Zhou Xiaomai was worried about drawing attention with the silver she carried on her back, so she placed the large pot on her back as well, using it to cover the bundle.
Finding a secluded alley, she directly stored the bundle containing the silver into her Spatial Dimension, but she still had to carry the pot on her back.
Then she went to buy rice, flour, and cooking oil.
Afraid that it would be difficult to carry everything later, she bought a bamboo basket along the way.
When she arrived at the grain and oil shop, a strong smell of soybean oil greeted her.
This world also had soybean oil, but it was relatively expensive, so it was better to buy lard and render it at home.
Since Zhou Xiaomai planned to use two iron pots, she decided against buying soybean oil.
“Shopkeeper, how much are rice and flour?”
“Refined rice is fifty wen per dou, coarse rice is thirty wen per dou, and white flour is thirty wen per dou. How much would you like, young lady?”
The weight measurements here were different from those in the apocalypse. One dou was roughly twelve jin.
Of course, the weight of a jin was also different—one jin here was equivalent to 650 grams in the apocalypse.
From the original owner’s memories, Zhou Xiaomai recalled the texture of coarse rice: hard, and the cooked rice turned yellowish and didn’t taste very good.
The Han family ate refined rice, which produced soft, white, and delicious cooked rice.
“I’ll take one dou of refined rice and one dou of white flour. Oh, do you have salt here?”
“We don’t sell salt. Go out and turn left—the third shop sells salt.”
After packing the rice and flour into the bamboo basket, Zhou Xiaomai went to buy salt, bowls, plates, and basins.
Finally, she headed to the market to buy pork fat and other ingredients.
Some items were truly expensive. One jin of pork fat cost fifteen wen, while lean meat was only ten wen. Xiaomai spent forty-five wen on three jin of pork fat, which was as expensive as her refined rice.
Perhaps it was because the only sources of oil in this world were soybeans and pork fat.
She had bought a lot of things, which took up a lot of space, so the ox cart back to the village charged her four wen.
The cart was also crowded, as everyone had bought their goods at noon and was in a hurry to get home for lunch.
When she got off the ox cart at the village entrance, the sun indicated it was just past noon, around twelve o’clock.
Coincidentally, the bearded uncle who had sold the wild boar had returned and was at the village entrance, where they met again.
Xiaomai thought that Old Mrs. Jiang’s house was right by the roadside, making it the most well-informed spot in the village.
If they heard she had bought so many things at the market today, wouldn’t they know she had money?
She wasn’t exactly afraid, but it would certainly cause unnecessary trouble.
Xiaomai quickly called out to the bearded man who was about to enter the village: “Uncle, could you do me a favor?”
Xiao Qingshan walked over: “What favor?”
“Could you help me carry my things home? If anyone asks along the way, could you say they’re yours?”
Xiaomai scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
“My situation is a bit special. I don’t want people to see that I have money to buy things.”
Xiao Qingshan picked up the two stacked iron pots with one hand, slung them over his shoulder, and lifted the heavy bamboo basket with the other.
“Should I leave them in your yard?”
“Yes, you go ahead. I’ll be there in a moment!”
Xiao Qingshan looked intimidating, but he was actually very easygoing. He picked up the things and left.
“Uncle, you’re really kind. Since we’re neighbors, let’s get along well in the future!”
Xiao Qingshan thought to himself that it would be better if this young woman didn’t call him “uncle.”
Does she have something wrong with her eyesight?
As he passed through the village, a woman named Zhang Chunyan, who had been widowed for seven years at the age of twenty-five, saw Xiao Qingshan carrying so many things and hurried over to help.
“Qingshan, why did you buy so many things?”
Not long after marrying Zhou Jiguang and just becoming pregnant, Zhou Jiguang was bitten by a venomous snake while working in the fields, and within half a day, he was gone.
Zhou Jiguang had no parents, no brothers, leaving Zhang Chunyan to struggle through life in Zhoujia Cun with a child, which was quite difficult.
Because Zhou Jiguang had been on good terms with Xiao Qingshan during his lifetime, Xiao Qingshan would occasionally send some of his hunted game to Zhang Chunyan.
