Finally, Yingbao paid for two pairs of hair flowers made of colorful silk and three pairs of exquisitely carved wooden combs, the kind that can be pinned on the hair as decoration, which is very popular nowadays.
There was also a copper-tipped dry tobacco pipe and a bunch of small wooden toys.
Things like a lucky chariot, a jigsaw puzzle, a Kongming lock, and two little horse heads made of colorful paper cost her a total of 180 cents.
Jiang Sanlang was amazed to see how his little girl was so good at picking things and spending money.
The little gadgets she bought may look inconspicuous, but each one is exquisite, beautiful and very practical.
After trying to persuade her a few words and seeing that her daughter wouldn't listen, he just let her go.
After all, the money is her own. As long as the little girl is willing, she can buy someone to take back.
The father and daughter were shopping as they walked around.
Jiang Sanlang bought New Year's door charms, and Yingbao bought candied haws.
While Jiang Sanlang chose bowls, plates and chopsticks, Yingbao bought candy figures.
In the end, the big backpack could no longer hold anything and his hands were full, so Jiang Sanlang had no choice but to walk back with his daughter on his back.
Suddenly, Yingbao, who was looking down from a high place, saw a young man in ragged clothes with a load of firewood in front of him. On the black firewood, there seemed to be a few golden shrunken mushroom ears growing, which were particularly eye-catching.
"Dad! Dad! Go over there quickly!"
Yingbao patted her father's shoulder and pointed to the roadside, saying, "Go over there."
Jiang Sanlang thought his daughter had seen something delicious again, so he reminded her: "Bao'er, we bought too many snacks, it's hard to carry them all."
"No snacks, Dad, put me down, I want to go see that." She pointed with her little hand to the roadside.
"Uh..." Jiang Sanlang turned his head and was stunned.
There was no one selling food or toys in that direction. There was only a ragged boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, and a load of firewood in front of him.
Does my daughter really want to buy someone
Ugh! What is he thinking? Why would his daughter want to buy a black boy
But the girl struggled and insisted on getting down. Jiang Sanlang had no choice but to put down the backpack by the roadside, sit on a rock to rest his feet, and wait for his two nephews.
Fortunately, this place is already on the outskirts of the market, there are not many people setting up stalls, and there are few people, so there is no need to worry about the little girl being stepped on by others.
Yingbao was carried out of the basket by her father, and ran to the pile of firewood. She looked up and asked the ragged boy, "Are you selling firewood?"
The boy saw that it was a tiny little kid wearing a tiger-head hat who came to ask questions, and thought she was curious, so he nodded.
"How much is it?" Yingbao asked.
Boy: "Three cents."
Yingbao smiled and asked, "How much does it cost to send it home for me?"
The boy frowned and asked, "Where is your home?"
"Dongchen Village." Yingbao answered.
"Dongchen Village." The boy thought for a moment and said, "Send it to Dongchen Village... five cents."
"Well, come with me later." Yingbao put five coins in the boy's hand, "This is the money for buying firewood, I'll give it to you first."
The young man nodded, clenched the copper coin in his hand, pursed his lips, and a small dimple appeared on one side of his cheek, obviously he was very happy.
Yingbao saw the dimple that flashed across the boy's cheek and was stunned for a moment, then looked at him carefully.
He has delicate features, a thin face and a cold expression, but he is a little dark, probably because he has been working in the fields for many years.
After watching it for a long time, the sense of déjà vu disappeared. Yingbao turned around and ran to look at the firewood.
Jiang Sanlang was stunned by his daughter's actions.
Why would a little girl buy a load of firewood for no reason
There is no need to spend money on firewood at home. There is plenty of firewood in the back mountain. You can just go there and carry back a load.
But what can I do if my daughter has already bought it? Just let her do it.
Jiang Sanlang didn't know that his daughter was not buying firewood, she was buying the golden ears on the dead wood.
Yingbao squatted in front of the firewood, and had already plucked off two finger-sized golden ears with her little hands. She sniffed them under her nose, pretended to put them in her pocket, but actually quietly put them into the cave.
