Chapter 36

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Every first, fourth, or seventh of the month was the market day in Kunlu town.

On these days, people from the surrounding villages would come to the market.

The bicycle storage area at the intersection of the town was packed with bicycles.

There were long lines of stalls on both sides of the road, selling sugar canes, steamed buns, cold noodles, sewing machines to help people change clothes, and sunshades to sell cigarettes …

There was a dazzling array of people.

Qiqi’s eyes almost couldn’t keep looking. The excitement and curiosity on her little face didn’t disappear after entering the market.

“Eggie, there are so many people. It’s so lively!” Following Zhang Xifeng closely, Qiqi sighed as she walked.

The little egg-man raised his eyebrows. “It’s indeed lively.”

It wasn’t that he had never seen a crowded occasion. There were also crowded scenes in the capital city where he lived, but the atmosphere was completely different.

The people’s lives here were filled with a city atmosphere they had never seen before.

It was backward, poor, and complex but full of vitality.

Even the scorching sun above their heads could not suppress the bright smiles on their faces.

Because it was market day, almost half of the main road was occupied by pedestrians. The buses and buses that passed by could only move slowly on the road and honk their horns desperately.

Chen Jianhe relied on his height to protect the old and young as he led the way.

Zhang Xifeng held Qiqi’s small hand tightly. As they walked, she reminded her, “Qiqi, you must follow Granny closely. You can’t run around on your own.”

Qiqi nodded. “Alright.”

She knew that there were too many people on the street. If she ran around, her Granny would not be able to find her.

Zhang Xifeng smiled and walked to the roadside teahouse with Qiqi. They walked past the tiny sewing machine stall and went back. That was the largest and only supply and marketing cooperative (co-op) in Zhuolu Town.

At this time, the supply and marketing cooperative was still state-owned. The quality of the things sold inside was not bad, and many customers were coming in and out.

The supply and marketing cooperative was very large. Long glass counters were arranged in a U-shape along three walls, and a salesperson was behind each counter.

Qiqi looked around the counter, and her eyes were dazzled again.

There were many things: thermos bottles, enamel mugs, washbasins, light bulbs, needle and thread boxes, bundles of cloth, and loose candies … There were ready-made clothes of different colors and styles on the wall behind the counter.

“Comrade, how much are the floral shirt and the pants?”

“The shirt is eight Yuan, and the pants are five Yuan.”

“Can it be cheaper?”

“The shirt and pants cost at least 12.50 yuan.”

Qiqi was still looking at the goods when she heard her Granny’s voice. She was so scared that she looked up immediately. She did not even look at the clothes. “Granny, I don’t want to buy clothes. I have clothes to wear. Let’s go …umm!”

Zhang Xifeng covered the child’s mouth and continued to bargain with the salesperson. Can you make it any cheaper? I want one more of my child’s undershirt.”

Behind the counter, the salesperson’s voice was calm, and she was already a little impatient. “The vest is three dollars, no bargaining. The lowest price for the other set is twelve dollars. If you want it, take it. If you don’t want it, move to the side. There are still people behind who want to buy something.”

Chen Jianhe looked at the salesperson and frowned, but he was helpless.

Most supply and marketing club people had this attitude when they sold goods. Over time, everyone had gotten used to it.

He said to Zhang Xifeng, “Aunt, let’s buy it. I’ll pay for it. I haven’t bought anything for Qiqi since she came to our village.

As he spoke, he took out the money from his shirt pocket.

Zhang Xifeng smacked his hand away and scolded, “this is the first time you’re buying something for Qiqi. Would you like to get it first?”

At this point, Chen Jianhe naturally did not dare to snatch anymore.

“Comrade, this is 15 yuan. I’ll take that set of clothes and the tank top.” She took out a bundle of rolled-up notes from the inner pocket of her pants, carefully counted fifteen dollars, and handed it over.

After the transaction was completed, Qiqi still stood there with her mouth trembling and her heart aching.

The two mu of sweet potatoes were only sold for 213.70 Yuan, and two sets of clothes for her cost 15 yuan!

That wasn’t all. While her heart ached, Zhang Xifeng bought her a pair of sandals, a toothbrush, a new towel, a cup, two red flower hairbands, and a piece of lard candy.

The total price was 6.80 yuan.

When she walked out of the supply and marketing shop, Qiqi was like a ghost.

She quietly covered her heart. She had to work hard to earn more money.

The Granny spent way too much.

Different from Qiqi’s discomfort, Zhang Xifeng was beaming.

Although she had spent a lot of money, she was happy, and her heart was filled with satisfaction.

She had lived alone for so many years. Now, she finally had Qiqi by her side, whom she could spend money on and care for. Her days had become interesting, and she had something to look forward to!

The vegetable market was on the opposite side of the supply and marketing cooperative, walking up a small steep slope along the roadside.

The vegetable farmers sat on both sides of the aisle, selling all kinds of vegetables they had grown.

After passing through the vegetable stall and walking back, there was a shed stall made of tile and wood, selling pork, chicken, duck, fish, and so on.

Zhang Xifeng planned to cut half a catty of ribs and go home to make stewed ribs with potatoes for Qiqi.

Because Chen Jianhe still had other things to buy, he had to go to the other side of the market and temporarily separate from Zhang Xifeng and Qiqi. The two sides agreed to meet at the bicycle warehouse.

The weather was too hot. Zhang Xifeng was worried that she would tire Qiqi out after walking on the street for so long under the hot sun. In addition, there was plenty of time, so she was not in a hurry to buy. She simply took Qiqi to the shade before the shed and rested.

Other than the two of them, many people were sitting beside them, resting their feet and enjoying the cool air.

Since they were sitting together, regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they could still chat with each other.

As they talked, the topic came to Taoxi village.

“Their village has made a fortune this year. The small watermelons, two to three catties each, are sold for fifty cents. They’re worth more than the big watermelons that we grow!”

“I heard that their watermelons are directly sold to the city. They’re so lucky!”

“Yesterday, someone from our village returned from the city and said there’s a small Qilin melon there selling like crazy. Can you guess how much one costs? Eight yuan, eight yuan! I guess it’s from Taoxi village!”

Everyone around them gasped; some people were so envious that their eyes turned red.

“It must be the watermelons from Taoxi village! Only their lousy place could grow small melons! Not only did they sell watermelons at a good price, but they even sold sweet potatoes at three cents per 500 grams!”

“The sweet potatoes we sold this year are only worth two cents at most! I’m afraid that Taoxi village will have a comeback in the future.”

At this moment, a sweet and soft voice rang out from the crowd. It was innocent and coquettish. “Granny, is a small watermelon worth fifty cents more than a big watermelon? How much is the big melon?”

The old woman who was questioned said in a gentle voice, “the big and small melons weigh five to six catties, and the big ones weigh seven to eight catties, even eight to nine catties. This year, the price of watermelons here is eight cents per 500 grams. The cost of big watermelons ranges from 40 to 70 to 80 cents. The money we make from one acre of land is only more than that of Taoxi village, no less.”

“Since everyone is earning as much as Taoxi village, why is everyone envious of Taoxi village? ”

The old woman smiled, held the child’s hand, stood up, and left. “Let’s go. We’ll go home after buying some more groceries.”

The old lady and the child left, leaving behind a group of people still in a daze.

No one said anything for a while, but the jealousy in their eyes slowly faded.

Wasn’t that so? They earned as much as Taoxi village, so what was there to be envious of?

Besides, a watermelon that cost eight yuan would produce profit for the wholesaler who collected watermelons. Taoxi village had nothing to do with it.