Chapter 12 Market Landlords and Tenants
Xing Ze felt that Mu Tingyu was too much of a troublemaker.
Putting aside how many villagers she chatted with along the way, Xing Ze was quite puzzled by her overly friendly manner.
How can someone be so enthusiastic about socializing?
She didn't even know him, but when he greeted her first, she enthusiastically approached him and, amidst the villagers' curious inquiries, began, "Hello! My name is Mu Tingyu! You can just call me Xiao Mu. I'm a new volunteer teacher!"
He even inexplicably accepted several invitations from villagers to visit him.
Xing Ze stood not far away with his arms crossed, frowning in confusion.
He knew all these villagers, and he had never seen them act like this before.
It's one thing to stop talking, but what's with the guy stuffing something into Mu Tingyu's hand in the middle of the conversation?
Even the old man in the village, who was known for being stingy, told her to wait and that he would give her two eggs to take with her.
Mu Tingyu declined, saying it would be inconvenient for her to go to town to pick them up, and earnestly promised to visit their home later.
She waved goodbye to an elderly woman with a smile, then strode over to Xing Ze's side and exclaimed, "The villagers are so hospitable!"
Xing Ze: "......"
He never felt that way.
After a brief silence, Mu Tingyu started playing with a stray dog by the roadside, looking full of energy.
Xing Ze stepped onto his bicycle: "Alright, let's go, it'll be lunchtime if we go any later."
"They're here! They're here!"
.
It wasn't early, but the long streets of the market were already packed with people, with stalls lined up one after another.
Vendors selling vegetables, pots and pans, and snacks filled the air with a dazzling array of goods. The shouts of vendors, the sounds of bargaining, and the laughter of children mingled with the slightly astringent smell of grass and soil and the bustling atmosphere, fermenting in the dry air and releasing a unique, rugged, and vibrant energy that belonged only to the town.
The two stopped at the entrance to the market, which was some distance from the crowds, with only shops and a few small stalls on both sides of the street.
Mu Tingyu followed Xing Ze to park their bicycles by the roadside, locked them, and walked along the road.
Xing Ze instructed, "Don't run around later."
Mu Tingyu responded with "Mmm," looking around curiously.
Xing Ze looked at her head, which was almost spinning like a rattle drum, and was just thinking that she probably had never been to a place like this before, when he heard her exclaim in surprise: "Ah, they're slaughtering ducks over there."
Under the red-topped tent on the right, a vendor deftly bled the duck that was thrashing about in his hands, then poured boiling water over it, instantly filling the air with the smell of raw poultry feathers. In no time, the duck's feathers were plucked off, and its internal organs were cleaned out.
Seeing her staring intently, Xing Ze asked, "Want to eat duck?"
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu chuckled. "I don't want to, I just haven't seen it before and I'm a little curious."
The two continued walking inside, and the crowd gradually became denser. Mu Tingyu was bumped several times and unconsciously moved closer to the tall Xing Ze.
She asked, "Where can I buy flour?"
Xing Ze calmly used his hand to push aside the surging crowd, lowered his head and answered, "They're still inside."
The girl, almost pressed against his chest, was oblivious and, with a wave of her hand, exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go!"
Since we've already said we're here to buy flour, we should definitely complete the main quest first before moving on to the hidden quest.
I'll find an excuse to dump Xing Ze later.
As Mu Tingyu pondered this, she stared longingly at the fragrant pastries emanating from the stall in front of her.
The stall had a stove on it, with a hexagonal copper mold that opened and closed on both sides. The stall owner raised his hand and poured the pale yellow batter into the empty mold hole, then used a long iron skewer to pick out the cone-shaped, slightly crispy pastry that had already taken shape. A steaming, sweet aroma immediately filled the air.
"Want some?" Xing Ze's voice rang out from above.
Mu Tingyu had just nodded when she saw him walk over there.
"Boss, one plum blossom cake, please."
"Okay! Red bean paste or sesame paste?"
Xing Ze turned his head and looked at her questioningly.
Mu Tingyu thought both flavors should be quite delicious, and bit her lip with some hesitation.
"I want one of both flavors."
