When Shi Meiling saw that Zhuang Zhimeng had paid with a fare, she wanted to give her the money.

Zhuang Zhimeng pressed down on Shi Meiling's hand, "Auntie, no need, it's not much money! Besides, this money was given to you by Brother Qingbai, you can't refuse it again, can you?"

The tickets were indeed given to her by An Qingbai along with her bankbook last time. He gave her a lot of tickets and the bankbook together to keep.

Zhuang Zhimeng herself had national grain coupons, but not local grain coupons.

"Don't be shy, one meal won't bankrupt her!" Hao Caiyun didn't think much of it; it was just a meal.

Shi Meiling then stopped taking any more money.

The three of them ate and chatted at the state-run restaurant for a while, which took a bit longer than usual. It was a good opportunity to rest, as they would be heading back to the village in the afternoon. The market was open from morning until late afternoon, and the afternoon market usually didn't last past 3 p.m.

After dinner, Shi Meiling took Hao Caiyun and her daughter to buy some sorghum candy, and then bought some roasted melon seeds before heading to the meeting place.

When we arrived at the meeting point, everyone was already waiting on the oxcart.

Once everyone had arrived, the oxcart set off towards the village.

"What did you all buy? I looked around and didn't see anything I particularly needed, so I didn't buy anything. I was thinking of buying it at the big markets before the Lunar New Year!"

"There really wasn't anything new or interesting at the market. I bought some popcorn for the kids, but when we left, they clung to my leg and wouldn't let go, insisting that I buy them something nice to eat!"

"I'll just buy some ordinary tools; the ones I have at home aren't quite right anymore. The thatched shed is a bit loose; I'll have my husband fix it!"

Seeing that Shi Meiling and Hao Caiyun had bought fabric, I felt that they had found a common interest, and I started chatting with them more boldly.

"You bought fabric too? I fought for ages to finally snag a really nice piece. Let me show it to you!"

As she spoke, she took out the fabric. Hao Caiyun thought it was indeed quite nice, comparable to the one she had picked out, so she took out the one she had snatched as well.

"Yours looks good too, we're about the same size!"

"Yes, I only bought it because it looked nice! My hair was a mess when I came out!"

"Really? Me too! Me too! I'm afraid someone will snatch the piece I want!"

Shi Meiling also joined in, "I saw someone trying to snatch it, so I grabbed it first. That person even glared at me, and I immediately glared back. Whoever is faster gets it. She can't blame anyone else for not being capable."

"That's how it has to be. Whoever grabs it gets to keep it. There are only so many good ones. Once they're all gone, they're gone!"

"Who can argue with that?"

Zhuang Zhimeng watched as these women of similar age chatted together, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

When they arrived in the village, Hao Caiyun was still a little reluctant to leave!

They all said they would go to the market together again if they had the chance, and then waved goodbye.

When the brigade leader saw Zhuang Zhimeng arrive in the village, he handed him a letter that had been delivered by the postman that morning.

Speaking of this brigade, they also benefited from Zhuang Zhimeng's influence. Before, there was no postman in the village to deliver mail to the village, and everyone had to go to the post office to pick it up. It was because Zhuang Zhimeng often received royalties and frequently had packages that this post office was opened up for their village.

Zhuang Zhimeng thanked the brigade leader, took the letter, and went home with Hao Caiyun.

When they got home, Zhuang Xingzhou saw that they were carrying large and small bags, so he took them and helped them put them away.

"Why are you buying so much stuff? Are there so many things to buy in this episode?"

"I bought some fabric, I'll make clothes for you guys later! I saw that Yaya didn't like them, so I won't make any for her!"

How was your day with Brother An?

“I’ve made the right choice following Brother An. His skills are truly excellent. You haven’t seen it yet. It’s only in these days that he’s at the master level. Otherwise, he would definitely be a master by now.”

Zhuang Zhimeng tore open the envelope and began reading the letter.

It turned out that it was her second brother, Zhuang Zhiwu, who wrote to her, telling her that all the items had been handed in and the higher-ups were very satisfied. Her grandfather had applied for a reward for them, and it should be issued in the next few days.

I also told her something particularly absurd.

After the translator was beaten by the Japanese, the Japanese protested to their superiors the next day, demanding an apology from the translator and expressing their dissatisfaction with his translation work.

The translator refused to apologize, did not believe he had done anything wrong, and claimed that the Japanese had started the fight.

The Japanese leader, seeing that the translator refused to apologize and that he had indeed hit the person, demanded a replacement and stated that he would never use that translator again.

After work, An Qingbai came to find Zhuang Zhimeng, and Zhuang Zhimeng told him about this matter, "Was this the translator you arrested back then?"

"Yeah, he's really timid. We hadn't even done anything to him before he confessed everything!"

"He was really unlucky. First he was arrested by you, then he was beaten up by the Japanese, and finally they were dissatisfied with his work!"