Chapter 135 Stocking up on New Year's Goods
After New Year’s Day, the festive atmosphere in Beijing suddenly became stronger.
In the streets and alleys, no matter what kind of store they sell, there are red promotional notices about New Year discounts posted on the doors. There are also small stalls with Spring Festival couplets and firecrackers on the streets and alleys.
Shi Yue picked up Shi Qiu Shui from school and walked home. Just as he reached the entrance of the alley, he saw Gao Cuifen coming from the other side with a lot of bags hanging on her body.
Shi Yue: "Wow, where have you been? Why did you buy so many things?"
He took two steps forward, held out his hand, and said, "Come on, give me two bags, and I'll help you take them back."
Gao Cuifen didn't hesitate to be polite with Shi Yue. Upon hearing this, she immediately took off the heaviest bag from her shoulder and handed it to Shi Yue: "Thank you very much, Xiao Shi, please help me carry this one, it's the heaviest."
Shi Yue picked it up and found that Gao Cuifen was really not polite to him.
The bag doesn't look very big, but it's really heavy to carry. He just picked it up and weighed it and estimated that it must be about 30 or 40 kilograms. He almost couldn't hold it.
Shi Yue: "No, Aunt Gao, what did you buy? It's quite heavy."
Gao Cuifen: "Ah, I bought some potatoes."
Earth...potatoes.
Shi Yue thought, no wonder it’s so heavy, it turns out it’s potatoes!
He glanced at Gao Cuifen and asked, "No, why did you buy so many potatoes at once?"
Gao Cuifen: "Of course I eat!"
As she said this, she gave Shi Yue a strange look, as if she didn't understand why he would ask such an idiotic question.
Shi Yue: “…”
Doesn't he know that potatoes are bought to be eaten?
He said speechlessly: "Didn't you buy a lot of potatoes when you were storing vegetables for the winter?"
At that time, Shi Yue went with Gao Cuifen to buy winter vegetables. Gao Cuifen bought 300 kilograms of cabbage and 80 kilograms of potatoes. You have to know that there are only three people in her family, even including Zhang Peng. A family of five may not buy so much.
Shi Yue: "Have you finished eating the 80 kilograms of potatoes your family bought earlier?"
Gao Cuifen waved her hand: "How can that be possible? It's just me and my old man, how can we finish so much?"
Shi Yue: "Then what are you doing..."
Gao Cuifen: "Well, isn't it the New Year soon? The prices of vegetables sold in the market have increased. I'm afraid that they will be even more expensive by the end of the year, so I bought some in advance to store."
As she spoke, she began to show off: "Hey, don't think I bought a lot of things today, but I tell you, this only cost me less than 50 yuan, because I bought them at the big market in the suburbs. Vegetables in the suburbs are really affordable. Look at these big potatoes, look at these big cabbages, look at these green onions, and this, this is the old hen I bought today..."
Shi Yue was surprised: "A big market in the suburbs? You brought such an old and heavy thing all the way back from the suburbs?"
"Of course!" Gao Cuifen rolled her eyes. She felt that Shi Yue's question was nonsense again.
She bought so many vegetables at a good price, but why didn't Shi Yue ask about it? He really doesn't know the value of things.
Although Shi Yue didn't know the value of the goods, there were still people in the alley who knew the value of the goods, such as Ma Yulan. She saw the old hen in Gao Cuifen's net bag from a distance and immediately came over.
"Hey, Lao Gao, the old hen you bought is pretty good. It's quite fat. Where did you buy it from?"
Gao Cuifen raised her head proudly. "How's it? Fat, right? I bought this one today at the suburban market. I'm telling you, I spent ages choosing and measuring chickens before I found one like this. The chicken vendor said I had a good eye and I snatched away the fattest old hen on their stall."
Ma Yulan nodded in agreement: "Fat, really fat, it will definitely taste good if stewed."
She glanced at the harvest beside Gao Cuifen and asked, "Are you going to the big market in the suburbs today?"
Gao Cuifen: “Yeah!”
