Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Xu Fengxia personally introduced...
Xu Fengxia personally saw the introducer off and smiled knowingly when she saw the candy box in her daughter's hand.
She could see that her daughter was not opposed to Geng Yunye, but she still asked, "What do you think?"
Cheng Xin's eyes were wandering, and she was too embarrassed to look her mother in the eye. She hugged the candy box tightly in her arms and said, "I have to wait and see how he performs!" After saying that, she stomped her feet and ran back to the house in shame.
The plum rain drizzled for three days, and water droplets on the eaves formed curtains and carved fine pits on the bluestone slabs.
Cheng Xin stared at the flickering sparks in the stove and suddenly thought of Geng Yunye. She wondered what he was doing.
Xu Fengxia braved the rain and walked into the house, taking off her bamboo hat and raincoat and hanging them at the door.
"When the weather clears up, you can take the team's ox cart to the market to sell the dried bamboo shoots. It has been raining non-stop, and the bamboo shoots will get infested with insects if you leave them there any longer."
Cheng Xin quickly scooped a bowl of freshly boiled hot water for her mother: "Okay, Mom, drink some hot water to warm yourself up."
Cheng Lei came back from outside, his trouser legs covered in mud: "Mom, I heard my sister is going to the market!"
Xu Fengxia said helplessly: "Your sister is going to sell dry goods, don't make trouble."
Cheng Lei was not convinced and shouted: "I can count, I can help my sister count the money!"
Cheng Xin teased him: "Selling bamboo shoots only makes a few dollars, there's no need for you to make things worse."
Cheng Lei's cheeks puffed up with anger. He was obviously a real man!
Cheng Xin coaxed him: "You have been doing a good job mowing the rabbits recently. Just stay at home and I will buy you some fruit candy."
When she met Geng Yunye, her brother was not at home, so he didn't know that she had hidden a box of fruit candies under the bed.
When Cheng Lei heard about fruit candies, his eyes instantly lit up. After all, he was just a greedy boy in his teens who could only get a dime in pocket money during the Chinese New Year.
Before daybreak, Cheng Xin was awakened by the crowing of a neighbor's rooster.
I opened the window and saw my mother tying dried bamboo shoots with straw ropes, and the dried bamboo shoots were neatly stacked in the basket on her back.
Cheng Xin quickly packed herself up and went to help her mother.
"jingle-"
The bicycle bell broke the silence of the early morning. Cheng Xin and her mother raised their heads and looked out the door curiously.
Geng Yunye parked the 28-inch truck at the door, and his military uniform was mostly soaked by the dew.
A military water bottle was hung on the handlebars of the bicycle, and two bamboo baskets were tied to the back seat.
Geng Yunye strode into the courtyard, "Aunt Xu, last time I heard Cheng Xin say that you guys were going to sell dried bamboo shoots. Today is a sunny day, and it happens to be a market day, so I came to see if you need any help."
Seeing him so active, Xu Fengxia felt even more satisfied with him. She wiped her hands on her apron and asked, "Did Yunye have breakfast?"
"I've eaten at home." He unloaded the basket neatly. "It's cool in the morning so it can be sold quickly at the morning market. It's hard to sell in the afternoon when the sun is shining."
Cheng Xin squatted down to carry the dried bamboo shoots from the backpack into the bamboo basket. She saw that his trouser legs and rubber shoes were stained with mud. The distance between Geng's house and Cheng's house was not close. This man must have set out before dawn.
She was full of curiosity about Geng Yunye. She just casually mentioned that she wanted to dry the bamboo shoots and sell them, so how did he guess that it would be today?
It was Cheng Xin’s first time riding someone else’s bicycle, and she was a little nervous, fearing that she would damage the bike.
The brigade had two bicycles, one for the brigade leader and one for the secretary. If you wanted to borrow one, you had to register. Many people tried to curry favor with the brigade leader and the secretary, and only by being humble could they borrow one. She didn't like currying favor with others.
Geng Yunye joked, "Do you want to ride it yourself?"
Cheng Xin quickly denied it. She didn't dare touch the gold nugget: "No, your bicycle looks like it's new. I'm afraid you'll scratch the paint."
Geng Yunye patted the back seat, which was covered with a soft cushion: "Get in. Your weight won't damage it."
Cheng Xin carefully sat on the back seat, not knowing where to put her hands.
Geng Yunye took a step forward and said, "Hold on tight."
Cheng Xin nervously grabbed his coat. Geng Yunye smiled out of her sight, got on his bike and set off.
When Cheng Lei got up, Cheng Xin and Geng Yunye had already arrived in town. He squatted at the door in a depressed mood. In the past, his sister would go to the market at 10 o'clock, but today she left at 8 o'clock.
