After finishing their tea, Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai sat for a while longer before bidding farewell to Qin Jiandang and Gao Shufen, saying they were returning to their brigade.
He promised to visit them whenever he had time and dissuaded the two from taking them downstairs, saying they shouldn't go down and freeze in the cold.
Once downstairs, Zhuang Zhimeng patted An Qingbai on the back and said, "Well, you're making fun of me in front of Uncle Qin."
Seeing that no one was around, An Qingbai boldly grabbed her hand. "I was just talking to Uncle Qin and that's how it ended. It can't be considered making fun of you!"
"Anyway, I don't care. Don't say it again. It's so embarrassing in front of your elders."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore! Next time I'll tell Uncle Qin that it wasn't you who knocked the wild boar away, but that the wild boar was so scared when it saw you that it flew away on its own, okay?"
"Get lost! Aren't you just making things worse by explaining yourself?"
"I'll say I was scared, is that alright?"
Zhuang Zhimeng rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm not going to joke with you anymore. Let's hurry back to the village. We have to go to the literacy class tonight and organize what we need to teach when we get back."
"good."
The two then rode their bicycles back to the village.
As the twelfth lunar month begins, the market opens, and people can go to the market on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of each month. There are only a few large markets during this month of the year.
Last night after her literacy class, Jiang Yanxia and Zhuang Zhimeng agreed to go to the market today to buy New Year's goods. It's already the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the perfect time to buy New Year's goods.
They also asked Su Mengmeng if he was going this time.
The two finished washing up and having breakfast early in the morning, then went together to the waiting spot for the oxcart. The market was quite far away, so they had to set off early.
It was very cold. Many people wearing cotton-padded coats were chatting and waiting on the oxcart. Shi Meiling was also on the oxcart.
Shi Meiling hadn't noticed Zhuang Zhimeng and the other person yet. Li Qiulian, who was talking to Shi Meiling, saw them and tugged at Shi Meiling's sleeve, "Meiling, make way, your third son's boyfriend, Zhuang Zhiqing, is coming over."
Shi Meiling raised her head, moved her body to the side, and gestured for Zhuang Zhimeng and the other person to sit next to her, "Zhimeng, you two sit here."
"Okay, Auntie."
Zhuang Zhimeng got on the oxcart and sat down next to Shi Meiling, while Jiang Yanxia sat next to Zhuang Zhimeng.
Shi Meiling asked after they were seated, "Zhimeng, are you also going to buy New Year's goods?"
"Yes, we want to go see what's on the market, and we'll buy some if we find anything suitable."
"There are more items at the market than at the small market I went to last time. There are a lot of things for the New Year, such as firecrackers, red lanterns, the character '福' (fortune) and New Year pictures."
"Then we'd better take a good look."
"There might be performances at the market, and if a theatrical troupe happens to come by, there will be a performance."
Jiang Yanxia was quite curious about the market. "Aunt Meiling, are there a lot of people at the market?"
"There are more people than usual, everyone is buying New Year's goods. Our brigade is relatively good, we still have oxcarts to go there, some brigades have to set off at dawn and it takes several hours to get to the market. Several nearby villages also hold their market there, so there are more people."
Zhuang Zhimeng and Jiang Yanxia both nodded, indicating that they understood.
When the appointed time arrived, the oxcart slowly set off.
Shi Meiling suddenly remembered that her third brother hadn't come, so she explained to Zhuang Zhimeng, "I asked her third brother to help out at his uncle's house today, so he didn't come to the market."
"It's alright, let him go if he has something to do, I don't have anything to do here."
"If I had known you were going to the market today, I wouldn't have let the third son go to his uncle's house. He could have helped carry our things if he had come with us."
"Then let's ask him to help us carry things next time."
"Okay, let's do it this way. Next time we go shopping, we'll call the third brother along and have him carry the things."
Zhuang Zhimeng was amused by her serious expression, "Okay!"
Li Qiulian, standing nearby, looked at the future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with great envy. Seeing them chatting and laughing, she couldn't help but think of her own wretched daughter-in-law. She shook her head, deciding not to think about it anymore and to think about something happy.
Turning to Shi Meiling, he asked, "Meiling, what do you want to buy?"
"I heard the fabric at the big market is good, even better than what you can buy at the small market. I have a big event coming up next year, so I need to get a new dress."
Li Qiulian looked at Zhuang Zhimeng with a mocking expression, "Isn't this a big deal? Right, Zhuang Zhiqing?"
Zhuang Zhimeng blushed; she and An Qingbai were getting engaged next year.
Seeing that Zhuang Zhimeng blushed, Shi Meiling changed the subject, "I also want to buy some firecrackers. Don't we set off firecrackers during the New Year? And a few New Year pictures to put up at home, that's a nice gesture. We should also buy a few 'Fu' characters to put on the door for the New Year!"
"I also went to buy these things for the Chinese New Year. Without these, it doesn't feel like the New Year is over."
"Who can argue with that!"
"Zhimeng, your face is so red, like an apple!" Jiang Yanxia whispered and laughed in Zhuang Zhimeng's ear.
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm just hot."
"Are you getting hot because you miss Brother An? How can you feel hot in this freezing weather?"
Zhuang Zhimeng reached out and scratched her, "You're still going to talk, are you still going to talk or not?"
"Ha...haha...I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore, I was wrong!"
Zhuang Zhimeng teased her for a moment and then stopped, after all, they were on an oxcart!
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