There are currently 4,500 chicken eggs, 360 duck eggs, and 140 goose eggs in the space. Duck eggs and goose eggs are not for sale; only chicken eggs are sold.

This trip to the city might be the last one before the New Year. I can buy more eggs; one basket can hold 200 eggs, enough to sell several times. But just to be on the safe side, I'll prepare a few sets of clothes to wear in rotation.

The next morning, after my run, I went to Grandpa Huang's house. Since the snowfall, Grandpa Huang's two children hadn't been allowed to go out; they were too weak.

Following Grandpa Wang's suggestion, I taught them Tai Chi. There weren't any strict requirements. I was just there to guide them; once they were proficient, they wouldn't need to come anymore.

When I arrived, Grandpa Huang was feeding the old man. Seeing that it was me, he said, "Mianmian's here!"

Good morning, Grandpa Huang.

Good morning.

"Where are Grandpa Huang, Stone, and Tiger Girl?"

"They've been up for a while now and are practicing inside!"

"That's good, I'll go take a look."

Go ahead.

Upon entering the house, I saw Grandma Huang cooking, so I quickly greeted her, saying, "Good morning, Grandma Huang."

"Mianmian's here. Come sit on the kang (heated brick bed) and warm up."

"No need, it's not cold. Let's check how Stone and Tiger Girl are doing in their practice first."

"Let's warm ourselves up first before we talk."

"Okay," knowing that arguing with the elderly would only lead to compromise, it was better to compromise sooner rather than later. Sitting on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), watching them smoothly perform a round of Tai Chi, I said:

"Not bad, not bad, you can remember the basic moves completely, but you're not very familiar with them yet. But that's okay, you'll get better with more practice. Don't underestimate Tai Chi, you two. Although it may not seem very powerful, it can overcome strength with softness."

Furthermore, this is the most suitable exercise for both of you at this stage. Its relaxed, smooth, fluid, and intentional movements eliminate any stiffness or awkwardness inherent in martial arts practitioners, and prevent damage to muscles, joints, ligaments, and other organs. It can change a person's habitual and instinctive exertion, and avoid the possibility of chest tightness, tension, and obstructed blood circulation caused by improper exertion or breathing. Therefore, it is very suitable for both of you.

Actually, older people can practice this too. When you two are old enough to go out and play in the winter, you might as well let Grandpa Huang and Grandma Huang practice more.

"Really? Sister Mianmian?" Hu Niu asked.

"certainly"

"Sister Mianmian, when we can go out in winter, can you teach Shitou other boxing styles?"

"Sure, once you're all better, I'll teach you military boxing, how about that?"

"Military boxing?"

"yes"

"So, who's more powerful, him or Tai Chi?"

"Well, how should I put it? In theory, Tai Chi is powerful, but what's more widely used now is military boxing, which evolved from various other martial arts styles to better suit combat. But regardless, practicing it can still improve your health."

"Oh, I see."

"Do you still want to practice with that stone?"

"Practice is good, it has its own advantages, why not practice? Besides, once you practice, you can go out and play with other children, isn't that great? Grandpa and Grandma won't have to worry about you anymore."

"Alright, since that's the case, you two should focus on mastering Tai Chi first, understand?"

"knew."

Just then, Grandpa Huang returned from outside and remembered to ask if it was possible to send things or packages in the dead of winter. So he casually asked, "Grandpa Huang, after the roads are closed due to snow in winter, is it possible to go out?"

"That depends on where you plan to go."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, I just wanted to ask if it's possible to avoid the county town?"

"Can"

"Will that oxcart work?"

"Relying on sleds"

"What about the oxcart?"

"In this cold weather, we wouldn't use an oxcart unless it's something really important."

"What if we need to use it?"

"We'll have to ask the brigade leader for permission. Don't even think about it; this cow is a treasure of our brigade."

But...

"Grandpa Huang, can you still drive an oxcart now?"

"It's okay for the next few days, as long as the heavy snow doesn't completely block the roads into town. Also, we prepare for winter and the New Year earlier than other places. So before the roads are blocked by the snow, almost every household goes back to the commune or county town to stock up on New Year's goods. The coldest winters here can reach -30 degrees Celsius, and hardly anyone goes out in the dead of winter."

"All right"

"Grandpa Huang, how many people from our brigade are going to the county town today?"

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"I was worried that the heavy snow would block the roads and prevent us from going out, so I planned to send the New Year's gifts to my uncles in advance."

"You're right. As for how many people are on the bus, I'm not sure either. Nobody told me, and we'll only find out when the bus departs."

"Okay, then I'll go back and get the things."

"Is there a lot of stuff?"

"Quite a few? They've been sent to many places."

"Then when we leave, we can just drive the car to your doorstep and load it up."

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"It's alright, it's just a short walk. Besides, leaving early won't delay the bus's departure."

"Thank you, Grandpa Huang."

Are you going to the county town today?

"Go ahead, it's been several months since you last went. Take advantage of the fact that the roads aren't closed, and go pick up the New Year's gifts for Uncle Zhou and Uncle Ma."

"Okay, let's go together then."

"Okay, Grandpa Huang, you can head back now."

"Why don't you eat at home? Grandma Huang's food will be ready soon."

"No need, I cooked breakfast early this morning and it's keeping warm in the pot."

"Oh well"

Today was alright, though. Everyone had just brought their grain home yesterday. The wealthier families would secretly ask the county town to sell it, and only after making a profit would they go back to buy some New Year's goods. But this kind of behavior is illegal now, so everyone left before dawn or even before daybreak. Very few people would take an oxcart into town. There were only Chen Enpeng and me on the cart, along with Grandpa Huang who was driving it.

They were the two of them who helped me take the package to the post office again. They were also planning to send a letter home, so we went together. However, after mailing the package, we parted ways at the post office entrance and agreed to meet at Grandpa Huang's place before 2:30 pm to go back together.

Instead of visiting Uncle Ma and Uncle Zhou first, he went to the pharmaceutical factory to sell some of the uncommon medicinal herbs he had accumulated to the factory's purchasing station.

The pharmaceutical factory's purchasing station offers very fair prices, one-third cheaper than on the black market. In addition to cash, they also provide corresponding receipts.

The medicinal herbs found were few; these were the kinds that the commune's purchasing station wouldn't accept. These were the only ones they could find, such as toad oil, asarum, eleutherococcus senticosus, phellodendron bark, and scutellaria barbata.