The sound of birds chirping outside the window made Ji Xia open her sleepy eyes and get out of bed.
Yawning, she sat down at the bedside table and combed her hair in front of the mirror when she suddenly felt a stinging pain in her lips.
Looking closely, I saw my reflection in the mirror: bright red lips, and a slight blemish on the corner of my mouth.
That bastard Chen Jing, is he born in the Year of the Dog?
Even after a night, there were still marks on my lips. That's just too much.
Muttering to herself, she combed her hair into a high ponytail, tied it up with a floral wreath made of scraps of fabric, changed her clothes, and then closed the door and left the room.
Ji's mother and Zhang's mother had already gotten up. The two of them sat in the yard, peeling a few sweet potatoes, while Zhang Lan was in the kitchen cooking porridge.
While filling a water bottle to brush her teeth, Ji Xia reminded them, "Let's cook sweet potato porridge in a big pot and eat it together. Also, let's cook millet porridge in a clay pot and send it to my brother and sister-in-law later."
Zhang Lan responded shyly in a low voice. Ji Xia then gave instructions on the placement of various supplies in the kitchen, and then they heard Chen Jing's voice outside the door.
Last night, before Chen Jing left, Ji Xia told him that they would go out to buy meat together today, and sure enough, she came over early this morning.
Upon hearing Chen Jing's voice, Ji Xia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, gave a brief instruction, and hurriedly left the kitchen.
Chen Jing was fawning over Ji's mother when he saw Ji Xia and his eyes lit up.
"Auntie, Xia and I are going out to buy some meat."
"Okay, okay, you guys go ahead, but walk slowly! Don't ride too fast."
Mrs. Ji readily agreed, and Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are they dating?"
Ji Xia walked out of the courtyard, pulled Chen Jing a little further away, and let go of his hand when they reached the corner of the wall: "Bastard, look at my mouth, look at what you've done."
Chen Jing looked closely and saw the red swelling on the corner of her rosy lips, and couldn't help but laugh so hard he bent over.
He seemed a bit too hasty last night, but he didn't expect the marks to be so deep.
"Still laughing? It's all your fault, you bastard!"
Ji Xia gave him a coquettish glare, still angry, and stomped on his feet twice.
"Okay, stop making a scene. It's my fault, I admit it."
Chen Jing smiled as he admitted his mistake, secretly pleased with himself.
He put one arm around her and grabbed her wrist with the other. He could almost smell the faint fragrance of a young girl in front of his nose, and his heart warmed slightly.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw someone standing on tiptoe peering out from the corner of the wall, and their eyes met.
Chen Jingjun blushed slightly, smiled at the boy inside the wall, and pushed Ji Xia to sit on the back of the car: "Let's go, didn't you say you were going to buy meat? I'll go with you."
Ji Xia also noticed that there was someone inside the neighbor's wall, and couldn't help but gently punch him before lowering her head to cover her pretty face.
All that could be heard was Chen Jing's cheerful laughter. The early autumn breeze brushed past my ears, and the sounds of people from the surrounding houses gradually faded away.
The two went to the market, where there were already quite a few people.
There were already quite a few people queuing at the two meat stalls, and there were also many private vendors squatting by the roadside selling eggs, hens, sweet potatoes, corn, etc.
In the past two years, the policy seems to have been relaxed. People in the countryside are now less likely to be arrested for taking their surplus grain or chickens to the commune to exchange for money and various coupons.
After walking around, she found that there were even shops selling clothes and hats. Although the styles were a bit outdated, there were still quite a few people gathered around.
As Ji Xia looked around, she saw people carrying baskets covered with thick, airtight cloths. Remembering that her sister-in-law had just given birth, she walked up to an old woman carrying a small basket.
What's in this basket?
"These are eggs, all recently collected, comrade, only four cents each."
As the old woman spoke, she carefully lifted the cover, revealing round eggs inside, roughly estimated to be twenty or thirty.
Ji Xia picked up two eggs and shook them gently. The old woman quickly said, "They're fresh, laid this week."
"How many are there in total? I'll take them."
"Thirty-two in total, four cents each, ten forty cents..."
The old woman was overjoyed upon hearing this and started counting on her fingers. Ji Xia said calmly, "Four cents each, thirty-two for a total of one dollar and twenty-eight cents. I'll give you one dollar and forty cents, with one cent and two cents left over. You can also give me the basket."
As she spoke, she took out one dollar and forty cents. The woman readily agreed, took the dollar and forty cents, and handed it over along with the basket.
In the countryside, weaving baskets from bamboo strips is nothing special; many people can do it, and the old woman didn't feel like she was being taken advantage of.
Ji Xia handed a basket of eggs to Chen Jing, then looked around and saw a long line forming at the meat stall.
She gave Chen Jing a push: "Go buy a pound of meat, mostly lean with little fat, and buy two big bones too."
"Is one pound of meat enough?"
Chen Jing looked at her suspiciously, but Ji Xia insisted, so he had no choice but to agree.
Ji Xia turned around and walked around the neighborhood, buying a bunch of fresh wild mushrooms, two lotus roots, and twelve meat buns from a steamed bun shop. When she looked back, Chen Jing was already in line in front of the pork stall.
She quickly went to Chen Jing's side: "We've reached the front of the line, what kind of meat is left?"
"The fatty meat is gone, but the lean meat and ribs are still there, as are the pork bones."
Ji Xia looked at the small amount of pork on the table: "Lean meat is fine too, one pound. Comrade, cut some of the fatty part, because if I mince it all lean, it won't taste good. Also, give me a spare rib, we'll make braised spare ribs tonight."
The butcher cut off a large piece of lean meat as she requested, weighed it on the scale, and it weighed nine ounces and four mace. He then cut off a little fat from another piece of meat to add to it, making it exactly one pound.
Ji Xia couldn't help but praise, "As expected of Zhu Yidao, comrade, your aim is absolutely superb."
The butcher chuckled and glanced at Chen Jing: "Xiao Ji, is this your girlfriend?"
"Fiancé, we're getting engaged soon."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
