Zhao Yunxia cursed from the cart: “Hit the nail on the head, didn’t we? What trash, utterly ill-bred things!”
The ticket-selling young woman chimed in: “Everyone knows what those sisters are thinking. Before Jiaojiao came, everyone thought Shen Junshan was single, and those two were the most frequent visitors—the courtyard gate was practically worn down from their constant coming and going.”
“Exactly.”
Zhao Yunxia snorted coldly: “I still remember those sisters fighting tooth and nail over Shen Junshan. Back then, Chen Amin cried something fierce, throwing tantrums at home every day—you could hear her across the street.”
“I also heard that Chen Amin nearly jumped into the river to make Chen Xiaoying back off from the competition. Then Jiaojiao showed up, and both of them were left dumbfounded.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Let me tell you—if Jiaojiao had come a month later, the Chen family would have already sent a matchmaker to propose.”
“Really? That would have been for Chen Xiaoying, right?”
The crowd in the cart started gossiping, assuming Han Jiaojiao couldn’t understand, and the more they talked, the more animated they became.
Han Jiaojiao pricked up her ears and caught bits and pieces.
Whether Chen Amin jumped into a river or hanged herself, no matter how she made a scene, she never won against Chen Xiaoying—she only ended up at a disadvantage every time.
A blunt straight-talker going up against a green-tea bitch—how could she possibly win?
Han Jiaojiao sneered inwardly. A green-tea bitch going up against her, the big brain, wouldn’t get a single ounce of advantage either.
Zhao Yunxia suddenly grabbed Han Jiaojiao’s hand and gave a harsh snort.
“No matter what their family schemes, it’s useless. Junshan came to propose on his own initiative, and he dotes on Jiaojiao like she’s the most precious thing in the world.”
This seemed directed at Han Jiaojiao, but it was really meant for everyone in the cart.
The others chimed in one after another, encouraging Han Jiaojiao to relax, assuring her that Shen Junshan would never leave her.
She knew Zhao Yunxia meant well; the others were mostly just watching for entertainment. After hearing enough, she grew tired of it and played the fool, staring out the window.
The streets on both sides gradually grew livelier. Zhao Yunxia smiled: “We’re here, we’re here! This is Wushi!”
Han Jiaojiao got off the cart along with everyone else.
An ox was led past in front of her, stopping about two meters away, and then a big lump dropped to the ground…
For someone who had grown up in the city, seeing an irregular cube of dung roughly twenty by twenty centimeters land right before her eyes for the first time, Han Jiaojiao’s little face practically took on the smell…
But everyone else was completely used to it.
Never mind the ox—there were people here leading goats and feeding them grass, and stray dogs running up to the noodle stalls, lifting a leg and pissing on the spot. Everyone still ate with great relish, not the slightest bit bothered by the stench of urine in the air.
Han Jiaojiao pulled her clothes tighter and shrank her neck back.
Terrified that one careless step might bring back some extra fertilizer with her.
“Jiaojiao, what are you looking to buy this time? Your sister-in-law knows this place well—I’ll take you around!”
“Well… hey, sister-in-law, look over there. What are they scrambling over? Chickens?”
She pointed at a stall not far away.
It was already packed so tight you couldn’t get through.
Only a few chickens remained in the two cages, and the buyers’ clamoring voices were louder than the seller’s calls for bids.
Zhao Yunxia smiled: “You still need ration tickets to buy chickens and ducks these days, but this family has connections with the breeding brigade in Chunshan Cun. They bred their own stock and raised them free-range.”
“For grabbing a chicken, is it really necessary? It’s like a brawl out there.” “You really don’t know how expensive things are when you’re not the one managing the household. We only get half a catty of chicken meat a month, and even adding up everyone in the family, it’s not much. If someone’s having a baby, an elderly person’s in the hospital, a child needs nutrition when sick, or you’re hosting a banquet for a wedding or funeral, those ration tickets just aren’t enough. Coming here and grabbing one for two or three yuan is still a pretty good deal.”
Han Jiaojiao could tell from her expression that this family’s chickens weren’t expensive.
Good quality, low price—no wonder everyone was scrambling for them.
She also noticed that the harder-to-get daily necessities were the most popular, and people would still buy them even if the price was jacked up on the spot.
Zhao Yunxia saw her staring over there and laughed. “Want to buy one to take back and nourish your Jianshan?”
“No, no, I just find it interesting.”
“Your family’s conditions are pretty good. Jianshan’s position wasn’t great in the past few years, but from now on it’s going to be a hot commodity. Treat him well, and you’ll have good days ahead.”
“Hey, sister-in-law, is that Qishui Bao over there? Let me treat you to one.”
Han Jiaojiao didn’t want to keep listening to idle family chatter, so she pulled her over to the stall and spent three mao to buy two Qishui Bao.
They were stuffed with diced lotus root and loaded with pepper. With one bite, the rich aroma of rapeseed oil burst into her mouth.
She quickly licked the corner of her mouth and swallowed the juice back down.
After eating something delicious, Han Jiaojiao’s mood suddenly brightened. She followed Zhao Yunxia around for a while, and soon her hands were full of things.
Two handfuls of wild vegetables, some wood ear mushrooms, and a big grass carp.
Zhao Yunxia teased her: “You got up at the crack of dawn just to buy these worthless things? If Jianshan knew, he’d cry.”
Han Jiaojiao didn’t know how to respond, so she could only force an awkward smile.
From what she’d seen of prices during their stroll, she understood that wild vegetables and most mountain goods weren’t worth much in the county town.
Usually, you could just walk a bit further to the edge of town and dig them up yourself, and some people even grew them in their yards.
As for grass carp, because of the strong fishy smell and lots of bones, people didn’t like those either.
But to Han Jiaojiao, these things were highly nutritious and very expensive. She remembered that in spring, a handful of wild vegetables at the market cost over ten yuan per catty.
Truly a gap between eras…
“Jiaojiao, wait for me! Let me look at this!”
Zhao Yunxia seemed to have found her target. Beaming with joy, she crouched in front of a stall and excitedly picked up something that looked like a piece of wood, laughing: “This is it! I heard that after eating this, you’re guaranteed to give birth to a boy!”
“You’ve got good taste. I just dug this up yesterday, it’s still fresh. If you want it, take it for two hundred yuan!”
“Two hundred? I heard someone else say fifty!”
Zhao Yunxia secretly covered her pocket.
She’d heard from someone who’d been through the delivery room that eating this could give you a boy, so she’d specifically scraped together fifty yuan to buy it.
When she heard two hundred yuan, her face went pale.
Han Jiaojiao almost died laughing.
“Uncle, can eating licorice get you pregnant with a boy?”
“What did you say, little girl?” The uncle’s face also went pale.
Han Jiaojiao broke off a small piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and spat it out: “It’s about twenty-year-old licorice. The quality is pretty good, but saying eating it can get you a boy is going too far, isn’t it?”
Zhao Yunxia looked completely confused: “Jiaojiao, what is licorice?”
“It’s a type of Chinese medicine. It supplements qi, clears heat and detoxifies, and also stops coughs and relieves pain. This is very good licorice, but the price… five yuan. If you sell it, I’ll take it. If not, then…”
Han Jiaojiao said coldly, “You know that selling counterfeit goods to swindle money carries a heavier charge than profiteering, right?”
It was the late 1970s, and although the economy had been loosened up considerably, anyone over the age of ten knew how severely profiteering was cracked down on back then.
“Girl, you’re a ruthless one! Consider me unlucky to have run into you today!”