Chapter 61 Market Gate, Grass Market
Old man Liao's words made Lin Shu feel quite good, but Gao was the opposite. She didn't know what words touched her heart, making her look sour and unhappy.
"Old Liao, drive your car carefully. Don't let it fall into the ditch accidentally. We paid for the ride."
"What?" Old Man Liao asked loudly, "What did you say, Hei Niu?"
Lin Shu covered her mouth and chuckled. When she called out to Old Man Liao just now, he hadn't heard clearly. But now, she didn't know whether Old Man Liao hadn't heard clearly either, or didn't want to hear clearly. In any case, she had never heard anyone mention that Old Man Liao was hard of hearing.
As soon as the name Heinu came out, Gao's face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Gao was not actually dark, at least compared to most women in Tianshui Village, she was not dark. But she was indeed dark and ugly when she was young, so her mother gave her the vulgar name of Heinu. However, she was the type who became more beautiful as she grew older. After she grew up, she was not only not dark or ugly anymore, but was considered quite beautiful in Tianshui Village. Of course, she could not be compared with someone like He Guixiang.
Gao was lucky enough to marry a capable man from the village, and her life was getting better and better. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the spare money to ride in an oxcart. But when Old Man Liao opened his mouth, he brought out the name she hated the most.
After that, Gao never spoke a word to Old Man Liao again, for fear that he would mention the word "Heinu" again, and she complained less.
Lin Shu's ears suddenly became much quieter.
The ox cart was not moving fast, but it still overtook one villager after another who were carrying heavy loads on their backs.
The baskets filled with vegetables, fruits and melons were carried on the shoulders, which made the shoulders look lower. And the people who carried the backpacks, who knew what they put in them, looked so heavy that their backs were bent...
Lin Shu suddenly felt that it was a very happy thing to be able to ride in an ox cart.
Five copper coins didn't sound like much, but at a time when most families would break a copper coin into two, a ride in an oxcart was indeed a luxury. Ping'er's mother was also reluctant to ride in an oxcart. The last time she took an oxcart was because she had been delayed in town for a long time and had to return early to make dinner, after all, there were several mouths waiting at home.
Thinking of this, Lin Shu was thinking about how to sell the chicken mushroom sauce she brought today.
"Oh, oh~" There was a right turn ahead. Old man Liao pinched the reins and shouted twice, then turned the ox cart.
The old ox mooed and the ox cart shook, distracting Lin Shu from her thoughts.
During the first half of the journey, she still had the mood to look at the mountains and rivers on both sides of the road, look at the pedestrians who were overtaken by ox carts one by one, and glance at the hardworking faces of the villagers, feeling full of emotion. But in the second half, she wilted.
Not only her, even Gao, who had been chatting endlessly with Zhang at the beginning, became listless.
The ox cart rumbled along for more than half an hour, covering a distance of sixteen miles.
Lin Shu wasn't cart-sick, but her bottom was hurting from the jolting. No wonder Zhou Ye told Old Man Liao to be steady. If she hadn't been steady, she felt like her bottom would have been broken in two.
Old Man Liao's driving is really good, he drives at the right pace. The only problem is that the road from Tianshui Village to Jingxi Town is not flat enough, and several sections of the road are particularly bumpy.
Finally, she saw the town ahead.
There were no city walls, not even a short earthen wall, but only a high wooden palisade with a gate in the middle. Now the gate was wide open, with no one guarding it, and people from all the surrounding villages were trickling in.
Most of these people were strong men and women, just like those Lin Shu had seen on the road. Some were carrying shoulder poles, or bamboo backpacks or baskets. Some were covered with cloth and no one knew what was inside, while some were left exposed. At a glance, you could tell that they were vegetables and fruits grown by these farmers.
Lin Shu came from the prosperous Kyoto, where the city gates were tall and big, and the gatekeepers guarding the city were all very impressive. But when she arrived in this small Jingxi Town, there was no city gate and no gatekeepers... Although it was simple, Lin Shu was still very much looking forward to it.
