Going to the market
Today is the town's market day on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month. It's still dark outside, the sky is gray, and the crowing of roosters in the distance has only just begun.
"What time is it? Why aren't you up yet?" Wen Dazhi pounded on the door impatiently and shouted at the people inside.
Wen Sheng opened her eyes groggily in bed, her mind not yet fully awake, and a difficult internal struggle began.
Getting up, especially on such a damp and chilly morning, takes a lot of courage.
Wen Sheng pretended to be dead under the covers, mentally challenging herself: "I won't get up until he calls me a third time."
"Aren't you getting up? Did your high school teach you to be lazy?" Sure enough, there was another urging from outside.
Wen Sheng reluctantly stretched her hands out from under the warm blankets, touched the cotton-padded jacket by the bed, hugged it to her chest for a while, and then slowly peeled herself out of the blankets and began to dress.
Winters in the south are cold and damp without central heating, making the indoors even colder than the outdoors. Last night, a light rain fell, and the dampness seeped into the house, even causing fine water droplets to form on the table.
Wen Sheng shivered, grabbed a basin, and went to the yard to fetch water to wash up. A red plastic basin covered the water vat by the well; when she lifted it, she saw a thin layer of ice on the surface of the water.
She tapped the ice twice with her knuckles, and with a crack, a thin crack appeared on the ice. She quickly scooped up a ladle of water, wiped her face haphazardly with a towel, and shivered from the cold.
"Why isn't it ready yet?" Wen Dazhi sat at the entrance of the main room with a cigarette in his mouth. Seeing her dawdling, he yelled again.
"Coming, coming," Wen Sheng replied with a heavy nasal tone, sniffing several times after speaking.
As I entered the house, the aroma of food wafted over me, and it was at least a little warmer inside than outside.
Wen Chunhua was already sitting at the dining table, drinking porridge. She was wearing a pink floral cotton-padded jacket, her hair was casually tied in a small bun, and she looked at her sleepily: "Er Ya, come and eat, we still have to go to the market later."
Wen Sheng sneezed and sat down, rubbing her nose as she ladled porridge into her bowl, muttering, "So early, aren't all the shops in town open yet? Do we have to be the first ones to open?"
Ye Caifeng brought out a dish of pickled vegetables from inside. Hearing this, she casually added, "There's no such thing as going to the market late. Do you think it's like you used to sleep until noon in school? If you go late, it'll be crowded, the meat will be gone, and all the candy and melon seeds will be left over."
She placed the dishes on the table and continued to instruct, "Chunhua, remember to go to the shop with Erya first and buy some eggs, tofu, and rice cakes, as well as some candy and melon seeds. Also, check out the tailor's stall; see if the new clothes I ordered last time are ready."
Upon hearing "new clothes," Wen Sheng looked up, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "What new clothes?"
"What else could it be? New clothes for your two younger brothers. They've grown taller, and their old clothes are too small for them. It's time for some new ones," Ye Caifeng said.
Wen Chunhua swallowed the last mouthful of porridge and said, "Erya has grown taller too. Her pants were too short when she came back the other day."
Ye Caifeng was picking up some pickled vegetables with her chopsticks and said nonchalantly, "Girls don't grow as fast as boys. Besides, she doesn't go out to work, so she can just make do with the old clothes."
As she spoke, she gestured with her chopsticks towards Wen Chunhua: "Isn't your blue cotton-padded jacket still quite new? Take it out and give it to Er Ya to wear. Her schooling has already cost a lot of money, so don't keep thinking about getting new ones."
Wen Sheng scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and after hearing what Ye Caifeng said, the spoon stopped in mid-air, but she still put it in her mouth.
"Eat quickly, and get on the bus at the village entrance."
The two sisters looked at each other for a moment, neither of them speaking. They both knew that arguing about this was pointless.
This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last.
Wen Sheng finished the last mouthful of porridge with his head down, got up and went to the sink to rinse the bowl. When he came back, he grabbed the canvas bag behind the door, slung it over his shoulder, and called to Wen Chunhua, "Come on, Chunhua."
Wen Chunhua deftly grabbed a snakeskin bag, stuffed some change into her pocket, and casually took a scarf from the corner of the wall and handed it to her: "Hurry up and put this on, there are a lot of people in town and it's windy."
Wen Sheng took the scarf, her voice muffled: "Actually, I'm not that cold."
"You said you weren't cold, but you sneezed several times when you woke up this morning." Wen Chunhua wrapped the scarf around her neck again and again, and finally tied it into a knot neatly.
"Isn't it pretty? This bow."
Wen Sheng looked down at the "bow," buried her face in it, and said, "It looks good."
"Let's go." Wen Chunhua opened the door, and a gust of wind rushed in, causing the two of them to gasp for air almost simultaneously.
The wind was cold outside. As soon as the door was opened, a gust of cold wind carrying the smell of earth rushed in. They walked out of the house one after the other. It was not yet dawn, and the frost and snow on the village road had not melted, making it particularly slippery to walk on.
Several villagers were already waiting for the bus at the village entrance. They were all familiar faces: aunties carrying cloth bags and older women carrying baskets. They were chatting idly, their breath steaming in the air, wearing thick cotton-padded coats. When they saw Wen Chunhua and her group, they greeted them warmly.
"In this freezing weather, your mother made you two girls come out to the market?"
The speaker was Aunt Li from across the street. She had a loud voice and was very straightforward. Although her words were meant as a joke, they also showed her concern for the two sisters.
"Where's your younger brother?" Aunt Li asked, then added, "Isn't he on winter break too?"
Wen Chunhua smiled and replied, "My mother said that it's hard to choose when there are too many people, so she insisted that we be the first ones to arrive. My younger brother is still sleeping in bed."