In recent years, some rumors began to spread in the village, saying that Xiao Qingshan and Zhang Chunyan were having an affair.
Some even absurdly claimed that Zhou Jiguang and Zhang Chunyan’s son, Zhou Baozhu, was actually fathered by Xiao Qingshan and Zhang Chunyan.
Xiao Qingshan began to distance himself from Zhang Chunyan and no longer sent her any game.
Zhang Chunyan, however, acted as if nothing had happened. Whenever she saw Xiao Qingshan, she would greet him with a beaming smile, and sometimes even took the initiative to go to Xiao Qingshan’s house to help with washing.
Most of the time, Xiao Qingshan would refuse, but Zhang Chunyan’s enthusiasm never waned. If she wasn’t allowed to wash clothes, she would help tidy up the yard.
“For the house.”
“That looks heavy. Let me carry the basket for you.”
Xiao Qingshan quickened his pace. “No need, it’s not that heavy.”
As Xiao Qingshan took larger strides, Zhang Chunyan had to jog to keep up behind him.
“Qingshan, I heard that the main house of the village head’s family in the neighboring village was lent to Zhou Xiaomai?”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear, this Zhou Xiaomai sure knows how to stir up trouble. No wonder she was divorced by her husband’s family. What woman, after being divorced, doesn’t move back to her parents’ home? Qingshan, in the future, try not to speak to Zhou Xiaomai when you see her, so you don’t get yourself into trouble.”
Xiao Qingshan thought to himself, You should stay away from me and stop approaching me so often, lest people gossip.
He was already trying his best to avoid Zhang Chunyan, but she would always come up to him and strike up a conversation whenever she saw him.
After all, Zhou Jiguang was his good brother. He just wanted to do what he could to help the widow and orphan his brother had left behind.
But being rumored to have feelings for his brother’s wife—what was that all about?
“Zhou Xiaomai just moved next door to me, and we’re not even living right next to each other. It’s only the second day. Who would talk about such things? Sister Chunyan, it’s better to be careful with your words. That girl is still young; don’t ruin her reputation.”
“Hah, you don’t know about the commotion she caused at her parents’ house yesterday, do you? What reputation does Zhou Xiaomai have left now? Anyway, just listen to your sister-in-law and stay away from Zhou Xiaomai.”
Xiao Qingshan replied perfunctorily, “I know what I’m doing, sister-in-law. You can stop here.”
“You just came back from the county town, right? Haven’t you eaten yet? There’s still some hot food in my pot. Come to my place and have a bite before going back?”
“I already ate in the county town. No need to trouble you, Sister Chunyan.”
“What trouble? It’s just a small effort—”
Before Zhang Chunyan could finish her sentence, Xiao Qingshan had already hurried ahead, putting some distance between them.
He was afraid that if someone in the village saw him talking to Zhang Chunyan, more rumors would spread tomorrow.
“Hey? Qingshan, why are you walking so fast?”
Xiao Qingshan didn’t look back, his retreating figure carrying a sense of urgency, as if fleeing from a flood or a wild beast.
As soon as he left, Zhou Xiaomai appeared, her face cold as she sized up Zhang Chunyan.
Clearly, Zhou Xiaomai had overheard the conversation between Zhang Chunyan and Xiao Qingshan.
Zhang Chunyan smiled awkwardly. “What are you doing here, Xiaomai?”
Zhou Xiaomai didn’t answer but instead asked, “Are we that close? Do I have to report to you wherever I go?”
Zhang Chunyan was seven years older than the original owner. Their families lived far apart, and they weren’t the kind of people who had much in common. They weren’t even on speaking terms when they met.
Suddenly stepping on her foot, Zhou Xiaomai met Zhang Chunyan for the first time from her own perspective, and the impression was utterly ruined.
“Xiaomai, did you just hear what I said to Qingshan? I was just worried that the two of you might become the subject of gossip, so I gave a friendly reminder. Please don’t hold a grudge against me, your sister-in-law.”