Ruan Jinxiang thought it was like riding a donkey, so she sat up straight, ready to sway along with the donkey’s rhythm.
Aunt Zhou started from a standstill, and the electric scooter shot forward, startling Ruan Jinxiang into a gasp as she hastily grabbed the seat.
“Girl, sit tight. Hold onto my clothes.”
Ruan Jinxiang quickly replied, “Okay~”
She gradually adjusted to the speed.
The chilly wind whistled past, and her hands, which had been clutching Aunt Zhou’s waist, slowly relaxed.
This was so fast, yet the ride wasn’t bumpy at all.
Unlike riding a donkey, where after just over ten miles, your buttocks would feel like they weren’t your own anymore.
The fear in her eyes faded, replaced by curiosity as she widened her big eyes.
Ruan Jinxiang looked left and right, and when she spotted a young couple cuddling intimately by the roadside, her eyes widened again in shock.
Flustered and frightened, she let out another soft gasp.
Aunt Zhou, with a broader view from the front, also saw them and couldn’t help but sigh, “Young people these days~ They’re much more open than we were back then. If it weren’t for me…”
The first half of Aunt Zhou’s sigh reached Ruan Jinxiang’s ears amid the wind.
Her eyes widened even further.
This, this… Judging by Aunt Zhou’s reaction, in this place, there was no strict separation between men and women!
In her own world, even married couples couldn’t act so shamelessly in public.
If it were young unmarried men and women, the man might be fine, but the woman would be drowned in a pig cage.
All the sisters and nieces from her family would likely be sent to a nunnery, spending their lives in solitude with only a dim lamp and Buddha for company.
Since arriving in this world, she had been constantly shocked.
Everything here was so different from her own world. Ruan Jinxiang silently reminded herself not to be so easily startled in the future.
If people did things openly without hiding, it must be allowed in this place.
Having earned money from selling recyclables today, she became even more determined to visit this world often in the future. She needed to slowly understand and integrate into these ways.
Aunt Zhou’s electric scooter turned down two streets and stopped.
Ruan Jinxiang realized this was the large market opposite where she had fallen yesterday.
She quietly noted the name: Yingchun Morning Market.
Entering the morning market, rows of stalls stretched out before her.
There were stalls selling breakfast, vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, and even rice, flour, grains, oil, and seasonings.
The air was filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their goods.
Ruan Jinxiang’s eyes couldn’t take it all in. There were so many things she didn’t recognize.
Here, in winter, so many vegetables could still grow.
It was simply miraculous, utterly miraculous.
In her world, not a speck of green could be seen in winter.
She had heard from traveling merchants who passed through the capital that the finest restaurants there sold leafy green vegetables in winter, but only the wealthy lords could afford them.
A single plate of vegetables cost two taels of silver.
A pound of the finest, highest-quality polished rice cost fifteen copper coins.
A dan of rice was about 120 pounds, roughly a large sack.
Just one plate of vegetables was equivalent to a whole large sack of the finest rice.
Yet here, vegetable stalls were piled high with them.
Ruan Jinxiang marveled. The ordinary people in this world ate better than the officials and wealthy merchants in her own world~
When they reached the breakfast area, Aunt Zhou asked Ruan Jinxiang, “Girl, what would you like to eat?”
After asking, she noticed Ruan Jinxiang’s dazed expression and sighed—she had forgotten that this girl didn’t even know about money and might have forgotten the names of these foods too.
She felt like having soy milk today, so she led Ruan Jinxiang to eat fried dough sticks.
“Boss, five fried dough sticks and two bowls of soy milk, no cilantro.”
“Coming right up~”
Looking at the food served, Ruan Jinxiang’s eyes lit up—it was fried dough sticks.
She recognized them!
And had only eaten them once before.
Her father had brought them back from a long journey. She had received a small piece about the length of a thumb, and oh, how fragrant it was!
She took a tiny bite, then hid it away, reluctant to finish it. But the next day, it was gone. She cried so hard she nearly fainted.
It took her mother a long time to comfort her.
Thinking of the days before she was married, a faint, joyful smile appeared at the corner of Ruan Jinxiang’s mouth. But then, remembering her current situation, her mood instantly sank.
Auntie Zhou, worried that Ruan Jinxiang might not have enough to eat, had specially ordered three sticks for her.
“Child, eat up. If you’re still hungry, Auntie will get you more.”
Ruan Jinxiang snapped out of her thoughts and hurriedly replied, “I’ll have enough, I’ll have enough. This is already too much for you to spend on me.”
The two found a small table and sat down.
Only after seeing Auntie Zhou, the elder, begin eating did she pick up a fried dough stick and take a small, almost reverent bite.
Freshly fried, the dough stick was still a bit hot.
With one bite, the outer shell was crispy, while the inside was fluffy and soft, infused with the aroma of oil.
She could feel a layer of oiliness coating her lips.
Ruan Jinxiang thought, this must be how immortals live.
As for tofu pudding, she wasn’t unfamiliar with it. Every winter when her family made tofu, she could have a bowl.
Still, it was a rare and delicious treat.
After carefully finishing one dough stick and drinking all the tofu pudding, Ruan Jinxiang squinted her eyes in contentment.
She carefully wrapped up the remaining two sticks.
Placing them in her bag to take back for Ya Ya and Tiedan.
As for the two shaomai she had saved for Tiedan, she had kept them warm in the pot and instructed Ya Ya not to eat them outside but to finish them in the room before going out to play.
The two children were always obedient, so she wasn’t worried about raising suspicion.
Seeing Ruan Jinxiang’s actions, Auntie Zhou quickly said, “Child, eat your fill. Later, Auntie will buy you a few more steamed buns to save for your next meal.”
She thought Ruan Jinxiang was saving the food because she didn’t know where her next meal would come from.
And indeed, that was exactly the case.
Ruan Jinxiang shook her head hurriedly. “I’m full.”
She already felt deeply indebted to the old woman. But given her current struggles with hunger and cold, she could only remember the old woman’s kindness and vow to repay her once she earned more from collecting scrap.
Ruan Jinxiang’s bag was open, and Auntie Zhou caught sight of a rotten cabbage and three spoiled sweet potatoes inside, sighing inwardly.
“Child, where are you living now? Can you still cook for yourself?”
Since they were from different places, Ruan Jinxiang replied vaguely, “Mm-hmm~ I live in a shack outside the city. I can make a fire and cook.”
Hearing that Ruan Jinxiang had a fixed place to stay and could cook for herself, Auntie Zhou couldn’t help but think more about her future.
She had heard from another old friend who collected scrap that several villages west of the city had leased out their land.
The contractors grew sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peanuts.
During the autumn harvest, everything was done by machine.
Only the ones that met the size standards were taken, while the smaller ones were left behind.
There were also a few that the machines missed and remained in the ground. Since hiring labor was too expensive, they were left there as well.
These fields were open for anyone to scavenge.
Her old friend had gathered half a bag of sweet potatoes yesterday and had gone again today.
Auntie Zhou planned to try her luck too, so she wouldn’t have to spend money on sweet potatoes all winter.
If she brought this girl along, even if Ruan Jinxiang couldn’t find anything while scavenging, she could still boil sweet potatoes or potatoes to fill her stomach.
She shared this idea with Ruan Jinxiang. “Child, do you want to go?”
Ruan Jinxiang didn’t even think twice before quickly nodding in agreement, “I’ll go, I’ll go~”.
Free sweet potatoes, potatoes, and even peanuts from the fields!
In this place, she was no longer surprised by such good fortune.