Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

"Girl, what are you doing in the street?" Zhao Tingliang asked while half-lying in the car.

"I want to buy some coal. We don't have enough firewood at home, and it's too cold inside." Zhao Da'e really wanted to buy coal for cooking: "I'll also buy some vegetables and stuff."

“No need to buy coal, we’ll just go to the village to buy coal this time. They usually give you a little extra after weighing it, and I always manage to have half a bag left over every time I go out. That stuff isn’t worth much anyway. Besides, you can just talk to your great-grandfather and ask him for a few bags, that’s all.”

“No, that would make my great-grandfather make a mistake,” Zhao Da’e refused.

"That's true. But coal isn't cheap. It's five cents a pound now. Two or three pounds of coal can only buy a pound of corn," Zhao Tingliang sighed.

(Baomi is corn, also known as maize, depending on the region. The author refers to it as either baomi or bangzi. This is related to the modal particle. In summary: it's called bangzi when people eat it, and baomi when it's not for human consumption.)

"But we can't let them freeze to death, it's so cold outside," Zhao Da'e sighed.

Zhao Tiesheng didn't go to chop firewood, and he didn't have much time anyway. He could go out and collect cow dung, but the smell was too strong; burning cow dung during his postpartum period was definitely not advisable, as it would be extremely choking. He could only burn firewood or coal; there was no other way.

Zhao Tingliang closed his eyes and pretended to sleep for a while.

The carriage continued on its way, passing other horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts from other villages. In this era, horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, and ox-drawn carts were the primary means of transportation for production in rural areas.

In his past life, Zhao Da'e had always dreamed of owning a horse-drawn carriage. How prestigious that would be! He could ride it to the market, to temple fairs, and wander around everywhere. Plus, the horses wouldn't need gasoline; they could be fed just grass or corn stalks—convenient and cheap. Unfortunately, in his past life, Zhao Da'e couldn't even afford a carriage…

So this was the first time Zhao Da'e had ever ridden in a horse-drawn carriage, and he was quite pleased with himself.

Of course, it would be even better if I could buy a horse and ride it myself, galloping across the vast grasslands.

It was past eight o'clock when the carriage finally arrived in Dongshao Town. Dongshao Town has a large market day on the third and eighth days of the lunar calendar, and the market is quite crowded. Groups of young women and married women are there, all dressed smartly and beautifully.

However, none of them dressed as smartly as Zhao Da'e. Her pink cotton-padded coat was a modern industrial product that cost a lot of money, definitely not comparable to a handmade cotton-padded coat. At least it had a zipper and a built-in hood, and the color was a real pink. Zhao Da'e's skin was also exceptionally fair and delicate, the kind of cool-toned white. Even in the freezing cold, her complexion remained fair with a rosy glow, not the kind of red from the cold, but the kind of lightly made-up look.

Everyone had never seen such a beautiful and lovely little girl, and she was dressed so well. They couldn't help but take a few more glances and exclaimed: "This little girl is so pretty, she looks like she stepped out of a painting."

In those days, people who could afford to come to the market in Dongshao Town were either rich or powerful. Most people were still very poor, barely able to make ends meet, and had almost no spare money. For example, Zhao Da'e's family rarely went to the market.

Zhao Da'e watched the people come and go, sitting quietly in the car. Every era has its own characteristics, and she has now been reborn, returning to that innocent and kind era.

They visited relatives very frequently, and had excellent interpersonal relationships in the village. He only needed to exchange a few words with Zhao Tingliang, and Zhao would readily take him out. In later generations, this would be unthinkable; both sides would be afraid of being extorted by the other.