Across from where you get off the bus is a shop that, according to Xia Jianguo, was very popular during the ten-plus years he was a student. It was originally a supply and marketing cooperative that was later bought by a private individual.

Yes, it's very popular now; even as it gets dark, there are still so many people.

Li Chunmei wanted to take Xia Minmin inside to buy some candy and pastries to prepare for the New Year to entertain relatives and friends.

However, Xia Minmin refused, insisting on waiting for Xia Jianguo. With so many people, it was difficult for Li Chunmei to squeeze in by herself, let alone with Xia Minmin.

"Mom, let's buy some stir-fried candy first!" Xia Minmin pointed to the stall selling stir-fried candy.

Li Chunmei pinched Xia Minmin's nose. "Okay, okay!"

Holding the candy she had bought, Xia Minmin looked around. Li Chunmei dragged Xia Minmin to look at the fruit, but there weren't many people at the fruit stall.

Xia Minmin couldn't move when she saw the sugarcane. "Mom, buy sugarcane."

"Can your little teeth even bite through sugarcane?" Li Chunmei pinched Xia Minmin's mouth as if to examine her teeth.

"Good mom, just one, just one, buy it, buy it!" Xia Minmin said coquettishly, holding up one finger.

Li Chunmei said helplessly, "Okay, okay, I'll buy one. Don't pull my hand anymore, stand still! Don't let go of Mom's hand."

Li Chunmei held Xia Minmin's hand as they picked out apples and pears from the stall and put them into a bag.

"Boss, that's all." Li Chunmei handed the bag to the fruit shop owner.

"We're a little short of two jin for the pears, but I'll add one more and call it two jin. We also have two and a half jin of apples and three jin of sugarcane, making it thirty-five yuan in total."

Li Chunmei was so shocked by the price that she froze on the spot. "How can such a small amount of fruit be so expensive?"

When it comes to the price issue, the fruit shop owner has explained to customers countless times, "Sigh, there is only one fruit supplier in our city, and he supplies all the fruit."

"On Laba Festival, he brought in three large truckloads of fruit from the provincial capital to sell during the Spring Festival. Unexpectedly, he was robbed as soon as he left the provincial capital. Two of the trucks and their cargo were lost, so the remaining truckload of fruit was priced very high. I didn't bring in much, and many customers were scared away by the high prices."

Li Chunmei, who was also in business, understood and took out some money from her bag, handing it to the shop owner, saying, "Boss, please count it."

The shopkeeper glanced at the money and handed the fruit to Li Chunmei.

"Let's go, your dad's probably coming soon!"

After Xia Minmin finished eating the tangy candy, Xia Jianguo finally arrived. "Dad, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long."

Xia Jianguo took the bag of fruit from Li Chunmei's hand and asked, "Why didn't you go to the store to buy snacks?"

"It's all because your daughter insisted on waiting for you to come in!"

“Your daughter is just worried about you. She’s so heavy and there are so many people. It’s too dangerous for you to squeeze in with her in your arms,” Xia Jianguo comforted her.

"Mom, I'm only doing this for your own good, and you're complaining that I'm meddling! I'm angry!" Xia Minmin crossed her arms and turned her back to Li Chunmei.

"My little darling, your dad's here too. Let's go inside and buy you some delicious food."

Xia Minmin tried to appease her, "Mom, you go ahead, Dad and I will wait for you."

"Fine, Xia Xiaomin, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Forget it, I won't bother with a petty person like you."

When Li Chunmei came out of the store, her hair was disheveled, and she was carrying two large bags of food.

Xia Minmin rummaged through the bag to see what she had bought, but Li Chunmei immediately lifted the bag, saying, "I'm not letting you see."

"Hmph, so what if I don't want to watch?"

Xia Jianguo sighed, "Can you two stop arguing? We still need to buy meat! The butcher shop is about to close!"

One is his wife, and the other is his daughter. Xia Jianguo can't afford to offend either of them, so he can only try to smooth things over or change the subject.

By the time we finished buying the meat, it was almost dark.

Xia Jianguo quickly rode his bicycle home with his wife and daughter.

Xia Minmin hadn't even gotten off the bus when she heard someone call Li Chunmei's name.

"Chunmei, you're back from shopping? I only saw Jianguo come back this afternoon, and I thought you two had a fight!" They were neighbors and relatives within the fifth degree of kinship.

"Sister Chun, can't you at least have something nice to eat, like an apple?" Li Chunmei offered an apple to her neighbor.

"Sister Chun, I'll leave my things at home first. You and Chunmei can chat for a while."

"Oh my, my little one has grown so much! Can he talk yet?" Xia Minmin was hugged before she could even react.

Although Xia Minmin knew her, she could only wait for Li Chunmei to introduce her. "Xiaomin, this is your Chunma, you should greet her."

"Spring Mom".

"Oh my, my little one, how obedient you are!"

After exchanging a few polite words with Chun's wife, Li Chunmei led Xia Minmin inside, as the room still needed cleaning and dinner preparation.

As soon as Li Chunmei entered the room, she saw Xia Xiaomei leading Xia Jianshe's one-year-old son as he learned to walk. "Second sister-in-law, I've tidied up your room and aired out the quilts."

"Thank you. I had my second brother send over the clothes for your birthday last month. Did you like them?"

Li Chunmei felt sorry for Xia Xiaomei. Her parents died early and she had no ability to recognize people. If it weren't for the clothes Li Chunmei sent her every year, she would have no clothes to wear. In the two years she took care of Chen Chunhua, she only received fifty yuan in total, and that was after her sister Xia Damei asked Chen Chunhua for it.

"I like it, thank you, Second Sister-in-law," Xia Xiaomei replied softly. In the past two years, Xia Xiaomei had become timid and hesitant.

Seeing her like this, Li Chunmei couldn't bring herself to do it and was considering whether to take her to Shenzhen. But their own futures were uncertain.

"Xiaomin, call her aunt." Xia Minmin felt a little sorry for her aunt when she saw her like this. In her previous life, she left home early to work and get married in another city with her friends. She only called Xia Jianguo when she could no longer make ends meet.

"Hey, Xiaomin. Your aunt has some candy for you." Xia Xiaomei stuffed three or four candies into Xia Minmin's hand, but Chen Chunhua saw it.

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