Chapter Thirty-Seven: Encountering the Grand Market

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“Judging by this, it’s probably been visited by the Yellow Immortal.”

Wang Laishun prodded the wound behind the chicken’s neck a couple of times, then turned around.

“Dongmei, didn’t you hear anything?”

“No, I didn’t…”

Qin Dongmei’s expression changed. She then looked at her elder sister. “Sis, did you hear anything?”

“Neither did I.”

Qin Qiumei shook her head as she gazed at the dead chickens scattered across the ground. Her younger sister had truly been plagued by bad luck lately; hardly anything had gone her way.

“Hmph, I told you she was wrongly accusing people, but you wouldn’t believe me. Look at that—she did something vile herself, brought the Yellow Immortal to her door, and now she wants to pin the blame on someone else. Isn’t she afraid of retribution?”

At that moment, Old Madam Wang muttered sarcastically, her wrinkled face full of contempt.

Qin Dongmei was so furious that her eyebrows stood on end. “You old hag, say another word and see if I don’t tear your mouth apart…”

People in the countryside were especially wary of weasels.

The moment Qin Dongmei discovered the wounds on the chickens’ necks, she knew things were bad. Her chickens had probably died for nothing.

She was already feeling miserable, and that old hag had to rub salt into the wound.

“Oh, listen to you—aren’t you fierce? You’re going to tear my mouth apart?”

Old Madam Wang let out a cold laugh, then shouted loudly, “Neighbors, come and judge this for yourselves! Who was it that blocked my door first thing this morning, insisting I had poisoned her chickens and demanding compensation? Before I could even figure out what was happening, she cursed everyone in my house from head to toe. What have I done to offend her?”

“If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’m not leaving!”

Qin Dongmei’s face turned livid. “Give you an explanation? In your dreams! If you hadn’t been luring my chickens over to your house every day to lay eggs, would I have suspected you?”

Neither woman was willing to back down. Clinging to their old grievance, they began quarreling all over again.

……

“A-Ling, what’s going on in there?”

Wang Susu came over and cast a couple of curious glances into the courtyard before asking in a low voice.

“A weasel got into that woman’s yard and killed all her chickens. She thought Second Aunt Wang from the yard behind hers had done something underhanded…”

Chen Ling briefly explained what had happened. Then he glanced at the sky and saw that the rain had stopped, so he folded up his umbrella.

“Come on. Let’s go home and eat. There’s nothing worth watching here.”

“Mm.”

Wang Susu was not one to meddle in other people’s affairs either, so the two of them turned and headed home.

Not long afterward, they had breakfast ready and were eating at the stone table in the courtyard. The shouting outside gradually died down.

After a while, Wang Laishun pushed open the gate and came in.

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“Good grief! No wonder it smelled so delicious. You’re eating meat first thing in the morning.”

“Haha. There’s been a lot of rain this spring, and last year’s dried bamboo shoots have started to absorb moisture. If we don’t eat them soon, they’ll go moldy, so I decided to fry some with meat.”

Chen Ling smiled and handed him a bamboo chair. “Uncle Five, have you eaten? Sit down and have something with us.”

“No, no. I’ve been eating early these days. I already had my meal.”

Wang Laishun waved his hand and sat down.

Only then did Chen Ling notice that he was carrying two chickens. He had held them behind his back while standing, and now that he was seated, he set them down by his feet.

Chen Ling glanced at them. “Are those the chickens you took from across the way?”

“What do you mean, took? I bought them!”

“That woman from Chunyuan’s house is utterly unreasonable. She and Second Sister-in-Law Wang kept getting louder and louder, and no one could persuade them to stop.”

“She looks down on this person and that person all day long. Since she’s so capable, why blame others after attracting the Yellow Immortal? Look at her attitude—she wouldn’t let go of Second Sister-in-Law Wang.”

“Isn’t she just heartbroken over that whole yard full of chickens?”

“But for Director Qin’s sake, I couldn’t exactly say nothing. So I took the lead and bought two from her. Yuqiang from the front yard bought two as well. I couldn’t be bothered with the rest. She can do whatever she likes.”

Wang Laishun rolled a cigarette and began smoking with loud, satisfied puffs.

