Because they arrived late, the good spots for setting up stalls had already been taken, and no one had stopped at Xiaoman and Errui's stalls before.

Fortunately, thanks to Genbao's wife's commotion, a large crowd has already gathered.

At this moment, Errui and his companion were still quite embarrassed and annoyed, while Jiang Zhi couldn't have been happier.

People performing monkey shows need to beat gongs to attract viewers, and live-streaming sales also need to spend money to buy viewers. This is a free opportunity.

She quickly picked up the straw sandals and began to introduce them: "Everyone, take a look! These are straw sandals woven from hemp rope, straw, and rabbit skin. They are wearable, stylish, and practical."

A pair of straw sandals costs fifteen coins; you won't lose out or be cheated.

One pair is as good as two pairs, they can last through spring and summer, and they won't fall apart even after summer, and you can even get through autumn..."

Xu Errui looked at his mother in surprise: When did Mother learn all this stuff?!

Li Laoshi knew how to handle things. While Xiaoman and Errui were still in a daze, he had already picked up the straw sandals and stuffed them into the arms of those people: "Take a look! These are well-made. Wearing them will prevent corns and rotten feet. You can walk ten miles in one breath without getting out of breath!"

Men in Ba County wear straw sandals for almost three seasons a year. For example, the Sichuan Army during the War of Resistance Against Japan was called the "Straw Sandal Army." They traveled the world in straw sandals and even participated in the Battle of Shanghai while wearing straw sandals.

When asked why they wore straw sandals, their answer was: We didn't expect to survive the winter when we came out!

Everyone can make straw sandals, but the skill level varies and the quality of the materials differs.

Some people play poorly, and once they put on those shoes, they become like "hen-hugging shoes" or "straw-covered shoes," and their skills fall apart in just a few days.

Ordinary people only use rice straw, and adding some hemp or kudzu is already quite good.

Xu Dazhu makes straw sandals with high-quality materials. The soles are straight, and the uppers are made of hemp thread and strips of rabbit skin. They are soft and warm to wear in spring, and are high-end, stylish, and durable.

Using rabbit skin was something no one expected, simply because the rabbits in the mountains were all wild, and the rabbit skins caught in the summer had sparse and light fur, which was not very effective at keeping warm, and the sizes were also different, so ten skins were not enough to make up a sleeve.

Cutting it into strips and using it for straw sandals is a different story; at least it creates a selling point.

Some people complained that it was too expensive: "Fifteen coins, I could buy three catties of brown rice and that would be enough to make porridge for five days."

As long as your stomach is full, your feet won't feel cold!

Some people still thought it was good, since cold starts from the feet, and besides, who has ever seen straw sandals with gold trim?

So some people bargained, and some wanted to exchange things.

After the commotion, more than a dozen pairs of straw sandals were sold or traded.

He counted the money he received and got a hundred coins, which he also exchanged for a large winnowing basket and a small wooden box.

The red thorn fruit powder was also sold, but it was weighed not with a scale, but with another measuring instrument: a "sheng"!

This was brought by the buyer himself; he's very shrewd with money.

"Sister-in-law, I'll give you three coins, but you have to use my measuring cup!"

Mu Shengzi

Jiangzhi was originally priced at three coins per jin, but now it's three coins per sheng. According to the ancient system of weights and measures, one sheng should be 1.25 jin.

"Sell, sell, sell!" Jiang Zhi didn't want to haggle over such a small amount.

Soon, the hemp thread and kudzu silk were sold out for seven or eight coins each.

Xiaoman was overjoyed; he hadn't expected to sell all the straw sandals: "Auntie, you really know how to sell things!"

Jiang Zhigan laughed, saying that these rhetoric techniques were like the rocking horse outside the supermarket, sung every day.

Every market day, the town's vendors would shout through their loudspeakers; you'd hear it so often you'd get calloused.

After selling out of their goods, the group hurried to a grain store to buy rice.

