"Here are sixty-three eggs. Let me count them for you."
Zhang Hongmei didn't refuse. She watched as the woman took out an empty basket and started picking things out of it.
There were sixty-three eggs in the two cages. That's five yuan and four cents. Zhang Hongmei took out the money and handed it over. After thinking for a moment, she decided to take them home first and come back later.
I rode my bike home, put down what I bought, and then rode back to the market. I still wasn't satisfied.
This place is similar to my hometown; I haven't seen any grain for sale along this stretch of road.
Zhang Hongmei saw dried vegetables for sale again, but she didn't buy any this time. She didn't like them. It was okay to eat them occasionally, but she felt heartburn if she ate them all the time.
So many people came to the market, and there were quite a few sellers, but there were too many of the same items, and nothing new was offered.
This area was a long strip, not the large courtyard of later markets, so Zhang Hongmei continued walking inside.
Seeing that the place where I bought eggs had been replaced by a dried vegetable stall, I realized I hadn't explored that area yet.
Zhang Hongmei suddenly stopped. "Auntie, how much is this cushion?"
"One yuan each." Zhang Hongmei took a liking to the round cushion woven from corn husks, took it, and wow, it was quite heavy.
"Auntie, I'll take two." Zhang Hongmei took out two yuan and hung the straw mat on the handlebars. She's so clever; even though she doesn't really need it, she can put it in her spatial storage.
Further on, I saw a stall selling tiger-head shoes and hats for children. They were so cute, but they were really useless, so I gave up on them.
Walking further ahead, I saw a flower vendor. That's a good idea; at home, the only green things we have are scallions and cabbages.
Zhang Hongmei didn't know anything about flowers. "Grandpa, what kind of flowers are these?"
"Clivia, azalea, and the plants in this pot are all roses, all propagated from cuttings I took myself. There are yellow, pink, red, and white ones. Five plants of each color."
"Grandpa, do you have any other flowers at home? They're about to bloom, and I'd like to plant flowers in all the flower beds in my yard."
Do you have time to tend to it?
"No, I can only water the plants in the morning when I'm at school."
"Then plant roses; they don't need any care."
“But that’s not enough. I have three large flower beds and five small flower beds at home. I can’t plant roses in all of them, can I? Although they are very pretty, it still feels monotonous.”
"You can plant some more impatiens, crape myrtle, and cockscomb. These don't need any care."
"Okay, sir, how many roses can you give me? And do you have those flower seeds you mentioned?"
"I could give you a hundred rose bushes, but I only have twenty right now. I need to go back and propagate the rest. If they survive, I'll send them to you."
“Okay, I’m home every Saturday and Sunday. My home is the fifth house in Shuren Hutong next to Capital University.”
“Okay, they’ll be alive in ten days. I’ll bring them to you next Saturday. By then, you can plant the seeds too, and I’ll take them with you. Take these twenty seedlings back with their pots and keep them indoors. You can’t plant them yet.”
"Grandpa, I remember that rose bushes are pruned at the roots, so they shouldn't be afraid of the frost."
"Even so, it can't be too cold. It's not okay in your hometown during winter."
"Okay, how much are these twenty trees?"
"Just give me two pieces."
"Okay, I'll give you five yuan, the rest is a deposit. Sir, when are you going home?"
"I'll leave at noon. It's not easy for you to come all this way, so I'll sell for a little longer."
"Sir, please leave these roses here for now, I haven't had enough of looking at them yet. If it's really inconvenient for you, I can go get the rest."
"It's alright, I'll bring it over to you and teach you how to plant it. Also, loosen the soil in the flower bed beforehand, and I'll bring you some fertilizer next time. Go to the market now."
Zhang Hongmei loves colorful flowers, but she's just not cut out for growing them. She used to see other people growing flowers and tried to grow them herself, but none of them ever bloomed. Back then, her childhood friends would tease her, saying she was cruel and ruined the flowers. It was so infuriating.
They even sell chicks! I just don't have time to raise them. I wish I could have a dog instead.
I was really lucky to see an egg vendor again today, even more than the first one.
"Auntie, how much are these eggs?"
"Six cents each." "Yours are a cent more expensive, but they're fresh. My family raises twenty chickens, and we even use them for heating in the winter, so I can collect ten eggs every day." The aunt selling eggs explained anxiously to Zhang Hongmei.
We'll even light a fire for the chickens? That's a good idea.
"Auntie, if we take them all, could you give us a discount?"
“I really can’t. If my mother-in-law finds out I’m not making enough money, I’ll get a beating when I get home. She says it’s six cents a piece.”
"Okay. Then I'll go buy a carrying basket first, otherwise I won't have any equipment."
"It's alright, these two baskets are for you. My husband made them, we'll make more when we get back."
"Okay, count how many there are? I'll take them all."
Two cages, a total of eighty, that's four yuan and eighty cents.
Zhang Hongmei saw that there were vendors selling baskets and cages ahead, so she carefully pushed her cart over.
"Uncle, how much is one of these baskets?"
"The big one is two dollars, the small one is one dollar and fifty cents. The basket is fifty cents." "Uncle, I want one big one and two small ones. Could you give me the smallest basket instead of the two baskets?"
"Okay, I'll add three cents if you want to add a strap."
"Okay, put straps on all three baskets for me."
After the basket seller tied the straps, Zhang Hongmei took out seven yuan and handed it to him.
"Girl, the best baskets are two cents each, and you have four cents left. I'll give you three. Keep the change. These little baskets are very useful; you can put steamed cakes in them."
"Okay, then that's settled." Zhang Hongmei liked small and exquisite handicrafts, and the fact that the bark of the branches had been peeled off before weaving made them look especially clean and cute.
This time I could finally go home. I carried the basket on my back, pushed my bicycle, and with the help of that old man, tied the earthenware pot to the back seat before finally heading home.
Put all the baskets into the storeroom, store the eggs in the storage space, and put the curtains and door curtains into the cabinet.
I had a very fruitful day at the market, so I treated myself to some cooked meat and cabbage dumplings for lunch. That's enough for dinner now.
Lying in bed, I realized the roses could only stay indoors; I dared not put them in my spatial dimension. I also couldn't go to the distant tunnels tomorrow; if necessary, I'd climb the Great Wall.
If they still haven't come next week, I'll buy a train ticket for Friday night and go for a stroll by the beach. I'll arrive Saturday morning and return Sunday afternoon. That'll be enough time for me to relax and unwind.
The afternoon was spent reading and doing exercises.
Early the next morning, I hopped on my bicycle and set off. The Great Wall, here I come!
After asking for directions, they finally arrived, only to be greatly disappointed. This was not a tourist attraction from later generations; it looked desolate.
Zhang Hongmei walked back listlessly, having lost all interest in climbing the mountain. It had taken her more than two hours to get there, only to return disappointed.
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