Zhou Yiding held Zhao Xiaochuan's hand and protected the two sisters. "There are no people setting up stalls on that street. They are all crowded into this street."
Zhou Huaian protected Yang Chunyan like a mother hen as they walked forward, "The vegetable market is just down this street, so there will naturally be a lot of people setting up stalls here!"
A journey that used to take less than a minute took me more than ten minutes this time.
When they arrived at the bank, Zhou Huaian took Zhao Meina to the counter to deposit the money, and asked her to pack the money and passbook she brought, and the group went to the street to buy New Year's goods.
When they reached the street corner, Zhou Huaian said, "Yan'er, what New Year's goods should we buy to take back?"
Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "Mom has bought some. Let's go to the department store to buy the Spring Festival couplets, and then go buy some rice candy and sweet potato cakes when we come out." She suddenly remembered the vendor selling yerba, "There are also yerba, let's buy some back."
"Okay, let's go to the department store first!"
A group of people entered the department store and saw that the streets inside were not much different from those outside. The place selling couplets was on the second floor where stationery was sold. After a few people went up, they found that there were much fewer people here.
Spring Festival couplets are usually posted on the 28th or 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, when the Spring Festival is celebrated throughout the world. These days, couplets are posted not only on courtyard gates, main hall doors, and kitchen doors, but also in pig pens, chicken and duck pens, etc., to symbolize the prosperity of domestic animals.
Zhou Huaian, Zhou Yiding and several other children were enthusiastically choosing Spring Festival couplets. Yang Chunyan went to a stationery store and bought army green canvas school bags, fountain pens, ballpoint pens, pencils, ink, notebooks and pencil cases for the children.
She packed the stationery for the children into her bag and carried it to the counter selling Spring Festival couplets.
Seeing her coming back, Zhou Huaian pointed to the small book for people to choose Spring Festival couplets, "Ding Ding Cat and I chose 'Harmony between heaven and earth brings wealth to the family; Peace and prosperity brings happiness to the people; Peace in all seasons, ... Livestock prosper, and Mina's family also chose 'Year of the Dog brings good luck to the family, Spring fills the garden with new things; Celebrate the New Year, what do you think?"
Yang Chunyan smiled and nodded after seeing it, "Okay, buy the old house as well."
After the salesperson helped him pack the things, Zhou Huaian paid and put the things in the basket and carried it on his back. After going downstairs, he saw that the candy counter was crowded with people, so he gave up the idea and left the department store to buy New Year's goods on the street.
The stall selling rice candy and sweet potato cake was right at the corner of the street. Several people weighed a few pounds. Zhou Yiding also weighed one portion for Zhao Meina and her brother. But the little girl went to the stall selling roasted nuts next door and weighed two pounds of melon seeds and peanuts for their family.
"Aunt, I've tried it. Their melon seeds and peanuts are so delicious!"
"Thank you!" Yang Chunyan grabbed a handful of melon seeds, cracked a few, and found that they were much more crispy than the ones she roasted at home that day. She decided to come back later to weigh a few pounds and take them back.
Just these few things filled the backpack full. Zhou Huaian saw the tobacco leaf seller and bought a few more to put in Zhou Ding's backpack.
The stall next door was selling cotton candy. A little girl happily ran towards her parents with the snow-white cotton candy in her hand. A little boy passing by saw it and pestered his mother to buy some cotton candy for him.
From time to time, children would run towards the cotton candy stalls with money in their hands.
Yang Chunyan looked at Zhao Xiaochuan who was full of envy and rubbed his head, "Go buy it if you want to eat it."
Zhou Yiding rushed to give him five cents and said, "Xiaochuan, go buy some marshmallows and let's eat them together."
"Oh!" Zhao Xiaochuan took the money and took Zhao Xiu Na's hand towards the stall selling cotton candy.
The man was seen with one foot on a pedal that looked a bit like a sewing machine, and with one hand slowly pouring the sugar in the spoon into the round hole in the middle of the machine. A rich caramel smell wafted in the air.
The machine turned faster and faster, and white cotton-like threads quickly condensed in the sugar dispenser. The man took out a long bamboo stick with one end smooth and the other not so smooth.
Place the not-so-smooth end of the bamboo stick at the sugar outlet and quickly wrap the white cotton thread around the bamboo stick.
The sugar threads came out faster and faster, the bamboo stick in the man's hand turned faster and faster, and the marshmallows became bigger and bigger. The man handed the marshmallows to the waiting children, took the money handed over by Zhao Xiaochuan, and started to make marshmallows for them.
Yang Chunyan looked at it for a while and said to Zhou Huaian, "Let's go across the street and buy some Yeerba!"
Zhou Huaian turned his head and looked, "It's too crowded. What kind of fillings do you want to eat? I'll go buy them!"
Zhou Yiding had no interest in sticky food. "I don't like any of them. Just buy whatever you want."
Zhao Meina had never eaten it before, so she didn't know which flavor was better. "I like sweet ones."
Yang Chunyan remembered that there were salty and sweet ones, and she liked the salty ones with sprout filling the most. "You should buy some of both."
After a while, Zhou Huaian came over with a hot Yeerba in his hand. "There are ones with rice sprout filling, sesame and white sugar filling, and brown sugar and peanut filling. Take whatever you like."
Yang Chunyan took one stuffed with rice sprouts and handed it to Zhao Meina, "This one is salty, and there's also a sweet one, take it for yourself!"
