Finally, I took a stroll through the general store and inquired about the types of seeds. They were all common vegetable seeds, like cabbage, radishes, and potatoes, not even as many varieties as the ones in the supermarket.
In particular, she was surprised to find that there were no chili peppers here.
It wasn't that there were no seeds; the grocer simply didn't know what a chili pepper was.
"It seems like I've discovered a path to wealth."
Hmm... I'm a little excited. Take it slow, no rush.
Thinking there was nothing else to buy for the time being, I went to the butcher's stall to buy some meat before leaving.
Although the supermarket has pork, it doesn't have lard that's all fat.
This place is completely different from my previous life. In my previous life, few people bought fatty meat, but here fatty meat is the most popular.
She heard that stir-fried vegetables with lard are delicious, and she wanted to try it.
The butcher was dismembering a whole pig leg with a boning knife. Xiao Yunying's lips twitched; it was rather frightening.
Upon seeing a customer arrive, the butcher put down his knife: "Young lady, what would you like to buy?"
How much is the meat?
"Lean meat is eight coins, fatty meat is ten coins, and all fat is twelve coins."
"Give me five catties of pure fat lard, and five catties of pork belly. Do you have any pork with skin?"
"Yes, that's it, the skin hasn't been peeled off yet."
Xiao Yunying looked at the fat and lean meat and thought it was not bad: "Give me five catties, cut it diagonally, not too fatty."
The meat on the cutting board looked quite appealing, with the white, fatty parts glistening with oil. She wanted to taste what a pig raised solely on grains tasted like.
It's okay if you buy too much and can't finish it all, the supermarket has refrigerators.
"Alright, young lady, please wait a moment."
The butcher weighed out the good meat, wrapped it in several large lotus leaves, tied it with straw rope, and handed it to Xiao Yunying.
"A total of one hundred and sixty coins."
"Boss, I bought a lot, could you give me those big bones for free? I'll come back to buy from you next time."
"OK."
The butcher didn't mince words. He had plenty of bones. They were good for making soup, but they were wasteful of firewood and time-consuming, so few people wanted them. He threw away any bones he couldn't sell. Trading a few bones for a repeat customer was a great deal.
He picked out four thick ones, rolled them up in lotus leaves, and handed them to Xiao Yunying.
Xiao Yunying put the meat and bones into the basket on her back, and the moment she covered it with the cloth, she moved it into the supermarket.
After paying the copper coins, Xiao Yunying saw that the sun had risen directly overhead. Although she didn't know the exact time, it should be close to noon.
It'll be late getting back; Luo Chen and the others must be worried.
Xiao Yunying didn't linger any longer and headed towards the city gate.
I didn't forget to return the copper coins at the steamed bun stall, and also bought eight meat buns to take home.
There's no time to make lunch, so we'll just have steamed buns for now. We'll cook them a big meal tonight.
The proprietress beamed as she packed the buns, and even gave Xiao Yunying a vegetarian one to try, saying that the vegetarian one tasted quite good too.
She knew she wouldn't misjudge someone; look, not only did he return the coins, but he also bought so much more.
Xiao Yunying led Luo Xin home, her basket filled with things. She couldn't carry the little girl on her back, so she let her walk a distance on her own, and then carried her for a while, taking turns like this, walking for a bit and resting for a bit.
When they were halfway there, they heard the sound of wheels rolling behind them, so Xiao Yunying, carrying Luo Xin, moved to the side of the road.
"Yun Ying?"
Xiao Yunying turned around and looked at the young man driving the oxcart. After a moment's thought, she realized that he was Yang Tianyun, the second son of the carpenter Yang, who lived to the right of her house.
He was two years older than her. They played together when they were young, but they rarely saw each other after the original owner went to the city to learn needlework when she was eight years old. They only met occasionally after she returned five years ago.
"Second Brother Yang".
"You just got back from the city?"
"Yes, I'm going to hand in my embroidery work and buy some grain while I'm at it."
Yang Tianyun stopped the oxcart: "Get on, I'll pull you up."
Xiao Yunying politely replied, "I hope I won't delay your business."
"I'm just back from delivering goods. Anyway, the truck is empty. Hurry up and get in, it's past noon."
Xiao Yunying was too tired to walk any further, so she carried Luo Xin onto the oxcart and said, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, we're from the same village."
Neither of them liked to chat; one quietly drove the oxcart, while the other whispered to his little darling.
Luo Xin was probably tired from walking, and soon fell asleep on the cart.
As they approached the village entrance, Xiao Yunying said, "Second Brother Yang, please drop me off up ahead. I can walk the rest of the way back."
Yang Tianyun said, "Our two families live so close, you can get off at my house."
Xiao Yunying had no choice but to make things clear: "Second Brother Yang, it wouldn't be good if someone saw me riding back in your oxcart."
If others see this, those gossipy people in the village might say something out of the blue.
She was fine, but Yang Tianyun wasn't married yet. In ancient times, where reputation was as important as life, it was best to be cautious and not implicate others.
Yang Tianyun turned his head and glanced at the sleeping Luo Xin: "It's still quite a distance from your home. The child is sleeping soundly, and it must be tiring for you to carry her. Why don't you walk back and let the child sleep for a while, and then you can go to my house and take her back later?"
Xiao Yunying pondered for a moment, the little girl must be exhausted today: "Then I'll trouble you, Second Brother Yang."
"What's the trouble?"
Yang Tianyun stopped the oxcart and waited for Xiao Yunying to put on her basket before driving the oxcart slowly away.
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