An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

As we walked forward, the closer we got to the market, the more small stalls selling snacks there were on both sides. Some women and maids used only a bench and a winnowing basket to do business, and most of the food they sold was homemade.

There are steamed cakes made with brown sugar and white sugar, glutinous rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves, triangular rice dumplings, water chestnut cakes, and ma la cakes, as well as fried fruits fried in a large pot... There are a wide variety of steamed, boiled, and fried foods, and you can smell a different aroma at every stall, making you salivate.

"Aunt, wait for me."

Zhuang found it a little funny to see Jing Chunxi's eyes were not enough and his steps were not fast enough, but it was already past noon and she was in a hurry to go to the market to buy things, so she really couldn't wait.

She had already discussed with the old lady at home that they would have to steam rice cakes and make rice dumplings during the New Year, so they had to buy glutinous rice, chestnuts, red dates, salted duck eggs, brown sugar and white sugar, and countless other small things. She regretted not giving the little notebook she had written down to her daughter and two sisters-in-law, giving them some free time.

"Mom! Mom! I saw Third Aunt and the others in that shop. Please go over there quickly. I'll take care of cousin Xi." Dalang spoke loudly. He pulled his mother's sleeve, stood on tiptoe and pointed to a place not far away, urging her to hurry over.

I knew his mother was busy and she definitely couldn't wait for Cousin Xi to dawdle.

Zhuang was not as tall as Dalang, nor did she have as sharp eyes as him, but Dalang still took her forward for more than ten steps and finally helped her find the group of sisters-in-law as she wished.

Turning back, Jing Chunxi and her cousin dashed into a grocery store. She had so many things she liked that she needed a bamboo basket to carry them all. She had to buy every bit of food she hadn't tried on the street. She had promised the two little girls last night that she would buy them delicious and fun things, otherwise they would cling to their room and refuse to go back to sleep.

I have to satisfy the two little dumplings’ cravings, and let my family taste the delicious food of Lingnan and feel the different New Year atmosphere of Lingnan.

Dalang carried the bamboo basket and followed closely behind Jing Chunxi. He didn't spend much money along the way, but the bamboo basket was half full.

I bought several kinds of pastries with different flavors, including white sugar cakes, brown sugar cakes, thousand-layer cakes with fillings, and rice cakes wrapped in leaves with several kinds of fillings, including red bean paste, sesame and peanuts, and pickled vegetable and minced meat. I had to order several of them.

Fried salty and sweet dumplings are longer-lasting, so Jing Chunxi bought a lot more. The two of them ate as they bought, and they didn't want to stop even when their stomachs were full. They were glad that they didn't eat an extra bowl of wontons just now, otherwise they would have missed out on such a treat.

They stopped until the basket was almost full and were about to go back to their families when Sanlang and Silang showed up first. Silang was holding food, while Sanlang was holding a small toy, which must have been bought for the two dumplings.

Si Lang stared at the bamboo basket in Da Lang's hand and said, "Why are you buying so much? Second Aunt and Third Aunt have already bought these foods."

Jing Chunxi wasn't surprised. If other people were buying it, it must be a good thing. "You can keep it in this weather. It's not like you can't eat it tomorrow if you eat it tonight."

Shilang was holding a long, golden fried food in his hand. He took a bite and held it up for them to see. The white filling inside was translucent, as if frozen. "This fried milk strip is delicious. It's hot on the outside, cool on the inside, and crispy. But you can only eat it while it's hot; it's hard to take back. You'll regret it if you don't try it. I'll take you to buy some."

After saying that, regardless of whether they agreed or not, or whether they wanted to eat or not, he took them to the center of the market. Every child was given two taels of silver when they went out today. When they were at home, they were thinking about saving money, but when they saw the good things, they didn't want to keep them at all.

Except for the shops in the outer circle, the entire market has an open space in the middle, but there are also neat rows of stalls supported by wooden pillars. The roofs are covered with thatch to protect against wind and rain. The stalls are made of wooden boards. As long as you pay the rent, you can buy and sell here.

The area is simply divided, with stalls selling meat, seafood, live poultry, chicken and duck, while those selling vegetables are squeezed into an inconspicuous corner, and the rent for the stalls should be cheaper.

Jing Chunxi was dazzled by the sight as he walked around the market, but even with several cousins ​​protecting him, he was still squeezed and trampled on by many people.

In her previous life, back in the village, she had gone to the market outside with the cook, but it was just a small market with about ten stalls at the entrance of the village, similar to the small market at the dock in Yamen Village. This was the first time she had seen such a large New Year's market.

Of course, there must be better and more concentrated markets in the capital, but they are not places where young ladies and gentlemen like them can go.

Seeing that his cousin had two more free baskets, Jing Chunxi did not hesitate and bought a lot of food according to his own ideas as long as it was needed for the New Year. After all, there were many people in his family, so there would be no leftovers if he bought too much.

In the end, I found that I couldn't lift it, so I decided not to buy it.

