The next day, just after dawn, Xu Mengyao set off for the city with Huang's mother. After getting off the bus, she asked her eldest sister to accompany her mother to the department store to pick out New Year's goods, and asked her eldest brother to go to the raw material store to buy popcorn ingredients. She then walked alone, asking for directions to the train station.

Their city's new train station had just been completed last year. From afar, she could see the two-story station, perched atop a flight of stairs. She walked in and patiently waited in line behind the bustling crowd. When it was finally her turn, she carefully inquired about the train's direct connection to Pengcheng and its daily frequency.

She was delighted to learn that it only took about an hour to get from Huanshi to Pengcheng, and that although the latest bus had already departed, the next one to Pengcheng would only take an hour and a half. She quickly bought two tickets for the next bus and rushed to the department store.

It only took a dozen minutes to reach the department store, and my eldest brother Huang Wenbin had already bought the ingredients and was waiting at the door.

She quickly walked forward and pulled her eldest brother in to find Huang's mother, explained the situation, and took the remaining 160 yuan from Huang's mother.

Huang's mother looked at her and asked worriedly, "Have you bought the tickets? You're so opinionated, kid. Who's going with you?"

Xu Mengyao pointed at her eldest brother and said firmly, "Just let him accompany me. We're just going to explore the route this time. Bring some money just in case. You and I still have to take the New Year's goods home. Don't worry, we'll be back today."

After saying that, she grabbed her brother's clothes and left. Huang Wenbin followed her in a daze: "Juan? Are we going to take a train now? I haven't taken one before."

Xu Mengyao comforted her: "It's okay, I've never taken a train either."

Although this sentence did not comfort Huang Wenbin, he still chose to believe his sister.

Arriving at the train station, they passed the ticket gate smoothly. Huang Wenbin saw someone coming through the barbed wire and curiously pointed it out to Xu Mengyao. Xu Mengyao knew that those people were probably fare evaders, so she grabbed her brother's clothes tightly and whispered to him:

"Brother, you must stay with me. We only need to sit here for an hour. There are a lot of bad guys in the train station. You must protect me and I will protect the money."

Huang Wenbin's excitement subsided immediately upon hearing this. He circled her behind him and protected her tightly when they got on the train. Only when the brother and sister walked out of Pengcheng Railway Station did Huang Wenbin cautiously ask, "Juan, is the money still there?"

Xu Mengyao smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, brother, the money is still there."

Then she looked around and pulled her brother towards a row of tricycles on the side of the road.

"Master, do you know the small commodity market in Pengcheng?" Xu Mengyao asked politely.

An amiable-looking old man replied, "I know, there are many small commodity markets in Pengcheng. Which one do you want to go to?"

Xu Mengyao thought for a moment and said, "Just go to the nearest one. How much is it, sir?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "My dear, the nearest market may not have everything. Xuanwen Market is full of people from the south who come here to do business. They have more things and a wider range of things. Why don't you two go there and take a look? Just give me one dollar."

Xu Mengyao immediately said, "Okay, let's go to the place you mentioned."

The brother and sister got in the car and started chatting with the old man. He told them about the many wholesale markets in Pengcheng, some specializing in fruits and vegetables, some specializing in clothing, and some specializing in shoes. Xuanwen Market, the busiest place for small commodities, is full of shops run by southerners, but the prices can be a bit high. The old man also specifically instructed them to bargain, starting with a lower price and then raising it incrementally.

Xu Mengyao listened very carefully, nodding in agreement. After arriving at Xuanwen Market, she even said to the old man, "Thank you so much for telling us this! We'll be here for a while. If there are any customers, please take them first, and we can take your car back when we're done."

The old man smiled and shook his hand and said, "Okay, girls, go ahead and do your work!"

Following the bustling crowd, the brother and sister entered the market. Hundreds of stalls stood neatly arranged in a bustling atmosphere. Multiple searchlights hung from the ceiling illuminated the various stalls. The stalls were filled with a dazzling array of goods: colorful stationery, exquisite greeting cards, auspicious Chinese characters for "Fu" (meaning blessing), Chinese knots, socks, hair ornaments, and other small accessories. The two were dazzled.

Xu Mengyao deliberately slowed her pace, following the crowd and carefully observing the transactions at each stall. Whenever a buyer and seller bargained for a deal, she would stop and watch curiously, trying to learn the tricks. Finally, she stopped at a stall selling plastic artificial flowers.

The man who had just made a deal in front of her was packing the fake flowers into his large luggage bag with a big smile on his face, while the boss was leisurely drinking tea and greeting her in a plastic-stuck southern Mandarin: "Sister, is this your first time buying goods? Come and take a look at the pot!"

Xu Mengyao asked curiously: "How do you know this is my first time here?"

The boss smiled and pointed at the people next to him: "Look at other people, they are all carrying big bags and digging mud with their bare hands."

Xu Mengyao finally understood and nodded with a smile: "Boss, you really have a keen eye! We came here today to take a look. Seeing that the things you sell are so beautiful, we wanted to ask the price."

The boss enthusiastically introduced them: "Ask which one you want, they are all the latest models, even brides can't buy them for their weddings."

Xu Mengyao pointed at the plastic flowers in the vase and the fake flowers on her head and asked, "How much are these two?"

The boss replied, "This kind of flower looks better in a vase, and it's hard to hold it without something to put it in. These are cheaper for wearing on the head, two yuan each."

"I heard that the person just now took it together." Xu Mengyao reminded.

The boss didn't seem embarrassed by being exposed. Instead, he smiled heartily and said, "He bought a lot. Well, since you're so cute, I'll give you one too."

Xu Mengyao was delighted and quickly asked for 20 bright red and 30 pink artificial flowers to wear on her head.

Then she set her sights on the fake flowers in bottles: "I can have five of those in thin bottles. How much are they?"

The boss replied, "A vase and a bunch of flowers is 8 yuan." Xu Mengyao started to bargain: "How about 3 yuan?"

The boss got anxious when he heard this: "What do you mean by three dollars? No, no, no!"

Xu Mengyao said unwillingly: "3.5 is OK."

"No!" the boss said angrily.

Xu Mengyao sighed with pretended regret: "Okay, let's go somewhere else." Then she turned and was about to leave.

Seeing this, the boss quickly held out his hand and said, "Don't worry, sister, I'll give you a fair price of four yuan at the lowest. If it's any lower, I won't sell it to you!"

Xu Mengyao was secretly delighted, but pretended to be hesitant on the surface: "Well... okay, four pieces."