Amid Zhang's worries, Tian Laosi tied up his cart and returned home.
The family of seven excitedly entered the city.
The scene before me is a visual feast of pink petals, with peach blossoms hanging in the air all over the city, their petals swaying in the wind and adorning the rooftops and the blue brick streets.
Women in the city sit on the veranda of their second-floor homes, dressed up and sipping tea with their legs crossed.
Her eyes were bright and alluring, and she looked around with an air of nonchalance, unlike the approachable people from the countryside. There was always a feeling that if you looked at her again, she would slap you across the face.
This caused the old men strolling on the ground to have their eyes wandering, secretly observing.
Heading east, the scene becomes even more vibrant as you approach the East Market. Four or five stilt walkers dressed as Fuwa (mascots of the Lucky Day) appear on the bustling streets, forming a colorful and long procession that weaves through the dense crowds.
When the villagers saw this, they tried their best to make way for the Yangko dance troupe to walk on both sides.
Upon seeing this, everyone joined in the joyful dance.
Only Zhang, looking tense and glancing around, held the children's hands tightly, showing no interest in watching.
She often heard villagers say that there were child traffickers in these groups who would steal children and sell them for money when the adults weren't looking.
So everyone watched with great interest, but Zhang was always concerned about the safety of the children around her, especially Tian Sangui and Xiao Si and Xiao Wu.
Zhang's nervousness did not dampen Tian Sangui and the others' high spirits at all.
Because of the addition of stilt walkers, the people, packed tightly together, moved forward slowly.
At this point, whoever is shorter is at a disadvantage, and unfortunately, Tian Sangui and Xiao Si and Xiao Wu are the most foolish and hapless ones who suffer the most.
Not only was the air not circulating, but the temperature rose instantly in the crowded space. Coupled with the anxiety, the smiling face was suddenly warmed up and turned red like a plateau.
Tian Sangui reluctantly released Zhang's hand and used the slightly cool temperature of his hand to cool down her flushed face.
"Hey, San Gui, hold my hand tightly and don't let go, or we'll get separated and it'll be dangerous!"
Zhang's voice was full of tension. She reached her hands through the gap between the two people in front of her, shouting desperately and trying to grab Tian Sangui in front of them.
Indeed, with so many people and such a crowded place, it was inevitable that they would get separated if Zhang hadn't been holding her hand.
She then struggled to get into the waistbands of the two men and came to Zhang's side, taking the initiative to pull her along.
Only when she felt warmth in her hands did Zhang's heart finally settle down.
This isn't a solution; she'll eventually faint from lack of oxygen.
"Mom, let's all move to the side. I'm uncomfortable being stuck in the crowd!"
Upon hearing that her daughter was in pain, Zhang's heart ached again. She quickly followed Tian Sangui's advice and, along with Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, and Tian Sangui with Tian Lao Si, Tian Da, and Tian Er, the seven of them worked together to squeeze into a less crowded area on the edge.
Finally, he squeezed into the shop's corridor. The sparse crowd was enough for Tian Sangui to breathe easily, and he felt as if he had come back to life.
"Hehe, it's so lively and dazzling, it's so beautiful."
Tian Er and Tian Da chatted happily, watching the stilt walkers, feeling like they hadn't had enough.
Tian Sangui and his family walked with difficulty, clinging to the shop wall.
The flow of people on the main road only eased when the queue reached the end.
They turned back onto the street and arrived at the East Market gate, a tall and imposing framed gate standing high in the middle of the road.
Long pink lanterns hung from the upturned corners of the roof, probably to match the peach blossoms.
There are as many as eight on each of the four sides, with varying heights decorating the market gates.
The two rows of stalls along the roadside are dedicated to small vendors, with a three-person-wide passageway left between every four stalls to reach their shops.
Above the peach blossoms were the flags and banners of various shops, some round, some triangular, some ingeniously shaped like fish, and some even strangely ghost-shaped. Everything imaginable was made into a banner with brightly colored long tassels attached to the edges.