As the four of them squeezed out, they saw a stall selling couplets at the corner of the street, which was crowded with people.

Seeing people collecting copper coins non-stop, Silang felt envious and said, "If I had known earlier, I would have asked my third uncle and second brother to write couplets as well. I'm sure we could have made a lot of money."

Jing Chunxi: ...

"Hurry up and go in to pick out some red paper. When we get back, let them write on it. We have a lot of things to put up at home." They need to be put up on the main door, the front yard, the second yard, and the third yard. If we have chickens, we need to put a "Prosperity of Livestock" sticker on the chicken coop.

Since there are two scholars at home, we definitely cannot let them sit idle. It would be a waste if we spend money to buy couplets written by others.

"Hey! Why is it you?"

The person in front turned around and met Jing Chunxi's face, as if he had met someone familiar. Dalang and the others turned around in surprise. How could they meet an acquaintance in a place like this?

"Miss."

Jing Chunxi recognized the young lady who shared wontons and meat eggs with her at first sight, and was also excited. It was a happy thing to be recognized by others when there were so many people crowded together.

"Are you buying couplets too?" asked the eldest lady.

She looked at Jing Chunxi, the two young men who were following Jing Chunxi with baskets, and then at Silang who was trying to squeeze in to buy red paper, and couldn't help asking.

Jing Chunxi answered truthfully: "If someone in the family can write couplets, we can buy red paper."

"Then there's no need to squeeze in here. The red paper here is also bought from the shop and sold at a markup, so the price is much higher. Red paper is sold in ordinary grocery stores. Just follow me."

After hearing this, Sanlang hurried over and pulled Silang out.

The eldest lady was accompanied by a maid and a woman-servant, and they were also carrying a lot of things in their hands.

The three of them led the way, Jing Chunxi followed beside the eldest lady, and Dalang and others followed closely.

She introduced herself: "My name is Jing Chunxi."

The eldest lady looked at her and smiled, but did not introduce herself, just nodded.

"This is my grandmother's shop. Feel free to pick up anything you need. I'll ask the waiter to give you a discount."

Upon hearing this, Dalang quickly waved his hands aside and said with a simple and honest look, "No, no, it's just a small business. It's very kind of the young lady to bring us here. No need for a discount."

Then he noticed that the eldest lady was staring at him without comment, and his face turned red.

Jing Chunxi couldn't help rolling her eyes. She didn't know what was wrong with her cousin. He hadn't even bought anything yet, so why was he so anxious? She could just say that.

But I also feel that what they bought were just ordinary things, and it was very good that the young lady brought them here. There is really no need for a discount. This kind of small shop only makes a little extra money during the New Year holidays, so it would be unreasonable to give a discount.

But he did understand the meaning behind the eldest lady's words: "Miss, are you going back to grandma's house?"

The eldest lady said: "Yes, my family is in Zhaoqing Prefecture. This time I came back to give New Year gifts to my grandmother's family. There are so many delicious foods here. I also bought some to bring back for my mother to taste the taste of home."

He also said that he would go back tomorrow.

After introducing herself, she watched Sanlang and Silang go in to pick up things and not come out, and then she saw two large baskets of things at Dalang's feet. The eldest lady also looked at Jing Chunxi with curiosity: "Are you here to visit relatives too?"

Today, Jing Chunxi wore the simpler clothing he had brought with him from the capital. The style wasn't fancy, but the fabric was excellent. Dalang and the others also wore fine silk tunics, clearly not local attire.

Jing Chunxi saw that the eldest daughter wasn't the type to curry favor with the powerful; she was genuine. From the fact that she'd shared her wontons, he knew she wasn't particular about small matters. So he didn't hide the fact: "My maternal grandfather and his family were exiled to Yamen Village."

"Oh!" The eldest lady opened her mouth slightly, her eyes a little surprised, but the surprise only flashed by, and then she looked understood.

Then they were both silent for a long time. She then said, "We have the custom of worshipping our ancestors before the New Year. If you need, you can buy some paper money and offerings."

Then she pointed to a corner on the right side of the shop, and sure enough, she saw several local people selecting things that were usually used for Qingming Festival worship.

There are about ten different kinds of things used for worship, including paper money, incense and candles, paper houses, mountains of gold and silver, BMWs and incense cars cut and folded from paper, some small paper figures held up by sticks, and even incense burners.

Jing Chunxi thought, even though ancestor worship is only celebrated during Qingming Festival in the north, his grandparents had come all the way here to settle down, and even when their property was confiscated, they didn't have time to pay their respects to their ancestors. Now that they're here, the elders will surely remember to pay their respects and perhaps tell their ancestors where the family has settled.

Dalang also thought of it, and moved the basket beside him to Jing Chunxi's feet, saying: "Xijie, watch, cousin, go and choose. In this unfamiliar place, we still have to comfort our ancestors."

Jing Chunxi looked at the eldest lady gratefully. She just smiled and asked the maid beside her to talk to the waiter about the discount. Then she said she had something else to buy and led the servants away.