Chapter 110: New Year's Shopping (Part 1)
Zhang Dazui had just taken out a large cabbage when he saw two children eating icicles.
This thing will give you diarrhea if you eat it.
When she was a child, she was just curious and would just lick it and not eat it.
"Here it comes, oh my dear, why are you eating this? It's so dirty. I'll ask your dad to buy you something delicious later."
Diao Yulian came out with her waist twisted and her neck shrunk. It was so cold that she was afraid to go out. It was really freezing.
"I want to go too. I want to buy a lot of delicious food."
Wu Jiabao was an obedient man. The icicle in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor, so he spat it out and took Diao Yulian's hand and went into the house.
Actually, his hands are also very cold. Let’s play with Hutou next time.
Hu Tou watched his little friend being taken away by his biological mother, and his eyes turned red after listening to the conversation between the mother and son.
He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes with his hands.
He also missed his parents very much.
Seeing his grandson like this, Zhang Dazui felt bad. He walked over and picked up Hu Tou: "Be good, wait for your grandfather to come back, and I will take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things. We will buy whatever you like!"
Whatever other kids have, hers must have a tiger head!
Even when mom and dad are not at home, there are still grandparents who care for them! Her tiger head is not a poor kid.
"real?"
Hu Tou was no longer sad. He raised his head, hugged Zhang Dazui's neck, and asked happily.
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"
Zhang Dazui is a man who speaks with a sharp tongue and doesn't lie to children.
"Grandma, you're so nice. I want to eat peach cakes, and I want to eat more..."
…
"Mom and Dad, I'm back. It's so cold."
Lin Xiaotong came back for dinner. After getting out of the car, she stomped hard on the steps at the door to shake off the snow on her shoes.
After entering the door, he took off his hat and scarf, revealing his little face which was red from the cold. Steam rose from his mouth as he spoke.
After entering the warm house, Gao Xiulan picked up a bowl of ginger soup and handed it to Lin Xiaotong.
"I'm back. Drink some ginger soup first. Your dad just heated it up on the stove."
"Why!"
Lin Xiaotong blew on the bowl and slowly took a few sips.
Brown sugar is also added to the ginger soup, which reduces the spicy taste of ginger a lot.
After a few sips of ginger soup, my stomach felt a little warmer.
Sitting on a small chair next to the coal stove, warming my hands while holding a bowl.
Xie Da Jiao touched the new hat that Lin Xiaotong had bought for him and said:
"This winter is colder than in previous years, and I predict there will be heavy snow."
He was also worried. It was so cold that it was difficult to ride a bike to and from get off work.
Every household just poured water outside, and it was frozen the next morning.
When going to the toilet, I have to be careful and walk with my hands on the wall, for fear of slipping and falling on my butt.
There is a kang in the room where Gao Xiulan and Xie Dajiao of the old Xie family live, while people still sleep on beds in the other rooms.
At night, place a hot coal stove in the house and leave a small gap next to the window to prevent gas poisoning.
A few years ago, the third uncle in the courtyard was infected. Xie Yi found it when he came back from the toilet in the morning.
They quickly carried the person to the yard to get some cool air, and then gave him half a bowl of sauerkraut soup, and he slowly woke up.
The room with the coal stove was also warm. Before washing her feet at night, Lin Xiaotong put a thermos in the quilt and slept soundly under the thick quilt until dawn.
But she also wanted to sleep on a kang, so Gao Xiulan said she would build another kang in her house when spring came.
The winter in Beijing is really unbearable. Water freezes into ice and the wind is so strong that it blows your eyes when you go out. Many people start to hibernate early in the winter.
The coal stoves in every household burn from early October of the previous year to early February of the next year, which is about five months. The wintering days are really long.
"We're going to buy New Year's goods tomorrow. Xiaotong, are you coming?"
After drinking a small bowl of ginger soup, Lin Xiaotong ran to the kitchen to help serve the food on the table. Gao Xiulan took off her apron and asked.