"Okay!"
The shopkeeper deftly packed two oil paper bags and handed them over. Xing Ze paid and took them, handing one to Mu Tingyu and saying succinctly, "Eat first."
Mu Tingyu took it with a smile, blew on it, and took a bite.
The boss, busy with his work, struck up a conversation in his local dialect, saying familiarly, "Young man, your girlfriend is very pretty."
Upon hearing this, Xing Ze glanced at Mu Tingyu, who was squinting and munching on a pastry, completely unaware of the conversation.
He grabbed a few napkins from the stall and stuffed them into her hand, a barely perceptible smile in his eyes, and replied, "No, they're tenants."
"Oh, I don't believe it," the boss joked.
Mu Tingyu raised her head curiously: "What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing," Xing Ze nodded to the boss, "I'm leaving."
.
Half an hour later, the two came out of the grocery store. Xing Ze, carrying a five-kilogram bag of flour, said casually, "If you want to make dumplings, why don't you buy ready-made dumpling wrappers?"
"Because the dough I kneaded myself is more elastic!" Mu Tingyu said decisively without even thinking.
Just kidding, this is a main quest, it has to be completed.
Xing Ze glanced at her and pulled her to the inside of the road: "Are you hungry?"
Mu Tingyu held up both hands, which were covered with plastic bags: "What do you think?"
“Wait for me here,” Xing Ze led her to a big tree by the low bridge and put the flour on a stone table next to it. “I’m going to buy some minced meat.”
Mu Tingyu was eager to separate from him and nodded repeatedly: "Go, go!"
"Don't run around."
Mu Tingyu nodded, "Absolutely not!"
She watched Xing Ze's figure disappear into the crowd, looking at the large pile of food in her hands with a headache.
It was all pastries and snacks that Xing Ze had just bought, like mint jelly, purple rice cake, osmanthus sugar, and crispy mini twists...
It was almost to the point that if she glanced at it more than once, that thing would appear in her hands.
This was the first time in Mu Tingyu's life that she had been fed like this, and she felt a little strange.
She rummaged through the various transparent bags, pulled out a piece of osmanthus candy, and popped it into her mouth.
The sweet aroma of maltose mixed with the unique fragrance of osmanthus filled her mouth, and she closed her eyes contentedly.
Mmm, it really is sweet.
She had already spotted her target on the road, bent down to pick up the flour, peeked in the direction Xing Ze had left, and then walked briskly in the opposite direction.
I need to hurry up and finish shopping so I can get back quickly, or I'll get scolded again.
Carrying a heavy load of flour, she struggled through the crowd and soon arrived at a liquor store.
The wooden plaque in front of the door is weathered and worn. The shop is dimly lit and not crowded. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the rich aroma of fermented grains.
The counter was a long, heavy stone slab, on which were placed shiny black wine containers. A middle-aged man sat in a rocking chair, fanning himself.
Mu Tingyu asked with a smile, "Boss, what kind of wine do you sell here?"
The shopkeeper squinted at the newcomer: "Young lady, buying wine for your family?"
Mu Tingyu, as usual, started spouting nonsense: "No, I can drink it myself, is that not allowed?"
"Sure, of course, I wouldn't have guessed." The shopkeeper sat up and asked with interest, "Do you want to buy baijiu or huangjiu? Bulk or bottled?"
Mu Tingyu smiled and said, "I haven't had any yet. I just turned 18 and I'm secretly buying alcohol without my family's knowledge. Boss, could you recommend one that's the best?"
Her voice was soft and clear, with a hint of slyness in it.
The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Never tried it before? Then the wine here isn't suitable for you. You'll be knocked out after just one sip!"
Mu Tingyu, holding the flour sack, thought for a moment and asked, "Then what's the most expensive wine you have here?"
She doesn't know much about wine, but the most expensive ones are definitely not bad.
"None of the items are expensive," the shopkeeper said with a smile, shaking his fan. "We don't sell the expensive ones."
Are you reciting tongue twisters?
Mu Tingyu tilted her head: "Then I want it even more! My first time drinking alcohol should be something like this that's priceless and hard to find!"
