Chapter 48 – So Poor It’s Burned Into People’s Minds

The Sparrow Market was bustling with people. Earlier, due to the autumn harvest, the market had been closed for more than half a month. Now that it had reopened, the harvest was over, and everyone had some free time on their hands. There were plenty of buyers and sellers.

As soon as Shen Mo’er entered the market, she came across someone selling loaches. There weren’t many, probably around two jin (about 1 kg). She bought them all at once.

The young man selling the loaches was quite pleased and directly gave her a few field crabs from his basket as a bonus. “These things are all shell and no meat. No one wants to trade for them. You can have them.”

Shen Mo’er was already experienced now. This time, she had specifically placed an enamel jar inside the bamboo basket, perfect for keeping the loaches alive. As for the crabs, they were tied with straw, so she simply tossed them into the basket without worrying they’d crawl out.

Shen Shaoyuan really liked eating crabs. Buying two jin of loaches and getting several field crabs for free was a pleasant surprise. Shen Mo’er said happily, “The autumn breeze is rising, and the crab legs are getting plump. It’s the perfect season for crabs. I really got a bargain.”

The young man didn’t seem to think so and replied honestly, “No one wants them. There’s barely any meat, and you have to use a lot of ginger and garlic to get rid of the fishy smell. It’s just not worth it.”

An older woman selling vegetables nearby chimed in, “It’s not just ginger and garlic—you also need cooking wine and vinegar. Oh my, with that kind of money, wouldn’t it be better to just buy a couple of liang of pork?”

In these times, everyone was frugal. These things that required lots of seasoning but barely filled the stomach were really unpopular.

Shen Mo’er smiled. “In any case, thank you.”

With that, she continued walking.

Liu Yunshuang poked her head around and muttered, “Crabs are really plump this season. Lots of crab roe and fat. Add some yellow wine, red sugar, and ginger slices to stew the field crabs in yellow wine and sugar—it’s a Southeastern recipe. Fragrant, sweet, and nourishing.”

Shen Mo’er glanced at her subtly.

So… in the future, the college entrance exams would be reinstated. People from the village would be able to enter the cities, and even travel far and wide… Things like yellow wine and red sugar were considered luxuries now, but in the future, people would use them to cook crabs—something nobody currently liked. That meant, looking ahead, people’s lives would really get better and better.

Logically, in such a crowded marketplace, Liu Yunshuang shouldn’t be afraid anymore. But for some reason, she kept following closely behind Shen Mo’er.

Whenever Shen Mo’er stopped to buy something, Liu Yunshuang would stand beside her and watch. A woman selling pears was using a faulty scale, and Liu Yunshuang noticed it immediately. She got into a full-on argument with the woman, nearly throwing her weight off the scale. In the end, the woman had no choice but to admit fault, not only giving the correct weight but also letting Liu Yunshuang sneak an extra pear, claiming it was to “balance the weight.”

Afterwards, Liu Yunshuang looked at Shen Mo’er with a face full of “Aren’t I amazing? Hurry up and thank me!”

Shen Mo’er: “……”

Anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought you were the one buying the pears.

Still, she went along with it, praised her a little, and said thanks. After all, she really wouldn’t have noticed something like the faulty scale—she had no experience with that sort of thing.

Later, Shen Mo’er bought some tofu, tofu skin, and dried daylilies.

She didn’t buy any vegetables though. The vegetables on their home plot were growing well. Sometimes when she pulled a few out, Aunt Chen and the others would notice and casually help her plant a few new ones. As a result, they had an increasingly diverse variety. For just her and her father, there was more than enough.

Unexpectedly, she ran into the old man who sold woven vine baskets the last time.

“Uncle, are the baskets still six yuan each or eleven yuan for a pair?” Shen Mo’er asked.

To her surprise, the old man actually recognized her. His wrinkled face lit up with a warm smile. “Ah, young lady, it’s you! Last time you really helped me out!” He waved his hands repeatedly. “No price-haggling. If you want one, it’s just five yuan.”

Shen Mo’er actually wanted to buy two. They already had a pair at home, and buying another pair would make two sets—nice and symmetrical. But money was really tight lately. She still hadn’t paid off that eighty yuan bicycle debt. Plus, she’d need to bring some money on her trip to the provincial capital. It really wasn’t the time to spend freely.

Thinking it over, she finally said, “Then I’ll just get one.”