"Tsk, you two are so sensible." Aunt Li looked at the two of them and patted Wen Sheng on the shoulder. "Er Ya is really getting prettier and prettier. I could tell when she came back last time. She has a slim waist, long legs, and fair skin."
As she spoke, she looked her up and down, saying, "When I'm two years older, the matchmakers in town will definitely come to my door every day."
Wen Sheng subtly pulled her scarf up to cover half her face, feeling uncomfortable with Aunt Li's "praise".
Wen Chunhua tried to smooth things over, saying, "Er Ya is still young. Aunt Li should introduce me to someone if she has any candidates."
Aunt Li was amused by her and waved her hand with a smile: "Oh my, you girl, you really know how to talk."
Another elderly woman, wearing a headscarf, moved her basket closer to her feet to make room. "Come on, stand next to me and rest for a while. The wind isn't strong."
The roar of an old diesel truck came from the end of the village road, and someone shouted, "The truck is here!"
The crowd immediately sprang into action, with people carrying baskets and hampers jostling to squeeze to the side of the road.
Wen Chunhua reacted quickly, grabbing Wen Sheng's hand and rushing forward: "Quick, let's get on the bus and grab a seat!"
Wen Sheng was led by her to run a few steps. When she looked up, she saw the old minibus slowly approaching, emitting a thick smoke. The body of the minibus was mottled, and the door was pushed open before it had even come to a complete stop.
She was pushed and shoved by the crowd to get on the train. She glanced around and saw that all the windows were tightly closed, and even the gaps were covered with newspaper, making it completely airtight.
The people behind us were still urging, "Move in! Don't block the entrance!"
Some people were in a hurry to find seats, while others simply squatted down in the aisle. She was jostled around, and the bag in her hand was almost snatched away.
Wen Chunhua protected her while calling out, "There's still an empty seat inside! Er Ya, come quickly."
Wen Sheng looked in the direction she was told and sure enough, there was an empty, worn-out plastic stool by the window. She squeezed in and finally managed to sit down before an older woman.
"Are you seated yet?" Wen Chunhua squeezed in and stood beside her, pulling her scarf up for her.
"Chunhua, don't touch my scarf, I need to get some fresh air." Wen Sheng pulled the scarf down a little, and a few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The car bumped and jolted its way onto the village road, the old diesel vehicle rattling and clanging as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.
A layer of fog rose on the car window, and Wen Sheng casually drew something on it, leaving a blurry line.
She didn't write anything; she just wanted to find something to do to distract herself.
Despite her discomfort, Wen Sheng closed her eyes and asked, "How much longer?"
"Almost there, almost there, just around the corner we'll be in town."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the car lurched violently. An elderly woman in the back seat quickly grabbed the edge of her seat and shouted, "Oh dear, this car is going to throw us out!"
The driver in front leaned halfway out and yelled back, "Hold on tight! This road is like this, they say they'll fix it every year but they never do!"
Wen Sheng was thrown forward and almost crashed into the seat in front of her, but fortunately Wen Chunhua grabbed her arm in time.
"Are you alright?" Wen Chunhua asked in a low voice.
"Still alive," Wen Sheng replied with a forced smile, though the person had actually been gone for a while.
"We're here!" the driver shouted.
Wen Chunhua quickly pulled Wen Sheng up, "Quick, get out of the car!"
Wen Sheng's steps were unsteady. As soon as she stood up, the various smells in the carriage made her vision go black. She was bumped by someone and almost fainted again.
"Chunhua, let me find a place to sit for a while, I'll come find you later," she said, panting.
Seeing her pale face, Wen Chunhua could only nod and say, "I'll go buy some New Year's goods first, and I'll come find you later."
"No need, I'll find you at the candy shop later," Wen Sheng said.
Wen Chunhua frowned, still worried, and instructed, "Then walk slowly, don't run around, it's crowded, be very careful."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at her again, and seeing Wen Sheng nod, she disappeared into the crowd.
Wen Sheng sat on the stone steps at the street corner for a while, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Only after she felt less suffocated did she slowly stand up.
The town market was bustling with activity. The rattle drums of vendors selling candied hawthorns were beating loudly, and the strings of candied hawthorns were crystal clear and dazzlingly red in the sunlight.
The popcorn machine exploded with a "bang," and white mist and aroma rushed out of the machine. Several children screamed in surprise. The vendor poured a large clump of snow-white popcorn into a winnowing basket and began to hawk his wares.
Further inside, there were stalls selling fabrics and cotton shoes. Rolls of coarse cloth and cotton wadding were piled up, and the stall owners shouted, "Homemade, sturdy and durable!" A tailor next to them was taking measurements on the spot, his old-fashioned sewing machine making a "clattering" sound.
"New clothes... I wonder when I'll have them myself." Wen Sheng murmured to herself as she looked at the bolts of new fabric, a hint of envy creeping into her heart.
Wen Sheng walked towards the area with the most noise, intending to meet up with Wen Chunhua.
Her gaze swept through the crowd, searching for Chunhua's figure. While observing the flow of people, she also glanced at the people in the shop. Suddenly, she was drawn to a splash of red.
As the first month of the lunar calendar approaches, more stalls selling Spring Festival couplets have appeared on the streets. Stacks of bright red couplets are pressed on wooden boards, the ink still wet and carrying a faint scent of ink, clearly indicating that they were recently written.
A large crowd gathered around the stall, several layers deep, and they couldn't help but exclaim, "What beautiful calligraphy! Young man, you are the Wang Xizhi of our time!"
Wen Sheng stood on tiptoe, trying to see the people in the center of the crowd, but could only see a few couplets displayed outside.
How come this handwriting is so similar to someone she knows?
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