Chapter 30
The closer they got to the market, the more people there were. Zhong Miao hit Pei Ze twice, "There are too many people. Put me down."
Pei Ze put Zhong Miao down and picked up An An again.
From a distance, one could see the hustle and bustle around the market, with a constant stream of people coming to buy New Year's goods. Zhong Miao was also infected by the rich atmosphere of fireworks and began to look forward to the New Year.
Zhong Miao first walked to a steaming stall, which was a large round frying pan with golden pancakes on it.
"Is this delicious?" Zhong Miao asked Pei Ze. The pancake should be made of cornmeal, and a thin layer of oil was brushed on the bottom of the pan. The thick pancake looked soft on top, but the rice crust underneath was crispy and looked fragrant.
"Big cornmeal pancakes, nothing special. If you want to eat them, just buy a few."
After buying two pancakes, Zhong Miao took a bite and gave one to An An as well. "Are they delicious?"
"It's delicious, a little sweet." An An was particularly considerate.
"Why don't you give me a bite?" Pei Ze looked at the mother and son taking turns to eat, feeling helpless. Why am I always forgotten in the corner by my wife?
"Here, here. You said there's nothing new. I thought you didn't like it."
Pei Ze took a bite and An An was right, it seemed a little sweeter than usual.
"I didn't say I don't like it."
There are a lot of things in the market, selling everything, including snacks, meat, vegetables, fruits, and some small gadgets.
I saw a stall selling couplets, which took up a large area.
Zhong Miao couldn't help but go over to look, "Do we need to buy some couplets at home?"
"No need. Writing couplets is your mother-in-law's specialty."
"Well, do you have enough red paper at home?"
"Enough, take a look at what you want." Pei Ze didn't want to interrupt her enthusiasm.
"Okay." Zhong Miao looked for a long time and bought a portrait of the God of Wealth and a portrait of the Kitchen God.
"Wife, look at other wives, they all buy young boys and girls, why don't you just follow the crowd?" Pei Ze was depressed.
"Young boys and girls? I don't know what gods they are in charge of. In the new year, I hope the God of Wealth will bring me money to spend, and the Kitchen God will ensure that I have delicious meals every day and never go hungry."
"Hello, Kitchen God. An An wants the Kitchen God." An An became excited when he heard that he could have delicious food every day and would not be hungry. He must have the Kitchen God.
"Hahaha, you two greedy guys, let's go and look for something else."
Pei Ze explained as they walked that having virgin boys and girls meant many children and good fortune, but Zhong Miao was not interested at all. Good fortune was fine, but as for having many children? She imagined that there were more than a dozen An Ans in the room and shuddered. She didn't have that hobby.
An An pointed to a stall and said, "Dad, I want that one."
Zhong Miao looked and saw that An An was pointing at the candy covered with sesame seeds. "Which day is the Little New Year?"
"Didn't you check the almanac? It's today."
"Then buy some for An An. It's best to eat stove candy during the Little New Year."
In her previous life, Zhong Miao studied a lot of folk customs when she was creating. She actually ate stove candy once. This thing is purely handmade. After several decades, stove candy is rarely available.
"Boss, give me a pack of stove candy." Pei Zeke listened to the advice. He didn't want to buy it for An An at first because it sticks to teeth and is bad for them.
"Okay." The boss packed a bag readily.
"Mom, I want to eat a piece." An An hugged Pei Ze's neck and shouted to Zhong Miao who had just taken the bag.
"Here's one for you." Zhong Miao found a thinner one and put it in An An's hand.
"You can only eat one piece to taste it. It's so cold eating outside. Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache from the wind?"
The wind in the north is strong and cold. When eating outside, the cold air can easily enter the stomach and cause stomachache. Pei Ze can't help but worry about the delicate mother and son.
"I know. I won't eat anymore. An An, just snuggle up in daddy's chest and eat. Let him block the wind for you." Zhong Miao had indeed gotten a stomach upset after eating out in the winter, and he was worried that An An would feel uncomfortable.
As the number of things she bought increased, Zhong Miao could no longer carry them. Pei Ze put An An down and let Zhong Miao hold her hand, then took the things from her hands.
