"Dad, let's go stroll around the market."
After leaving the food factory, Chen Yang called out to his father-in-law, who was feeding a large cabbage to the donkey, and suggested they go wander through the market.
With the relaxed policies of the Qinghe City Administration for Industry and Commerce, there had been fewer police patrols in the nearby alleys recently.
This small business had a certain "don't ask, don't tell" vibe. The alley, once a black market, now had a hint of the atmosphere of a later-day farmer's market.
However, there were no fixed stalls, and it was usually the nearby farmers who brought their vegetables and fruits to sell. No one collected stall fees.
"Is everything settled?"
Shen Futang flicked the whip. The donkey had finished eating, and it still needed to be disciplined, otherwise, it might kick. This was the elder's experience.
"The money has been paid, and everything has been arranged. Now we just wait for Manager Wang's news."
"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be too much trouble."
Chen Yang had paid two thousand yuan. In this era, even the most precious dairy cow wouldn't be worth more than that.
"Alright, then let's head to the market and take a look."
"I just bought some bones from the butcher. They'll make good soup. I'll boil some for our daughter when we get back."
"At the market, we need to buy some red paper to write couplets, and two sets of door gods. We also need to get some firecrackers."
Speaking of couplets, Shen Futang was a bit proud. His son-in-law was a scholar. During New Year's, many villagers asked Chen Yang to write couplets for them.
It was common for people to offer peanuts and melon seeds as payment for his calligraphy. In the past, Chen Yang was too lazy to go to work and relied on this New Year's activity to earn some food and get by with New Year's goods.
But this year was different. Their home had dozens of pounds of preserved meat hanging, and they had raised over a dozen chickens. This was unique in the entire Shenjia Brigade.
"Okay, let's buy some ink too. I'm sure many people will come to our house to write couplets then."
"Weigou and Maosheng have both returned to the city. I expect I'll be busy this year."
Chen Yang's calligraphy was learned under duress from Chen Liming in his childhood. Although he hadn't undergone systematic training and couldn't be considered a master, his handwriting was neat and proper.
In the city, it would be unlikely for a young man like him to be asked to write, but in Shenjia Village, his handwriting as an educated youth was still impressive.
"When people ask you to write for them, it means they respect you."
"It's a matter of prestige to write couplets for their doors. If I could recognize more than a handful of characters, I'd be scrambling for this kind of opportunity."
Shen Futang was a man who valued face. Chen Yang understood his father-in-law's temperament and didn't say much more. He drove the old donkey, and they ambled their way to the market.
"Glutinous rice cakes! Made with new rice this year! Simmered in soup, they're more fragrant than meat!"
As soon as they entered the market, they heard a vendor selling glutinous rice cakes. This was the taste of the New Year. Southern Anhui was known for its glutinous rice cakes made from fine rice, while Northern Anhui used sticky rice.
Shenjiaba Village hadn't organized making glutinous rice cakes for several years. Seeing them being sold today, Chen Yang was reminded of his first year in Anhui Province.
The village had a good harvest, and the old Party secretary organized the villagers to make glutinous rice cakes. The villagers brought out their newly harvested rice from that year, soaked it overnight, and then in the early morning, they would pound the soaked rice into a paste and steam it.
The firewood crackled, and the steam from the pot carried the fragrance of rice, making even the person tending the fire salivate with desire.
A small piece was cut from the freshly steamed rice cake, dipped in chili sauce, and the sweet, sticky, and spicy taste was truly delicious.
"New Year pictures! Paste them at home, and the Guanyin who bestows children will visit, bringing many blessings and good fortune!"
As they walked past the rice cake stall, a stall selling New Year pictures of cherubic babies immediately caught the attention of both Chen Yang and Shen Futang.
These New Year babies were plump and adorable, clearly symbols of good fortune. Pasting them at home for the New Year would be very festive.
The little girls held lotuses, and the little boys held gold ingots, symbolizing wealth and auspiciousness.
"Villager, how much are these New Year babies?"
Chen Yang was immediately smitten. Shen Xue was pregnant, and looking at these pictures made him feel joyous. He wanted to buy some to paste at home for the New Year.
"One jiao for a pair. Don't think it's expensive. These babies are all hand-painted, and I used pigments. It's a skill passed down through generations." Su Dan Novel Network
The seller of the New Year pictures was an elderly man. He had a brush by his side and was painting while selling.
In later generations, printing machines could produce hundreds of these in a minute, but at this time, it was still the work of skilled artisans, drawn stroke by stroke.
Honestly, one jiao for a pair was not expensive at all.
A person would spend a long time painting one pair. While the overall appearance was similar, each pair had subtle differences in expression, as it was handmade and couldn't be perfectly identical like machine printing.
"I'll take six pairs."
Chen Yang bought six pairs directly, clearing out all the New Year pictures of babies on the stall. He planned to paste them on the large windows and doors at home to create a festive atmosphere.
"Alright! Young man, are you going to be a father? This old man wishes you an early birth of a noble son and everlasting prosperity for your family!"
When the old man heard that Chen Yang was buying them all, he quickly put down his brush and packed the New Year pictures.
"Thank you for your kind words, elder. Here's the money, please keep it safe."
After buying the New Year pictures, Chen Yang saw that they were selling radishes and bought two large ones. Along with the bones his father-in-law had bought, they would make a soup.
As the saying goes, "Eat radish in winter, ginger in summer." Now was the time to eat radishes.
One radish could be stewed into soup, and another could be shredded for a cold salad. It was truly delicious.
Shredding the radish, sprinkling it with salt to draw out moisture, wringing it dry, then adding vinegar, soy sauce, some small chili peppers and minced garlic, and finally drizzling hot oil over it to mix. It was definitely a good accompaniment to rice.
After a stroll through the market, most of the vendors were selling vegetables. Other daily necessities were far less abundant than in later generations.
It was understandable, as many things didn't have factories producing them. State-owned factories were mostly built according to national production tasks, and they couldn't provide the variety of daily necessities that a market economy would offer.
Chen Yang went to the cloth store. Using the cloth coupons he bought from Grandpa Liao Er, he purchased fabric and then went to the tailor shop. He asked Liang Hongmei to custom-make new clothes for the whole family.
Shen Xue and the baby's measurements were already recorded from last time. His mother-in-law and Chen Hao had similar builds to them, so only the styles needed to be different. Chen Yang and his father-in-law took their own measurements.
For the New Year, everyone should wear new clothes. He also ordered two tiger-head hats for the two little ones. The weather was getting colder, and without hats when it snowed, they would suffer.
He had originally planned to make a set for his sister-in-law as well, but he didn't have her measurements. Chen Yang decided to wait a few days until she had a break from school, and then measure her when he picked her up from school.
Wandering around, more than half the day passed. The father-in-law and son-in-law, driving the donkey cart, hurried back home.
As the end of the year approached, the weather was getting colder. Old folks said that looking at the weather, it was likely to snow.