As they talked, they walked towards the market.
"I feel it's heating up." Tian Cuifang's face was filled with a hint of curiosity. In just a short time, she felt a warmth rising from her back.
"Is it really warm?" a military wife asked, somewhat unconvinced. Her hands and feet were numb from the cold, and if it was truly warm, she'd like to try it. She also happened to have plenty of money with her today. Spending a dollar for warmth was better than enduring the cold. It was only once, anyway.
"It's really warm. If you don't believe me, just touch it." Tian Cuifang nodded repeatedly. She had never thought that there was such a magical thing in the world. Just a small piece of it made her feel warm all over.
The military wife walked up behind Tian Cuifang and said, "Aunt Wang, I'll touch you. My hands are a little cold, can you bear it?" The weather was so cold that even spitting could turn into ice. If the family hadn't finished eating, she really didn't want to go out.
"No problem, go ahead and touch it," Tian Cuifang said with a smile. She felt warm all over now, and even if she wore one less piece of clothing, she wouldn't feel cold.
The soldier's wife reached into Tian Cuifang's clothes, and a warmth seeped into her palm. "It's so warm! Just like the kang at home." It was even warmer than she had imagined, and she really couldn't bear to pull her hand back. But she also knew that even if she didn't want to, she had to.
"Xiao Su, can this keep heating up?" Tian Cuifang asked. It would be nice if it could be reused.
"It loses its effectiveness after about twelve hours," Su Jinyue replied. They don't make heat packs that keep heating continuously, partly because people, once they've experienced their benefits, will repurchase them endlessly. Another problem is that some people forget to remove them after applying them, potentially causing burns while sleeping. While a time limit would still cause similar issues, it wouldn't result in prolonged burns, making them more severe.
"Only twelve hours?" After hearing what Tian Cuifang and the other military wife said, several military wives wanted to grit their teeth and buy one, but since it was only twelve hours, they felt it was a waste.
"Sister Zhan, do you have any more? Can you buy me one?" asked the military wife who had experienced the heat pack. Twelve hours was a bit short, but she wouldn't feel cold all day.
"Yes." Su Jinyue took out a hot pack and handed it to the other party.
The military wife reached into her pocket and took out a yellowed dollar and handed it to Su Jinyue. At the same time, she took the heat pack and looked at it curiously, "Sister-in-law Zhan, can you put it on me?" She also wanted to be warm all over like Aunt Tian.
"Okay." Su Jinyue put the money away, walked behind the military wife, and helped her put the heat packs back on. She had a lot of heat packs on her, so even if she gave one to everyone, it would be more than enough, but she didn't want to give the impression that she was generous and easy to talk to. Sometimes giving too much can make people feel that it's their due.
"Why don't we buy one too?" one of the soldiers' wives said, tempted. It's a little expensive at one dollar, but it's warm.
"You can buy it if you want. I won't buy it anyway. For one dollar of meat, I can make dumplings."
"What's the big deal about being a little cold? It's not like I've never been cold before."
"That's right." Everyone was tempted, but to be tempted they had to have money.
"The market is just ahead." Tian Cuifang said, pointing to a street ahead.
"Yeah." Su Jinyue nodded. She had already noticed that although the weather was very cold, there were still many people at the market.
"Big sister, would you like to buy some buns? They're fresh out of the oven."
"How many pounds of vegetables would you like?"
"This big fish is freshly caught. It's delicious whether you roast it or boil it."
"Tofu pudding, soy milk, eating them makes me feel warm all over..." As soon as they entered the market, all kinds of buying sounds immediately filled people's ears.
"This is the busiest place in North City. It's cold now, and most of the people are selling vegetables. In April and May, it gets really lively, especially on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, when there are temple fairs and everything is on sale. What kind of buns do you want?" Tian Cuifang asked Su Jinyue as she approached a bun stall. She hadn't eaten breakfast this morning, and her stomach was already growling with hunger.
"I'm not hungry. I had breakfast when I came out." Su Jinyue shook her head.
"The vegetable buns here are delicious. Let's have one each." Tian Cuifang said as she took out the money and handed it to the bun shop owner. "Boss, give me two vegetable buns. I'll make two servings."
"Okay!" the boss answered loudly, reached out to open the steaming steamer, picked up the oil paper on the table, wrapped a vegetable bun and handed it to Tian Cuifang, then picked up another piece of oil paper, wrapped another vegetable bun and handed it to Tian Cuifang.
"Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste good when it's cold." Tian Cuifang handed one of the buns to Su Jinyue.
"Thank you!" Su Jinyue reached out to take it. Aunt Wang had already bought it, so she would feel embarrassed to refuse it.
"Don't be so polite with me. Besides, didn't you just give me a heat pack? I should be the one thanking you." Tian Cuifang smiled and took a bite of the vegetable bun in her hand. With the heat pack, she didn't feel cold at all.
Su Jinyue smiled and lowered her head to eat the buns. These buns really tasted good!
"You just moved in, so you must have a lot of things to buy for the family. The bus won't arrive until this afternoon, so why don't I go shopping with you at the nearby department store first?" Tian Cuifang said. The vegetables can wait, but the oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar are essential.
"Let's wait until my husband Zhan is on vacation before buying any more. It's inconvenient to carry so many things." Su Jinyue walked to a vegetable stall and squatted down. "This Chinese cabbage is good. Aunt Wang, would you like to buy some?"
Tian Cuifang squatted down beside Su Jinyue and said, "Okay, if you need any seasoning at home, just come to my house and get it. We are neighbors, so there is no need to be so polite." There were so many people on the bus, and it was indeed not very convenient to carry too many things.
After a walk around the market, Su Jinyue and Tian Cuifang were both carrying a lot of vegetables.
"Let's find a place to eat something and then wait for the bus," Tian Cuifang suggested. The bus wouldn't arrive until the afternoon, so it would be a waste of time for them to wait.
"Okay." Su Jinyue nodded and looked around. She saw that the military wives were all in a dumpling restaurant not far from the bus stop.
Tian Cuifang thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to a very special restaurant. The food there is delicious." She often went to that restaurant to eat when she went out.
"Yeah." Su Jinyue replied. She had no opinion on where to eat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
