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

Xiaoman and Chuntao looked back and saw a little boy who looked about seven or eight years old. He was holding a bamboo bird in his hand and was running and shouting.

He did not stop but kept running forward, shouting loudly: "A big buyer from Beijing has arrived at the entrance of Dongcun. He specializes in buying dried bamboo shoots. They are three cents per pound. As long as the goods are good, we can eat as much as we want. If you have some at home, go and weigh them quickly. They will not accept them after tonight." His voice had a strong local accent and the ending tone was very long, making him sound like singing, completely different from the tone of his previous words.

Xiao Man pointed at the boy's back and said, "That must be the kid from the dock. He must have recognized us." Then she muttered, "Those five copper coins were worth it."

"Do you still want the dragonfly? Sister Tang Shuang will give it to you!" Tang Shuang saw Xiao Man still hesitating and couldn't help but urge her. She walked past Jing Chunxi and reached out to take the bamboo dragonfly from Xiao Man.

Unexpectedly, this remark provoked Chun Tao to criticize her again: "Sister Tang Shuang is really a good person. She didn't take a single copper coin with her when she left the capital, but now she is rich."

As soon as Chuntao finished speaking, Tangshuang's face turned red immediately. She explained awkwardly: "Who said I didn't bring it? Miss carried my silver for me. Besides, it's not like I won't get any silver this time. I will pay it back when the time comes. Sister Chuntao thinks a copper coin is too big of a big deal. It's obvious that she is stingy. I felt that her hands were tired, so I helped her carry the jar." After she finished speaking, she pouted, raised the jar in her hand, and looked very unhappy.

These words made Chuntao and Xiaoman laugh so hard that Chuntao couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hands while Xiaoman clapped her hands and stuck out her tongue at Tang Shuang, making Tang Shuang so angry that she stamped her feet but could do nothing about it.

Jing Chunxi looked ahead at the still-long alleyway, but saw few people going to the market. She had a vague feeling that they might have gone the wrong way. "Why are you arguing over a penny? Hurry up! Buy Xiaoman a bamboo butterfly too, Chuntao, and pay quickly. Ask the shopkeeper next door where the busiest market is later?" Her voice was filled with urgency; she clearly didn't want to waste any more time; it would be dark soon.

When Xiaoman heard what Jing Chunxi said, she quickly waved her hands and said with disgust: "I want dragonflies. Butterflies are for girls to play with. I don't want them." His expression was very serious, as if butterflies would really embarrass him.

When Chuntao paid the copper coins, she saw a pen holder that was planed very smoothly and carved with flowers at the old man's feet. When she asked, she found out that it was only one penny each.

This time Chuntao didn't ask who it was, she just picked out three pen holders and stuffed them all into Tangshuang's hands, saying, "These are for you, one for each of you."

When Tang Shuang heard this, she immediately quit and just wanted to throw the pen holder back to Chun Tao. She said hurriedly, "I don't write, why do I need a pen holder?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jing Chunxi glared at her and scolded her, "If you don't learn to read and write after returning to Qingshan Villa, I won't take you anywhere with me."

This made Chuntao and Xiaoman laugh again. Xiaoman even stuck out her tongue at Tangshuang, which made Tangshuang so angry that she stomped her feet, but she could do nothing about it.

In the end, she could only throw all the pen holders to Xiaoman, and Chuntao had to take two to reduce Xiaoman's burden.

"Miss, we've taken the wrong path. This is the road people from the mountains use to enter and exit the city. We have to go back and climb up again to reach the bustling market."

Chuntao asked the shopkeepers of two shops in succession, then turned back and pointed in the direction of the street entrance they had just entered. There was a hint of apology on her face, and she obviously felt that she had not asked for directions in advance, causing everyone to walk a lot in vain.

