Chapter 11: Sparrow Market

Early in the morning, Shen Mo’er had just come out of the treasure vault when she heard a braying sound—”Aah-hee-haw!” She opened the door and saw a donkey cart parked in the courtyard of the brigade headquarters next door, already carrying several people.

She quickly called her father, and the two of them hurried to wash up. They didn’t bother making breakfast and simply cut up the golden sweet melon given by Auntie Chen yesterday. Father and daughter each ate half a melon, then left the house.

Once they got on the donkey cart, they saw that Auntie Chen was there too, holding a basket filled with half sweet melons and half cucumbers. Shen Mo’er quickly looked away and greeted her, “Auntie Chen.”

Auntie Chen beamed and shifted over to make room for her. “Come, come, sit next to Auntie.”

Shen Mo’er sat down beside her, while Shen Shaoyuan sat next to a male comrade.

Before long, Zhou Mancang and Uncle Liu—the man in charge of driving the cart—arrived. With a flick of the whip, the donkey began trotting forward, clip-clop-clip-clop.

There were six or seven people on the cart, women sitting on one side and men on the other. It was quite cramped. Luckily, it wasn’t hot yet; otherwise, the sweat would’ve poured off them.

Shen Mo’er looked around curiously. Although she had the original host’s memories, there was a difference between memories and seeing with her own eyes. The memories were like looking through a veil—hazy and indistinct. But now the veil had been lifted, and everything was clear.

“Comrade Fu, where are you headed later? Want to go together?”

A soft voice rang out. Though it sounded like it was deliberately hushed, everyone was sitting so close that they all heard it. Shen Mo’er turned to look and saw a young girl sitting on the inner side of the cart. She had short hair cut to her ears and a slightly round face.

“Not going the same way,” came a cool, indifferent reply.

Shen Mo’er looked toward the voice and saw a male comrade sitting across from the girl. Since getting on the cart, he had kept his elbows on his knees, face buried in his arms, so she hadn’t seen his face—only a thick head of hair.

Now he lifted his head, and Shen Mo’er finally saw his features.

So handsome!

One look and she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He had elegant brows, refined features, and fair, scholarly skin. His dark eyes were bright, like starlight—exceptionally good-looking.

Even though the capital of Great Liang was filled with talented men, and Shen Mo’er had always been one to appreciate good looks (having seen no small number of handsome men), none had ever felt as perfectly suited to her taste as this man before her.

What a pity.

Just a bad temper. The girl had only invited him to go together, and he didn’t even ask where she was headed—just flatly refused her, leaving the girl embarrassed.

Shen Mo’er thought for a moment and managed to recall their identities from the original host’s memories: the man was named Fu Mingze, and the girl was Yang Qingqing. Both were educated youth from Yangliu Brigade.

Yang Qingqing’s eyes turned slightly red, and she forced a smile. “If we’re not going the same way, never mind then.”

Fu Mingze gave her a glance and said nothing, burying his head back into his arms.

Auntie Chen, being a warmhearted person, saw Yang Qingqing looking upset and kindly offered, “I’m going near the food station. If that’s on your way, we could go together.”

Yang Qingqing smiled politely. “I’m not going there. Thank you, Auntie Chen.”

Auntie Chen waved it off, saying it was nothing. She just wanted to help the girl save face with a casual gesture.

When they reached the commune, everyone got off the donkey cart one after another. They agreed on a time to return to the brigade, then went their separate ways.

“You’re headed to Sparrow Market too, right?” Auntie Chen pulled Shen Mo’er aside and asked in a low voice.

Eh?

Shen Mo’er blinked, then quickly nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Truthfully, she didn’t have a clear destination in mind—just newly arrived in this world, she was very curious and wanted to explore beyond the village. Plus, she now had local currency and hoped to buy some everyday goods.

But from the original host’s memories, she knew that stores were rare in this world. There was a department store in the county, but the commune only had a supply and marketing cooperative and a food station. And even if you had money, that wasn’t enough—you also needed ration coupons.

As for the Sparrow Market… after thinking carefully, she vaguely remembered the original host had heard of it but had never been, so her memory of it was faint. No wonder she hadn’t recalled it earlier.

“For us old farmers, besides getting a few feet of cloth coupons per person at the end of the year, we don’t get a single hair more. What can we do if we don’t go to Sparrow Market to trade for daily necessities?”