“If you want two, then just take two. If money’s tight, just pay us next time,” came a sudden voice. Liu Yunshuang, who had just been watching the drama unfold from a nearby stall, appeared out of nowhere again.

Shen Mo’er wanted to say, That’s easy for you to say. It’s not easy for the old man to weave a basket. And five yuan isn’t exactly a small sum—who would just give it out on credit for no reason?

Before she could speak, Liu Yunshuang turned to the old man and called out, “Grandpa!”

The old man saw her and immediately smiled kindly. “Ah, Xiaoshuang, you’re here. You know this young lady?”

Liu Yunshuang replied, “We went to middle school together.”

Then she turned to Shen Mo’er and motioned with her chin. “This is my grandfather.”

Old Liu beamed and said, “Oh, so you’re Xiaoshuang’s classmate! It’s fine, young lady. Just take the basket for now. When you have the money, pay us then.”

Shen Mo’er hadn’t expected this old man to be Liu Yunshuang’s grandfather.

But now that she thought about it, the last time he did mention that the design of the basket was his granddaughter’s idea—that no one else was selling anything like it—and that it was his granddaughter who insisted they couldn’t sell it for less than five yuan. Thinking about it this way, the pricing—six yuan for one, eleven for two—was probably Liu Yunshuang’s idea as well.

A design that no one else sold… could it be a future trend?

Shen Mo’er took a closer look. She wasn’t sure if it was just in her head, but the more she looked, the more unique the design seemed.

Still, she said, “I’ll just take one for now. It’s enough for the moment. If I need more, I’ll come back.”

Old Liu chuckled warmly as he handed her the basket. “That’s fine too. Young lady, we’re from the Pine Tree Brigade. Which brigade are you from? Come visit us if you have the time!”

Liu Yunshuang said, “She’s from the Yangliu Brigade, it’s nearby. As for visiting our house—forget it. That little shabby mud house of ours doesn’t even have space to step into. Once we save enough money and buy a house in the county, then we’ll invite her over.”

Old Master Liu had already gotten used to Liu Yunshuang talking like this. Although he thought in his heart that rural folks like them dreaming of buying a house in the county was unrealistic, he still agreed verbally with his granddaughter. “Once we buy a house in the county, of course we’ll invite your classmate over. But she can come now too! Didn’t we just gather some wild pomelos from the mountains the other day? Invite your classmate to come eat pomelos at our place.”

The old man was honest, kind, and warm. Shen Mo’er couldn’t bring herself to directly refuse. She smiled and said, “There’s some things going on at home recently. I’ll come by when I have time.”

Old Master Liu immediately smiled so widely that his eyes squinted. “Good, good! Come when you have time. The pomelos keep well—you must come.”

His granddaughter didn’t have any close friends her age. Because she’d had such a big falling-out with the family, the villagers avoided her. Now, finally seeing a girl who was willing to talk to his granddaughter, the old man was overjoyed.

Shen Mo’er paid for the basket, said goodbye, and walked away carrying it. She hadn’t gotten far when Liu Yunshuang caught up and shoved a tightly rolled piece of cloth into her arms, whispering, “I said it was a gift, so just take it. And remember, keep it a secret!”

Shen Mo’er hadn’t expected her to be so persistent. After several failed attempts to refuse—and worried about drawing attention with so many people around—she simply accepted it. Thinking for a moment, she said, “Then I’ll come visit you at Songshu Brigade another day.”

Liu Yunshuang’s eyes flickered. She hadn’t expected Shen Mo’er to say she’d come visit her at Songshu Brigade. She knew her own situation well—after falling out with her family and the brigade, her reputation was indeed terrible. But she didn’t care. Now that she had a second chance at life, living comfortably was more important. Once the reforms started in a couple years, reputations would mean nothing.

But for now, her reputation really was bad—even childhood friends from the same village avoided her, afraid of being dragged down.

Yangliu Brigade and Songshu Brigade were right next to each other. Shen Mo’er had definitely heard about her, and yet she still said she’d visit.

Liu Yunshuang felt touched, but her face remained cold and indifferent as she said aloofly, “Fine, whatever.”

Shen Mo’er smiled and continued walking into the market.

Liu Yunshuang watched her leave, then turned back to her grandfather’s stall.

Shen Mo’er quickly finished a full round through the market. She didn’t see that bearded man, Brother Bao, but he wasn’t present at every Sparrow Market anyway, so she didn’t think much of it.

As she returned to the entrance of the market, unexpectedly, she ran right into Zhang Junliang and his mother.

