”My mother-in-law has been less critical of me lately. Today when we went to town, she asked me to buy some melon seeds and peanuts for everyone to eat. She also gave me an extra five cents and told me to have a bowl of noodles so that it wouldn’t get cold.”

　　Xing Ge’er was very happy when he talked about it.

　　Li Zhouzhou was also happy for Xing Ge’er.

　　When they arrived in the town, people went in groups of three or four to buy New Year’s goods, or sell eggs, meat, and firewood.

　　Some families slaughtered their pigs early, and planned to sell them in the town for some money. Seeing that the New Year was approaching, cloth and cotton for making new clothes had been bought and prepared a few days ago. Now the New Year goods bought were candies and cakes as gifts, or some dry goods such as maltose, vinegar and salt for the family. Families who loved their children bought some handkerchiefs, hairbands, snacks, toys, etc.

　　Therefore, on the way here, I would know whether you were selling or buying things. We went to the same shop to buy hairbands and handkerchiefs. We agreed to meet at the town gate and went on our way together.

　　Li Zhouzhou and Xing Ge’er can buy together. They did it once ten days ago. Now Xing Ge’er has finished running errands for the public housing and bought salt and dried goods. There is a cake and candy shop next door. When he returns to his mother’s house for the New Year, his mother wants to save face, so he must buy a piece of candy and some wine. Before leaving, he asked his sister-in-law, who said that he didn’t need to bring candy, but just some dried fruit maltose, and gave him fifteen cents.

　　”Zhou Zhou, why did you buy three pieces? So many?” Xing Ge’er was surprised.

　　Li Zhouzhou said, “My husband wants to visit the Master during the New Year.”

　　”I’m not going to teach you anymore, why are you still giving me things?”

　　”My husband also wants to ask about the teacher’s academic performance.” Li Zhouzhou didn’t say much.

　　Xing Ge’er grumbled to himself that studying was really a waste of money. The two of them bought some things, such as sugar, wine, dried fruit candy, etc. Xing Ge’er bought a small toy for Yuan Yuan, and they finished their work early.

　　”Let’s go get some noodles?” Xing Ge’er asked, still afraid that Li Zhouzhou would not agree. “We bought it early, so the other people in the village must not have arrived yet. It would be so cold to stand at the entrance to the town now.”

　　Li Zhouzhou: “Let’s go.”

　　When they got to the noodle stall, Xing Ge’er ordered some meat noodles. Unexpectedly, Li Zhouzhou also ordered a portion of meat noodles. It was quite strange. “I thought you wanted to save money.”

　　”Eat occasionally.” Li Zhouzhou said this, but he remembered that his husband had told him before he left, that it was cold and tiring to go shopping in town, so he should eat at the stalls in town at noon and not come back hungry, and he also told him to eat meat.

　　Li Zhouzhou felt warm in his heart when he thought of his husband acting coquettishly with him.

　　The two of them ate quickly and were the first to arrive at the oxcart at the town entrance. After waiting for a while, everyone came out one after another. Some were unloading goods, some were chatting about what they had just bought, and some were cracking melon seeds while waiting for people.

　　Xing Ge’er integrated perfectly, and Li Zhouzhou listened on the side.

　　”Who hasn’t arrived yet?” asked the village chief.

　　Someone craned his neck to look around, “Aunt Wang and the Zhang family.”

　　There was no choice. They waited for a while before the two arrived. The village chief drove the ox cart back, but no one got on it. Everyone was leaving, with the things they bought and the baskets of each family on the cart.

　　”Why so late?”

　　”Don’t say that. I’m so angry. I went to buy some candy and it looked like the same thing. Why did you ask me for three cents more? It looked like the same thing.” Tian imitated what had just happened.

　　Someone said, “Are you talking about the new candy shop? I know that shop, but it’s three cents more expensive than the old shop, and it seems a little heavier. I didn’t buy anything because I thought it was too expensive and went to the old shop.”

　　”If you think it’s too expensive, just go to the old shop and buy it.”

　　”Why? It’s exactly the same thing. I like it.” Tian liked the candy packaging from the new shop, which was tied up with a red string. It could be used as a hairband and given as a gift to her younger brothers and sisters when she returned to her parents’ home during the Chinese New Year.

　　The old shop uses hemp rope.

　　Several people heard Tian’s clamor. Someone asked Aunt Wang why she was so slow. Aunt Wang had no expression on her face and said, “The store that bought firewood this year didn’t accept it, so I knocked on a few more doors.”

　　It turned out that the weather got cold early this year, and the family to whom Aunt Wang sold firewood last year had already bought its firewood early. She had to find another buyer. She finally found a buyer, but seeing that Aunt Wang was in a hurry to sell, he lowered the price by more than ten cents. Aunt Wang carried two loads of firewood, and couldn’t take it back. After going back and forth, she finally sold it.

　　She made 15 cents less than last year. How could Aunt Wang be happy?