Everyone, please support me!
They're so cute, I really want to hug them and rub them repeatedly.
Is that a Taoist nun's hairstyle? She might be even cuter wearing a Taoist robe. (Is this the allure of a uniform? That's quite a taste!)
Seeing Zhang Shouyi staring at her blankly, Zhang Hongmei put on a mask and hat and asked, "What's wrong, Brother Zhang?" Her voice was muffled because of the mask.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to see if you look okay dressed like this?"
"May I?"
"Okay, that's fine." Go back and find someone to make her a Taoist robe.
Zhang Hongmei rolled her eyes; no one would believe him.
"Let's go, I've packed a bag of sorghum rice and a bag of sweet potato flour."
Zhang Hongmei really didn't believe that these things could be exchanged for anything, but since Zhang Shouyi said it was possible, she decided to give it a try.
Zhang Shouyi drove the car out of the city and stopped it next to an abandoned brick kiln.
"We're here, let's go in."
Zhang Hongmei followed Zhang Shouyi into the brick kiln.
At a bend in the road, two young men came to greet Zhang Shouyi. They nodded at Zhang Shouyi's signal but said nothing.
Zhang Hongmei only noticed the two people's hesitant expressions and didn't think much of it, following Zhang Shouyi inside.
Perhaps it's not time yet, or perhaps there are simply few people here to begin with, and now there are only a handful.
It was very quiet inside, and everyone had their own belongings beside them.
Only the two of them came in empty-handed.
Zhang Hongmei started browsing through the stalls one by one. The most common items were books and calligraphy, and there was also a stall selling fabrics, quite a lot of them.
The man saw Zhang Hongmei standing in front of his stall. "These are all defective products. I'm not selling them, I'm only exchanging them for grain." If she hadn't been the first person to stop by, he wouldn't have paid any attention to her since she was empty-handed.
Zhang Hongmei shook her head and walked away, saying she didn't need this; if there was nothing good in the end, she would come back to exchange it.
Zhang Hongmei did not sell these books and paintings, as they were of little value.
"Don't rush, the time isn't up yet, the best stuff is yet to come."
Zhang Hongmei nodded and squatted down at the stall of an elderly man with a white beard.
I think the items here are alright. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I'll take my time and maybe find something good.
The old man ignored Zhang Hongmei and let her look through the pages.
Zhang Hongmei picked out a few paintings and calligraphies that looked pleasing to the eye and set them aside. She then flipped through some books, all written in classical Chinese, which was quite difficult to read. There weren't any famous ancient books either.
The old man shook his head as he looked at the calligraphy and paintings Zhang Hongmei had picked out. "These are too ordinary. There are more here. Take a look."
"Sir, how would you like to change it?"
"The paintings and calligraphy you picked are all mine and have no value. If you like them, you can have ten catties of grain. I'll also give you these few pieces that you didn't choose."
Seeing that Zhang Hongmei liked it and didn't refuse, Zhang Shouyi didn't stop her either, and even reached out to the old man for a cloth bag.
Zhang Shouyi returned carrying a bag, which the old man took and weighed exactly ten jin (about 5 kg). He then took out a Kangxi dictionary from his back basket and handed it to Zhang Hongmei, saying, "This is for you."
After saying that, he closed his eyes, seemingly indicating that he was no longer going to pay attention to them.
Zhang Shouyi put the scroll that Zhang Hongmei had rolled up back into the car.
People gradually arrived. But no one talked; instead, they found a place to sit down and put down their belongings.
To be honest, Zhang Hongmei was quite disappointed; there really wasn't anything good there.
Zhang Shouyi noticed Zhang Hongmei's disappointment. "Come on, let's sit down for a while and wait until there are more people before you look at it?"
Zhang Hongmei nodded, having lost all desire to continue shopping.
They followed behind Zhang Shouyi and waited in a secluded spot.
"Don't be disappointed. Good things come to those who wait. Be patient. If you really can't find what you're looking for, I'll go and find something else for you."
"No need, because the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."
"Hehe, your mental fortitude, I can only see your childish side now. You usually act like a little adult."
Zhang Hongmei gave Zhang Shouyi a blank look, wondering what he was talking about. She thought to herself, "Are these the important figures you're talking about?"
"Are you tired? How about we sit in the car for a while?"
"No, I'll just take a stroll around for a bit, and if I don't find anything I like, I'll go home."
"Okay, whatever you say. Why don't you lean on me and rest for a while?"
Zhang Shouyi received another disdainful look; was he trying to gain an advantage?
After waiting for another half hour, people started setting up stalls even where they were standing.
There were many more people shopping. Zhang Shouyi was afraid that Zhang Hongmei would get separated from him, so he tried to hold her hand, but Zhang Hongmei slapped his hand away. Helpless, Zhang Shouyi could only stare at her intently.
Zhang Hongmei really doesn't know anything about calligraphy and painting; she just believes in love at first sight, as long as she likes something at first glance.
The items exchanged here are almost all grains, but the stalls offer a wide variety of goods.
Zhang Hongmei focused her attention on the jade, ornaments, and jewelry.
Zhang Shouyi tugged at Zhang Hongmei, gesturing for her to look at a stall that had just been set up.
The stall was run by a middle-aged woman, and almost all of the items on her stall were jewelry.
Zhang Hongmei squatted down to look at it carefully, while Zhang Shouyi picked up a small box containing a set of jewelry made of chicken-blood stone.
"What is the price of this?"
"One hundred catties of cornmeal."
"Hehe. I'm leaving." After saying that, Zhang Shouyi went to slap Zhang Hongmei, who was squatting on the ground.
"Wait, we can discuss it. What do you mean?"
"This is at most ten jin of sorghum rice."
"This one is way too bad. Why don't you look at some others?"
The jewelry here wasn't very high quality, except for the one Zhang Shouyi had, so Zhang Hongmei lost all interest in looking at it anymore.
As the stall owner watched the two turn to leave, he immediately grabbed Zhang Hongmei's arm, but she shook him off.
"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry just now. If you want, could you please add some more? It's really too little."
Zhang Shouyi shook his head, saying that the jewelry was simply pretty in style.
Zhang Hongmei developed a negative impression of this woman. Ultimately, the two parties did not reach an agreement.
I found a white jade paperweight at another stall. It looked smooth and delicate.
I've finally found something that interests me.
How much is this?
"Exchange only, not sale. Fifty catties of grain, and it must be processed."
The stall owner was a middle-aged woman who looked very elegant.
"Is it the lowest possible?"
The stall owner paused for a moment, his eyes filled with reluctance, and said, "I can't go any lower. This is something my dad has used for half his life."
Seeing that Zhang Hongmei liked it, Zhang Shouyi went out for a while and then brought in the sweet potato noodles.
Other stall owners, seeing that someone had successfully completed a transaction, quietly called out to Zhang Hongmei and her companion.
Zhang Hongmei looked at several stalls, but none of them caught her eye, so she continued walking forward.
Zhang Shouyi didn't think much of these things. He just wanted to let Zhang Hongmei out to broaden her horizons and sharpen her judgment.
Zhang Shouyi stepped back and squatted down in front of a stall with very few items. He picked up a wooden box and asked, "How do I exchange this?"
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