"You're quite an interesting young lady," the shopkeeper said, placing his hands on the counter and instructing her. "Come on, put these things down. Why are you carrying such heavy things? There's a stool over there. Sit down and chat with me."
Mu Tingyu quite liked the suggestion, and said with a hint of regret, "I'd like to, boss, but there are people waiting for me over there. If I don't hurry back, I'll get a beating."
The boss asked, "Boyfriend?"
“No,” Mu Tingyu chuckled. She was about to say “friend” but then a more appropriate word came to mind: “landlord.”
The shopkeeper said thoughtfully, "Going out with the landlord, huh... Well then, why don't you sit down and chat with me for a while, and I'll give you a jar of my homemade wine, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingyu's eyes sparkled with tiny glints of light.
Private brewing? That sounds really high-class.
She hesitated for a moment: "How about ten minutes? Any longer really won't do."
With so many people shopping on the street, Xing Ze can't be back so soon.
Ten minutes should be just right!
The boss readily nodded: "Okay."
Mu Tingyu immediately put down the bag of things she was carrying, threw the flour sack on the open ground, clapped her hands, and sat down on the bench.
She looked around and asked curiously, "Boss, is your homemade wine very precious?"
“Young lady, let me tell you this,” the shopkeeper said smugly, shaking his fan, “many people beg me, but I don’t give them to them. I’m a person who only cares about fate. I’ll only take out a jar if I like someone and I’m in a good mood.”
Mu Tingyu received a satisfactory answer and said sweetly, "I also feel that I have a special connection with the owner. I liked this shop from the first moment I walked in. If the landlord hadn't been waiting for me, I could have sat here and chatted with you all day long, just to help you pass the time!"
The boss was beaming with delight and asked, "Wouldn't it have been better to just let your landlord go back first?"
Mu Tingyu swung her legs: "It's a bit far to come here, and I don't know the way yet."
Where did he go?
"I'm buying ground meat; we're making dumplings tonight. I only dared to sneak over here after he left!"
The landlord chuckled: "Are you that afraid of the landlord?"
"Oh dear, he's so controlling of me." Mu Tingyu put her hands on the stool and sighed pitifully.
The boss suggested, "Then you should move to a different place. Don't spoil him. You're such a clever girl, you don't have to worry about not having a place to live."
"Hehe, I can't change him for now." Mu Tingyu scratched her cheek. "Actually, he's a pretty nice guy."
She pointed to a pile of snacks on the table: "He bought all of these."
The boss stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "Young lady, let me tell you, you can't be too soft-hearted, otherwise people will think you're easy to bully."
Mu Tingyu found the boss's accent quite amusing and couldn't help but laugh: "That makes so much sense."
She was just getting ready to vent to her boss when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.
She took it out and looked at it, and her smile immediately froze.
The caller ID displayed "Xing Ze".
No, she only chatted for a few minutes, didn't she?
We haven't even started saying anything bad about him yet, so why is he back?
The hidden quest is only halfway done!
Mu Tingyu answered the phone and cautiously said "Hello".
Xing Ze's calm voice came from the other end.
"It definitely won't run around?"
"..." Mu Tingyu felt a throbbing pain in her forehead again. "I'll be right back..."
Where is it?
“…” Mu Tingyu said, “It’s a wine shop near the low bridge.”
Xing Ze paused for a moment, then said, "Wait for me there."
He hung up the phone.
"What's wrong, little girl? Is your landlord coming over?"
"Hmm," Mu Tingyu sighed dejectedly, muttering to herself, "I should have just bought the cheapest one, who cares what I drink..."
Why was he in such a hurry to come back? Couldn't he have bought things a little longer?
If the boss changes his mind and doesn't give it to him, he'll regret it! That's homemade liquor!
The boss said enthusiastically, "Don't be afraid. When he gets here, I'll scold him for you. How can he be so mean to a little girl?"
"It's okay, he was probably just worried about me..."
The shop owner glanced at Mu Tingyu, about to speak again to encourage her, when suddenly a tall figure stepped over the threshold and entered the shop.
He looked up and was completely stunned.
"Ouch?"
A note from the author:
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