Hehe, I didn’t see the snow fungus, but I found the golden fungus which is more precious than the snow fungus.
She wanted to put the firewood that grew golden ears into the cave, and then pour some water on it to see if they could grow more.
Yingbao stared at the bundle of firewood and reached out to dig around to see if there were any more golden ears inside. She heard her father calling her:
"Come here Bao'er, your cousin is here, let's go home."
Jiang Sanlang finally saw his two nephews appear, and immediately called his daughter into the backpack.
"Hey." Yingbao agreed, not forgetting her firewood, and signaled to the ragged boy: "Let's go home, you hurry up and follow."
"Yeah." Without saying a word, the young man bent down and picked up the firewood.
Chuanhe Town is about five or six miles away from Dongchen Village. It is not easy to carry a load of firewood and walk that far.
When they finally arrived at the place, the boy was so tired that his face was red and his whole body was sweating.
While he was untying the rope of the pole, Yingbao asked, "Where did you get the firewood?"
The boy looked over cautiously, and seeing the kid's face full of curiosity, he paused and said, "In Shita Mountain."
"Where is Shita Mountain?" Yingbao continued to ask.
The boy was silent for a moment, "It's west of Beishan Mountain."
"Oh." Yingbao licked the candy man in his hand, thought for a moment, took out two water chestnuts from his pocket and stuffed them into his pocket: "Here you go."
When she saw the young man barefoot in straw sandals, with his trouser legs torn and a long way off, revealing his ankles that were frozen purple, she couldn't help but think of someone she had met in her previous life, but that person had never been so miserable.
I don't know why I suddenly thought of him.
I remember that man's name was Chu Yan, and he was a school officer in the Governor's Office.
Every time I met him, he was wearing a brocade robe, with an embroidered spring sword hanging from his waist. His eyes looked at people like a sharp blade out of its sheath, cold and without a trace of emotion.
She also saw with her own eyes Chu Yan draw out the Embroidered Spring Sword and chop off a man's arm with one blow. His expression remained unchanged, as if he was chopping melons and vegetables.
But such a cold-blooded person was willing to be used by me and took great risks to help me escape from the Governor's Mansion.
The boy's eyes and dimples on his cheeks today were somewhat similar to his, especially the wary glance he gave him just now.
The boy hesitated, took the water chestnut, and whispered, "Thank you."
Yingbao watched the boy carry the shoulder pole away, licking the candy man again and again, with an expressionless face.
"Yingbao, what are you doing standing there?" Jiang Sanlang came out of the kitchen and saw his daughter standing at the gate of the yard, so he asked curiously.
Yingbao came back to her senses and said with a smile, "I'll find a place to pile up the firewood."
The boy carried the firewood into the yard and placed it next to the deer shed. She wanted to spread out the firewood one by one to check and see if there were some with golden ears growing on some of the dead wood.
Jiang Sanlang shook his head, ignored his little girl, and turned back to pack the things he brought back.
Most of the things in the backpack were small gadgets bought by Yingbao, and the New Year's goods he bought were just a few.
A piece of pork, a few bowls, a pair of chopsticks, a bag of coarse salt, two pieces of tofu, and a few door talismans, that's all.
Jiang Sanlang sighed, sorted the things and put them away, then scooped out a basin of wheat and prepared to go to his eldest brother's place to grind flour for making dumplings tomorrow, New Year's Eve.
After grinding the flour, he would also pound some rice to eat during the festival.
Then Yingbao squatted beside the firewood pile and checked each one, and found four pieces of firewood with golden ears.
She was so happy that she ran to her father with the firewood and asked, "Dad! Dad! Can you see what kind of tree this is?"
Only golden ears that grow on non-toxic trees can be eaten, and she wants to ask what kind of firewood this is.
Jiang Sanlang took it and looked at it carefully, then said truthfully, "It's a mulberry tree."
"Haha, I get it." Yingbao grabbed the stick and ran away again.
Jiang Sanlang was speechless. He shook his head and walked out with a basin of wheat.