"Hmm!" Zhao Meina tore open the leaves she was holding and started eating. After taking a bite, she looked at her with sparkling eyes, "Aunt, Ye'erba is delicious!"
Yang Chunyan nodded. She saw that the Yeerba from this family was wrapped in lotus leaves, and the Yeerba inside was white and plump.
She ate three in one go and felt that craftsmen these days were the best. They rarely adulterated the food they made. The steamed Yeerba was full of fillings, soft and glutinous in the mouth, and not sticky to the teeth.
Yeerba, also known as Aimo and glutinous rice cake, is one of the famous traditional snacks of the Han nationality in Sichuan. Whether it is the Qingming Festival in the western Sichuan farmers or the Spring Festival in the southern Sichuan, it is an indispensable traditional food.
Some places use lotus leaves and large-leaf curculigo leaves as粑叶, while other places use galangal leaves, bamboo leaves, wild palm leaves, etc. Some special places also choose orange leaves.
Like the rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, yerba can be sweet or salty, but in most places the main filling is salty rice sprouts and pork.
Zhou Huaian ate a salty one and a sweet one, "It's delicious. I'll buy some more when I leave and bring them back for grandpa and mom."
Zhou Yiding also thought it was good, "It tastes better than glutinous rice balls. I'll buy some too."
At this time, Zhao Xiaochuan and Zhao Xiuna came over, each holding a handful of cotton candy high up, "Uncle Yiding, there are still 20 cents left."
Zhou Yiding smiled and said, "It's only three cents for so much, it's quite worthwhile."
"I think it's worth it." Zhao Xiaochuan gave one marshmallow to Yang Chunyan and Zhao Meina. He licked the pure white marshmallow and the licked part turned into caramel color. "So sweet!"
Zhao Meina licked it a little embarrassedly, "Aunt, try it, it melts in an instant, it tastes better than sugar water."
Yang Chunyan smiled, took a bite and passed it to Zhou Huaian, "Mm! It's like snow, it melts in your mouth."
Zhou Huaian hurriedly handed over the brown paper bag, "Yan'er, have a sesame-filled one, I think it's pretty good!" He then handed the paper bag to Zhao Xiu Na and Zhao Xiao Chuan, "There are more delicious things here, eat the marshmallows first, then the Ye Er Ba!"
"Thank you Uncle Huai'an." Zhao Xiaochuan licked the marshmallow, feeling as satisfied as a kitten who finally got to eat fish.
He had never been to a town in his life, and this was the first time he saw so many people and so many delicious foods.
Suddenly he saw a skinny man in front of the cake stall, quietly reaching his hand into the small flower bag held by the lady who was buying cakes in front of him.
When the man saw him looking at him, he glared at him fiercely, but his hands did not stop moving.
He was stunned for a moment, then pulled Zhou Huaian and pointed at the man, "Uncle Huaian, that man stole Auntie's things."
Zhou Huaian and others looked over and saw that the man had taken out something wrapped in a handkerchief from his bag. It looked like money.
"Catch the thief!" Zhou Huaian shouted, threw the Yeerba in his hand at the man, and rushed over with Zhou Yiding.
The thief got the scroll and ran away. The aunt also reacted and shouted, "Catch the thief, catch the thief..."
When the people on the street heard what was happening and saw the man running away, they all surrounded him. One man punched him in the cheek, and several others came forward and pinned him to the ground.
Someone stepped forward and kicked him. "Search him to see how much he stole. Then send him to the police station."
Several men held him down, stripped him down to a pair of bright red spring and autumn trousers, and searched all his pockets.
He found a dagger, several small bags, and the money that the aunt had wrapped in a handkerchief.
Someone kicked him again, "Damn it! You brought a knife and you want to kill someone!"
The aunt took back her handkerchief, thanked everyone happily, spat at the thief a few times, kicked him, and said, "You lazy glutton, I'll chop off your hand if it were the old days."
A man tied up the thief with a belt and said, "Everyone, let's see if anyone else has been robbed. Let's send him to the police station. If anyone has lost money or things, go to the police station to claim them."
A group of people dragged the thief towards the police station, followed by a group of onlookers.
Yang Chunyan thinks that this era is still good. When an old man falls, someone will help him up, and he doesn't have to worry about being blackmailed. Thieves are like rats crossing the street, and everyone will come forward to help them as soon as they are spotted. Unlike later generations, a large group of people are watching, but they are just spectators, and no one will come forward to help.
When Zhou Huaian and Zhou Yiding saw the thief being caught, they came back and told Zhao Xiaochuan, "Xiaochuan, if you are not with me in the future, don't shout when you see a thief. Remember that?"
Zhao Xiaochuan thought for a moment after hearing this, "Without my uncle, I can't beat the thief, right?"
"Yes!" Zhou Yiding said, "They brought knives, and the kids couldn't beat them."
Zhao Xiaochuan remembered the man's vicious eyes and held Zhou Huaian's hand with some fear, "I remember it."
Zhou Huaian rubbed him and said, "Eat more and grow as tall as your uncle, then you won't be afraid anymore."
Zhao Xiaochuan patted his belly and said, "I eat two bowls of rice every day and I grow up quickly."
Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "Mina, do you want to buy anything else?"
Zhao Meina smiled and shook her head, “No, auntie!”
There were sausages, a can of lard, and two pieces of bacon at home, all given by Aunt Zhou and Grandma Zhou. This year was the fattest year for them. (End of this chapter)
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