Or they might simply cut off half a pound of meat and mutter, "I'll make dumplings for the New Year to treat myself."
When Jian Dan followed the educated youth, this was the lively scene she saw.
For some reason, the scene when she first arrived in Liujiatun flashed before her eyes.
At that time, the villagers were also thin and weak, but they had no energy or spirit. Their faces were pale and sallow. There was no food to be found in the whole village, and even wild vegetables were something that people fought over.
Oh right, there was a severe drought back then, and water was a precious commodity. When she first met Liu Weimin and Third Master Liu, they both looked incredibly dry and withered.
There was also Grandma Liu Er, who almost starved to death; the cracked earth; the dried-up wells; and the almost dried-up stream. This was Jian Dan's initial impression of Liujiatun.
Looking back now, I realize that I had just transmigrated there. I had no sense of belonging, and I was also soft-hearted when faced with this devastated place.
She always said that she was not a good person. In her past life, she had often been through gunfire and often had to endure wind and rain when on missions. She had seen all kinds of human relationships, including the coldness of others and betrayal by her relatives. She thought she had a heart of stone.
But after arriving here, without realizing it, I seem to find reasons to soften my heart at any moment. I can't stand seeing them reluctant to part with a single wild vegetable, and I can't stand seeing those innocent children, only a few years old, starving and eating wild grass to fill their stomachs.
She still remembers the joy of Jian Xin and the children when she agreed to share the land with them. They even said to her, "Little Sister Jian, after I collect the land, will I be able to have enough to eat?"
As for later, relying on the base space that gave her confidence, relying on her substantial wealth, relying on her skills that she had regained, and especially the fact that she could do things casually that many people couldn't earn in a year of hard work, it's certain that she had some advantages.
However, there was more pity, heartache, and confusion.
She can detach herself from this era and observe it detachedly, but she also knows that this is the norm in real society.
Even if she didn't care, she didn't want a group of people outside the wall smelling the meat while she was eating it.
In this era, the best image you can project is one that's with the masses. If others are eating chaff while you're eating meat, well, you've really had enough of living.
So, if you want to eat meat but don't want to be made an example of, there are only two ways: eat it secretly, or get everyone else to eat it with you.
Despite their intermittent efforts over the past few years, they certainly can't match her in terms of eating meat, but their standard of living has increased significantly, which is quite gratifying for Jian Dan.
She doesn't know what mission or task she has after transmigrating, but needless to say, the path of her previous life is no longer viable. So she has gradually changed her cold-heartedness from her previous life and has been helping others without much effort, which has led her to her current situation.
The educated youth were in good spirits. There had been many things to do this year, but overall, things had turned out well so far. The conflicts and sordid incidents that had occurred in the educated youth compound had not resurfaced.
They all came from different parts of the country, and they are all very happy that they have been able to achieve such a relatively harmonious balance.
Is there anything else you want to buy?
Tan Yajun and Liu Weihong took a look around the supply and marketing cooperative and quickly came out. Looking at the market in front of them, they eagerly asked Jian Dan...
"Let's go see if there's anything usable, shall we?"
"Look at that steaming food over there, doesn't it look delicious?"
Jian Dan didn't have anything in a hurry to buy, so after thinking for a moment, she followed them into the bustling market.
The atmosphere was just as lively as last year, yet it seemed somewhat different.
There were indeed quite a few people.
As a rare opportunity in this rural area where one can openly exchange money without needing tickets, almost every villager who comes here takes advantage of it.
There were stalls on both sides of the road, and the stall owners were all from nearby rural areas. They didn't care much about the rules; they would just spread a burlap sack or a piece of coarse cloth on the snow, and if it was clean, they would put a large basket on top and display the things they wanted to sell. That was it.
As I walked along, the stalls were packed tightly together. Although most of the vendors were from the countryside, there were also some people from the town who brought things they didn't need. It was pretty much a wide variety of things to sell.
Eggs, old hens, brooms, baskets, benches, cabbages, radishes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and some people even carried buckets of their own pickled sauerkraut and firewood they had gathered.
Further in, there are two more stalls selling homemade pancakes and steamed buns made with sorghum flour. These are made entirely of grain and are considered relatively expensive among the food items. Many people look at them but few actually buy them.
Further inside, there was a stall with a burlap sack, half-filled. When it saw someone approaching, it opened the sack wide.
"Want some cotton? It's good cotton, look at it, it's all fluffed clean and pressed tightly. You can use it to make quilts and cotton-padded coats, it'll be very warm!"
The stall owner was a middle-aged woman. When she saw people stop, she busied herself promoting her wares, and even patted her cotton-padded coat, showing no disdain for the girls.
Cotton is a scarce commodity, and even the supply and marketing cooperatives don't always have it in stock. Tan Yajun had been eyeing it for a long time, so she immediately went up to negotiate the price, and the more than ten kilograms of cotton quickly filled her basket.
She was still beaming with joy as she picked up her basket again.
"Oh my, I knew today was a good day. I've come here several times before but never managed to buy anything. Today I came with you, and we bought something as soon as we came in."
Liu Erhong covered her mouth and laughed.
"Sis, you really went all out today. I never expected you to cover everything."
Tanya Jun held her head high.
"I'm capable of supporting myself. I'm only suffering from the cold, so why bother? Saving this little bit of money won't make me rich. If I want to earn money, I just need to work harder."
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