"Please cut two feet of this for me," said Xiaoguo, who had picked a white fabric with green stripes.
The woman happily instructed someone to cut the cloth. Seeing that Xiaoguo had purchased only fabrics for children, she couldn't help but tell her, "Our floral fabrics are pretty too. Do you want to see them?"
Since she had to wait anyway, Xiaoguo thought there was no harm in taking a look. She nodded and said, "Sure."
The woman led Xiaoguo to the counter and pointed to several bolts of cloth hanging above. "These are the new range of dyed fabrics from our mill," she said. "Every design comes in vibrant hues and the materials are of good quality. The yarns do not fray easily."
Xiaoguo thought that the fabrics were really nice, and she really did need some new clothes. There were only a few pieces of garments in the cupboard, and they were all quite worn. She should make a few for herself too. Xiaoguo nodded and asked her to cut out two pieces of cloth— ordering five feet of each design. When she left the store, the basket was almost half full. Xiaoguo felt a little guilty. There were still many things that she needed to buy. How has the basket become almost full?
Without further delay, Xiaoguo proceeded to buy some vegetable seeds from a shop and went to a pork stall next. "How much are you selling the pork for?"
"Pork meat is five wen a catty, pork shoulder, seven wen a catty. Pork bone is five wen a catty and pork fat, two wen a catty."
"I will have half a pig's worth of meat, two pork shoulders, three pig's trotters, five pounds of bone and ten pounds of lard." Xiaoguo ordered a bit of everything.
The butcher began cutting the meat. While waiting for the meat, Xiaoguo looked around the stall. Under the chopping board, she noticed that there was a basin containing a pile of pig intestines. Her eyes lit up and she asked, "How much are you selling this for?"
"I can't sell those. The smell is terrible. I'm going to throw it away." The butcher looked at the pig intestines with disgust.
Xiaoguo was delighted to hear that. In that era, washing techniques had not been developed yet, so innards would stink no matter how much they were washed with plain water. Therefore, no one would buy intestines to eat during that time.
She was going to get a great bargain. Pig intestines were delicious. "Tell you what. Why don't you sell it to me?"
The butcher looked at her as if she were insane. "If you want it, you can have it."
At this moment, the meat that Xiaoguo had ordered was ready. The butcher helped Xiaoguo pack and load everything into her basket. Xiaoguo emptied the basket first before putting in the meat and intestines. With the dry stuff on top, she wouldn't have to worry about getting the books and fabrics dirty.
Xiaoguo continued walking along the row of stalls and bought a few pairs of shoes.She also went to the grain store and bought a large bag of rice and noodles. She was almost done with her shopping. As she walked towards the entrance of the marketplace, she bumped into someone selling live poultry. Xiaoguo immediately decided to buy a few. It would be good to have meat and eggs everyday. Xiaoguo bought five chickens and two ducks right on the spot.
By now, Xiaoguo was not only carrying a full basket. She was holding on to a bunch of chickens and ducks with their legs tied up, and clutching a large grass cage that she had requested from the seller. She was going to use that to make a nest for the chickens and ducks, so they can lay eggs.
Xiaoguo walked happily towards the donkey cart. She had wanted to buy more groceries, but she realized that she couldn't carry them all. Even with the donkey, she might have difficulty moving everything home. Xiaoguo gave up the thought. She would get more groceries the next time. She then headed home as she hummed to herself along the way.
Xiaoguo continued humming as she headed for home. She had clearly forgotten all about the 'other space'.
Just as the sun was at its highest point in the sky, the approaching figures of Xiaoguo and the donkey cart appeared in Peach Blossom Village.
At this hour, there was no one walking around in the village, as it was almost noon and everyone was cooking at home. Xiaoguo happily drove the donkey cart home. When she got off the cart and opened the door, she saw Zhuang Zhuang and the two cows sunbathing in the courtyard. Zhuang Zhuang heard a noise and he quickly looked towards the door. "Mother!"
With a yelp, Xiaoguo caught Zhuang Zhuang in her arms as he raced towards her. "Did you eat anything this morning?"
Zhuang Zhuang replied apprehensively but truthfully, "I didn't eat. I wanted to wait for Mom to come back and eat with me."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoguo was a little upset. "Didn't I tell you to eat first? I don't even know when I'll be back. If I don't come back until tonight, are you going to wait for me till then?"
Although she knew that Zhuang Zhuang was very sensible, Xiaoguo still felt her heart ache for the boy. Fortunately, she came back early. If she had really come back in the evening, Zhuang Zhuang would have gone hungry until night time. This child...
"Mother, Mother, please don't be angry. I won't do it again." Zhuang Zhuang saw that his mother was a little angry and his voice broke into a helpless cry.
Xiaoguo squatted down and hugged Zhuang Zhuang. She explained patiently, "Zhuang Zhuang, I'm not angry. I can only put my heart at ease if you can take care of yourself. When I think about how you went hungry while waiting for me to eat, do you know how terrible I feel?"
