After He Tiantian left, Hong Erniang specially hired a fine carpenter to re-mount the "Pine and Crane Longevity" cross-stitch.
It hangs on the wall right in the middle of the shop, so that customers can see it clearly even if they are just passing by the shop.
After leaving the shop, He Tiantian headed towards the pork stalls on the street.
It was almost noon, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street. He Tiantian quickened her pace, afraid that the pork vendors would also be packing up for the day.
She had promised the children she would buy meat.
He Tiantian arrived at a pork stall. The pork on display looked quite fresh: pig's trotters, pork ribs, pork belly, and pork tenderloin…
He Tiantian looked at each item one by one, but they were all too expensive; she couldn't afford them...
Finally, He Tiantian's gaze fell on the white pork fat and pig intestines.
"Boss, I'll take all of these." He Tiantian pointed to the two large pieces of pork fat and a pile of pig intestines.
The butcher saw that He Tiantian was dressed in tattered clothes, even though it was the middle of winter and she was wearing thin clothes, so he knew that she was poor.
"Pack these together for twenty coins, and pick up all the pig hearts and lungs on the ground too."
He Tiantian paid the money readily, then found a rope to tie all the items together and carried them back home.
In ancient times, offal was something the poorest people would occasionally buy as a treat. They thought offal was unpalatable and would always have a pungent, porky smell no matter how it was prepared.
Erhua's mother was already sitting on the oxcart at the city gate, waiting. This time, she even reserved a spot for He Tiantian.
However, He Tiantian's gaze was drawn to Widow Zhang sitting on the oxcart.
It had been over a month since I last saw her, and this widow seemed even younger than before. She was still wearing a bright red jacket embroidered with peonies, dark blue trousers, and surprisingly, new cloth shoes!
He Tiantian was quite surprised. She thought that Widow Zhang was suffering a lot outside, but she didn't expect her to be enjoying a good life.
Upon seeing He Tiantian's arrival, Widow Zhang felt quite superior. She thought she looked much better than He Tiantian in her outfit today.
She deliberately puffed out her chest, dusted off non-existent dust from her coat, and greeted He Tiantian with a smile.
"It's Maruko's mom! You're finally back! We've all been waiting for you."
Before He Tiantian could speak, another aunt sitting next to Widow Zhang gave her a disdainful look, "Oh, come on, you just got here yourself, saying you'd wait for Wanzi's mother..."
Widow Zhang wasn't embarrassed at being exposed. She saw He Tiantian had bought a lot of pig offal and loaded it onto the oxcart. With a hint of disgust, she wrinkled her nose and said, "Oh, Maruko's mother, why did you buy all this stuff! This stuff is awful."
He Tiantian said with a forced smile, "It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'm buying some meat to treat the kids..."
She knew that Widow Zhang was trying to show off her superiority, but she deliberately ignored her. It was driving Widow Zhang crazy! And she said the pork offal she bought was disgusting? Heh, wait till she cooks it up, and Widow Zhang will be drooling!
"Who said it tastes bad? Maruko's mom, the piece of pork fat you bought is really good. I bought one too, and when I get back I'll render some lard, and it'll make everything taste delicious!" Erhua's mom, who always had a sharp tongue, glared at Widow Zhang without any politeness.
Along the way, everyone unanimously avoided talking to Widow Zhang. After showing off her clothes, Widow Zhang went on to boast about the meat and snacks she had bought and eaten that day…
As she continued talking, she realized that no one was paying attention to her, so she got bored and shut up.
It was still quite cold. By the time the oxcart arrived at the mine, the pig offal that He Tiantian had bought had all frozen into ice.
After finishing their work at the mine, she and Erhua's mother carried the things they had bought that day back home.
As they approached the village entrance, they saw that Widow Zhang hadn't gone back yet; she was standing in front of them as if waiting for them.
Erhua's mother cursed under her breath, "That little whore, that dog, is haunting me."
"Was she like this before?" He Tiantian asked, somewhat speechless.
Erhua's mother snorted coldly, "She wasn't this annoying before. I wonder which rich man she hooked up with this time. Look at how she's dressed, like a city person."
Widow Zhang was indeed quite eye-catching this time; her outfit made all the young wives in the village both envious and jealous.
Look at that widow who lost her husband, she's doing better than them. God is so unfair!
He Tiantian didn't want to talk to Widow Zhang, but her house was right at the entrance of the village.
Erhua's mother had already taken a different route and didn't want to hear Zhang the widow's complaints anymore.
"Maruko's mother, I've been waiting for you here." Widow Zhang said, stopping He Tiantian as she approached.
He Tiantian was a little confused, "Wait for me?"
“Yes!” Widow Zhang nodded. “I just wanted to ask if the mine is still hiring cooks?” She knew that He Tiantian’s job was arranged by the new Director Song, the man who had led the horse past the village entrance that day.
For thousands of years, no outsider has ever come to Changfeng Village. Now, one has finally arrived, and he is both handsome and rich.
Widow Zhang already had a plan in mind, but she was troubled by not having the opportunity to get close to him.
He Tiantian shook her head. "I haven't heard of hiring a cook. Right now, only Erhua's mother and I can manage the work at the mine."
"Oh..." Widow Zhang was somewhat disappointed, but it was something she had expected. "Then, if you need to hire anyone later, please let me know beforehand."
As she spoke, Widow Zhang stuffed something into her arms and then quickly ran away.
Everything happened so fast that He Tiantian was caught off guard.
"Sigh..." He Tiantian looked at the widow Zhang's retreating figure as she ran away quickly, feeling quite helpless.
Widow Zhang gave her a packet of pastries, the oldest kind. They were made of rolled-up white dough, each layer coated with icing sugar.
If this were modern times, He Tiantian would not even look at such high-sugar foods.
But this is what children love most; children love sweets.
He Tiantian was carrying a pile of things home when Sister Yulan was sitting on a low stool, embroidering cross-stitch. Upon seeing He Tiantian return, she quickly put down her work.
"Didn't we say we'd buy less? How can you carry all this stuff?" Sister-in-law Yulan quickly took the things from her, saying with some concern.
He Tiantian took a sip of water to moisten her throat as she entered the room. "It's almost Chinese New Year, and the oxcart from the mine probably won't be able to go to town until after the New Year. So I bought some food for the New Year while I was there."
"I also made something delicious today, and I plan to save it for the New Year," Sister Yulan said with a smile as she removed the cover from a basket.
He Tiantian looked closely and exclaimed, "It's bean sprouts!"
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