Chapter 15
Marketplace
After the meal, Zhuang Zhuang cleared the dishes and brought them to the kitchen. Xiaoguo followed behind him, waiting for his reaction as he went in.
Just as she had expected, when Zhuang Zhuang saw the big fish in the basin, he exclaimed excitedly, “Mom, big fish! Big fish!”
Xiaoguo was delighted to see Zhuang Zhuang so happy. Zhuang Zhuang asked his mother, “Did you catch this fish?” Xiaoguo nodded.
Zhuang Zhuang looked at his mother in admiration. “Mother, you’re amazing.”
Xiaoguo felt a tinge of pride. It was quite a wonderful feeling to be admired by her son, but she still replied calmly. “Ahem, I’ll take you there the next time I go.”
Zhuang Zhuang nodded repeatedly, his small hands stirring the water to tease the fish. Xiaoguo then started to wash the dishes.
As Xiaoguo had nothing much to do, she got ready to bring Zhuang Zhuang out after eating. Just as she was locking the door, she saw Mrs. Yang hurriedly walking towards the entrance of the village. Xiaoguo thought that something had happened. She hurriedly ran after Mrs. Yang to ask what the matter was.
When Mrs. Yang saw that it was Xiaoguo, she stopped and panted. “Ha… it’s you. Ha… I’m in a hurry to board the carriage at the village entrance. We’re rushing to the county fair today. Everything is selling for half price.” Before Xiaoguo could speak, Mrs.. Yang slapped her forehead and said, “My brain must be failing me! Didn’t you want to buy seeds? There are bound to be bargains. Hurry up, get ready and follow us there.”
Hearing this, Xiaoguo wanted to run home immediately to get her things. ”
But what about Zhuang Zhuang
? She wondered. Mrs. Yang said to Xiaoguo, “How about this? I’ll go to the village entrance and reserve seats for us on the carriage. You can go back home to get your money, and also send Zhuang Zhuang over to my house.”
Xiaoguo agreed without another thought. Mrs. Yang urged her to hurry. She picked up Zhuang Zhuang in her arms and started running home. As she ran, she told Zhuang Zhuang, “Mother is going to the county to buy something. Wait for me at Mrs. Yang’s house. I’ll pick you up as soon as I get back.”
Zhuang Zhuang nodded obediently. Xiaoguo dropped him off at the Yang family before going home to get the money. She took all the money she had and got to the gate just in time to board the carriage. She heaved a sigh of relief once she managed to sit down.
The carriage was full. Fortunately, Mrs. Yang had come early and saved a good seat for her. Xiaoguo finally had a chance to ask Mrs. Yang, “I didn’t know that it was county fair day today?”
“I heard that they won the war. Most of those who contributed greatly in the battle came from our county.” As she spoke, Mrs. Yang pointed to a distant place without mentioning a name, “… handed out the reward. It was fifty taels of silver for the county. The county redistributed the money to the merchants. That was why they organized this sale to repay that person’s generosity.”
Xiaoguo nodded in understanding. She knew who Mrs. Yang was referring to. The only person that the commoners could not casually talk about was the one sitting in the palace’s Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The ride brought them to the county. This was the first time Xiaoguo had seen such a lively scene. Neither the original host nor Xiaoguo had been in an ancient market.
Xiaoguo looked at the crowds strolling on the street, and the shouting vendors behind their stalls. “It looked exactly like the scenes depicted in TV dramas. Our ancestors were telling it like it was.” Xiaoguo made a mental note of what she was seeing in front of her.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the market and couldn’t go any further. Xiaoguo handed over a copper coin and alighted with Mrs. Yang. As soon as they got out of the carriage, Mrs. Yang cautioned Xiaoguo to keep her money carefully. Xiaoguo nodded and acknowledged her advice. Xiaoguo looked around curiously and saw that Mrs. Yang was constantly looking out for her. She felt embarrassed and told Mrs. Yang, “Don’t worry about me. Go and get what you need.”
“No, no. It’s your first time here. It’s better for me to bring you around.” Mrs. Yang shook her head and said.
“You need to get more things than I do.” Xiaoguo continued to persuade her. “I’m just going to walk around. Besides, I can find my way around here. I’ll wait for you at the market entrance when it’s time.” Xiaoguo added.
Mrs. Yang was still hesitant about leaving Xiaoguo alone. She did have a lot of things to buy. Seeing that Mrs. Yang was still reluctant to go ahead by herself, Xiaoguo told her, “There are so many people here. The good stuff will be gone in no time.”