With that, Zhuang Zhuang rubbed his head against Xiaoguo. "I understand, Mother. I'll take care of myself."
Xiaoguo nodded and said gratefully, "Thank you Zhuang Zhuang, for thinking of me and waiting for me to eat."
Zhuang Zhuang broke into a smile. Seeing this, Xiaoguo pulled Zhuang Zhuang to look at the things she had bought. "Let's go, Zhuang Zhuang. Let's see what good stuff I bought."
The first thing Zhuang Zhuang saw was the empty bucket. He looked at Xiaoguo happily. "Mother, have you sold them all?"
Xiaoguo nodded happily. "Yes, it was sold for a lot of money. Mother even bought you a lot of things."
Zhuang Zhuang ran excitedly to Xiaoguo's side to help her unload the cart. Xiaoguo released the chickens and ducks first. As soon as they were untied, the birds ran around the courtyard and started flapping their wings. Even the cows were startled and began running. The donkeys also cried out, adding to the commotion. The courtyard was instantly bustling with activity. Zhuang Zhuang had never witnessed a racket like this before. He ran behind Xiaoguo and hid himself in fright.
Once Xiaoguo had calmed Zhuang Zhuang down, she returned to the house and brought out the remaining grass they had. The flock of animals quieted down and they slowly gathered around to eat the grass—all was finally peaceful again. Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang both let out a sigh of relief.
Xiaoguo moved the things she had bought into the house and handed the books to Zhuang Zhuang first. "Look at the books I bought for you. There's also rice paper, pen and ink."
Zhuang Zhuang was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his mother to buy these for him. "Thank you, Mother."
Xiaoguo rubbed his head in gratification. "You're welcome. I'll teach you to read sometime."
The books in this era were basically all written in the clerical
Zhuang Zhuang went back to the room and carefully put down the books. He touched the paper with his small hands. Although he did not understand the words that were written on it, he was still so happy. He could not stop looking at the books.
Xiaoguo had to call out to Zhuang Zhuang, asking him to come out. The boy said that he was going to keep the books, but he had not come out yet. She had bought so many things and wanted to show them to him. Zhuang Zhuang finally ran out and he saw the fabric that Xiaoguo had taken out. He touched it happily. "Mother, is that for me?"
"Of course. I will make some clothes for you."
Zhuang Zhuang nodded his head repeatedly, and Xiaoguo showed him the meat she bought. Zhuang Zhuang exclaimed multiple times as he had never seen so much meat before. Mother was just too amazing.
Xiaoguo told Zhuang Zhuang to take the cloth shoes back to the house and she headed to the kitchen with the remaining items. The rice in the pot was still warm. Xiaoguo intended to eat this for lunch and would whip up something delicious for dinner.
While Zhuang Zhuang was still putting the shoes away, Xiaoguo quickly used the ring and stored the meat in the refrigerator on the 'other side', leaving only the lard behind. She will use it for cooking in the afternoon. Just as she was done, Zhuang Zhuang had come back into the kitchen. He helped to pour the rice into the vat. Xiaoguo was afraid that Zhuang Zhuang would be hungry by now, so she stopped unpacking and got ready for lunch.
Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoguo finished all the rice in the pot. Xiaoguo let Zhuang Zhuang take a short break after lunch while she went out to return the donkey cart to Mrs. Li. She led the donkey out the door and walked towards Mrs. Li's house. In fact, there was another reason for visiting Mrs' Li. Xiaoguo grasped the three taels of silver in her pocket—she was going to make an offer for the donkey. Firstly, she would need to go to the market often, and secondly, it would also help to relieve the financial burden on Mrs. Li.
After Xiaoguo voiced out her intention, Mrs. Li agreed without hesitation. Three taels of silver was enough for her family to tide through several years.
Xiaoguo went home with the donkey, and gathered another cart-full of grass on the way. There were more animals to feed now, so she had to stock up more grass. When Xiaoguo got home, Zhuang Zhuang was still sound asleep. She took out the vegetable seeds she had bought and planted them. The seeds she bought were all for seasonal vegetables, and it was just the right time to plant them now. There wasn't enough plot space, so Xiaoguo extended the perimeter of the plot.
Xiaoguo was quick with her hands and finished planting in a short while. Zhuang Zhuang had woken up as well. Xiaoguo called out to Zhuang Zhuang to go up the mountains with her. She was going to cut a few trees so that she could make a fence to enclose the chickens and ducks.
Zhuang Zhuang sat himself on the donkey cart with a basket and sickle in his small hands— looking like he was ready to cut some trees. However, Xiaoguo saw it and took it from him. She was worried that he might hurt himself, so she gave him a stick instead. Even so, Zhuang Zhuang was still happy.
Xiaoguo walked beside the cart and held the rope, leading the donkey to the foot of the mountain. There was no need to enter the mountain after all as there were many short trees with branches that were just the right thickness for making a fence.
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