The weather in Northeast China is at its coldest right now. These past few days of snow have kept not only family members indoors, but also nearby villagers. As soon as the snow stopped and it was market day, everyone went out early.
Qin Qinghuai wasn't resting today and was still busy with various things after the snow. He didn't make any special arrangements. Jian Dan was simply accompanying Sister Wang from next door. Jian Dan had a small bag of brown sugar in her basket, which she had promised to give to that aunt last time.
Sister Wang's basket was quite heavy. She carried it carefully, and the cotton-padded coat on her shoulders had left marks. Without needing to be asked, she explained it herself once they were outside the residential compound.
“My husband received cloth ration coupons a few years ago, and I used them to buy cloth. I was planning to make a new outfit for the child for the New Year, but I’d rather exchange them for two jin of grain first.”
"I've saved up some eggs, but I don't know if I've exchanged them yet,"
"I also brought some meat from my hometown, a few pounds of which were sent over last month. I'll see if I can exchange it for something useful."
He glanced briefly at the basket on his back.
"Sister-in-law, shouldn't we leave some meat for the children?"
"Forget it, let's not keep it. Let's exchange it for grain so it can last for a few more days, child."
A hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and...
"The child is still young; there will be plenty of opportunities to eat meat in the future."
Jian Dan didn't expose her. Before leaving, she heard the neighbor's child crying.
Perhaps due to the snow, there were many more people at the market than last time. It looked very lively from a distance. Sister Wang was in a hurry to find a spot and soon separated from Jian Dan.
Simple, carrying a basket on her back, squeezed in. After walking more than halfway, she finally saw the old lady who sold eggs last time. This time, her stall was also full, with two bolts of gray homespun cloth and three pairs of cotton shoes, which, judging by their size, should be men's shoes.
I squatted down and took a closer look. Although the upper wasn't new, the stitching was very fine, and the sole was quite thick. The craftsmanship was almost on par with that of Old Mrs. Liu.
"Auntie, did you make this?"
"Hey, I made this, I didn't have any other skills, but this needlework is decent enough. If you have someone in your family who can wear it, you can take it."
The old lady was also very happy to see Jian Dan. She didn't know if Jian Dan would still remember her after so many days, but her daughter-in-law was about to give birth, so she had to come. In case she came, she could exchange some brown sugar for her daughter-in-law to replenish her energy.
“Auntie, that won’t do. We should stick to what’s going on. They haven’t taken a single needle or thread from the people, and as their family member, I can’t hold them back, can I?”
“Hey, girl, you can’t say that. Soldiers have to make a living too, right? Just this time when it snowed heavily, they were busy for two days. I saw it myself. They couldn’t even get a hot meal. They were just eating cornbread and snow. Their hands were covered in chilblains. Don’t think that every stitch they sewed was like their own child. We, as their parents, felt terrible about it.”
"No, no!"
With a simple, wry smile, he dodged the old woman's enthusiastic hands and brought his basket to his side.
"Auntie, please don't let me make a mistake."
A small bag of brown sugar was exchanged for three pairs of cotton shoes, and the old lady still wouldn't let go of the gifts. In the end, she even stuffed two handfuls of sunflower seeds grown by the farmers into her pocket, leaving her both amused and exasperated.
"Auntie, aren't you putting me in a difficult position?"
The old lady laughed heartily.
"What's this? They're just relatives and friends, neighbors. Eating a couple of bites together, how can that be considered a mistake? Honey, we don't have those kinds of customs around here. This is all homegrown, it didn't cost any money, so just take it and eat it."
Knowing he couldn't win the argument, Jian simply stopped arguing, reached into his coat pocket, pulled out two apples, and casually stuffed them into the old woman's hand, covering them with his other hand.
"Auntie, I'll accept what you gave me. It's just a courtesy, you can't refuse."
The old lady isn't easily fooled; she can tell at a glance that something isn't cheap.
My son has picked wild fruits on the mountain, but they were all green and small. Occasionally, he would bring them back from outside, but they were all wrinkled and crumpled. They were very rare in the countryside, and they could hardly eat one a year.
This, this big, red one in her hand, she seemed to smell its fragrance as she held it, it must be so precious.
“Girl, I can’t accept this. Those two handfuls of melon seeds aren’t anything valuable. I can’t accept your precious stuff. Take it back and eat it yourself.”
Simply take two steps back.
"Auntie, that won't do. We've gotten to know each other, and we've had our interactions. Next time we meet, we'll be old acquaintances, right, Auntie?"
The old lady then carefully put the apple into a bundle on the side, as if she were handling some kind of precious treasure.
Perhaps influenced by the snow, almost all the family members who came today immediately focused on grain. It's a common person's instinct: having grain in hand brings peace of mind.
It's not that they don't save up food, but they rely on men's allowances to make a living. They can only go out to buy things when they have money and coupons in their hands. The most they can save is a month's worth. To say more would be a matter of willingness but lack of ability.
Some people did bring grain with them. This area is a border region with a lot of land, so the management of rural land is relatively lenient. Every household, openly or secretly, oversteps the bounds and always manages to collect something extra from around their houses.
"Sister-in-law, is this dried vegetable?"
The stall owner was a young woman. She had dried cabbage, scallions, garlic, and shallots on her plate—items that every rural household has. It was obvious she was selling them to family members. Seeing how simple the stall was, she warmly came over to explain.
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