“Uncle Five, the chickens were bitten by a weasel. Can they still be eaten?”

Wang Susu could not help asking.

“What’s wrong with eating them? During the famine, I even ate rats.”

Wang Laishun grinned, completely unconcerned.

Then, seeing that Chen Ling had finished eating, he continued, “Is Fugui busy today?”

“Hm? What is it, Uncle Five?”

“The village has been redistributing the farmland these past few days. It’s nearly finished now, and people from the township are coming over today to take a look. I heard Big Brother say that you’re good at cooking, so I thought I’d ask you to help me prepare a table of food and wine.”

As he spoke, Wang Laishun nodded toward the two chickens on the ground.

“If you’re willing, keep one of the chickens and cook the other for the township officials.”

“Well…”

“I’m really sorry, Uncle Five, but I truly have something to do today.”

Chen Ling had not expected Wang Jusheng to give him away so quickly, and he felt rather speechless.

This time it was his father, the village chief, coming over. If he agreed, would he have to serve as the village chef whenever there was a wedding or funeral from then on?

So he said awkwardly, “There’s a big market in the township today, you know. I have to go buy some things. If I find the right one, I may even bring back a head of livestock.”

“If I come back early tonight, I could go over and cook a table of dishes. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to wait until then…”

Wang Laishun sighed when he heard this. “That really won’t do. Even coming back early wouldn’t help. The officials are arriving at noon. They’ll have a meal and leave in the afternoon. They won’t be waiting until evening.”

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“Big Brother keeps saying how delicious your cooking is. He also told me that you helped Director Qin come up with several propaganda slogans yesterday, and that they were excellent.”

“So I thought I’d let you show your face in front of the officials…”

Chen Ling suddenly understood, and he could not help laughing wryly. “Uncle Five, don’t listen to Brother Jusheng’s nonsense. My cooking is only so-so. How could I show off in front of the officials? I’m most afraid of meeting officials.”

“You rascal. You’ve improved quite a bit compared with before, but you’re still lazy at heart!”

Wang Laishun pointed at him, picked up one of the chickens, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Chen Ling hurriedly called after him, “Wait, Uncle Five! You’re leaving one behind!”

“Keep it for the two of you. Don’t bring it outside…”

“You send me vegetables every few days. Can’t I give you an old hen in return?”

Wang Laishun waved his hand and strode away.

Chen Ling immediately laughed. “That old man is far better than his wife.”

Afterward, he went back and said a few words to Wang Susu. Then he wheeled out their Phoenix-brand bicycle and set off for the township, intending to buy a head of livestock at the market.

The township above Chenwang Village was called Changle Township, and it was extremely far away. A single trip to Changle Township was as long as making three round trips to the county seat.

Today happened to be the day of Changle Township’s grand market.

In those days, market days were not only large in scale; they lasted the entire day. The stalls did not close until nightfall, and everyone returned home in the dark. The atmosphere was always lively.

There were all kinds of things for sale: food, clothing, toys, creatures that flew through the sky, animals that ran across the ground, fish that swam in the water, and little creatures that hopped through the grass…

If you could imagine it, you could find it for sale.

As he rode along, Chen Ling carefully calculated that it had been nearly twenty years since he had last attended a grand market. Whenever he thought of one, all he could rely on was memory.

Markets still existed in the countryside of later generations, but they were nowhere near as large as they had been in those days, and they had long since lost their original flavor.

When Chen Ling returned to his hometown in his previous life, he had deliberately visited the market several times. Each time, however, he came home disappointed. He could never again experience the atmosphere preserved in his memories.

“Whew, I’ve finally arrived.”

After pedaling for more than twenty miles along the mountain road, Chen Ling finally saw the landmark archway outside Changle Township, with the words “Changle Township” carved across it.

Beyond the archway, long rows of stalls lined both sides of the main street. People streamed back and forth, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The shouts of vendors, the cries of hawkers, and the roar of the crowd came rushing toward him in a chaotic wave.

A long-lost feeling welled up in Chen Ling’s heart. Scenes buried deep in his memory instantly sprang to life, stirring his emotions and bringing a broad smile to his face.