The whole family got up early in the morning to go to the market. The woman kneaded dough and baked pancakes. Besides breakfast, there was also dry food for the family. Things weren't easy to sell, and except for their family, every time they went to the market, if they were lucky and their things sold quickly, they could go home in the afternoon. If they were unlucky, they would continue to carry the remaining things after the sun went down, and then walk back home in the dark along the mountain road.
When I was talking to Jianshu, I was praying that the products would sell well today.
After listening to her talk, Jianshu bought all the mountain products on her stall before leaving. One reason was because the quality of the mountain products was indeed good, and the other was that he wanted to do something for her.
These were just a piece of cake for her at the beginning, and she couldn't do much more, but they could allow the family of three to go home early today, and the family could have a happy dinner around the kerosene lamp in the evening.
The couple was shocked, but they still considered Jianshu and advised her to buy less. It was not until she said that she had many relatives at home and if they shared it with each family, there would not be much left that they happily helped Jianshu tie the things on the back seat of the car.
When I came here, I originally planned to join in the fun, but I didn't expect to buy so many things that I didn't bring anything to put them in, so I bought the bag as well.
Jianshu found two cotton coupons according to the woman's needs and handed them to her. Then, using the backpack as a cover, he pulled out a piece of red cloth from his space. It wasn't very large, only about three feet long, but it was enough for a child. She also had pencils and notebooks in her space, but they weren't suitable for taking out. So he gave her a lot of industrial coupons, which can be used to buy many things, and let them buy them themselves.
Remembering the mung bean cakes I had made a few days ago, I took out two pounds of them from my space, wrapped them in oil paper, and handed them over. Then I took out the soap, towel, matchbox, and other things from my backpack. Basically, I took out everything I brought with me. It was difficult to take out the rest. After all, the backpack was only so big, and taking more would be too much.
They had no choice but to let the people pick out what they needed from the bills they had brought. The woman in charge, who knew prices well, calculated and selected bills of comparable value before leaving. Only Jianshu, looking at the large bag of mountain produce on the back of the bicycle, felt a little guilty. These days, mountain produce was really worthless, and the things she had given away were not worth their value. She pulled out a few more food and oil coupons and stuffed them into her hands, then got on her bicycle and hurried away.
The woman behind him chased for a few steps, but failed to catch up, so she had to stop.
"Mom, candy, there's candy!" The child was sharp-eyed and shouted excitedly, pointing at the bottom of his basket. But as if afraid of attracting other people's attention, he quickly covered his mouth.
"Where is the candy? Do you want some candy? I'll buy it for you later." The woman thought the child wanted some candy. Looking at the receipt in her hand and the things in the basket, she gritted her teeth and decided to buy half a pound to take back and give it to the children at home to sweeten their stomachs.
"No, there is real candy, it's in our frame!" The child jumped on the spot, pulled his mother's hand and walked over there.
"Oh! There really are some. Where did they come from?" The woman looked at the fruit candies in the basket in surprise.
"I don't know!" The child shook his head. He had just seen it. Then he squatted down again and began to count one by one, "One, two, three..."
The woman turned to look at her man, only to receive a simple smile.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, "Forget it, I think it was given by that little girl. Everyone is gone, and we can't catch up." Apart from the kind little girl, there was no one else.
"Mom, can we eat this candy?" The child was well educated. He kept swallowing his saliva when looking at the candy, but he still did not forget to turn around and ask for advice.
"Eat it, but remember the kindness of that sister just now, okay?" the woman agreed.
"Yeah!" The child nodded vigorously, "Hello, sister!"
Then he ran to his mother excitedly and said, "Mom, there are eight candies in total. One for you, one for dad, one for grandpa, one for grandma, one for brother, one for sister, one for me, and one for my younger sister. It's just right!"
"Mom doesn't want to eat it, you guys eat it!" The woman rubbed his head with a gentle smile on her face.
"Eat! Let's eat together!"
The man packed up his things, carried the load on his shoulder and followed the mother and son. The family faced the rising sun and walked back to where they came from.
***
On the other side, Jianshu did not leave. He found a secluded place, threw the bicycle into the space, changed his clothes and hairstyle, and walked towards the market again with a basket in his hand after his whole appearance changed.
She had ridden the bike for such a long time and came all the way here, and the sun had just come out. That was why she didn't want to go back so early. Otherwise, it would be such a waste.
Gradually, more and more people came to the market. Jianshu followed the crowd, walking and stopping. When he saw something that interested him, he would squat down to take a look. If he liked it, he would exchange it with something. If he didn't like it, he would move on to the next store. He exchanged some things one after another, but he didn't buy everything.
As the sun rose higher, the crowds gradually began to disperse. I had finished browsing Jianshu, so I exchanged my industrial coupons for a few nice little bamboo baskets and called it a day. I ducked my head slightly, avoiding the crowds, and left the market. After changing back into my original clothes, I rode my bike home.
I didn't have to stop and walk to find the way back, so the speed was much faster. I went all the way back to the family compound, greeted the soldiers standing guard at the door, gave them a few mung bean cakes, and then went home.
On the way, I stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative and used some bills that were about to expire. By the time I got home, it was almost noon.
Without even bothering to clean up, I put my things in the corner and headed to the kitchen. It was time to make lunch.
I cooked some sweet and sour pork ribs, some sauced eggplant, and some cold cucumber. The staple food was brown rice, but I added half rice to it, which made it taste better and not so irritating to the throat.
At the dinner table, Jianshu chattered about his morning experiences, and Gu Mingjing responded enthusiastically, not forgetting to ask a few more questions when he encountered something interesting. The two of them chatted enthusiastically. It must be said that people who get along well are suitable for living together.
If it were someone who was very frugal with words and only responded to one of every ten sentences you said, Jianshu would have been suffocated to death long ago and would have been unable to survive.
That kind of aloof person is only suitable to be seen in novels. Forget about it in real life. It’s too tiring to get along with him.
Gu Mingjing not only didn't say anything about Jianshu's sudden impulse to buy all the mountain products on someone's stall, but also asked her to buy more next time if she liked any. He could use them as gifts for others, his father, his brother, the people in Beijing, and other relatives and friends he had contact with, and there wouldn't be enough to share.
The mountain products here are of good quality and reasonably priced. They are close to home and have the best chance of getting them, so don't miss out. Who knows if they'll still be here in a few years? Buy some now, or you'll regret it later.
Jianshu highly praised his foresight. That's right, isn't it? If they don't buy more now, they'll have to wait for the prices to rise. They still want to buy it all like they do now? No... well, if they really want to buy it all, it's fine, but it certainly won't be as cost-effective as it is now.
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