Chapter 21 – First Time Online Shopping

Because she planned to visit the modern era, Xiaomei woke up early the next day.

She found that Grandma Wang and her second aunt had already slaughtered four chickens.

That was Aunt Zhou Huifang’s request—she didn’t want live chickens, she wanted them already slaughtered and cleaned.

“No heads, no tails, remove everything from the cavity except the liver, and don’t bring the blood either—it’s hard to handle.” That was Zhou Huifang’s exact instruction.

To keep the chickens fresh, Grandma Wang got up early to slaughter them, and Second Aunt Wang Peiying delivered two of them right after. Following Grandma’s lead, she slaughtered hers too.

Grandma Wang was going to throw away the heads and tails, but Wang Peiying said her husband, Tian Shuiguan, liked eating them. So Grandma gave her daughter all four chicken heads and tails, along with some other parts—and even a full bowl of chicken blood.

By the time Xiaomei got up, Wang Peiying had already left happily with the goods.

Wang Peigen and his wife had no idea why his mother and sister had slaughtered chickens so early. Where did the chickens even come from? A whole string of question marks filled their minds.

Grandma Wang quickly shooed them away. “They were bought on behalf of a zhiqing (sent-down youth). You two should go visit your mother in Hebei.”

Still confused, they recalled how their mom (mother-in-law) always got along well with the zhiqing. It all made sense. Besides, they were worried about the condition of the mother-in-law in Hebei, so they ate breakfast quickly and left to visit her.

Xiaomei greeted her parents, then washed up and ate.

After her son and daughter-in-law left, Grandma Wang packed the four chickens into a bag, and another bag with vegetables.

She tested the weight—it was heavy.

“Sweet girl, is it too heavy?” she asked, a bit reluctant. She didn’t want her granddaughter’s growth stunted from carrying heavy things before she even earned money. That would be a real loss.

“Grandma, it’s not far. Besides, if it feels heavy, I’ll just stop and rest.” Xiaomei reassured her.

“Okay then, take care. Tell Auntie Zhou she’ll get two more tomorrow.” Grandma Wang had made up her mind. Better to do it gradually—two a day was enough. No point exhausting her granddaughter.

After breakfast, Xiaomei brought her tools: a small stool, a scale, and a money pouch. Grandma carried the two bags, and they headed to the backyard.

They were early. The lunch box shop hadn’t opened yet, so Xiaomei dragged everything to the community’s market spot—it was exhausting.

Worried that ants or bugs would crawl on the chickens, she placed the chicken bag on the stool and stood to sell the vegetables.

Evening vegetable shoppers were mostly workers who grabbed groceries quickly on their way home. They didn’t nitpick or haggle.

But morning shoppers were mostly elderly people. They had plenty of time, many had grown vegetables themselves, and they were frugal.

So they would pick and choose, haggle, and sometimes even take extra handfuls after paying.

Xiaomei felt a bit nervous—after all, she was just a young girl and not used to handling this kind of situation.

Luckily, her vegetables were good, and Grandpa Zhou and others were there to support her. Sales went smoothly.

Someone noticed a blue plastic bag on her stool and asked what was in it.

Xiaomei said it was chickens from home.

The person went over and opened the bag without asking. “Oh, real farm-raised chickens. I’ll buy one for a hundred yuan.”

Grandpa Zhou chimed in, “You can’t even get a Sanhuang chicken for that! These are backyard chickens fed on bran, worms, and snails—300 yuan each. Already reserved.”

With everyone glaring at him in disdain, the man wasn’t angry. He just laughed. “You can’t shop without bargaining, can you? Girl, will you be back tomorrow? Save one for me.”

“You need to leave a 200 yuan deposit,” said Grandpa Zhou.

The man glared at him. “I’m not buying from you, mind your own business.”

Xiaomei quickly smiled, “Sorry, grandma doesn’t raise many chickens, and we mostly give them to relatives. We’re not selling to outsiders right now. Maybe when we have more in the future.” Then she grabbed a handful of Chinese toon shoots. “Why not buy some toon shoots? They grow by the riverside and will get tough in a few days—won’t be edible again until next year.”