The couple bought a lot of things, including chestnuts, pancakes, a big bag of animal biscuits for An An, a big bag of stove candy and persimmon cakes.
Seeing someone selling fish and shrimp in front, Pei Ze picked out a few Spanish mackerel and a small bag of shrimp. These were not alive. In the winter in the north, the fish and shrimp would freeze soon after being caught, and these fish and shrimp were like ice cubes.
The temperature in Qingzhou mostly fluctuates around minus 20 degrees Celsius, and most of the time it is minus 10 degrees Celsius. If it were fresh water resources, they would have frozen long ago, but seawater is different. It has a high salt content and the sea is always in tidal motion. It almost never freezes at this temperature, so you can occasionally see fresh fish and shrimp in winter.
These fish and shrimps came from the city. Qingzhou City faces the sea to the north, but it is quite far away from the city and is considered a suburb. It is still a shabby little fishing village. The entire beach is filled with the stench of rotting seafood, and no one wants to go there.
Who would have thought that the shabby place would be developed into the most prosperous area and tourist attraction in Qingzhou City a few decades later.
At this moment, a certain old man suddenly roared, and then there was a "bang" sound that scared Zhong Miao so much that she jumped out of her wits. "What happened? What happened? Did it explode?"
"Haha, don't be afraid, silly wife, that's popcorn. I'll buy it for you later."
The roar was a reminder that the popcorn oven was about to start, but Zhong Miao had no experience in this and she didn't understand the dialect.
The fish stall owner saw Pei Ze carrying so many things and still had time to coax his wife, so he couldn't help but joked, "Your family is well off. This handsome boy obviously loves his wife, otherwise how could he be so rich."
"Of course not. Men are the sleds that grab money, and wives are the boxes that hold money. If you don't love your wife, you won't be able to keep the wealth."
Most northerners are very outgoing. Pei Ze happily chatted with the boss, making Zhong Miao blush with embarrassment.
"Hey, wife, why are you pinching me?"
Zhong Miao held An An's hand with one hand and reached out with the other to pinch Pei Ze's face.
"Let me test how thick your skin is."
"There are so many people here. If you leave marks, I don't need to tell you that everyone will think you're a tigress."
Pei Ze was still being naughty, and Zhong Miao was unhappy when she heard it. The word "tigress" is used to describe a strong and powerful daughter-in-law, but she was not strong at all.
"If you keep saying that, I'll pinch you. How am I like a tigress?"
"Yeah, not really. It's more like a kitten, stretching out its claws and scratching people."
Zhong Miao ignored him. A dog can't spit out ivory.
"Mom is a tigress, and An An is a little tiger, hahaha." This child always interrupts at unexpected places.
An An's loud voice instantly attracted friendly and playful glances from all around. Zhong Miao covered An An's mouth awkwardly, "An An, be good, let's not talk anymore." After saying that, he took out another piece of stove candy from Pei Ze and handed it to An An, then quickly blocked the child's mouth, "Eat carefully, stand behind your dad, let him block the wind for you."
Zhong Miao moved the scarf around her neck upwards, revealing her two eyes. She looked like a complete social stuntman.
"Hehe." Pei Ze smiled at her with ill intentions. Zhong Miao was so angry that her teeth were itching, but she couldn't hit him in front of so many people, otherwise she would really become a tigress.
"Hmph, just wait."
"Let's go buy some popcorn."
The couple bought a big bag of popcorn and a big bundle of vermicelli and went straight to the pork stall.
"Wife, what do you want to eat?"
Various parts of the pig were displayed in front of Zhong Miao, but she didn't understand much about them. "Just buy whatever you like. Buy whatever tastes good."
This made the pork stall owner laugh, and he introduced all the parts of the pig.
Pei Ze really made good use of his introduction: two tenderloins, half a rack of ribs with the spine in the middle, a large piece of the best pork belly, and a large piece of front rib.
The stall owner was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling and even gave me a small piece of lean meat.
The stall selling firecrackers was at the very edge of the market. An An was excited when he saw the firecrackers. He shook off Zhong Miao's hand and ran over to take a look.