As they walked forward, Chuntao continued, "The shopkeeper said that the busiest place is the largest market in the city, which is just above the pier. He said that you have to walk up a lot of steps to see the platform with the black sculpture of the mountain god. The streets on both sides are the busiest." As she spoke, she gestured in the direction, fearing that Jing Chunxi didn't understand.

Frosting nodded with an understanding look and said, "So they believe in the mountain god! They really have the same customs but different habits!" There was a hint of curiosity in her tone, as if she was full of interest in this strange place.

Jing Chunxi also nodded, thinking that this place was indeed very different from the capital, full of the rustic atmosphere of the mountains.

When they reached the spot they had just turned from the dock, about a dozen shops away, Tang Shuang looked up and started yelling, "Uncle Chong, what are you carrying?"

She saw that the people walking down the stairs from above were indeed Chong San and his five guards. Each of them was carrying a brand new large backpack on their shoulders. It was obvious that the backpacks were newly bought. The backpacks looked heavy on their backs.

"Why are you so slow? You're still here. The market in the mountain city closes early. I just heard someone say it's almost over. Look at all the people walking downstairs. They're all going home. Don't squeeze in.

"Miss, please go to the right quickly. People going down the mountain can't stop."

Chongsan was carrying a full backpack and, as he spoke, gestured for Jing Chunxi to move aside. He spoke so much without seeming to be out of breath, clearly demonstrating his excellent stamina.

A guard also replied: "Everything we need to buy is here. Pork is very expensive, vegetables are expensive too, but the mountain products are cheap." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone. He was obviously dissatisfied with the prices here, but he also felt that he had gotten a great bargain by buying the mountain products.

Chongsan said again, "Miss, we are in for a treat tomorrow. I have bought a lot of wild pheasants and wild birds at very low prices.

I didn't buy any pork or vegetables, but only wild vegetables from the mountains. The captain said that wild vegetables are delicious if you blanch them in water and mix them with sesame oil.

After hearing this, Jing Chunxi remembered that they were going to have dinner at the restaurant tonight. It seemed that they had already been informed. She smiled slightly and nodded to show that she understood.

Seeing them coming out to buy groceries, six of them, carrying six large backpacks full of stuff, Jing Chunxi couldn't help but ask, "Is that all?"

Several people chatted about this and that, talking about it in a grandiose way, but the amount didn't look that much, how could it be enough for several days? She looked at Chongsan with some doubt, wondering if they bought too little.

Chongsan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. We won't buy those heavy items unless you help us carry them aboard. That's why they are very active and have asked the guards to take them down first."

Jing Chunxi raised a thumb to remind them: "Be careful when you go down the stairs. They are very steep. It's a bit scary to look at them without your stuff." It is said that going up the mountain is easy but going down is difficult. Looking at it this way now, the stairs are really too steep.

She felt a little worried when she saw Chongsan and the others carrying such heavy things and having to look carefully at the stairs below.

Chongsan nodded and said, "Don't worry, we are all veterans, so this step is no problem for us."

Just as they were about to let each other pass, Sugar Frost suddenly asked them, "Is there anything delicious up there?"

Her eyes were shining, and it was obvious that the only thing on her mind was the delicious food.

A guard said quickly, "Don't eat some fried insects. We've tried them and they taste weird. But we have steamed bacon. I'll cut you a long piece like this for ten cents. When you bite it, your mouth will be full of oil and it has a smoked and roasted taste. It's delicious. You can give it a try." As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to indicate the length of the bacon, with an expression that said he had made a profit by buying it.

The guard who was speaking seemed to be the one that Tang Shuang had captured and brought back to cook for him last time, so he was very friendly with Tang Shuang. As he spoke, he smacked his lips, as if he was still savoring the taste of bacon.

After hearing this, Sugar Frost couldn't help but swallow her saliva and said, "Let's go up and buy a piece to try."

Chuntao listened from the side and couldn't help laughing: "You greedy people only think about eating." As soon as she finished speaking, everyone laughed and the atmosphere suddenly became much more relaxed.