Lightly floating above the peach blossoms, it maximizes the festive atmosphere.
Peach petals drifted down from the sky, bringing blessings to the people. When they landed on the food, no one felt it was unhygienic; on the contrary, they were overjoyed and ate them heartily.
Because they felt that it was a blessing from God, indicating that he would have no worries about food and clothing this year.
The lifelike sugar figurines attracted the attention of the children who were looking around. Tian Sangui noticed their interest and brought his family to the old man's stall.
"Grandpa, how much are your sugar figurines?"
The old man raised his dim old eyes and took a look. It was a gaudy little girl. Her clothes were too bright and irritating to look at. He only glanced at her once before lowering his head again to draw the sugar painting in his hand.
His voice sounded weak: "It depends on what kind of painting you want. Except for the dragon and phoenix, which are fifteen coins each, everything else is five coins!"
"There are two kinds of sugar, one is sweet and the other is slightly sweet!"
Upon hearing the price, Zhang frowned deeply and tried to pull the children away. She thought it would be better to buy some flatbread with that money than to eat this!
"Mom, we rarely get to go out, so let's have a sweet holiday!"
Despite Tian Sangui's pleas, Zhang Shi, who always doted on her daughter, finally had no choice but to give in.
The happiest ones were Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, who climbed onto Tian Lao Si's shoulders and stared at the sugar painting in the old man's hand.
Suddenly overwhelmed by indecisiveness, she furrowed her brows and weighed the choice between the rooster and the centipede.
They were afraid of making the wrong choice and suffering a great loss.
"Grandpa, give us two big roosters and two big centipedes, and five different little animals. Look at the picture, the first four should be sweeter!"
The old man chuckled upon hearing this.
I met a big client today; he wants to make nine sugar figurines at once. I'll make a lot of money!
"Okay, I'll start drawing right away. You and your family wait here for a while, girl!"
He observed that Tian Sangui's family was not dressed extravagantly, but their clothes were also new and without patches. Although they were not wealthy, they were not poor either.
That's why the old man didn't address Tian Sangui as "Miss".
Fortunately, Tian Sangui didn't understand this and didn't care. To her, "Miss" or "maid" were just terms of address used by others.
When Zhang heard that she had bought so much, her heart ached again.
"San Gui, you and your brothers can eat it. Your father and mother don't like to eat it."
Tian Sangui naturally understood Zhang's intention. They had only eaten candy a few times since they were children. Besides, who doesn't love snacks, especially candy that is rarely seen?
"Mom, if you and Dad don't eat, we won't feel at ease eating. So that we can enjoy the candy in peace, please, Mom and Dad, join us this once!"
Sure enough, Zhang Shi was most unable to resist Tian Sangui's coquettishness.
"Then...then your dad and I will share one!"
"No, does Mother want to show off her affection with Father in the street?"
Tian Sangui whispered a joke close to Zhang's ear.
This prompted Zhang to laugh and scold, "You child, flat-mouthed!"
"Haha, so one for each of us is fine. It's a rare opportunity to come out and have fun, so let's eat, drink, and be merry. Don't worry about how much money we spend. No matter how much we spend, we can earn it back."
Zhang was convinced of Tian Sangui's abilities. Well, her daughter was right. Since they had come all the way to the county town, she decided to leave it to the children and let them have some fun.
"I want that big peony!"
"Hahaha, good, I'll buy you a big peony, Mother!"
"Hahaha!" Tian Laosi found Zhang Shi's childlike behavior quite adorable.
The children, seeing that their mother had finally come to her senses, burst into laughter from the bottom of their hearts.
This was Tian Sangui's main purpose in coming to the county town. Eating, drinking, and having fun were just a pretext; her real purpose was to understand the consumption situation in the county town.
A thorough understanding of the market is essential before embarking on any business venture.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com