I'll eat my fill, shameless as I am. All I want are votes!
Zhang Hongmei could only look around regretfully and didn't buy anything more, since she had to walk home soon.
They shouldn't have listened to Er Ya; it would have been much better if they had come by bicycle.
The stall selling plates, bowls, and earthenware jars was surrounded by layers of people, so the two quickly came over and opened it.
"Sister Er Ya, aren't you going to buy anything?"
"I don't know, I haven't found anyone I like yet. Besides, I'm not as extravagant as you."
"You're always telling the truth."
"Sister Er Ya, there are apples, pears, and hawthorns for sale ahead. Let's go buy some."
“They’re all on the mountain. I told you to go back then, but you wouldn’t. Now you have to pay to buy them.” Liu Erya complained to Zhang Hongmei, but little did she know that Zhang Hongmei didn’t want to go up the mountain and earn money with everyone else. She had money in her own hands, so buying them would save her the trouble.
Er Ya still couldn't shake Zhang Hongmei's opinion as she watched her buy these cheap things. Especially the hawthorns; the girl bought them all. Zhang Hongmei was so angry that she didn't even bother to help her carry them.
"Sister Erya, I'll make you hawthorn cake when we get back, it'll be delicious too."
"That would take so much sugar! What a waste!"
"Once it's in your mouth, it's not considered wasteful."
The bickering between the two did not stop Zhang Hongmei from looking around and choosing what she needed.
Halfway there, they saw a stall selling pecans. This time, Er Ya firmly grabbed Zhang Hongmei's arm, saying, "We have some at home. Didn't I bring you some last time? You haven't eaten any yet."
Zhang Hongmei thought about it and agreed, so she went along with Er Ya's wishes and didn't buy it.
Seeing a stall selling cloth shoes ahead, Zhang Hongmei went over, squatted down, and started picking them out.
"Why are you buying shoes? My mom and I have already made you several pairs, that's enough for you."
“I’ll buy the large size. You’ll be going to school in the county after the New Year, so you won’t have time to make them. Then Auntie will be the only one working on them, and I can’t bear to ask her to make shoes for me again.”
"I have enough for next year, and I'll buy the rest for the year after."
"Can't you do it yourself? Didn't you already learn how?"
"Um, my hand hurts."
"I'll beat you to death, you lazy brat."
The woman selling shoes was initially pleased to see someone buying shoes, but then a man came along and tried to stop her. She was about to yell at him, but when she heard that he was going to study in the county, she chickened out and swallowed her words, though she was still unhappy.
Seeing the girl buying shoes made me really want to buy some, and I was happy. Is it easy to sell a pair of shoes? My heart was pounding with anxiety.
"Auntie, how much are these shoes?"
"Single shoes, whether square-toed or round-toed, cost 1.5 yuan, while cotton shoes cost 2.5 yuan."
When Liu Erya heard that it wasn't expensive, she thought that making them herself wouldn't cost that much. However, it would take four or five days to make a pair of shoes. Besides, Hongmei was right; her family really wouldn't have time for that anymore. So she decided to just buy them.
Zhang Hongmei picked out two pairs of square-toed shoes, two pairs of round-toed shoes, and three pairs of embroidered insoles, totaling seven yuan and fifty cents. She gave Zhang Hongmei eight yuan; this woman knew how to do business. She didn't give her fifty cents back. Instead, she gave Zhang Hongmei two more pairs of insoles, and everyone was happy.
"Hongmei, is there anything else you want to buy? How much money have you spent already?"
"I'll just take a look. I don't know what else I want to buy. Anyway, it's a one-day market, so let's take our time browsing."
Liu Erya lost her temper. Let them do whatever they want.
After walking for quite a while, Zhang Hongmei really didn't buy anything else. She was almost at the end when she saw Er Lengzi.
Er Lengzi saw that the two girls were carrying baskets on their backs, which must have contained quite a lot of things. They also had cages slung over their arms.
