Jiang Yue replaced her modern cotton coat with a new one she had made to suit the times. It was a similar length to a robe, covering her legs and keeping the wind out. She also stuffed her trousers with cotton, making them baggy and wide.
Jiang Nian had finally gotten used to the existence of underwear, but now he had to wear tight pants, which was uncomfortable.
He was full of internal heat, and even though Jiang Yue was wearing a cotton coat and trousers that were just the right temperature, he was sweating. In the end, he had no choice but to change his cotton trousers into ordinary trousers, and he didn't need to wear the sheepskin boots anymore, just ordinary thick-soled cloth shoes would do.
Because everything was white, she couldn't tell where the road was and where the pit was, so she had to use a stick to clear the way, poking it first, and then walking in a straight line if there was no problem.
The street layout of Shuntian Prefecture City is mainly straight lines.
Walking out of the residential area, the heavy snow has stopped, but the thick snow on the ground has not yet been cleared. In this world covered in silver, people's expressions are numb, their arms folded, trying to keep themselves warm under their thin cotton clothes.
Most of the shops were closed, only a few were still busy.
The business of selling yellow paper and coffins has been in short supply for a month. Now, the charcoal shop has been emptied out.
The cloth shop they had visited a few days ago, which had been deserted at the time, was now packed with customers. However, the smiles of the shop assistants and the shopkeeper were tinged with sadness.
"Shopkeeper, I want cotton!"
"Sorry, sir, we're sold out of cotton this morning." The shop assistant's voice was hoarse. Someone had knocked on the door early in the morning, calling to buy cotton, saying their family was freezing to death and that their cotton-padded jackets from previous years were too thin to withstand the cold.
Shuntian City only has light snow in December and during the last few days of the New Year every winter, but last night, it suddenly snowed heavily.
Heavy snow in September! Unheard of, unseen! No one was prepared, so we had to dig out the quilts from the bottom of the box and put on long gowns one by one.
They were looking forward to buying cotton soon, but who knew it was sold out! Everyone was shocked, but no matter how much they argued, no cotton would appear.
"If you don't have cotton, then buy cloth. I want five feet of cotton cloth!"
People not only robbed food but also cloth. In this world, no one can laugh.
The food stores are now even more frenzied than before, with lines stretching like rivers. No one wants to wait for food prices to drop before buying anymore, because they can no longer wait.
When Jiang Yue passed by, she saw a notice on the board that said each household was limited to purchasing two liters of grain per day based on their household registration.
Today's grain prices are: beans 20 wen, dark flour 28 wen, polished rice 30 wen, refined rice 60 wen, and white flour 60 wen.
And this is the result of government regulation. It's easy to imagine that if one day the government loses control and food prices in the city skyrocket, the people will surely riot and loot in order to survive...
Jiang Yue was in a heavy mood. She took Jiang Nian's arm and moved forward. She was going to the bookstore to buy some things.
The door of the bookstore was half-open. Jiang Yue walked forward and knocked gently, and the door opened.
The shop assistant was not there, and the shopkeeper was squatting in the corner sorting books.
Perhaps he didn't expect someone to come into the store to buy books, and the shopkeeper looked a little surprised.
They didn't show their full faces that day, and they were still wearing scarves today. The shopkeeper didn't recognize them, but when Jiang Yue spoke, he remembered them and became a little excited.
"My dear guests, are there any books missing?"
"Boss, can I look through it myself?"
"well."
Jiang Yue went to search on her own. She had a "treasure radar" and should be able to recognize good things when she saw them.
This bookstore arranges items neatly by category and labels them, which looks convenient.
She flipped through some books on the cabinet, most of which were about the imperial examinations, and they all looked very boring.
"Boss, what's the story behind this pen holder?" Jiang Yue was pointing to a wooden pen holder of a monkey hugging a tree. It looked vivid and full of wild charm.
The shopkeeper picked up the pen holder and wiped it clean with a cloth, and the color became transparent and rosy.
Jiang Yue took the pen holder and examined it carefully. The texture was definitely wood, but the wood itself was so transparent and jade-like, demonstrating the exceptional skill of the craftsman behind it.
"Legend has it that this was a practice piece by Master Mingchen, a great seal engraver from the previous dynasty. He spent a month in the mountains watching monkeys and casually made the pen holder. Because Master Mingchen was more skilled at stone engraving, many people say it's a copy."
But he really loved this pen holder and was unwilling to sell it at a low price, so he could only let it gather dust here.
There is a look of affection in the shopkeeper's eyes, he must really like her.
However, she didn't want to be taken advantage of. "What's the price?"
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, if you can still exchange for grain, you can take one stone of grain."
After saying this, he looked at the guest cautiously. Food is very precious now, and price can't be measured, but he is really heartbroken.
"Mixed grains?" Jiang Yue raised her eyebrows. The spirit of the shopkeeper before was different from now.
The shopkeeper understood what she meant from her eyes and said with a wry smile, "Yes, grains."
He had exchanged 16 buckets of fine grain last time, and with his own supplies, he still had quite a bit left. However, the unusually heavy snowfall in September was making him increasingly uneasy.
Every day, he would have his family line up to buy whole grains, mix them with refined grains, and force the children to eat them. The children had tender throats, and swallowing was difficult, so they started crying and making a fuss, which led to a harsh reprimand. He had to teach them that life was hard.
Otherwise, won’t it be too late to regret when you starve to death?
Jiang Yue did some calculations in her mind. One stone was 120 kilograms. When they first came to the city, they bought several stones of grains, and later they exchanged a lot of things in the countryside.
"5 dou of mixed grains, 5 dou of fine grains."
The shopkeeper felt relieved and nodded happily, "Okay!"
Jiang Yue didn't bring the mule out today, so she made an appointment with the shopkeeper to go to the alley behind the tile kiln to trade the next day. There were few pedestrians there, so it would be difficult to be discovered.
Before leaving, she spotted another paperweight. It was plain and felt cold to the touch. The shopkeeper said it was made by an ordinary craftsman. This paperweight, worth one tael of silver, was exchanged for a jin of vegetables.
Having successfully exchanged the things, Jiang Yue couldn't wait to try them out.
Throw the pen holder in first, and the number will instantly become 07:40:38
Added 6 hours.
She held the paperweight in her hand, not seeing anything special about it. Maybe it was just an ordinary paperweight, so she put it away casually.
The numbers moved again, 17:40:38
It took 10 extra hours!
This paperweight worth a pound of vegetables is even more valuable than that expensive pen holder!
It seems that the world of elegant art is indeed not something that ordinary people like her can understand.
Jiang Yue was in a good mood and decided to cook a big meal.
Jiang Nian saw her take out a lot of eggs and immediately came over, "Delicious!"
"Yes! Today I'll show you our modern cooking skills!"
On September 18th, Mid-Autumn Festival, she will be 16 years old.
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