Yu Yue recalled that there was nothing interesting to see; it was just some vegetables and fish.
But then she thought, Xie Yan is from the city, he probably hasn't seen these things before, so she said, "Okay! If there's anything you don't recognize, you can ask me!"
Xie Yan walked towards the vegetable market with great interest. It was his first time going to a vegetable market, and he guessed that it would be similar to the market in later generations!
Once inside, well, it was still quite tidy, just not as big as the vegetable markets of later generations.
As soon as you enter, you can clearly smell the aroma of various dishes. The cilantro, you can smell it from afar, it smells so good! If Yu Yuehui hadn't stopped him, Xie Yan would have wanted to buy some to take home and eat. It was only after Yu Yuehui told him that there was plenty at home that he gave up the idea.
The vegetables looked organic, grown in the ground, although they were wilted from the sun and not very fresh.
But Xie Yan knew that these were vegetables that had just been picked that morning, and looking at these normal vegetables, Xie Yan couldn't help but feel happy.
This is the kind of food people should eat! Unlike the food from later generations, which was made with some kind of hormones and had no taste at all, and eating it would make you sick!
Alas! Back then, it was already a remarkable thing for Chinese people to be alive. Every industry and sector wanted to take the lives of ordinary people!
What have ordinary people done to deserve this? Why don't they deserve to live?
Xie Yan couldn't help but sigh, realizing that money can change people and the world beyond recognition!
People in this era are really simple and honest. There are bad people too, but overall there are more good people than bad. When Xie Yan and Yu Yue were buying fish, they told the old lady they wanted a fish weighing more than four pounds. The old lady casually grabbed one from the water and weighed it. It weighed four pounds and two ounces.
Xie Yan was overjoyed. Luckily, people nowadays aren't like those in later generations, where if you want a fish weighing over four pounds, they can get you one weighing over five pounds and then claim, "Oh dear, our fish are all big, and they're all alive, so they're harder to catch, and the aim isn't quite right!"
Just when Xie Yan thought that this fish-selling lady was like everyone else, a state-owned enterprise employee, and therefore didn't care how much she sold since the salary was the same anyway.
Yu Yuehui said, "These fishmongers and vegetable vendors are all villagers from the villages below. The things they sell are a way for them to make a living in the village."
After all, farmers really have no way to make money; they spend all year working in the fields.
Xie Yan's mouth dropped open in surprise! "I thought they were like those sales clerks."
Yu Yue smiled and said, "No, our village also goes there after the busy farming season. Do you see that bamboo grove behind our village? The bamboo grows incredibly fast. Some of the older folks in our village are very skilled. When they're not busy, they weave tools or bamboo mats (a type of mat used on heated brick beds in Northwest China, made of woven bamboo. I'm not sure if that's the correct word, I couldn't find it, but I consulted with friends there, and that's how it's pronounced. If anyone knows, please leave a comment and I'll correct it!). After weaving them, they go there to sell them! Several surrounding villages each have their own things to sell."
Xie Yan knew that bamboo mats were very important to the villagers of Xiliu Village and the surrounding area. There was a famous saying among them: "Without a mat on the kang (heated brick bed), one has no skin on one's face!"
This shows how important bamboo mats are to the locals!
Before the thank-you banquet, I thought all these things were bought from the supply company, but now I know that's how they came about!
No wonder there's a bamboo mat on every kang (heated brick bed) at Zhiqingdian, and they're all the right size!
Thinking of this, Xie Yan remembered another question and asked directly, "Are there any regulations regarding the size of the kang (heated brick bed) when you build it here?"
Yu Yue shook her head. "There are no rules. It's all arranged according to the number of people in the family and the size of the house!"
Xie Yan asked in confusion, "Then how do you manage to make your bamboo mats the right size for every household?"
Yu Yuehui slowly explained to Xie Yan, "Our bamboo mats are usually made to the size that everyone commonly uses, and then when we sell them, we can adjust the size on the spot according to the size of the buyer's kang (heated brick bed)!"
Xie Yan exclaimed in surprise, "This can be changed?!"
Yu Yue replied, "Yes! Our village uses the best bamboo to weave every year, and they even bring bamboo strips on site. The size can be altered!"
Xie Yan nodded; he had certainly learned something new!
The two chatted and laughed all the way home and arrived home around 3 p.m. As soon as they got home, Yu Yue took Xie Yan to see their new home.
Xie Yan was quite excited. He hadn't been to the new house yet. Although he had moved his things in, he was so busy every day that he didn't even know what it looked like inside.
Speaking of this, it's all the captain's fault. He's about to become your son-in-law, couldn't you have shown a little favoritism? Why did you have to keep assigning Xie Yan tasks and making him work every day!
This caused Xie Yan to be exhausted every day when he returned to the educated youth settlement. Fortunately, Yu Yuehui took care of everything, such as moving, otherwise Xie Yan would have definitely gone to argue with the brigade leader.
Xie Yan has been having a tough time lately! His father-in-law arranged the work for him, so he can no longer complain about him behind his back like before when he was tired. Now he can only rant in his head.
The two arrived at their home shortly after walking for a while. Yu Yue took out her key, opened the door, and Xie Yan was greeted by a garden full of vegetables, tomatoes, and cucumbers, all of which were growing well, especially the cucumbers, which were hanging heavily on the vines! They were a vibrant green and looked fresh and tender.
Xie Yan's eyes lit up! She wanted to eat!
Before returning, Yu Yue thought Xie Yan didn't like to eat cucumbers. After all, every household grows cucumbers, so it's nothing special. Moreover, as far as she knew, educated youth liked to eat stir-fried cucumbers, so she had never given Xie Yan any cucumbers from her own family.
But seeing Xie Yan's current behavior, she realized she had overthought things. She picked out two of the best cucumbers for Xie Yan, thinking to herself, "I should ask Xie Yan more questions and learn more about her in the future. I can't rely on my previous understanding of the habits of the educated youth to make judgments!"
If Xie Yan knew why he had never tasted such delicious cucumbers, he would be incredibly depressed.
He had to grab Yu Yuehui's shoulder and tell her that not all educated youth had similar habits! These educated youth didn't all come from the same place!
Even people from the same place will have different habits depending on where they live! Even within the same city, the south and north sides will have different customs!
How can you generalize like that! You can't assume that all educated youth are the same just because they were sent to the countryside!
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