell early in the morning in hopes of earning a little more money.

As for the goods they sell, they come in all sorts of varieties.

During the Chinese New Year, we put up couplets, the character "福" (fortune), and New Year pictures. We also eat Funing rice cakes, as well as other sweets and snacks.

In rural areas, you can find almost everything you need at the free market: chickens and ducks raised by the villagers themselves, eggs, dried vegetables, noodles, tofu, and other homemade products.

Even brooms and baskets that rural people made themselves were brought out to sell.

There were also two pork stalls in the free market. Although the prices were much higher than at the supply and marketing cooperative, they still attracted quite a few people.

Yao Shula and her two siblings each carried a bamboo basket as they strolled happily through the free market.

"Sister, let's buy twenty more eggs!" Yao Shuxin tugged at Yao Shula's sleeve.

Yao Shula followed Yao Shuxin's gaze and saw a girl about the same age as Yao Shuxin sitting in a corner. In front of her, a bamboo basket was filled with dry straw, and on top of the straw were eggs.

"Okay, we eat eggs every day at home now. Although we still have some, we still need to buy some more."

"Let's go, buy thirty more!" Yao Shula said, pulling Yao Shuxin and Yao Shuli toward the girl selling eggs.

To everyone's surprise, Yao Shuxin took two steps back.

"Sister, you take Shuli to buy it! I'll wait for you over there!" Yao Shuxin said softly.

Yao Shula glanced at the girl wearing a straw hat, head down, not calling out, and then looked at Yao Shuxin.

"You know him?" Yao Shula asked in a low voice.

"Yes, she's my classmate. Her parents are gone, and she lives with her grandma. Sister, I'm afraid she'll feel embarrassed if I go over." Yao Shuxin was a little embarrassed.

Yao Shula smiled.

"The fact that she's sitting here shows she's not embarrassed; she's probably just shy and doesn't know how to promote her products."

"Come on, let's go open a shop for your classmate. Your attitude is very important. The more you avoid her, the more embarrassed she will feel," Yao Shula said with a smile.

“We’re both very open and honest with each other, Second Sister. Your classmate won’t be embarrassed,” Yao Shuli added from the side.

Yao Shuxin thought for a moment, nodded, and pulled Yao Shula toward the girl selling eggs.

...

After walking up to the girl selling eggs, Yao Shuxin glanced at Yao Shula first, and then squatted down.

"How much are the eggs?" Yao Shuxin asked.

"One cent each..." The girl selling eggs was stunned when she looked up and saw Yao Shuxin.

Yao Shuxin quickly put on a surprised expression.

"Lin Qiaoqiao? It's you! These eggs are all from your family! Then I'm relieved! Sister, this is my classmate, she sits behind me. She's a really nice person. We do chores together. She's very efficient, even more efficient than me!" Yao Shuxin said as she picked up the eggs.

Yao Shula quickly smiled at Lin Qiaoqiao.

"Hello!"

"Hello, sister!" Yao Shuli quickly greeted her as well.

Lin Qiaoqiao quickly greeted Yao Shula and Yao Shuli.

"Hello, sister! Hello, brother!"

Yao Shuxin, however, began picking eggs into the basket.

"Lin Qiaoqiao, these must be eggs from your grandma's chickens! They look so fresh! We're almost out of eggs, so I'll buy thirty!"

"Take forty eggs; there are many places that need eggs for the New Year!" Yao Shula quickly reminded.

Yao Shuxin immediately smiled at Yao Shula, and then started picking up the eggs while talking to Lin Qiaoqiao.

"Lin Qiaoqiao, have you finished all your homework? I've finished everything except the Chinese composition."

Our Chinese teacher made us write in our diaries every day and memorize idioms. I still have so many to memorize. Have you memorized them yet?

Lin Qiaoqiao, who was initially a little embarrassed by running into her classmate, immediately started talking to Yao Shuxin.

"Mine is the same. I only have Chinese to finish, and there are still a few math problems that I haven't figured out how to solve yet."

My grandma was supposed to go out to sell things today, but I was worried about the slippery roads, so I told her to stay home and I would sell the eggs instead.

Yao Shuxin, my family's eggs are so good, so fresh!

My grandma is an expert at raising chickens. While other people's chickens lay fewer eggs in winter, my grandma's chickens lay more eggs than others.

"Don't worry, they're very fresh!" Lin Qiaoqiao also helped Yao Shuxin pick the eggs into the basket.

Yao Shuxin looked at the basket of eggs, then glanced at Yao Shula.

"Sis, why don't you take Shuli to the front and look around? I'll talk to my classmate for a bit, and you can come back to me when you're done shopping!"

Yao Shula immediately agreed, then stuffed five yuan into Yao Shuxin's hand and walked forward with Yao Shuli.

...

Yao Shuxin sat down next to Lin Qiaoqiao.

The two were talking about their studies when Lin Qiaoqiao saw Yao Shuxin had chosen the eggs. After thinking for a moment, she reached under the bamboo basket and took out about ten more eggs.

"These are the first eggs we've had recently. There are only about ten of them left. Some people specifically look for these kinds of eggs, so I picked them out separately."

Take this home. Don't you have two younger brothers? Give it to them.

The best way to eat them is to pour boiling water over them or stew them; these eggs are better than regular eggs.

"Our village's barefoot doctor said this is great for growing boys!" Lin Qiaoqiao said, placing the dozen or so eggs that looked smaller than the others and had traces of blood on them into Yao Shuxin's basket.

Yao Shuxin immediately smiled happily.

"That's great! My sister was worried that the two little ones in the family wouldn't grow tall enough!"

Lin Qiaoqiao, thank goodness you're here. My sister will be so happy. You don't know, we usually buy eggs from the supply and marketing cooperative, but they're not fresh, and we often end up with bad ones.

Now it's great, we can buy fresh ones!

Are you just looking to sell all these eggs today? Then let's shout it out together!

"Eggs for sale! Fresh eggs, one cent each, from our own chickens!" Yao Shuxin said, helping Lin Qiaoqiao hawk her eggs.

Looking at Yao Shuxin, who was helping her with the sales pitch, Lin Qiaoqiao's previous worries and unease immediately disappeared, and she also started shouting loudly.

"Eggs, fresh eggs, laid by our own chickens!"

...

Not far away, Yao Shula glanced back at the two of them, smiled, and pulled Yao Shuli to continue strolling around.

“Big sister, second sister is helping her classmate, right?” Yao Shuli said with certainty.

Yao Shula nodded.

Yao Shuxin was helping her classmate, but she was also helping herself...