Small towns also have their own bustle.
"Old Man Liao, I won't go into the city for now. I want to wait for Aye at the city gate." Lin Shu said.
"Okay, wait until I steady the car, then you can get off."
The ox cart stopped. Lin Shu put on her basket and jumped off the cart. She said goodbye to the people on the cart, "Father Liao, and Aunt Zhang, I'll see you later."
Gao, who was completely ignored: ...
Oh, who cares about her calling him aunt?
Old man Liao reminded him, "Lin Shu, please stand near the entrance so that others will think you have company. Don't walk away alone."
"Okay." Lin Shu responded.
After saying this, Old Man Liao drove the ox cart and followed behind the team.
Soon, the ox cart entered the gate.
Lin Shu looked around and did not stand at the gate. Instead, she found a place where the villagers had to pass by, found a stone on the side of the road where she could rest her buttocks, grabbed a handful of weeds to sweep away the ashes on the stone, put the vegetable basket aside, and sat down.
Although it is on the roadside, there are few ox carts, mule carts, etc., so there is no need to worry about being covered in dust.
Lin Shu turned her back to the path, resting her cheek with one hand, and looked at the people entering the town with boredom.
When Zhou Ye arrived, he saw Lin Shu's back curled up into a small ball.
Her neatly combed hair became a little messier after the bumpy ride on the ox cart. The morning sun had risen, casting a light on her body, and her hair shone with a golden luster.
She seemed to be staring in one direction for a long time, then tilted her head to look elsewhere, revealing a slender white neck and an earlobe rimmed with gold by a ray of sunlight, with fine strands of hair dancing around her ear...
The morning sun was very gentle, but Zhou Ye's eyes were still dazzled.
"Ashu." He called out.
When Lin Shu heard the voice suddenly, she thought she had misheard. After all, it had only been a short time. She had only been waiting here for about quarter of an hour. How could Zhou Ye catch up with her?
However, when she turned around, it was really Zhou Ye!
"Aye, how come you are here? This is too fast!" Facing the rising sun, Lin Shu's eyes were full of surprise, with a bright smile in her eyes.
Zhou Ye's expressionless face softened a little because of this smile.
He took a few big strides towards her, bent down to pick up the basket beside her, and supported her arm. He replied, "I have big strides, so I walk faster than ordinary people."
Lin Shu thought about the last time he went to town to sell wild boar meat, he went and came back quickly, not to mention that today he was carrying dried mushrooms, so his steps were probably flying.
Thinking of this, his eyes couldn't help but bend. Next time, he really couldn't go to the market with A Ye, unless she still took the ox cart.
"I've only just arrived, but I counted. While I've been waiting for you, there are already nearly a hundred people entering the town. It's even more lively than I expected."
Zhou Ye: "If you like the hustle and bustle, come during the big fair at the end of the month. That's when the crowds are the highest. Everyone from working families to working families will come. People who live nearby will bring their families with them. Everyone, young and old, will come to join in the fun..."
Lin Shu listened to him talk about the lively market at the end of the month, and the two of them walked towards the town gate together.
An old man walking in front walked too fast and stumbled, causing the two full baskets on his shoulders to sway. Zhou Ye took a half step forward, covered Lin Shu tightly, and at the same time reached out to support the baskets.
The old man carrying the basket quickly turned around and said thank you.
Zhou Ye nodded, "Dad, walk more steadily. It's not worth it to sprain your waist."
The old man sighed, "My wife at home got up late and insisted on making me take two steamed buns. I'm sure I won't be able to get a good seat because of my delay. If I can't get a good seat, how will I sell these two baskets of fruits and vegetables today? I'm leaving now."
Although he was full of disgust, there was no resentment in the old man's eyes. When he mentioned the greedy old woman at home, his expression was just a little helpless.