What did you two buy?
Liu Erya gestured towards Zhang Hongmei with her lips, and Er Lengzi immediately understood that it all belonged to Hongmei.
“I’m going back now. You two put everything in the basket together and I’ll carry it back so it won’t be heavy for you two.”
"Hehe, my good brother Er Lengzi is still the best. Sister Er Ya, hurry up. Give it all to him, we can still shop around a bit more."
"Can't you just say we'll both go back together?"
"Well, we still have to wait for my third aunt."
Liu Erya ignored her and squatted down to put the basket on the ground. Zhang Hongmei did the same, and the two of them emptied everything into one basket.
Er Lengzi twitched his lips when he saw what Zhang Hongmei had bought.
Finally, Er Lengzi left carrying a basket on his back and a cage in his hand.
The two felt relieved and continued strolling through the market.
Seeing Zhang Hongmei selling fishing nets ahead, Ren Erya refused to budge and insisted on buying some. "Sister Erya, let's go fishing in the pond tomorrow." In the end, Zhang Hongmei bought two fishing nets before Erya finally pulled her away.
"Hongmei, shall we turn back?"
"No, we haven't finished shopping yet."
At the very back of the market was the livestock market. Zhang Hongmei stood in front of the sheep sellers and asked, "Uncle Liu, are you here to sell sheep again?"
"That's right, these sheep belong to the brigade now." The implication is that public property is not negotiable.
"There are quite a few sheep here. How much are the big ones?" Zhang Hongmei looked at the plump big sheep, knowing they could still produce milk for a long time. She would buy them if the price was right.
Five babies were born in the village this year. Because the mothers didn't eat well, they didn't have much milk, so they had to go home to pump milk every day. They were afraid to eat too much themselves, for fear that the babies wouldn't have enough milk to eat.
I saw some milk-producing sheep today; I'll buy them if they're suitable.
"Girl, you want to buy sheep? Is raising sheep profitable?"
"What money are we making? We're just throwing money away. We haven't sold a single sheep yet."
Liu Ershuan scratched his head awkwardly, "If you're buying dairy goats, it'll be twenty. Anything less won't do. I can't manage the household."
Liu Erya immediately objected. Perhaps because she was used to seeing Zhang Hongmei's sheep, she felt that these skinny sheep were not worth twenty at all.
"I'm not buying it. This lamb is so skinny it's practically skin and bones. What's the point of buying it?"
“Girl, I’m not lying to you. These two sheep are newborns with seven lambs. Even people can’t get enough to eat, so how are we going to feed them? Your village is near the mountains, so if you can afford it, you should buy them. It’s better than killing them.”
"Okay, I'll buy them all."
Liu Erya pulled Zhang Hongmei aside and said, "You already have six ewes at home, why would you buy this?"
“Those six sheep aren’t producing much milk anymore. I’ve milked them all for my babies and I don’t have any left to drink. These two sheep look like they’ll continue to produce milk for a while, so I bought them to keep for my own consumption.”
Liu Erya stopped talking. Yes, Hongmei loves goat's milk, but a newborn baby can't be denied milk, can it? If you give it to someone else, you won't have any left. Let's buy some; if that doesn't work, we'll just tell Shitou to help Hongmei cut more grass.
Seeing that Liu Erya was no longer stopping her, Zhang Hongmei took out forty yuan and handed it to Liu Ershuan.
Liu Ershuan felt he was fooling the child, so he hardened his heart and led out a small, thin lamb. "This lamb might survive if you feed it carefully. I'm giving it to you."
"Uncle, please don't make things difficult for me."
"There's nothing difficult about it. Just say they insist on including a lamb in the purchase price. Besides, even if we take the lamb home, we might not be able to raise it."
Liu Erya squatted down and picked up the lamb—it was so light, only about seven or eight pounds. She put it in the crate, preparing to carry it back home.
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