Ma Yulan slapped her thigh regretfully and said, "Oh, why didn't you tell me you were going to the market? If I had known there was a market today, I would have gone too. Vegetables are getting more and more expensive at the market now. Even cabbage costs more than ten cents per pound at the market! I still want to buy some more vegetables!"
Gao Cuifen: "Well, what's the big deal? The market is open every three days. Just wait for three days. I'll go to the market the day after tomorrow. You can come with me then."
Ma Yulan: "Are you going to the market the day after tomorrow?"
Gao Cuifen: "Well, I ordered a basket of eggs from the guy who sold me the hens today. I'll pick it up the day after tomorrow."
Ma Yulan: "Okay, I'll go with you then."
She suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, I remember Lao Yao said before that she was going to the market to buy some things. I'll ask her later if she wants to go with us the day after tomorrow."
Gao Cuifen: "Then go ask them. Also, ask Lao Yang and Lao Li."
Ma Yulan: "Okay, I'll go ask right away."
She turned to walk into the alley when she noticed Shi Yue and his daughter, Shi Qiushui, who had been standing there. She patted Shi Yue's arm and said, "Hey, Shi Yue, when did you and your daughter come here? Why didn't you say anything? I didn't even notice you two."
Shi Yue: "...Auntie Ma, I've been here the whole time. I was standing here before you came over."
"Ah, haha, really? I didn't notice." Ma Yulan laughed dryly.
Her attention was all on Gao Cuifen's old hen, and she really didn't notice Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui.
Ma Yulan laughed a few times and said, "Hey, Shi Yue, we're going to the market in a few days, would you like to come with us?"
Shi Yue: "Ah, I, I won't go..."
Before Shi Yue could finish his words, he felt someone tugging at the hem of his clothes. He lowered his head and saw Shi Qiushui staring at him with big round eyes and saying, "Dad, I want to go to the market!"
Shi Yue: "...Okay, if you want to go then go ahead. The day after tomorrow is Sunday anyway."
He looked up at Ma Yulan and said, "Well, Aunt Ma, let's go."
Ma Yulan smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "Okay, that's settled. I'll go ask Lao Li, Lao Yao and the others if they want to go."
After saying that, she turned into the alley in a hurry.
Gao Cuifen, who was carrying a lot of bags, poked Shi Yue's arm and said, "Hey, Shi Yue, what are you standing there for? Didn't you say you would help me move the things in? Let's go home."
Shi Yue: “…”
He smiled: "Okay, let's go."
-
The day agreed upon to go to the market soon arrived. Early on Sunday morning, Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui, father and daughter, were still sleeping soundly when the door of their house was knocked "dang dang dang".
"Shi Yue, Xiao Qiu, it's time to leave. Where are the two of you?"
Shi Yue woke up from his sleep, rubbed his eyes and went to open the door in a daze. He opened the door, but before he could say anything, Gao Cuifen, who was impatient, got angry and her loud voice echoed throughout the yard.
"Oh, Shi Yue, you haven't woken up yet. What time is it? Didn't you agree to go to the market with us today? Are you going or not? If you want to go, you better hurry up, otherwise we will leave before you."
Shi Yue nodded quickly: "Okay, okay, okay, Aunt Gao, please wait for me for a moment. Xiaoqiu and I will pack up and come right over."
Gao Cuifen: "Okay, we'll wait for you a little longer, but you have to be quick."
Shi Yue agreed without hesitation. He closed the door and was about to wake Shi Qiu Shui up when he saw Shi Qiu Shui rubbing his eyes and walking out of his bedroom.
Shi Qiushui: "Dad, I seemed to hear Grandma Gao's voice just now?"
Shi Yue: "Yeah, your grandma Gao is here to urge us to set off."
Shi Qiushui exclaimed, "Ah!" and said in surprise, looking at the clock hanging on the wall, "So early?"
Isn’t it just six o’clock now? Do you want to go out so early?
Shi Yue: "The market your Grandma Gao and the others went to is in the suburbs, so it will take some time to get there."