Auntie Chen chattered as they walked. “At Sparrow Market, selling your own homegrown or handmade items is fine, but hoarding and reselling are not allowed. Still, I’ve heard people in the commune complaining, saying it’s capitalist behavior. So be careful when you go—don’t buy anything too risky.”

She lowered her voice further, sounding secretive. “There’s grain for sale too, but if you see it, pretend you didn’t. The Red Armbands are watching. If you get caught, you’re done for. If you really want grain, you have to go to the black market.”

She barely whispered the words “black market.”

“Still have to be cautious. Getting caught there means trouble too.”

Auntie Chen added another warning after some thought.

Shen Mo’er nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

“Hey, isn’t that Comrade Yang up ahead? Didn’t she say she wasn’t coming this way?” Auntie Chen suddenly said.

Shen Mo’er looked up and, sure enough, there was Yang Qingqing not far ahead.

“She’s trailing Comrade Fu,” Shen Shaoyuan whispered.

Perhaps because of the market, there were a lot of people on the road. Shen Mo’er looked around for a while before spotting the tall, straight figure in the distance. Just from the thick head of hair, she could tell it was Fu Mingze.

Looking closely at Yang Qingqing again—sure enough, she was stopping and starting, occasionally ducking behind other people. She was clearly tailing him.

“…”

Shen Mo’er was momentarily speechless.

Comrade Fu did indeed have a bad attitude, but he had already rejected her. There was no need to cling to him like this.

Sneaky and secretive—it didn’t look good.

Still, they weren’t close to either of the educated youth, so there was no need to meddle.

Shen Shaoyuan had spoken softly, and with so many people around, Auntie Chen hadn’t heard. She continued muttering, “These educated youth, they’re always a bit distant from us commune folks.”

The so-called Sparrow Market was actually a small, informal market formed spontaneously by nearby villagers. Officially, it was a barter system for homegrown vegetables, fruits, handmade goods, and so on.

But in reality, money was also used. And like Auntie Chen said, some even sold strictly prohibited items like rice, flour, grain, and oil. As long as they weren’t caught, it was fine. But if the Red Armbands caught you, labor reform would be the lightest punishment.

The market hours were short—usually only two or three hours. Once it ended, everyone scattered like sparrows, which is where the name came from.

Some places also called it the “Dew Market,” meaning it ended when the morning dew dried up.

The Sparrow Market of Liuqiao Commune was held on an open lot near the food station. When Shen Mo’er and her group arrived, many small stalls had already been set up. Most were selling fruits and vegetables, along with handmade bamboo baskets, rattan baskets, clay jars, and so on. Though it was a market, everyone wore cautious, guarded expressions, glancing around from time to time.

At the outer edges, two young men wearing red armbands stood with arms crossed, watching the market with sharp, serious eyes—like hawks stalking prey.

Auntie Chen was there to sell her basket of melons and cucumbers. She quickly found an empty spot and set down her basket.

Shen Mo’er and her father went off on their own. They wanted to buy two mats, so they had to search a bit farther.

Actually, they also needed quilts, but cotton and fabric were strictly rationed and could only be bought with coupons at the supply cooperative. They didn’t have a single cotton or fabric coupon, so it wasn’t an option for now.

After searching for a while, they finally found someone selling straw mats in a corner. The mats were tightly woven. Shen Mo’er rubbed one between her fingers and asked, “Do you have any bamboo mats?”

The weather was getting hotter, and bamboo mats were cooler than straw ones.

The vendor, a burly man with a beard, looked over at the two of them and said, “Buying for a dowry, eh? Bamboo mats are pricey, not many people buy them. I didn’t bring any today. If you really want one, come find me next market day.”

His eyes shifted slightly. Then he suddenly lowered his voice and asked, “Need cotton? You can’t have a dowry without two quilts, right?”

Shen Mo’er’s eyes lit up. She exchanged a glance with Shen Shaoyuan and didn’t deny they were buying dowry items. Mimicking the man, she also lowered her voice, “You have cotton too?”

The bearded man grinned, rubbing his fingers together in a money-counting gesture. “As long as the price is right, anything’s possible.”

He glanced around, then quickly rolled up the straw mat and hoisted it with a carrying pole. “Follow me.”

Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan exchanged another look, silently communicating:

—“Is this dangerous? What if he has bad intentions?”

—“I observed his stance—his foundation is weak. He’s all show and no substance. It’ll be fine, I can handle him.”

All right then. They decided to follow and take a look.