It was already past ten o'clock when we arrived in the county town by car.
Perhaps because it was close to the end of the year, there were many more people on the streets of the county town than when Fu Wan had come before.
"Hey, is there a market day in the county town today?"
Fu Wan asked casually, and Ye Xiaocui counted the days on her hands, "Today is the 22nd, which is indeed market day in the county town."
No wonder there are so many people on the road.
Qin Anning was completely confused. There was a specific day for going to the market? She used to go early in the morning in the capital, when the alleys were full of stalls. But later, the regulations were stricter, and few people dared to take the risk.
She couldn't take her eyes off the vendors carrying their wares on the road.
They looked at others, and others looked at them. Cars were a rare sight in the county town, let alone that they could see a woman driving one.
This caused passersby to stop and look at it with curiosity. Fu Wan looked at the bustling market not far away and suddenly became interested.
She hadn't visited a market from the 1980s in a long time.
The last time was back in August when I was in town!
"Anning, let's park the car nearby and then go to the market!"
"Okay, sure."
If you walk straight along the road next to the market and then make two turns, you'll reach the supply and marketing cooperative. The county police station is diagonally opposite. Parking your car near the police station is very safe.
After all, even if there are thieves, they wouldn't be so bold as to steal things right in front of the police station.
Qin Anning couldn't help but approve of Fu Wan's suggestion. As soon as the group got out of the car, Fu Ming and Fu Liang arrived at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Two grown men riding bicycles are all about speed. Although they wrapped their legs in cotton cloth before setting off, they were still stamping their feet from the cold after getting off the bikes.
Fu Liang, especially, who was sitting in the back, was completely stunned.
"Hey, should we go to the supply and marketing cooperative first or the cannery first?"
"Let's not go to the supply and marketing cooperative or the cannery, let's go to the market first, brother, it's market day in the county town today!"
"A market day in the county town? Let's go check it out!"
Fu Ming rubbed his hands together until they finally warmed up. He and Fu Liang had come out today to carry and move things, and they were completely at their mercy in deciding where to go.
Fu Liang had no objection to this, after all, it was almost noon, and the vendors at the market would all be leaving to go home. The supply and marketing cooperative and the Friendship Store wouldn't disappear, so there was plenty of time to have lunch and then go shopping.
The group reached a consensus and headed to the market in a large group.
In Fu Wan's memory, the market days in Fu Family Village were on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th of the lunar month, while in the county town they were on the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th. If it happened to be the 1st or 15th of the lunar month, regardless of whether there was a market day the day before, the vendors would still come out to set up stalls.
There are two markets in the county town. The one that Fu Wan and her friends went to was larger. As soon as they arrived at the market entrance, they saw a crowd of people that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.
The roadside was lined with vendors selling snacks like candied hawthorn berries and sesame seed cakes, as well as New Year's goods such as melon seeds, peanuts, and fruit candies. Some even resold radios and watches.
Fu Wan glanced around and saw that some vendors had their goods displayed on tables for easy selection, while others simply placed a snakeskin bag on the ground and put their items on top of it.
Based on experience, the former are regular vendors at the market, while the latter are likely villagers from nearby towns who come to sell their goods.
Generally, the villagers sell things they grow themselves or gather from the mountains, making them more natural and organic.
Professional vendors, on the other hand, wholesale from other places, and their prices are cheaper than those of the supply and marketing cooperatives. They mainly sell things like candy and biscuits.
Qin Anning spends all her time in the lab and has never encountered so many people before. She suddenly became nervous and gripped Fu Wan's arm tightly. Fu Wan patted her hand, signaling her to relax.
"Anning, don't be nervous. Going to the market is a lot of fun. Look over there."
After saying that, she gestured for Qin Anning to look at Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan. These two old friends had already started squatting on the ground picking things out.
"Hey ma'am, how much are your sunflower seeds?"
"Sunflower seeds are two cents a pound, girl. These are all seeds from my own home-grown sunflowers. I boiled and dried them myself."
You should try it, it'll definitely taste great!
After saying that, the old woman stuffed a small handful of melon seeds into Jiang Chunlan's and Ye Xiaocui's hands.
Ye Xiaocui didn't refuse, and ate two melon seeds, but her expression didn't show whether she liked it or not.
But Fu Wan didn't miss the approval in Ye Xiaocui's eyes. Sure enough, the next second, Ye Xiaocui started to bargain.
"Big sister, these sunflower seeds taste alright, but they're a little lacking in salt."
"Okay, you give me less, and we'll weigh out two more pounds."
Jiang Chunlan, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "Yes, less. We'll weigh them all."
That woman looked like a genuine farmer; her head was wrapped up tightly, and her face was a little chapped from the cold, probably because she often went out in the mornings.
Seeing that Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan didn't seem to be wealthy, the older woman sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, here's your 15 cents. The market's almost over, and I want to go home soon too!"
Although it was only five cents less, Ye Xiaocui and her friends were quite satisfied.
They prefer these kinds of sunflower seeds; they're expensive in town, costing more than two mao (0.2 yuan) per pound!
The eldest sister only had a little over nine pounds of sunflower seeds left, so Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan simply bought them all. There wasn't much to do at home during the Spring Festival, so eating some sunflower seeds and chatting was a good idea.
Moreover, these sunflower seeds are dried perfectly, so if you store them properly in a rice container, you can eat them until next summer.
Qin Anning was dumbfounded. She had no idea that she could buy so many melon seeds at once, and most importantly, she could even bargain for them.
In the past, when she bought things at the supply and marketing cooperative and Friendship Store, she would just take them, pay, and leave without ever negotiating the price.
After watching Ye Xiaocui buy things, Qin Anning became less reserved. Seeing this, Fu Wan bought two candied hawthorns from a nearby stall and handed one to Qin Anning.
"Try it, see if it's as good as the ones in the capital."
These candied hawthorns weren't as big as those in Beijing, and the hawthorns looked like they were made from wild berries. The person selling the candied hawthorns was also a clever one; he set up a pot next to the stall to boil the sugar and make them on the spot.
Passersby looked on with envy. The shop owner overheard Fu Wan and Qin Anning's conversation and laughed heartily.
"Haha, comrade, just eat them. I picked these hawthorns myself on the mountain. If they're not sweet, you don't have to pay!"
Fu Wan took a bite. The sugar coating on the hawthorn was crisp and sweet, mixed with the slight sourness of the hawthorn, and it tasted really good.
Qin Anning also took a bite of what was in her hand.
"It's delicious, just like what I used to eat."
The hawthorn even tastes better, and the pit inside isn't very big.
Seeing that Fu Wan and Qin Anning had started eating, Fu Ling and Qin Anning next to them were so anxious that they stomped their feet.
"Mom, Aunt Qin, have you forgotten about us?!"
Fu Wan looked down at the child and then realized that something was wrong.
Oh dear, I forgot I brought the child with me!
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