That successfully diverted the man’s attention to the shoots.

From then on, others knew this girl had genuine farm chickens. If they wanted some, they’d have to ask her in advance.

By mid-morning, Xiaomei had sold all her vegetables and overheard plenty of gossip. Today’s hot topic was a regular buyer whose family had apparently opened a hotel chain.

Xiaomei loved hearing gossip—it was full of life and helped her understand this era better.

Before 7:30 a.m., she had sold out. She paid one yuan stall fee, bought a mille-feuille pastry (“Mmm, delicious”), and walked toward the lunch box shop.

The shop wouldn’t open until 8:30, so Xiaomei went to the market.

Fruit vendor Xiang Lingling waved at her warmly. Xiaomei walked over. “Sis, can I rest here for a bit?”

“Of course!” Xiang Lingling said, even helping her unload the chicken bag. “So heavy—what’s in it?”

“Farm chickens—for Auntie Zhou from across the street,” Xiaomei said, nodding toward a neighboring stall. “I’m going to check something over there.”

While selling veggies earlier, Xiaomei noticed that the elder vendors all had small waist pouches with multiple compartments for different denominations—very convenient.

She wanted one too.

Unfortunately, the neighboring vendor didn’t have one.

When she mentioned this, Xiang Lingling smiled, “I’ll buy one for you online.”

She immediately started operating her phone.

That phone fascinated Xiaomei—it seemed so full of mystery.

Fortunately, most elderly vendors didn’t use phones for payments—only cash. Otherwise, Xiaomei wouldn’t know what to do.

Still, they had phones to make calls, read news, and take photos—which made Xiaomei jealous.

What a great era.

She leaned in to watch Xiang Lingling use her phone.

Wow—it really was a wonderful world!

Lingling picked out a few options and asked which one Xiaomei liked, handing her the phone.

Xiaomei nervously took it, hands trembling, which made Lingling laugh.

“Your parents must be strict,” she said. “Most kids your age already have phones. You look like it’s your first time seeing one.”

Which, of course, it was, Xiaomei thought.

“Our family can’t afford it,” she explained.

Lingling nodded. A child this young, out selling goods—it must be a struggling household.

She took the phone back. “I’ll help you choose.”

She picked one with the best value from earlier and showed it to Xiaomei. “How about this? Cheap and practical. If you grow tired of it, your family can use it later.”

Xiaomei peeked. It was ¥3.90—cheaper than she expected. She beamed. “Let’s get this one!”

Lingling ordered it. “What’s your home address?”

“Huh?” Xiaomei asked.

“The package needs to be shipped. I also need a contact number.”

“Can you have it sent here? We don’t have a phone at home,” Xiaomei asked shyly.

Lingling thought for a moment. “Sure. Come back in a few days to check if it’s arrived.” Then she tapped away. “Done.”

“You paid already?” Xiaomei asked—she hadn’t seen any money exchanged.

“Yep. Shipping was ¥1.06, but it’s waived. I paid ¥3.90.” She showed Xiaomei the receipt.

Xiaomei was baffled. How did the money leave her hand? Who brings the package?

But she recalled how people in supermarkets and bakeries paid with phones—scan, beep, then leave with the goods. So she wasn’t too surprised.

Step by step, she’d get to use a phone herself one day and slowly learn about this world.

Suddenly, she remembered something. “Sister, do you know where the wholesale market is?”

“I don’t. I shop online. Who still goes to those places?” Seeing Xiaomei’s embarrassed face, she quickly added, “Wait, I’ll ask around.”

She asked other vendors.

From their info, Xiaomei learned about the Qianwanli Bridge Wholesale Market.

The vendor even explained which bus routes to take.

Worried Xiaomei would forget, Lingling recorded the directions on her phone, then wrote them down on paper. “If you forget the route next time, just come ask. It’s saved in my phone.”

Xiaomei pulled out ¥5. “Thanks, Sis. This is for the bag.”

“I don’t have change,” Lingling said awkwardly.

“No worries. I’ll be back in a few days for some bananas anyway.”