Although I chased Wang Xiaoju away, we were still near her parents' home, so I decided not to cause any more trouble and would leave as soon as I finished my business.

Of course, this is also to prevent the Wang family from causing trouble.

The grain store was doing good business, but the crowds were all gathered around baskets of mixed grains, while there was no one in front of the white rice and white flour.

The price of grain is really too high now. White rice and white flour cost ten cents a liter, as clearly stated on the big sign.

(Prices were highest during the Qing Dynasty. One shi (a unit of dry measure) of white rice cost between nine and one liang (another unit of dry measure) and 150 jin (another unit of dry measure).

Jiang Zhi squeezed through the crowd to the rice basket, took out her money bag, and then took out a small millet bag: "Brother, I'd like to buy fifty coins' worth of rice!"

The waiter announced loudly, "Fifty coins for white rice!"

This is an old shop rule: customers should announce when they receive payment and take goods to avoid discrepancies between payment and goods, and also to give customers a sense of honor.

But this is not a good thing.

The sound of white rice attracted attention, but thankfully it was only fifty coins. A few words of envy and jealousy rippled through the crowd before the noise subsided.

With Errui, Xiaoman, and the cunning Li Laoshi outside, Jiang Zhi wasn't afraid at all. She measured out the rice, put it into a rice bag, tossed it into her basket, and walked out of the grain store.

They bought some necessities at the general store, filling their baskets with various items, before squeezing through the crowd to leave town.

The town of Lihua is currently undergoing restoration. Most of the houses that were burned down by bandits and soldiers have been demolished, and timber and yellow earth are piled up everywhere.

The houses here are all made of mortise and tenon frame structure, mainly by carpentry.

Image from the internet: An ancient town in western Sichuan along the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

The walls are made of wooden planks or bamboo, then plastered with yellow mud mixed with straw, and finally brushed with white lime, giving them a fresh and elegant look with a unique character.

After passing just one house, Xu Errui approached and whispered, "Mother, Genbao's wife is over there!"

Jiang Zhi glanced in the direction he indicated and indeed saw Wang Xiaoju standing by a pile of wood, angrily talking to two men.

Xiaoman also came over: "Auntie, that's Genbao's wife's brother from her maternal family. He must be talking about the beating he just got."

Jiang Zhi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Don't be afraid, let's go our own way. If she dares to cause trouble, then we'll beat her again."

"Hmm!" Xu Errui and Xiaoman immediately relaxed.

Xu Errui is, after all, only twenty years old, and he is no longer as honest and timid as before.

Needless to say, Xiaoman is incredibly brave. He's been feeling restless lately because he hasn't been able to get any exercise.

Li Laoshi was very honest. He didn't say anything, but he kept glancing furtively at the Wang family members, occasionally stuffing a stone or a lump of mud into his pocket.

The journey out of town went smoothly, and sure enough, Wang's two older brothers followed.

The girl had just lost face at the market, so they didn't want to make a scene.

Once you leave the town, it's a different story. There are plenty of trees and bushes along the roadside, so you can drag someone in and beat them up without anyone seeing it.

However, they were wrong about their thinking.

As soon as Jiang Zhi and his three companions left the town, they saw Tian Gui squatting nearby, waiting.

Upon seeing the small bag of white rice, Tian Gui was extremely grateful: "Thank you so much, sister-in-law!"

With this rice, we can cook it into rice porridge at home, add vegetables, and make vegetable congee, which the children can also eat.

Xiaoman looked at him and said, "Uncle Tian, ​​if you need to buy something in the future, you can ask us for help. Maybe soon the town won't be so strict anymore!"

Tian Gui nodded: "It will be troublesome for you. I just heard from the town guards that from now on, outsiders will need to have household registration to enter and leave the town, which will be troublesome."

Once bitten, twice shy; especially in an era of poor transportation, such discrimination against outsiders was bound to happen.

As they talked, the group began to traverse the mountains and valleys, taking a shortcut home, which would save them two miles.

Not long after, two people appeared from the town entrance behind them and followed along the path.