Pulling a donkey cart, Tian Sangui attracted a lot of attention as he walked down the street.
It wasn't that she was particularly beautiful, but rather that the donkey was thin and frightening, pulling a wooden cart three times its size behind it, and everyone was giving her disapproving looks.
Some even pointed fingers at her to her face. Tian Sangui saw it all and felt bitter inside. This money was being spent to make her suffer.
And so, amidst the strange looks and the whispers behind their backs, they found a large banner that read "General Store."
Tian Sangui parked the donkey cart at the door, stroked the donkey's big ears and instructed, "Be good, wait for me here, don't run around. I'll go in and buy some things and come out right away."
"Hoo~" the donkey bray nodded and brayed, as if it understood her words and responded.
Tian Sangui raised an eyebrow and smiled, thinking to himself: Animals that understand human nature are indeed different.
He then entered the general store with peace of mind. Inside, four or five storefronts had been combined to form a spacious common area.
Upon entering, various sundries are displayed against the wooden wall, including bamboo baskets, carrying baskets, and bamboo mats. Further along, there are farm tools of all sizes, a dazzling array of goods.
The long shelves at the back were filled with cooking utensils, crude tea sets, and some ornaments that Tian Sangui didn't recognize. In short, there was a wide variety of miscellaneous goods here.
When the waiter saw a customer arrive, he greeted her with a smile: "Young lady, are you buying something for your family? Tell me what you'd like to buy?"
Seeing the waiter's warm and gentle attitude, Tian Sangui smiled back generously and told him what he wanted to buy.
"My mother asked me to buy two large jars to store things!"
Upon hearing that she wanted something to be packed, the waiter immediately understood what she wanted and quickly said with a smile, "I understand. Come with me, the big jar is in the backyard, I'll take you to pick it out!"
Tian Sangui glanced at the donkey cart and saw it lying on the ground dozing off, obedient and well-behaved, so he followed Xiao Er to the backyard with peace of mind.
In the open courtyard, the walls were piled high with earthenware pots and water vats. The waiter climbed up to the top by stepping on the rim of the vats, rummaged around for a bit, and then took down a vase about knee-high and handed it to Tian Sangui.
She took one look and shook her head repeatedly. The opening was too small; she couldn't even fit a fist in it, let alone be too short for her. It was clearly not the kind she wanted.
"Second Uncle, do you have any jars that are bigger than this, with an opening wide enough to put your hand in? My mother wants to use them to store radishes."
The waiter came down and listened to her description again. He seemed to have thought of what she was talking about, and he slapped his thigh, realizing what she meant.
"Wait here, I'll go to the storeroom and take a look for you."
"Why."
Tian Sangui waited there, hoping it was the kind he wanted, or he could just buy two half-sized jars to fill the pots.
A moment later, footsteps were heard coming out of the storeroom, and he was seen carrying a fat jar that reached up to his thigh.
When Tian Sangui looked at it, he saw that the opening was large enough to fit a pair of adults' outstretched hands, but it didn't have the long neck of the previous one. It would take Tian Sangui three or four hands to wrap his arms around it. It didn't look like a jar, but more like an earthenware pot.
It doesn't matter anymore. Fortunately, these two are what Tian Sangui is quite satisfied with. He then asked the price: "How much for both of them?"
Seeing that she was a child, the waiter abandoned his professional smooth talk and directly quoted a price: "Thirty coins in total, that'll be it for you!"
The implication in his words was that he had given her a discount of several coins. Tian Sangui then looked the two jars up and down and said, "Second Uncle, my mother came to your house last time to buy a similar jar, and you charged her twenty-five. Why do you charge me thirty when I come? Are you deliberately trying to trick me because I'm a child?"
Tian Sangui used his mother as an excuse. Anyway, there were many people coming and going in the store, so how would he know who his mother was? He took advantage of this to bargain.
"Oh, what are you saying? Alright, alright, I'll say I don't make any money. Twenty-five it is, so you won't say I'm ripping off a kid." The waiter looked reluctant, but he agreed verbally, which made Tian Sangui laugh.
However, as long as prices come down, that's fine. Given their current circumstances, every penny saved is a penny earned.
"Here, this is twenty-five coins. Keep it safe!"