Lin Shu remembered that she was also a sleep-inducing person and always woke up two or three quarters of an hour later than others, and she coughed lightly in embarrassment.
"Energy consumption varies from person to person, so naturally, energy replenishment also varies. I have to get a good night's sleep after a full day of activity, otherwise I'll feel lethargic the next day and won't be interested in anything. So as to be able to work and live energetically the next day, I think an extra two or three quarters of an hour isn't a big deal, right?"
Zhou Ye looked at her. His face was still serious and expressionless, but Lin Shu felt as if he was laughing at her.
She immediately squinted her eyes and looked over with a dangerous expression, "If you dare to call me a lazy bitch, all snacks will be cancelled from now on!"
Zhou Ye said, "You're not lazy. A truly lazy woman wouldn't spend all day thinking about food."
Lin Shu thought this was more or less the same, but then she felt something was wrong. She turned around, put her hands on her hips and glared at him, "Okay, Ah Ye, you didn't say I was a lazy woman, but you indirectly said I was a glutton!"
Zhou Ye didn't respond, but just said to her: "There are many people at the market, Ah Shu, you walk in front of me."
Lin Shu glanced at his honest face and felt that this man was not honest at all.
Look, he knew how to change the subject, and he did it so smoothly that she couldn't even get angry.
She took the lead and walked ahead. Zhou Ye paused and followed her half a step behind, keeping a distance that would allow him to protect her at any time.
Once inside the gate, the crowd immediately gathered.
Lin Shu looked up and saw that the streets extending from the gate were already lined with stalls selling fruits and vegetables on both sides, just like a small vegetable market.
There is a large flow of people in and out of the city, so this is indeed a good location.
Zhou Ye saw her staring at the vegetable stalls and looking back and forth, and couldn't help but find it funny. "A Shu, go any further. This isn't the market yet."
"Isn't this a market?"
"Not really. On market day, the town's supervisor allows people to set up stalls on both sides of the alley at the city gate, but the real market is the Caoshi Market further ahead. Stalls are set up there on market days and taken down when the market is over. The street market next to Jingxi Town is even busier than this one at the city gate. It's said that Jingxi Town originated from the Caoshi Market many years ago."
Lin Shu looked at him with a little surprise.
When the common people mentioned officials, they called the high-ranking officials "officials" and the low-ranking officials "officials". They were confused about what the other names were. Zhou Ye actually knew what a town supervisor was.
"Do I have to pay to set up a stall in Caoshi?" Lin Shu asked.
"Yes, it depends on the size of the stall. Small stalls charge three cents, larger ones charge five cents and up, and no more than ten cents. For example, in the alleyway near the city gate, there's no charge. It's all villagers selling their own fruits and vegetables, which don't make much anyway."
"Aye, have you ever thought about setting up a stall? Otherwise, how could you know so much about it?" Lin Shu asked with a smile.
"I didn't deliberately ask about these things. I just heard them when others were chatting. After hearing them enough, I knew most of them."
Lin Shu still felt that Zhou Ye was quite different from ordinary people. How could anyone remember clearly things that had nothing to do with him just by listening to them?
I think his learning talent is quite amazing. Some people might not be cut out for studying or taking the imperial examinations, but he's willing to dabble in all kinds of fields. Over time, he's like a sponge, absorbing more and more, and understanding more and more.
No matter how you look at it, Zhou Ye doesn't look like someone who would farm for the rest of his life.
But if Zhou Ye didn't farm, what else could he do? Lin Shu couldn't think of it for a while.
The two followed the crowd and continued forward. As expected, it wasn't long before Lin Shu saw the Caoshi that Zhou Ye mentioned.
The straw huts were only slightly taller than a person and were built in rows with an aisle in the middle. Two soldiers were guarding the entrance. Small vendors lined up in a long row outside the straw huts, paying their stall fees one by one.
The soldier took the copper coins handed over by the people and casually threw them into the money jar. The money jar immediately made a crisp clanging sound, which was very pleasant to hear.
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