"I want to go, Mom. I happen to have tomorrow off."
She likes lively occasions the most, and she must go and see the grand scene of buying New Year's goods before the Chinese New Year.
"Okay, but you have to come early tomorrow, and Old Xie will also help."
"But let's go to Xidan Market tomorrow. They have everything there, so let's go early and line up."
"Let's go to Chaonei Market. I heard from Lao Qian that you can buy fresh beef there."
Xie Da Jiao thought about what she had learned from Lao Qian when she met him today.
"Really? If you come across one, you'd better get in line early."
Gao Xiulan hasn't eaten beef for many years. There's nothing she can do about it. Cows are an important production tool now, and they are rarely slaughtered.
…
The next morning, Lin Xiaotong struggled to leave the warm bed, put on her clothes, a hat, and wrapped herself in gloves and a scarf.
Only his eyes were exposed as he followed the other aunts from the compound to the vegetable market to buy New Year's goods.
Hu Tou and Wu Jiabao also clamored to go, and they jumped around at first.
Halfway through the journey, he started to feel tired and sat on the bicycle seat to be pushed by an adult.
There are three major vegetable markets in Beijing, namely Xidan Vegetable Market, Dongdan Vegetable Market and Chaonei Vegetable Market, which are the main channels for supply during the Spring Festival.
Many vegetables are linked to suburban production teams to ensure adequate supply.
Every household carried a book for grain, oil, and non-staple food. At that time, grain, oil, and non-staple food were rationed with tickets and books, and purchases had to be made based on the number of people.
Gao Xiulan and her group soon encountered a large group of people. People from seven or eight nearby alleys and courtyards all came to the vegetable market to buy goods.
Chaonei Vegetable Market is near Wanli Bridge Hutong on Chaonei Street. It is much more convenient for people living near the vegetable market. Gao Xiulan's compound is a bit far from the vegetable market.
After a lot of hard work, I finally arrived. There were already people queuing up. The Chaonei Vegetable Market is divided into two sales areas, front and back.
The front building mainly sells soy products, prepared food, fruits, cakes and snacks.
The back building mainly sells vegetables, pork, beef, mutton, seafood, live poultry, etc.
During the Chinese New Year, many people lined up here, and there was a long line of people in front of each stall.
"Old Xie, you go line up for beef and mutton, Xiaotong, you go line up for peanuts and sunflower seeds, and I'll line up for pork."
Gao Xiulan quickly asked Lao Xie to lock the bicycle, and with a wave of her hand, she arranged tasks for everyone and started to act.
"It's your turn now. Call me over to get the book and stamp it."
When buying New Year's goods, the whole family goes out. There is no way one person can queue up for the whole process. Now you have to queue up even to buy tofu.
If any dishonest kid dares to cut in line, the uncles and aunts will definitely scold him.
"What's wrong with you, young man? Why are you pushing in front of me?"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't cut in line."
"You're stepping on my shoes from behind, let go quickly, they're new."
"What are you so proud of, huh?"
The team is bustling with activity, and it is full of the atmosphere of life.
Lin Xiaotong squeezed into the queue with a canvas bag in her hand, standing on tiptoe to look towards the front of the stall.
The salesperson in the stall was wearing a blue shirt inside and a red vest outside, so it wasn't cold at all inside.
He was busy packing, weighing, collecting money and receipts, so busy that he had to keep his feet on the ground and shout at the top of his lungs.
"Hey, hey, hey, everyone, line up. Don't push forward. We've got it all. Next one."
Nowadays, each household is only provided with half a pound of peanuts and two ounces of melon seeds during the holidays, which is really not enough.
Fortunately, Gao Xiulan would exchange some sunflower seeds with others and fry them herself when she got home.
Lin Xiaotong was in line and it was soon her turn.
After buying it, I put it in the bag, tied the pocket tightly, and then went to queue up at the pastry stall.
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