Suddenly, a pleasant female voice sounded in front of me: "Little friend, is this Xu Fengxia's in-laws' home?"
Cheng Lei tilted his head back and half-closed his eyes: "Yeah, who are you looking for?"
The young girl took out a bag of candy from the basket she was carrying with a smile.
"My mom is your mom's cousin, you have to call me cousin."
When Cheng Lei saw that there were delicious foods, he enthusiastically brought people to the yard.
"My mother has gone to the fields." He shouted towards the house, "Dad, relatives are coming home!"
He held the candy in his hand and asked curiously, "What's your name? I've never seen you before. Who is older, you or my sister?"
The young girl smiled and said, "My name is Chen Ying, and my mother told me to call your sister my cousin."
The stone road was shiny with dew, and farmers were huddled together carrying loads on their shoulders.
People go to the market early, as there are not many people after 2pm. Therefore, the market is bustling in the morning and the sounds of hawking are endless.
Geng Yunye set up bamboo baskets as a stall and divided the dried bamboo shoots into three piles according to their quality: the best ones were tied neatly, the ones of medium quality were spread on sacks, and the ones of uneven lengths were left in baskets for sale in bulk.
"Comrade, how much are these bamboo shoots?" An auntie with a vegetable basket came over.
Cheng Xin was about to speak when Geng Yunye introduced bamboo shoots of different prices. The ones with the best appearance had the highest price, while the ones in the bamboo baskets were priced at the purchase price of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Cheng Xin felt a little guilty. How could she sell it at such a high price?
"To be honest, these bamboo shoots are fresh ones that my relatives picked from the mountains and dried. They are different from the old stocks in the supply and marketing cooperative. You can take a look at them and you will know whether my quality is better than that of the supply and marketing cooperative."
The auntie casually grabbed a handful of dried bamboo shoots from the bamboo basket, put her nose close to it to smell the scent, and then smiled with satisfaction.
"It's fresh produce, how are you selling it in bundles?"
"You can definitely tell that this one is in better condition. If the supply and marketing cooperative hadn't pushed us down, we wouldn't have been able to sell it. If you really want it, this is the price."
Geng Yunye made a gesture, and Cheng Xin dared not breathe, for fear that others would see her nervousness and guilt.
She knew that Geng Yunye was helping her family sell things. If he hadn't helped her, she would have definitely sold them to the supply and marketing cooperative for convenience. However, the price of ten yuan per kilogram was really a bit scary for her.
Geng Yunye saw that she was stunned, so he explained in a low voice, "The supply and marketing cooperative has kept the bamboo shoot price low this year. This is the same price outside. Believe me."
The aunt hesitated for more than ten seconds and finally bought the cheap dried bamboo shoots in the basket.
Cheng Xin always felt guilty for doing something wrong. Seeing Geng Yunye working hard to sell his products, and most of the dried bamboo shoots were sold, she gradually relaxed.
Maybe city people are not short of money, they just make a fuss about nothing.
As the sun rose higher, the market became bustling.
When Geng Yunye was greeting guests, Cheng Xin noticed that he always used his body to block the scorching sun. His coat was draped over the front of his bicycle, and beads of sweat rolled down the protruding ridges of his neck into his collar, leaving dark marks on his white shirt.
"Take a break." He unscrewed the military water bottle and handed it to Cheng Xin.
Although Geng Yunye was always greeting customers, she noticed from the corner of her eye that she kept unconsciously chewing the dry skin on her lips.
Cheng Xin took a sip of the water and it tasted sweet. Could it be that this person also liked to drink sugar water?
Around one o'clock in the afternoon, most of the market vendors had left. Cheng Xin noticed that the familiar people in the team were walking back one after another. They would meet at a fixed place and then ride the ox cart back together.
Cheng Xin and Geng Yunye sold the last bundle of dried bamboo shoots. She was holding the cloth bag, not knowing how to start the conversation. She finally had some money, so she wanted to go to the hospital to get some medicine. Her father's illness was not getting better, so she had to ask the doctor if there was any way to help.
Geng Yunye didn't seem to notice her tangle, "Let's find a place to eat. It will take a while to go back."
Cheng Xin nodded hurriedly: "You helped a lot today, I'll treat you to a meal!"
Geng Yunye stopped and Cheng Xin almost bumped into his back.
He turned around and smiled helplessly: "How can a man take a girl out to eat and let a lesbian pay? If you want to thank me, why not take the time to cook and treat me to a meal yourself."
Cheng Xin thought his idea was good, and the worry between her brows faded a little, making her feel much more relaxed.
"Okay, I'll cook for you someday when you have time. I want to go to the hospital later. If you're in a hurry, you can go back first. I can take the team's ox cart back."
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