Zhang Junliang had been staring at her from afar, his gaze full of pain mixed with contempt, and even a trace of resignation. Shen Mo’er found him utterly baffling—she gave him a glance, then ignored him.

Unfortunately, the market was crowded and packed. As they brushed past each other, Shen Mo’er still caught what Zhang’s mother muttered under her breath with a spit: “She’s just a substitute teacher, what’s the big deal? Hmph, a filthy slut.”

Shen Mo’er had originally intended to ignore this strange mother and son, but if Zhang’s mother was asking for a fight, then naturally, she wouldn’t hold back.

The two were walking straight toward each other—perfect timing. Shen Mo’er raised her hand and gave her a resounding slap.

Smack! A crisp, loud sound.

Instantly, people nearby stopped in their tracks, turning with wide eyes filled with curiosity. What was this all about? Why had a fight broken out so suddenly?

Some who’d overheard Zhang’s mother muttering earlier said to themselves, So they know each other, huh? Calling that girl a filthy slut in public? Of course she got slapped.

Zhang’s mother was stunned. It took her a moment to recover before shrieking, “Aah! You hit me! You damn tramp, how dare you hit me?!”

Shen Mo’er raised an eyebrow, stepped slightly to the side, and delivered another slap. “With a mouth that filthy, of course I’m slapping it!”

She then swiftly delivered a flurry of slaps—smack smack smack—until Zhang Junliang finally snapped out of it and rushed over frantically.

“Shen Mo’er! You’ve gone too far! My mom’s words were harsh, yes, but how can you just hit someone? Don’t you know how to respect your elders?!”

Shen Mo’er gave him a flat look and asked coldly, “We’re not even related—how is she my elder? Let’s ask everyone here: if you were walking down the street and someone randomly called you a filthy slut, wouldn’t you hit them? She came out here looking for a beating—how’s that my fault?”

Whoa!

Those who hadn’t heard the original insult finally understood why this pretty girl had suddenly started slapping someone.

“Well, when you put it that way, it’s really not her fault. The girl didn’t provoke anyone, and this middle-aged woman suddenly cursed her out. Anyone would retaliate.”

“Exactly! Some of these older women are like that—they see a young, pretty girl and just have to spread rumors and talk trash. How could she not get mad?”

“Hey, it’s been dealt with now. Since the hitting’s done, and it was your side that started it, let’s just drop it, okay? Don’t block the entrance and hold everyone up.”

…

Not a single person stood up for Zhang’s mother.

Who would sympathize with someone who randomly cursed out a young woman?

But Zhang’s mother, used to bossing others around at home, couldn’t swallow the humiliation. Ignoring what others said, she rushed at Shen Mo’er: “You damn tramp! You went on a blind date with my son but you’re hooking up with some educated youth?! How is it wrong for me to curse you?!”

She lunged at Shen Mo’er, hands flailing, trying to grab her hair. But Shen Mo’er was much taller—she couldn’t even reach her. Instead, Shen Mo’er caught her wrists and held them tightly.

Zhang Junliang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, full of grief and fury. “I can’t believe you’re this kind of person! Let go of my mom! If you don’t, don’t blame me for getting physical! I don’t want to hit a woman!”

As he rushed forward to “rescue” his mother—

Before he could even touch her, Shen Mo’er struck first. She kicked his leg sharply, sending him tumbling to the ground. Then she gave a forceful shove and tossed Zhang’s mother right on top of him.

After finishing, she clapped her hands, as if brushing off something dirty from them, and said coolly, “Don’t go around spouting nonsense again, or don’t blame me for getting physical. I don’t like hitting people—it tires my hands.”

With that, she tightened the straps of the bamboo basket on her back, turned, and walked away crisply and decisively.

The people left behind looked at each other in stunned silence. After a while, someone muttered, “Saying he didn’t want to hit a woman—he’d have to be able to land a hit first.”

That broke the silence, and others couldn’t help but start whispering too.
“That girl actually went easy on him. Did you see how swift that kick was? She moves like someone trained.”

“I heard back during the early days of smashing the Four Olds, some warrior monks from Guangyan Temple came down the mountain and returned to secular life. Our brigade had one of them—the old monk took in a few young disciples, all of them pretty capable.”

“And didn’t another brigade have a family that used to work as bodyguards? Still practices martial arts every day.”

“If you’re going to mouth off, pick your targets better. Picking a fight with someone who’s clearly trained—talk about kicking an iron plate! She was still holding back. Be grateful!”