He had indeed mentioned this to Gao Cuifen, but he had not expected Gao Cuifen and the others to go out so early.
But now is not the time to dwell on that. He pushed Shi Qiushui's shoulders and said, "Alright, go change your clothes quickly. I'll go change my clothes too. I'll get you some water to wash your face later. Just come out and wash your face. I remember your grandma Gao said there's breakfast for sale at the market. So we won't have breakfast at home today. Let's go out directly after washing our faces and eat at the market."
"Okay, I'll go change."
Shi Qiu Shui quickly went back to her room to change clothes, and Shi Yue also quickly went into his room to change clothes.
When the father and daughter packed up and came out again, Gao Cuifen was already getting a little impatient. When she saw her father-in-law and daughter, she said, "Oh, you two are finally here. Let's go, let's go quickly. The direct bus should be here soon."
Without waiting for Shi Yue to speak to Shi Qiushui, Gao Cuifen grabbed Shi Yue's arm and walked out. It was such a coincidence that they had barely reached the bus stop, barely catching their breath, when the bus arrived. The passengers on this bus were all elderly people going to the suburban market. The enthusiastic elderly pushed Shi Yue and Shi Qiushui onto the bus.
After getting in the car and sitting down, Shi Yue finally had time to fix his hair, which had been messed up by the rush he had been in.
"Dad, please help me comb my hair!"
Shi Qiu Shui's hair was messier than Shi Yue's. Because she was in a hurry, she tied her hair into a ponytail when she went out. Now the ponytail was half loose, and the hair on the right side had almost all slipped down, making her look like a little madman.
Shi Yue: "Oh, girl, you need to comb your hair again, just wait for me to do it for you."
After being a solitary dad for half a year, Shi Yue is no longer the same person he was when he first crossed over. The task of braiding the child, which used to bother him, he can do with ease now.
He quickly braided Shi Qiushui's hair into a small braid. He held the little girl's face, looked left and right, and said, "Well, the pretty girl is back again."
Shi Qiu Shui blinked her eyes and smiled sweetly.
Ma Yulan, who was sitting in the front, turned around and said, "Shi Yue, you didn't expect to go out so early today, did you?"
Shi Yue smiled and said, "I never thought that when Aunt Gao came to call me, I was still sleeping."
Ma Yulan: "Then you didn't eat either?"
Shi Yue: "Well, I didn't eat."
He said, "I remember Aunt Gao said there was food for sale on that episode, right?"
Ma Yulan: "Well, yes, there are several places selling breakfast over there. They sell fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, mutton soup, and sesame cakes. But it will take us a while to get there. You and your Xiaoqiu haven't eaten anything yet. Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm fine, not too hungry." Shi Yue poked the little girl and asked, "Xiao Qiu, how about you? Are you hungry?"
Shi Qiushui rubbed his belly, shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry."
Ma Yulan: "Okay, as long as you two are not hungry. I'm just worried that you two will be hungry."
She paused and said, "If you two are hungry, tell me. I have some peach cakes here. Although they won't fill you up, they will at least fill your stomach."
Shi Yue: "Okay, Aunt Ma, don't worry, I won't be polite with you. If I'm hungry, I'll just tell you directly."
Ma Yulan nodded: "Oh, that's right, you shouldn't be polite to me."
Seeing that Shi Yue and Shi Qiushui were really not hungry, Ma Yulan felt relieved and turned her head back. At this time, Shi Yue leaned close to Shi Qiushui's ear and whispered, "Daughter, don't be embarrassed. Tell me honestly, are you hungry?"
Shi Qiushui shook his head: "Dad, I'm really not hungry."
She rubbed her eyes, yawned and said, "I'm just a little sleepy and haven't woken up yet."
"If you haven't woken up yet, then go to sleep." Shi Yue patted his arm and said, "Daddy's arm is for you to lean on. You can sleep on it and wait for dad to call you."
