Things that were usually not available were all present now—food, clothes, necessities, and toys; everything you could think of was there, with a striking variety. There were also some novel items or goods that were hard to find on normal days, which is why all the villages and towns liked to attend the big market. Naturally, the residents of this town wouldn’t miss a single market day either.
Even though it was still early, many people had already started setting up their stalls.
Chiang Xiao, with her sharp eyes, spotted a pretty good spot and dashed over before two other people, securing it first.
The two people didn’t get angry but, with agreeable expressions, they went off to find another plot of ground.
"Grandpa, let’s set up here. Come over quickly."
Chiang Songhai didn’t react as quickly as Chiang Xiao. Before he heard her call, he was still wandering around looking for a spot.
Upon hearing Chiang Xiao’s call, he paused for a moment, then hurried over.
First, he took out a piece of burlap and spread it on the ground, and then he took the goods out, one by one.
Chiang Xiao handed him two plain buns that she had been carrying, "Grandpa, eat the buns first. I’ll set up the stall!"
Chiang Songhai had actually noticed the buns she had been carrying and thought they were her breakfast. Now that the buns were in his hands, he couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
"Little, Grandpa ate at home before coming here, I’m not hungry. You eat."
Chiang Xiao made a face at him, "Grandpa, guess whether I believe you or not? You definitely haven’t eaten today!"
She knew Grandpa would worry about her, so he would get up a bit earlier that morning, in a rush to see that she was well, with many things to carry. He would have prepared them first and then brought something to eat, intending to share it with her.
But there wasn’t much good food left at home, at best he would bring her a boiled egg, maybe a scallion pancake. Oh, and there probably wasn’t much flour left either. Grandma was used to being frugal and didn’t want to use too much flour. She would always make the batter thin, resulting in pancakes that were too soft and thin, not very filling.
Indeed, she found a cloth package in the basket, which contained a boiled egg and two lukewarm pancakes.
This was food for two people; the boiled egg was definitely for her, and how could Grandpa be full with just one pancake?
Having his lie exposed by her, Chiang Songhai couldn’t help but ruffle her hair, looking a bit embarrassed.
Bringing such a little amount of food, he felt he was letting his granddaughter down.
"Grandpa, hurry up and eat. I bought four of them and have already eaten two. We’ll eat what you brought when we get hungry at noon."
Chiang Xiao said as she continued to take items out of the basket.
Chiang Songhai’s eyes moistened slightly. He had wanted to save the buns for later, but worrying that Chiang Xiao would be upset, he could only eat them. Although they were plain buns, for him, they were a treat.
He never imagined he would get to enjoy the plain buns his granddaughter bought for him. Chiang Songhai took a big bite and felt a warmth in his heart. His eyes smiling, he watched Chiang Xiao busily setting up the stall while he ate.
The three wild rabbits were in the basket, looking less energetic than the night before, but still very lively, crammed together, looking plump and tempting.
Three pockets, and only one was filled with herbs. Surprisingly, one was filled to the brim with Tianxiang Green, while another one was half mushrooms, half Tianxiang Green.
"Grandpa, did you pick this much Tianxiang Green in the mountains yesterday?" Chiang Xiao counted and stacked the Tianxiang Green on the burlap; there were a total of thirty bunches!
"I borrowed a pole scale from your elder uncle. I picked, weighed, and tied them on the mountain. When I had finished picking, it was exactly thirty-six jins. I kept six bunches and brought thirty jins with me."
No wonder each bunch was so even.