…

Zhang Junliang had never been so humiliated in his life. His face was burning red with shame as he got up and helped his mother to her feet, then hurriedly left.

They didn’t buy anything in the end—he’d completely lost face, how could he still be in the mood to shop?

Shen Mo’er had no idea what had happened after she left. She also didn’t know that the crowd had shifted topics completely—now wondering whether she was a disciple of a wandering warrior monk, or a martial arts heir from a family tradition.

She found her bicycle at the parking area near Sparrow Market, got on, and rode to the food station. There, she bought half a pound of pork and some pig offal that didn’t require ration tickets. Then she went to the state-owned restaurant to buy some white steamed buns before riding home.

When she got back, Shen Shaoyuan had already prepared lunch—a simple noodle-dumpling soup with egg and Chinese chives. The soup was very flavorful.

After lunch, before Shen Mo’er could call anyone, Fu Mingze and the others arrived. Zheng Jiamin was visibly excited.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s hurry up and get into the mountains—we still have to cook when we get back!”

Wang Qiutong was just as enthusiastic.
“Let’s go! Let’s head in!”

Fu Mingze looked exasperated and even yawned.
“They were up before dawn, just waiting to get into the mountains.”

Shen Mo’er: “…”

*

Autumn is the season of harvest. Not only are the crops in the fields ready for collection, but there are also many ripe wild fruits in the mountains. On their way into the hills, they passed quite a few villagers.

Most were older women with young children or older kids taking their younger siblings. They generally didn’t go too far—just wandered around the nearby hills.

Some of them had just entered the mountains like Shen Mo’er’s group, and some were already on their way back to make lunch. Most carried baskets covered in grass, so it was hard to see what they’d collected. But then they ran into Aunt Chen and her group, and Chen Maomao was cheerfully carrying a bunch of wild grapes, bouncing along while eating.

When he saw Shen Mo’er, he immediately held out the grapes to share.
“Sister Mo’er! Wild grapes! They’re super sweet!”

Aunt Chen quickly pulled out another bunch from her basket.
“Ran into them by chance—lucky day! Take them and enjoy a sweet treat.”

Zheng Jiamin took them without hesitation.
“Thanks, Aunt Chen!”

He pulled two candies from his pocket and handed them to Maomao.
“You have something sweet too.”

Maomao’s smile was so wide, his eyes turned into crescents.

“Oh dear, Comrade Zheng, you’re always so polite,” Aunt Chen said with a smile, glancing at Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze. “See you next time.”

Since there were too many people around the outskirts, Shen Mo’er’s group went deeper into the forest. They didn’t manage to spot any wild pheasants or rabbits, but they did find a wild chestnut tree along the way.

The chestnut tree was tall and big. The group split up the tasks—Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin used sticks to knock down the chestnuts, while Shen Mo’er and Wang Qiutong gathered them.

Some chestnuts still had their spiky husks, while others had already shed theirs on the ground. In no time, they filled two bamboo baskets.

Wang Qiutong was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, and even had her hair wrapped in a handkerchief—clearly well-prepared. A smudge of dirt had gotten on her face at some point, but she was excited.
“We actually collected this many chestnuts! Nature really is generous—this is great! Even if we didn’t catch any wild pheasants or rabbits, this trip was totally worth it!”

Zheng Jiamin was also delighted, but said,
“Chestnuts are chestnuts. Rabbits are rabbits. Pheasants are pheasants. Ideally, we’d get them all!”

Just as he finished speaking, they heard a sound not far away—“oh-glu-glu-glu.” It sounded like a chicken, but raspier than a domestic one.

Zheng Jiamin froze and murmured,
“Wait… could that be…”

He looked at Wang Qiutong, who was clueless.
“What? What is it?”

At that exact moment, on the other side of the tree, Shen Mo’er shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. In the blink of an eye, she pounced in front of a clump of brushwood. Just then, a long-tailed wild pheasant burst out of the undergrowth.

Thud.

A rock hit the pheasant square on the head. It wobbled mid-air and then fell back into the brush.

Shen Mo’er lunged forward and pinned it down. The bird struggled a bit but quickly went still.

She grabbed some nearby reeds and tied the pheasant up tightly, then dug through the nest where the pheasant had emerged and found several wild pheasant eggs on the ground.

