Seeing his mother's figure disappear, Cheng Rui immediately looked up and asked...
"Big brother, are you going to cook something delicious?"
The last time Cheng Chao came was a few years ago. The two boys were still quite young, but they liked this older brother very much. Of course, what impressed them even more was that they got good food when they followed him.
Cheng Chao was very generous to them; he genuinely cared for them.
Back then, conditions here were not as good as they are now. Cheng Chao tried his best to get them food, snacks, and fruit. He made sure to get them almost everything that was available to buy along the way.
Patting his two little heads, Cheng Chao lowered his sleeves.
"Come on, let me take you for a stroll in the market."
"Oh, that's great!"
The two children went back inside to change into clean clothes. She was sitting steadily when Cheng Chao simply pulled her up and turned her around.
"Go get a coat, it might get chilly when you come back."
"I'm going again? No, bro, aren't you just trying to appease a child?"
"Aren't you a child too? Hurry up and go. The market over there is in the afternoon. Let's take a nice stroll and come back before your second uncle and aunt get off work."
Go quickly!
Having arrived here, I hadn't even had a chance to properly explore before being forced to stay home for several days. Jian Dan was indeed getting restless, so she didn't refuse and immediately went back to her room to grab a long-sleeved jacket, since it was quite chilly at night.
The group consisted of four men, so she didn't need to carry anything. Cheng Rui had put his clothes in the basket on his back. He was simply wearing a shirt made by Tang Sumei and overalls, with only two pockets on his body.
Well, I guess there's no need for covert smuggling.
It was midday, and there were no adults around, except for a few energetic children playing in the mud under the tree. When they saw Cheng Rui, they stretched out their little, grimy hands to greet him.
"Hey Rui, wanna hang out?"
Cheng Rui was a very proud and boastful kid, so he immediately puffed out his little chest.
"You guys have fun, my older brother is taking us to the market,"
The words "going to the market" were spoken with particular emphasis, and Cheng An, standing beside him, was also quite excited. He looked at the two children with a simple and amused expression; they were so easily satisfied.
Sure enough, it did attract several envious glances.
The conditions are as follows: being able to live in the family compound doesn't necessarily mean good living conditions, but having a fixed monthly allowance already puts you ahead of most people.
However, few families can use all of this allowance for their own small family. It's not easy to make it out of the countryside, so it's essential to take care of one's parents and siblings. Otherwise, the villagers will gossip about it.
I also need to help out my siblings. Some of their children are still with their parents, which adds to the expenses. The allowance of a few dozen yuan has to be divided into several parts, so I have to be careful with how I spend it.
Even after walking several meters, Jian Dan and Cheng Chao, with their keen hearing, could still hear the sound of drooling behind them.
"I also want to go to the market, but my mom won't take me,"
"My grandma wouldn't allow it either, saying I wanted everything..."
They walked quite a distance before the gazes behind them disappeared. Cheng Rui and Cheng An, unwilling to follow them slowly, had already run ahead.
"Brother, do you think they'll be attacked by these kids when they come back?"
Cheng Chao immediately realized it.
"Let them show off; they have no depth whatsoever."
"It's alright, they're just startled."
The conversation then shifted to the market in front of them.
"These rural markets are bigger than the ones in our area. People from nearby villages come to trade, and they exchange a wider variety of things, not just things grown at home."
Most of the pastures here raise cattle and sheep. Although individuals are not allowed to raise them themselves, and these pastures are collectively owned, some villages will secretly raise more and then secretly sell them so that the villagers can get a larger share of the money.
Another important point is that no tickets are required for transactions at the market.
Cheng Chao's eyes were clear, but she simply felt that he said it on purpose. Although she did want to buy some pure, natural beef and mutton from this era to stock up, she had a feeling that her secret had been seen through and was being told to her on purpose.
After staring at her for a few seconds, Cheng Chao turned his head away and asked casually,
"Want some meat? How about we buy some lamb?"
Simply blink your eyes.
"They can sell this openly and honestly? Then how can people in the residential compound eat it openly and honestly?"
It's unrealistic to close doors and windows this season. There's just a courtyard wall between you, so it's impossible to block out sound. It feels like your neighbors can broadcast any noise you make.
"Don't worry, everyone needs to improve their living conditions sometimes. Besides, isn't this a ready-made reason?"
"You're healed from your injury, and I'm back too. Now that the whole family is here, it's only fair to have a nice meal together, isn't it?"
"Haven't you arranged everything?"
Jian Dan was somewhat speechless. "Won't this cause any trouble for Second Uncle?"
In the past few days, the families of the children she rescued that day have been coming to express their gratitude, bringing vegetables and eggs—gifts they had clearly saved up for a long time, gifts they themselves were reluctant to eat. Tang Sumei's family accepted a token amount, offering a brief explanation privately.
“It’s true that you saved people, and it’s also true that you were injured. It’s only natural that they would bring things to thank you. The main thing is that their family is too poor. They probably intended to exchange these things for oil, salt, matches, needles and thread. No matter what, we are better off than them, so my aunt decided not to accept so much.”
"What do you want to eat? Your second aunt will make it for you. We have plenty at home."
Jian Dan had no objections and felt that Tang Sumei, having lived here for so many years, was adept at handling interpersonal relationships. She didn't make people feel that she was aloof and ungrateful, nor did she refuse them. She even took most of the things she brought back without feeling embarrassed or worried about how to get through the next two weeks. Needless to say, she was in a good mood.
"It's alright. We didn't take advantage of the collective, nor did we embezzle or waste anything. It's just a meal of meat."
"Big brother, sister, hurry up!"
"Hey, here it comes."
Cheng Chao was right; there were indeed quite a few people. Although it lacked the hustle and bustle of a market, it was certainly lively. You could feel it as you got closer. There were stalls on both sides of the road, and people would squat there to discuss what they needed. What was most comforting was that everyone's face was filled with joy.
Standing at one end and looking inside, you can barely see the end; Jian Dan was quite surprised.
"So many people?"
Cheng Rui and his companion were already preparing to rush inside. The last time they came here was several years ago, close to the Chinese New Year. Tang Sumei wasn't one to spoil children; she would simply cut off anything she deemed unnecessary. As a result, they would come in high spirits but leave dejected. If Tang Sumei hadn't bought them candy and meat, Cheng Rui would have burst into tears on the spot.
Knowing Jian Dan's skills, and wondering if she really wanted to buy something they didn't want them to know, Cheng Chao didn't stop her, but still gave her some instructions first.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