Tian Sangui deftly took out some copper coins and paid the waiter.
Upon receiving the money, the waiter immediately beamed with joy, counting the coins with a wide grin. It was exactly twenty-five coins, not a penny less. Then, seeing that the waiter had a complete set of cooking utensils, Tian Sangui decided to buy them all at once, so as not to have to come back later.
The waiter was overjoyed upon hearing this and, without delay, helped her carry the two jars to the shop.
Pots, pans, and utensils were all provided, costing her a total of eighty-eight coins. When paying, Tian Sangui couldn't help but grit her teeth and feel a pang of heartache.
The waiter, however, was in an extremely good mood after his previous unpleasantness vanished, and once he opened his mouth, he didn't close it again.
Overjoyed, I helped her carry her things onto the donkey cart outside the shop.
Seeing the little donkey's condition, he was a little worried: "Little girl, is this donkey alright? Don't let it knock the pot over again. You'll be crying before you know it. Why don't you go home and ask your adult to come and get it? That way you'll feel more at ease."
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Don't let the little donkey's thinness fool you; it's much stronger than my mother. Don't worry, it won't bump into anything."
Strange, why am I using my mother as a shield all day? This is not a good habit, I will definitely change it next time.
Seeing that Tian Sangui was stubborn, the waiter didn't dare to persuade her anymore. He followed her lead and placed a pair of jars on the rotten wooden cart. After everything was in place, the waiter took out two hemp ropes from the shop to tie them up tightly for her, just to be safe.
Tian Sangui was grateful for Xiao Er's character and blended into the crowd amidst cheers and thanks.
After getting everything ready, I felt incredibly relieved. I can finally have a hot meal for lunch today!
This is her first meal since she transmigrated, so it should at least have some oil and fat.
As soon as my mind started working, my feet followed suit, and I instinctively headed towards the meat stall.
The butcher, who was dozing off, suddenly felt the light behind him dim. Startled, he woke up, turned around, and glanced around.
"Oh, girl, buying meat? Uncle's meat is fresh, want two pounds?"
What kind of conditions does she have? Does she look like someone who can eat two pounds of meat?
The boss really dared to ask her for money.
"Two pounds probably won't be enough. Give me half a pound of pork belly. If it's fresh, I'll come back next time!"
Although the boss was disappointed, he believed that business people value harmony and making money. He said that it was the customer's right to buy more or less, and it would just take a little more effort.
"Alright, half a pound of fat and lean meat, ten coins. Do you want it chopped or cut into pieces?"
Upon hearing this, Tian Sangui exclaimed, "Oh, such services existed in ancient times? That's quite avant-garde!"
"Cut it into pieces, it'll be easier to cook later!"
"Okay, just a moment!"
Tian Sangui casually placed ten copper coins on the bloodstained table, which had been dry for who knows how long. Before he could stop, he noticed the piles of pig intestines that he had carelessly placed aside.
Tian Sangui, seizing the opportunity, asked, "Boss, how much are those piles of pig intestines for?"
The butcher's knife stopped, and his round, big eyes followed her finger. Then he looked at her. These days, nobody buys those smuggled goods. Why is this little girl asking about prices?
"That's pig offal, it smells awful and you can't eat it. I'll give you another piece of meat, go home and try it!"
The butcher was kind-hearted. He guessed that this was the first time Tian Sangui had eaten meat, which was why he asked about the unwanted offal. Seeing that she was a pretty little girl and felt sorry for her, he kindly added another bite of meat to the weight she had already bought so that she could have a little something to eat.
Tian Sangui laughed: "Boss, I mean if it's cheap, I'd like to buy it to feed my chickens so they'll lay more eggs!"
Feeding the chickens? You should have said so earlier. I've already added the meat in, but I'm too embarrassed to take it out.
"Oh well, never mind, take them all. I'll consider this an act of charity today."
After sighing, the butcher wrapped the chopped pork in oiled paper into square pieces, tied them with twisted hemp rope at the front and back, and left a loose opening for her to carry.
The pig intestines were also packaged in the same way and handed to her.
Tian Sangui didn't want him to lose money, so he gave him an extra four coins when he left. The butcher put the money in his hand and smiled at Tian Sangui's retreating figure.
The little girl is quite kind!
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