Chapter 75 Bazaar
The truck drove across the scorched earth toward a populated area.
Although the young people, who had been working hard in the canal for several days, felt nauseous from the bumpy road, their faces were filled with excited smiles.
The market in Song Lubai's hometown has been closed for several years.
She remembered that there used to be a market in a town not far from the county seat, where people could go to "exchange" things every Saturday. The market was always crowded with people on Saturdays.
Later, the market was no longer allowed to operate, and people could only buy things from state-run stores.
The truck had been traveling for quite some time when, halfway down the dirt road, they came across a small, dilapidated house of only a few square meters. It was a state-run convenience store that sold very few items. Golden naan bread, adorned with sesame seeds, was spread out on a table outside, surrounded by flies.
The Shanghai youths who arrived a few months earlier than Song Lubai and her group said that the naan bread wouldn't spoil even after being left at room temperature for a month.
"How could it not spoil for a month? Is it still a biscuit then?"
A young woman from Shanghai said, "The weather here is dry. The naan bread is almost completely dried out when it's being baked. If the weather gets warmer, it can last for three months."
Nobody believed it.
Feng Ying said, "After working like that, if you took a bite, you'd probably break your teeth!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
After driving for quite some time, the sun had fully risen, and Wei Yang's watch showed 10:30. The car stopped in front of a tall, earthen-yellow wooden frame.
"The bazaar is not far ahead. It's about ten miles from the headquarters. You guys should probably go together so you don't get lost. Does anyone know how to get back to the headquarters?"
The driver was an experienced driver who was used to driving in this area, but it was the first time Wei Yang, who was in the passenger seat, had ever driven on a road like this.
Having only been in Xinjiang for a few days, Wei Yang's biggest impression is how vast the region is. Driving through the barren Gobi Desert, the landscape is almost identical in every direction. People who can't find their way around when they leave home are sure to get lost here.
Someone in the crowd replied, "We know which way to go. Just follow the pole over there northwards, and we'll reach the farm headquarters in an hour or two."
The driver nodded. "Alright, get back to the headquarters before six or seven o'clock and wait at the entrance of the Armed Forces Department."
After both sides agreed, the truck left, and everyone, laughing and joking, crowded together to find the local Uyghur bazaar.
Song Lubai and her friends had only seen Uyghurs in that movie. They all felt that the people of this ethnic group had very prominent features, deep-set eyes and noses, and that the women were beautiful. The men with big beards looked like foreigners, which was very different from the Han Chinese.
Once inside the bazaar, everyone was enveloped by the atmosphere of the Uyghur people.
Song Lubai and the others couldn't understand a single word of what these people were saying.
Although they couldn't understand the language, everyone was excited to see so many people and all sorts of small items displayed at the stalls.
Looking around, Feng Ying said, "Before I came to XJ, I specifically looked up some information. The books said that XJ is a multi-ethnic area, with the Uyghurs being the most populous, followed by Kazakhs, Mongolians, Tajiks..."
Song Lubai added: "They are Tajiks."
While she was busy recruiting soldiers and regiments at the subdistrict office, she listened to the person in charge explain things to her quite a bit.
Feng Ying nodded: "Yes, yes, they are Tajiks. Look at that little girl, how big her eyes are, how long and curled her eyelashes are, and how pretty her hair is. Are they all Uyghurs? They are so different from us, they look so much like foreigners."
Wang Qun rolled his eyes: "You talk like you've never even met a foreigner."
Feng Ying nodded: "I really have seen them. A few years ago, when I visited relatives in the capital with my parents, I saw quite a few foreigners near Tiananmen Square. The Uyghurs have black hair, and some of the foreigners have blond hair. What they all have in common is that they have very defined facial features..."
Song Lubai saw a stall displaying colorful and eye-catching headscarves.
Not only at the stalls, but at a glance, almost all the Uyghur women who came to set up stalls were wearing headscarves.
Older women tend to wear darker-colored headscarves, while younger women mostly wear brightly colored ones.
The very young girls, however, did not wear headscarves, leaving their entire heads exposed.
Besides headscarves, the clothing worn by Uyghur women has unique patterns and many designs.
They wore dresses over their clothes, but black pants over their legs, covering their entire bodies from head to toe. The woman who was covered the most only had her eyes showing.
As noon approached, more and more Han Chinese people gathered at the bazaar, including quite a few country bumpkins like Song Lubai and her friends who were amazed by everything.
Although they don't speak the same language, they can use hand gestures to make transactions.
One finger represents one cent, and Song Lubai and the others each bought a straw hat for two cents.
There are many stalls selling straw hats, and in addition to straw hats, these stalls also sell handmade brooms, winnowing baskets, straw mats and other items.
The headscarves are a bit more expensive, costing three cents each.
Now a pound of meat costs only 70 cents, but this headscarf costs 30 cents, so many people are reluctant to spend the money.
Song Lubai had money in her pocket and didn't want to get any darker, so she gritted her teeth and resolutely chose two items.
Everything in the bazaar is free. Besides daily necessities, they also sell apricots, dried apricots, almonds, and tea.
A bowl of tea costs one cent, and you can get a free refill if you finish it.
Several young men wanted to try the local tea, but after paying and drinking it, their faces scrunched up in disgust.
"It's so bitter, so incredibly bitter, both bitter and astringent."
The old Uyghur man next to them smiled and gestured, speaking in a language that Song Lubai and the others couldn't understand.
Liu Fengshou, who arrived later than them on a chugging tractor, said, "This is bitter tea. It's good for cooling down and relieving dryness. Don't be fooled by its bitterness; it's a kind of herbal medicine. If you have mouth ulcers, drinking this will cure them in a few days."
Now everyone's expressions changed when they looked at the bowl of dark yellow tea.
As more and more Han Chinese people gathered at the bazaar, they became bolder. They agreed to meet under the yellow wooden frame after buying their goods, and then went off to explore on their own.
A small knife, wooden chopsticks, a wooden basin, rough tables and chairs, and beautifully colored stones…
Song Lubai immediately spotted a white stone with a reddish tinge on a stall.
She squatted down, picked up the stone, felt its texture, and wondered if it might be jade.
Besides this red stone, there were several other sky-blue stones on the stall.
Wang Qun casually picked up a stone, held it up to the sunlight, and said, "This is just a pretty stone. You can't eat or drink it, so what's the point of having it?"
Song Lubai: "Don't you think that if this stone were a bit greener, it would look like jade? Maybe it's some kind of gemstone."
Upon hearing this, the girls' interest was instantly piqued.
Although they had never seen jadeite, they had heard of jade.
Jade is a wonderful thing; I've heard that wearing it can nourish your health.
Lu Shuangshuang joined in at some point, and she scoffed, "We sell gold-inlaid jade bracelets in our Shanghai department stores, but the jade inlaid on those bracelets is much darker in color than the stones on this stall. These stones are definitely worthless."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