"Okay~" Shi Qiu Shui responded softly, leaned on Shi Yue's arm, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Accompanied by Shi Qiu Shui's breathing sounds, the bus drove out of the city. The buildings on both sides of the road became fewer and fewer, and were replaced by large tracts of empty land.
Shi Yue leaned on the back of the seat in front of him and called out softly, "Auntie Ma, Auntie Ma~"
Ma Yulan turned around and said, "Huh? Shi Yue, what's wrong? Are you hungry?"
Shi Yue waved his hand: "No, I'm not hungry. Well, Aunt Ma, I just want to ask, are we almost there?"
Ma Yulan: "Yeah, it's almost there. There are only three more stops to go."
Shi Yue: "Then I have to wake Xiao Qiu up."
Ma Yulan nodded: "Well, you should wake the child up quickly. It's windy today. If the child gets off the car while still drowsy, he will definitely get a headache if he is blown back."
"I thought so too." As he spoke, Shi Yue lowered his head and gently pushed Shi Qiushui's shoulder with his hand, calling softly: "Xiaoqiu, Xiaoqiu, get up, we are almost there."
“Hmm—”
Shi Qiushui opened his eyes dazedly: "Are we almost there?"
Shi Yue: "Well, there are only three more stops to go."
Shi Qiushui: "Well, but I haven't woken up yet."
Shi Yue: "Even if you haven't woken up yet, you should be more energetic. After we finish the market, you can go home and sleep again."
Shi Qiushui rubbed his face, and then he felt more alert and said, "Okay, Dad, I'm awake."
She turned her head to look out the window and said, "Dad, where are we?"
Shi Yue: "I don't know where we are now, but if you give me a hand, we're only three stops away."
"Oh, I see." Shi Qiushui held her little face in her hands, her eyes rolling around. Soon her attention shifted to the trees on the roadside. She pointed at the large patches of dry branches outside and asked, "Dad, Dad, what kind of tree is that outside?"
Shi Yue looked outside and said, "It should be a fruit tree, either an apple tree or a pear tree."
Shi Qiushui: "What about that field over there? What's growing in that field?"
Shi Yue: "Ah, that should be..."
The child was very quiet when asleep, but once awake, he would ask a hundred thousand questions, asking what everything he saw was. If Shi Qiushui had asked something that Shi Yue knew, it would have been fine. But the problem was that when the little girl asked something, Shi Yue didn't know what it was, which made the little girl sigh in disappointment: "Dad, how come you don't know anything!"
Shi Yue: ...
Fortunately, the bus was driving fast enough and soon arrived at their destination. Shi Yue was able to escape from this hell full of a hundred thousand whys. As soon as the bus stopped, he immediately hugged Shi Qiu Shui and squeezed out with the crowd.
After getting off the car, the little girl forgot about her father's ignorance. She looked at the breakfast stall not far ahead with bright eyes, shook Shi Yue's arm and said, "Dad, big fried dough sticks, look, such big fried dough sticks!"
Her grandmother screamed, "Dad, look! That fried dough stick is longer than my leg!"
Everyone around heard the little girl's exclamation. Seeing her cute appearance, several adults couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. The owner of the breakfast stall that fried dough sticks also heard what the little girl said. He smiled and shouted to Shi Yue: "Hey boy, do you want to give your daughter a dough stick that's longer than her leg?"
Shi Qiu Shui was looking at him eagerly, so how could Shi Yue say no?
He smiled and said, "Then give me two."
"Okay, two fried dough sticks." The stall owner shouted, and the proprietress next to him reached out and picked up the fried dough sticks for Shi Yue.
"Hey, wait a minute." Shi Yue: "Well, do you have anything to drink?"
The stall owner said: "Yes, we have soy milk, tofu pudding, wontons, mutton soup, and eight-treasure porridge. What would you like to drink?"
Shi Qiushui: "I want to drink soy milk!"
Shi Yue: "Boss, please give me two bowls of soy milk."
"Okay, two more bowls of soy milk!"
At this time, Gao Cuifen, Ma Yulan and several other aunts also got out of the car. They looked around and finally found Shi's father and daughter at the breakfast stall.
