"I'm waiting for it. I've had it once, and I still remember the taste."
"I still have red beans. I'll make red bean paste when I get back; that will taste even better."
"Okay, when you come back I'll help you with the fire and learn how to do it, and then I'll cook for you from now on."
Zhang Hongmei didn't respond; there was no way to answer that question.
Er Ya seemed to have figured something out. In fact, she had noticed something before, but she wasn't sure. Now, looking at the way Liu Jingze looked at Zhang Hongmei, she was certain.
Er Ya is now a seventeen-year-old young woman and knows a little about how to interact with the opposite sex. Seeing that Hong Mei didn't have a shy or sweet expression, she knew that Liu Jingze was just indulging in a one-sided affair.
More than a dozen people carried their willow baskets and headed towards the village in a lively manner. Liu Jingze also pushed his bicycle, mainly because he was worried that Zhang Hongmei might want to buy too many things and then not be able to bring them back.
Along the way, the group of more than ten people split into two groups. Er Ya, Zhang Hongmei, San Ya, and a little girl named Yuegui chatted and laughed together, but they didn't walk very fast, for fear of slipping and falling on the slippery road.
Boys are different. They play and fool around the whole way. When they encounter ice or compacted snow, they will slide and glide. If someone falls, others will laugh.
Liu Jingze followed behind Zhang Hongmei and the others. As the oldest among them, he couldn't possibly play around with a bunch of teenagers. Zhang Hongmei didn't have time to pay attention to him, so he could only follow behind them and listen to their chatter about what they were going to buy at the market.
Zhu Zi stayed by the group of boys' side, and if anyone fell hard, he would go forward to help them up.
It took them an hour of playful bickering to reach the market.
Liu Jingze called the boys over and said, "You guys are not allowed to fool around. There are a lot of people today. If you get separated, come here and wait, understand? The newspapers have reported that human traffickers are rampant. You can't act alone; you have to be in pairs. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Brother Jingze."
Zhang Hongmei and the other girls stopped wandering around with them and looked at each stall. Whether they bought anything or not was not important; what mattered was showing their support.
As Er Ya walked, she instructed Zhang Hongmei, "Hongmei, don't buy everything."
"Sister Er Ya, even if I want to buy it, it has to be available for sale."
"Yes, look at these few vendors, they're all just there for the market, and they're not buying much."
"Sister Hongmei, there's no grain for sale at all." Yuegui was quite puzzled, as she had never left the village before.
Since Zhang Hongmei taught them to read two years ago, I finally had the opportunity to go to school. Although Sanya, who is younger than me, is in a higher grade, I am already very satisfied. Looking at Erya and Hongmei, they are just different from the girls in the village.
The group of girls also discussed Zhang Hongmei in private, mostly saying sour grapes, but they knew in their hearts that they were envious and jealous.
"Of course, right now anyone probably won't sell anything related to grain. Things will probably get much better around the New Year." Er Ya is in junior high school now, so she knows a lot more than this little girl.
Suddenly, I noticed Zhang Hongmei squatting in front of a stall, looking through some old-fashioned bottles. I realized that she was selling antique items, including candlesticks, incense burners, and several old-fashioned bottles.
Seeing Zhang Hongmei squat down, Liu Jingze also propped up the car and squatted down.
"Sister-in-law, where are these old items from?"
"These are all things I have at home and don't need now. I just came to the market anyway. I'm just hoping to sell them."
"How much do you want for these candlesticks?"
"Two yuan a pair."
"Where are these two pairs of vases?"
"Five yuan a pair. Do you want one, young lady? We can discuss it if you do."
"What's the minimum price I'd pay for these two pairs of vases?"
"If you want both pairs, just give me nine yuan."
Er Ya squatted down, picked up a small vase, and examined it from all angles. "Hongmei, what use do you have for this? It's so old and faded; it doesn't look good on you."
"Hehe, if it's suitable, I'll buy it and display it when I get home. If it's not suitable, then forget it."
"Hey girl, if you give me ten yuan, I'll give you all of these."
"Everything?"
"Yes, all of them. It saves me the trouble of carrying them back."
“Okay, I’ll buy it then.” Zhang Hongmei said, taking out the money and handing it over.
Liu Jingze resignedly put everything into the basket hanging on the back of his bicycle.
The group continued walking. “Hongmei has a good eye. These candlesticks are at least three hundred years old, and they’re made of bronze. They’re really good stuff. That incense burner is also quite old. And these two pairs of vases are even more remarkable. They’re from the Song Dynasty.”
"Yes, I didn't expect the weather to be so good today. I'll hide it at home and pass it down to my family."
Er Ya overheard their conversation and realized that this thing was quite intricate.
"Hongmei, how did you know? You didn't just think it was old, did you?"
"Of course not, you'll understand more as you read more history books in the future."
Sanya and Yuegui looked at Zhang Hongmei with admiration. Sister Hongmei really knows everything. No wonder she was able to get into university.
"Sister Er Ya, this is all about accumulating knowledge. You'll understand it gradually."
Sanya tugged at Erya's arm. "Second sister, look, they're even selling old hens."
"They must have been raised for a long time and stopped laying eggs, which is why they're being sold."
Liu Jingze walked over and bought one for two yuan.
Seeing Zhang Hongmei looking at him with a puzzled expression, he said, "I'll make you some soup when we get back."
"I don't like chicken soup."
"I'll have some too. I saw we have mushrooms at home. If not, we can stew the mushrooms in chicken broth and then add some noodles."
"Then I don't like to eat it either."
"You don't need to worry about it. I'll make it when we get back. I used to help my great-grandmother make chicken soup when I was little, so I know how to do it. Don't worry, it'll taste great."
Sanya and Yuegui listened intently, their mouths watering. Hongmei didn't like chicken soup? She hadn't had any for years.
"Sister Hongmei, there's a place up ahead where you can exchange bean curd sheets."
"Where? Oh, let's hurry, or they'll be sold out."
Zhang Hongmei rushed to the bean curd stall and asked, "Grandpa, how much are these?"
"You can exchange one and a half pounds of beans for one pound, or buy it with money for six cents a pound."
"Why don't you just rob someone? Six cents a pound!"
"You can't even buy beans for six cents now. If there are no beans, where will the bean chips come from?"
"Grandpa, sell me ten jin."
Liu Jingze, with remarkable foresight, handed over a cloth bag and even took out six yuan.
"No need, I'll pay for it myself. Or I can buy some more."
"Grandpa, sell her ten jin, and sell me ten jin too." Liu Jingze also wanted ten jin. He remembered that Zhang Hongmei loved to eat bean curd slices cooked in chicken soup, and his family also loved to eat them. Buying more wouldn't spoil them now.
The bean curd seller chuckled and weighed out twenty jin (about 10 kg) of the bean curd sheets, putting them into a cloth bag.
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