They locked the door and went downstairs.
Most of the guests looked towards them with strange smiles on their faces, as if welcoming the newcomers to the town.
The chill on Jiang Yue's back spread again.
As they passed the cashier's counter, the innkeeper looked up at them with a forced smile, "Guests must return to the inn before dawn. If you are late, the room rate will be charged as two days."
Jiang Yue nodded in response without saying anything.
Starting from dawn, my daily routine is completely reversed from that of ordinary people.
There is only one road in the entire town. At this time, the lights are on and shops on both sides of the road have started to open for business.
If you didn’t tell me about the red lanterns hanging high, I would have thought it was Chinese New Year.
These shops are all single rooms, like a "hanging room" separated by wooden boards. All the goods are placed on a high wooden shelf, and the owner stands at the back.
They didn't shout out their wares and had expressionless faces, which looked very creepy under the red light.
But there are quite a few customers buying things.
Jiang Yue looked to the left and saw a steady stream of people coming in from the entrance. The gatekeeper from the daytime had stood up to greet the guests, and from his profile, he seemed much more energetic than he had been during the day.
He seemed to feel Jiang Yue's gaze, suddenly turned back to look, and then smiled faintly.
Jiang Yue was stunned. It really looked like a human skin mask.
Walking from the inn, the first stall sells ceramic jars. The largest one is only 5 liters (can hold about 10 kilograms), and the smallest one is 1 liter.
An old woman picked up a 5-liter bottle and asked, "How much is this?"
The boss raised his hand and said in a low voice, "Five cakes or three liters of beans."
The old woman was shocked. "This is too expensive. Can you make it less?"
The boss shook his head and didn't bargain with her. The old woman muttered for a while but finally bought it.
When the boss saw Jiang Yue and the others, he asked, "Would you like to buy a jar? It's sturdy and useful."
As for the masks on their faces, he didn't care.
People coming and going in the town wish they could wear masks so that no one would know their true faces.
There can be no curiosity here.
Jiang Yue wanted to pick up the jar to take a look, but Jiang Nian held her hand down and whispered, "Don't look at it now. We'll talk about it when we get back."
"All right."
The boss didn't force it, and soon the next customer came to his stall.
The stall next door was a ready-made clothing store, displaying neatly folded suits. The materials looked really good, some even embellished with gold and silver threads.
In addition to food and water, clothes are also in short supply. Three or five customers came into the store and bargained with the boss.
But she had a lot of fabric in stock, so there was no need to look at clothes. This ostentatious and luxurious style didn't suit them either.
The next stall sold jewelry, all polished to a brilliant shine. However, the designs were a bit old-fashioned, and Jiang Yue wasn't particularly interested.
She was interested in a fur shop.
This time Jiang Nian didn't stop her.
"Would you like to see some fur? The finest animal skins."
The boss had a smile on his face and was more enthusiastic than other shop owners.
In the sweltering heat, no one would be so desperate as to buy fur. His shop seemed the quietest on the entire street.
Jiang Nian's eyes showed a change of emotions, and he pointed to the left, "Yueyue, look this way."
Jiang Yue didn't ask why, and only looked at the one on the left. She picked up a piece of pure white rabbit fur, which had been tanned and had no peculiar smell.
The rabbit fur shoes, scarf and hat she had bought in the city were very comfortable, but after using them for a whole winter, they were all dirty.
"How much is this rabbit skin?"
The boss held out his palm and made a five, "Five pancakes and one rabbit skin."
"What about this?" She picked up a sheepskin.
"This one is more expensive, it requires 10 pancakes."
Jiang Yue pondered, "I'll give you 2 dou of beans and 10 cakes, and I want 4 rabbit skins and 2 sheep skins."
Her tone was so certain that she felt the boss would definitely agree. No other customer was as generous as she was.
Sure enough, the boss pretended to think about it and agreed.
Before going out, he gave Jiang Nian a large backpack, which was just right for him to take things out of it.
The boss met a big customer and wanted to sell him something. "Would you like to take a look at the furs here? They are good furs. I hunted them myself and skinned them alive. There are fox furs, wolf furs..."
Jiang Nian stared at the boss with sharp eyes and said in a cold tone, "No need."
The boss had seen a lot of blood and knew what was going on, so he didn't dare to lobby anymore.
The two walked out of the fur shop and continued walking down.
Anyone who can come here must have some money. The things here are very expensive, but looking around, where else can I find a place to sell these things? I can't even find the materials to make them.
Oh right! Materials! Where do all the businesses in this small town get their materials when they open every day?
She lowered her eyes in deep thought, and an idea flashed through her mind.
Jiang Nian put his left arm around Jiang Yue's shoulders to help her watch the road. Seeing that she was about to continue walking down without realizing it, he reminded her, "Yueyue, are you sure you still want to see what's behind?"
Jiang Yue looked up, confused, "Huh? Why not go?"
Jiang Nian wanted to say something but stopped himself. Forget it, since we have come this far, we might as well walk the whole street.
The front half of the street is for clothing, and the back half is for food and drink.
In contrast, this place was even more bustling with people. The owner was also shouting loudly, unlike before.
"Sheep's blood! Fresh sheep's blood! Would you like some? It's sweet and thirst-quenching, and it only costs one pancake."
"Mutton, the new mutton that arrived today—"
"Which part do you want, sir? I'll fit it for you. It's already divided."
Jiang Yue seemed to hear the two male voices in the noon charity cemetery, but she couldn't distinguish the two because of the conversations at the stalls on both sides.
After passing two stalls, Jiang Yue stopped, with a grim look on her face, and pulled Jiang Nian back.
There is no so-called stall for exchanging dry food.
It’s all mutton, all two-legged sheep!
The butchers had excitement in their eyes, and the customers who bought the meat also had an expression of impatience on their faces, as if they could eat the delicious mutton in the next moment.
Even with a mask on, the strong smell of blood was still pervasive, making people's stomachs churn, even worse than the scene in the woods.
Jiang Nian hugged Jiang Yue tightly, "Be good, we won't be able to see you when we go back."
No way.
When we returned to the inn, many people in the lobby were eating meat. There was no rice or steamed buns, so the staple food was mutton. They ate it roasted or fried, and their faces were greasy.
Seeing them return so quickly, the innkeeper said nothing, but simply asked, "Would you like to see the menu?"
Jiang Nian waved his hand with a cold face, "No need."
The innkeeper looked at the two men's backs thoughtfully, with a smile in his eyes. This smile seemed to be sarcastic.
Back in the room, Jiang Yue took a deep breath for a few minutes, washed her hands, and was about to wash her face when Jiang Nian pulled her back.
Jiang Nian turned his head and looked outside the door, "Wash later, someone is coming."
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