Zheng Jiamin and Wang Qiutong ran up, both shouting louder than the other, like a duet:

“AAAAAHHH! Mo’er, you’re amazing! Oh my God! You really caught it! You caught a wild pheasant! A wild one!!! It really doesn’t look like a regular chicken—its head is smaller and its feathers are so long! I’ve never seen a wild pheasant before!!!”

“Comrade Shen Mo’er, you’re incredible! So skilled! And look, there’s a whole nest of pheasant eggs too! Oh my god, this is a huge haul today!!!”

The two of them were each pulling on one of the pheasant’s wings and neither was willing to let go.

Fu Mingze, who had intended to help Shen Mo’er pack the pheasant: “…”

Forget it.

Since they still had to cook later in the afternoon, they had originally planned to head back after gathering chestnuts. But now that they’d bagged a wild pheasant too, their mission was more than complete. They covered the baskets with some grass and began heading back.

That part of the trail was closer to the deeper forest and not very populated. Zheng Jiamin and Wang Qiutong didn’t bother to pack away the pheasant. They each held a wing and kept looking at it in fascination as they walked.

Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze walked side by side at the back.

Fu Mingze glanced at the excited pair in front, then took a small roll of ration tickets from his pocket and handed them to Shen Mo’er.
“Let me cover the cost of the meal today.”

Shen Mo’er didn’t take it. She turned to look at him.
“Why would you pay?”

Fu Mingze gave her a small smile.
“My fiancée’s family is hosting the meal. Isn’t it only right I pay?”

After a pause, he added,
“This morning, Uncle Shen came to talk to me. He said the meal is partly to thank the team leaders, and partly because Aunt Chen’s acting as a matchmaker—to make our relationship public. Given the current climate, we can’t have a big ceremony, so this counts as our engagement feast. When you’re of age, we’ll go register, and then hold a proper banquet.”

Shen Mo’er nodded. That was indeed what they’d discussed before. Still, she didn’t take the tickets.
“Keep your ration stamps. I get a salary. I’ve got more leeway than you.”

Fu Mingze was momentarily at a loss. He wanted to say he wasn’t as poor as she thought, but swallowed the words and just stuffed the tickets back into his pocket.

“By the way, when do you want me to pay you for the bike?” Shen Mo’er asked.

“No need. Let me pay for the bike,” Fu Mingze replied. “If I get it through Bao-ge, it’ll be even cheaper. Probably only seventy yuan.”

Shen Mo’er was surprised.
“You have that much money?!”

Fu Mingze sighed inwardly. Apparently his image as a poor man was firmly ingrained in her mind—like he shouldn’t have a penny to his name.

He explained,
“This was money my family scraped together before I came to the countryside—it was supposed to be my dowry. They were worried I’d end up settling here, so I never spent it. I saved it all. I don’t have anything else to give as a bride price. And the bike’s secondhand—you don’t mind, do you?”

Shen Mo’er smiled teasingly.
“Not at all. A secondhand bike’s more cost-effective. But aren’t you the one marrying into my family? Shouldn’t my family be paying the bride price?”

Fu Mingze glanced at her. The smug look she put on was rather adorable. He didn’t argue. Instead, he said gently,
“Then think of it as a gift from me to you.”

His voice was soft and affectionate. Shen Mo’er looked up at him, met his clear black eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

She quickly looked away, cleared her throat, and said,
“I was kidding. I talked it over with my dad. We won’t be having you marry in. Even if we don’t formally marry, we’ll live together just the same.”

Fu Mingze smiled.

Uncle Shen had mentioned that to him too. He didn’t mind—whether he officially married in or not, they were family. Even if their children took Shen’s surname, that was fine. What mattered was her.

Fu Mingze looked at Shen Mo’er, then suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, gently stroking her wrist with his fingers.
“Mm. Whatever you say. I’ll follow your lead.”

Shen Mo’er instinctively glanced at Zheng Jiamin and Wang Qiutong ahead, uneasily pulling her hand back.
“We’re outside. Let go.”

The spot where he held her felt like it was on fire. The heat spread through her limbs, and her face flushed bright red.

It was broad daylight—public space—not exactly crowded, but still not ideal.

Fu Mingze raised an eyebrow. His fiancée could be fearless at times—like she’d dare shoot a tiger with a bamboo arrow—yet sometimes she was timid and easily flustered. Just holding hands, and she was already embarrassed.

Let go? No chance.

Just then, Zheng Jiamin turned his head and shouted,
“Hey! You guys, look over there—”

Then, “Wait, wait, wait—Fu Mingze, what are you doing?!”