"An An, how could you run away from your mother?" Pei Ze strode after An An to the firecracker stall.
"Dad, I'm anxious. I want a firecracker, bang." He raised his little hands as he said this, and was so happy that he couldn't express it in words.
Zhong Miaoshi also trotted over, "An An, just tell me what you want, but you can't leave me and your dad and go by yourself. There are so many people here, what if you get separated from us? If we get separated, you will be without mom, dad, grandma, and no home anymore."
She had to take care of the naughty child. These days were not like decades later. People didn't even have cell phones. How could she find the child if he was lost? There were so many people coming and going in the market, and it was winter. She didn't dare to think about it.
When An An heard this, she knew she had made a mistake. She was about to wipe her tears and cry, but Pei Ze's face turned cold. This kid cries when he makes a mistake, and his grandmother becomes soft-hearted when he cries. There is no emotion, it's all technique.
"Pei Ming'an, crying is useless. The firecrackers are gone. Learn this lesson from now on. Stay calm when you go out. Don't leave your family. Always hold your mother's hand when there are many people around." Pei Ze was so angry with the naughty kid that he was about to hold An An's hand.
An An immediately hugged his father's thigh and said, "I won't cry anymore, Dad. I don't want firecrackers anymore."
This time An An really cried. Unlike his usual crying with a purpose, this child would be scared when he saw his father was really angry.
"Then remember this, you must hold on to your parents when there are many people around you next time, otherwise you will get lost. Your mom just told me the consequences of getting lost."
"An An was wrong. I won't do it again."
"Wipe your tears and pick out a few that you like. However, after buying the firecrackers, you have to walk back by yourself. You can't make a fuss on the way even if you get tired."
"Yeah, An An, don't make trouble." The naughty child instantly became well-behaved and shifted his attention to the dazzling array of firecrackers.
An An picked out a flying saucer, a sky rocket and a few small things, and Pei Ze bought two sets of earth red.
Pei Ze's hands were almost full, so Zhong Miao took the bag of firecrackers.
An An got what she wanted and was very well-behaved, taking Zhong Miao's other hand.
"Is it heavy?" This bag is not light.
"It's not heavy, I can carry it."
The family of three bought a lot of things and returned home with a lot of stuff.
Wang Yingying, who was walking behind them, saw that Pei Ze bought so much meat, and then thought about her own family. With so many people at home, the meat she bought was probably less than half of what Pei Ze's family bought.
Besides, even if there is meat, it has to be eaten by her nephew and husband, not to mention her brother, father and father-in-law. Not to mention her, even her mother-in-law and mother from her natal family may not be able to get a bite.
She simply couldn't believe it. Wasn't Pei Ze's family extremely poor? How could he be more willing to spend money than Song Xing?
Even if he has money and wants to have a good New Year, why should Zhong Miao have it? There is so much meat, and the Pei family only has an old lady and a child. She doesn't believe that Zhong Miao can't have it.
After buying the meat, Wang Yu stared at the younger sister of the family of three in front of him with a sullen face, "Humph, they are just trying to look good. They really don't know how to wear the same size of bitter tea as their buttocks. They will be scolded when they get home."
Wang Yu spoke sourly. He didn't expect Pei Ze to be so willing to spend money. He bought not only meat, but also so many other things.
Wang Yingying didn't say a word and followed Wang Yu and her nephew back silently.
If she hadn't seen how much Zhong Miao and the others bought, she wouldn't have thought it was a big deal, but when she compared herself with Zhong Miao, she really felt wronged.
Other people were buying New Year's goods as a family of three, but she could only go out with her brother and nephew. Zhong Miao bought whatever she wanted to eat. She had been watching from behind. The family of three bought and ate at the same time. Pei Ze even bought so many shrimps. She had only eaten one shrimp at her husband's house in her life.
In comparison, envy, jealousy and hatred could not describe her emotions at the moment. She felt wronged, especially wronged. Zhong Miao had everything she could not eat.
Who would have thought that Pei Ze would be so good to Zhong Miao, fighting for her and buying her so many things.
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