Shi Yue: "Hey, Aunt Gao, Aunt Ma, come over here too, let's eat together, it's my treat!"
"You're treating? Fine, I'll have some!"
When Gao Cuifen heard Shi Yue say that he would treat her, she rushed over and in the blink of an eye, she was sitting in front of Shi Yue.
Li Xiuying came over with a pout, rolled her eyes and said, "Gao Cuifen, didn't you eat at home this morning? Why are you still eating?"
Gao Cuifen: "Then I'm not allowed to come all the way here and get hungry again?"
Li Xiuying: "I think you just want to take advantage."
Gao Cuifen: "That's because Shi Yue is willing to let me take advantage of him."
She turned her head and said, "Shi Yue, what do you say? Are you willing to treat me?"
Shi Yue: "Yes, yes, yes, I'd like to treat Aunt Gao. Not only Aunt Gao, but also Aunt Li, Aunt Ma, Aunt Yang, and all of you. I'd like to treat you all. What would you like to eat?"
Li Xiuying: "Then give me a bowl of soy milk. I want something warm."
Gao Cuifen: "I'll have a bowl of soy milk too. I had it at home this morning and I'm not hungry yet."
Old Lady Yang: "Give me a bowl of porridge."
"Okay." Shi Yue stood up and walked to the stall owner, ordering what the aunties wanted to eat.
The breakfast stall was quite fast at serving food. Shi Yue had just finished ordering from the aunties when, on his way back, he and Shi Qiushui's soy milk and fried dough sticks were served. He didn't hesitate to greet the aunties and just tore open the dough sticks and started eating with Shi Qiushui. The aunties knew that Shi Yue and his daughter hadn't eaten before leaving that morning, so they didn't make a fuss about it.
After everyone had a hearty breakfast and felt much warmer, they began the main topic of the day - stocking up.
When it came to stockpiling, Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui were the least experienced. They followed the aunties' instructions the entire time. They followed wherever the aunties told them to go; they bought whatever the aunties said was cheap and affordable; and they bought whatever the aunties told them to buy.
Finally, when they left the vegetable market, Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui were both laden with bags. Carrying the heavy things on their shoulders, Shi Yue panted and asked, "Aunties, should we go back now?"
Ma Yulan looked around and said, "Well, we've almost finished shopping. It's almost ten o'clock now. We can go back now."
Gao Cuifen: "No, we haven't bought garlic yet!"
After Gao Cuifen's reminder, Ma Yulan finally remembered. She slapped her thigh and said, "Yes, I haven't bought garlic yet!"
She kept muttering, "I can forget everything else, but I can't forget the garlic. Tomorrow is Laba Festival. How can I make Laba garlic without buying some? If I don't make Laba garlic, what will I eat with dumplings during the Spring Festival? What will I eat with noodles next spring?"
Shi Yue: "Well, I think I saw a garlic vendor near the door."
Ma Yulan: "Where?"
Shi Yue pointed to the door they had just passed and said, "That stall seems to be selling garlic."
Ma Yulan: "What are we waiting for? Let's go over there!"
Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui were dragged to buy two more bunches of garlic.
Originally, Shi Yue didn't want to buy so much, as he and his daughter didn't like to eat this stuff much. But the aunts didn't allow it. They all agreed that even if they didn't eat it, they must pickle the Laba garlic. This is an old custom and a good omen, so it can't be thrown away.
After struggling to carry the things back home and starting to put them away, Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui discovered that they had bought quite a lot today. They bought a lot of bacon and sausages, two freshly killed roosters and two fresh hens, half a rack of fresh ribs, dried beans, dried potatoes, dried eggplants, and a lot of fresh vegetables.
Shi Yue: "Our family has really stocked up on New Year's goods. We won't be able to finish all of these even before the New Year."
Shi Qiushui counted on his fingers: "But, it's still a month away from the Chinese New Year."
Shi Yue pursed his lips and said, "Do you think we can finish all this in a month?"
Shi Qiushui: ...
It seems that it is indeed not possible.
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