Zhang Chengyuan wanted to find out something from the aunt next door, but he also thought about what if no one was at home. It was autumn and most people were very busy.
So, she decided to make two plans first. If there was an ox cart, she would take the ox cart. If she didn't, she would carry it. Anyway, she was strong now, so this thing was not too heavy.
If you have to carry it, a backpack is not suitable. A large basket is more suitable.
I found the remaining rattan sticks and bumped them around. It was not enough, so I decided to use bamboo sticks.
Although the bamboo strips have not been dried well, it does not affect anything. If it is not durable and breaks, just spend more time on it.
Zhang Chengyuan took a chair and sat down in the courtyard, then started weaving baskets, time flying by with his fingers flying.
She also slowly calmed down and focused on the work in hand.
Only when his stomach growled did Zhang Chengyuan realize that he was hungry. He stood up and stretched his sore neck and waist, then turned to the kitchen to cook.
After eating rice for several days, she became a little bored and decided what to eat for a while.
Put the flour in a basin and plan to mix it with the kang pancakes. The more you mix, the longer it will last. Since there is no baking powder, you have to stay awake and let it rise on its own.
Soon, the dough was ready to rise. She kneaded the dough into long strips, cut them into pieces the size of a child's fist, sprinkled some flour to prevent them from sticking, rolled them one by one into round cakes with a rolling pin, and started to light the fire.
When the pan is hot, you can place the pancakes on the kang. After the pancakes are placed in the pan, turn them over from time to time to prevent them from getting burnt.
She knew it was done until the aroma of the pancake came out, but in order to prevent it from being cooked thoroughly, she continued to cook the pancake for a while before taking it out of the pan.
After two more rounds of cooking, she simply fried some wild vegetables and started to eat.
Probably because of her increased strength, she ate more. She would make five palm-sized thick pancakes in one meal, and she also ate all the vegetables.
She put the rest on a plate and put it in the cupboard, saving it for later.
As soon as the pots, bowls and chopsticks were put away, she continued working.
Before it got dark, she rushed out four large baskets, each half as tall as a person and half as wide as the backpack.
She used the remaining rattan to make ropes and strung them around the sides of the basket so that it could be picked up on a pole. Two on each side were just right.
I didn’t make dinner either, so I just ate some pancakes.
After filling his stomach, he put the mushrooms into the bamboo baskets. The first three were full, but the fourth was only half full. Zhang Chengyuan had to evenly distribute the mushrooms in the four baskets so that it would be easier to pick tomorrow. .
But just thinking about it, she realized that she didn't have a pole at home, so she had no choice but to make it freshly. If there was no suitable wood, she would use bamboo.
Cut the arm-thick bamboo into two pieces and trim it with machetes and saws to get the two bamboo boards you want. Then go back to the house and cut three sections of fabric to tightly wrap the two bamboo boards together, focusing on the middle one. part.
After all, it has to be worn on the shoulders. If it is not wrapped thickly, it will chafe on the shoulders.
After finishing these tasks, Zhang Chengyuan thought carefully about what she would bring to the market tomorrow, otherwise she was sure that she would lose everything when she was anxious.
You have to bring money, but there is nothing needed for the time being, so you can bring less, just five hundred coins.
Besides money, what else do you need to bring?
By the way, five hundred coins is a lot of money, and it's not suitable to put in your arms. Then bring a basket and a few pancakes with you. If the distance is far away, what else will you have to eat if you are hungry?
The water must also be prepared, but other than that, there seems to be nothing else.
Zhang Chengyuan didn't think about it for a moment, so she stopped thinking about it and got up to light a fire and boil water. She was afraid that she would get up late tomorrow, so she planned to boil water first in the evening.
After filling two gourds of water, the remaining water was placed in the pot. At this time, she thought about what she would buy tomorrow. A half-sized jar was needed for both oil and water.
In addition, it is oil, whether it is soybean oil or other oils. The reason is that rice made with lard cannot be eaten once it gets cold.
If you insist on eating, you will have diarrhea.
Once the thoughts started, they couldn't stop. Zhang Chengyuan was counting on her fingers what to buy tomorrow. She was afraid that it wouldn't be enough, so she went to get another 500 yuan and put it in the basket.
There are also two gourds of water and ten cakes in it. The basket is a covered one, which is very convenient.
She put together the things she would bring tomorrow before going to rest.
Suddenly, a knock on the door woke her up from her sleep. She struggled to sit up. Her brain had not yet successfully restarted, and she was confused.
It wasn't until the knock on the door rang again that she regained consciousness. She rubbed her eyes, put on her coat, stepped on her shoes and opened the door.
Zhao Lihua knocked on the door twice but no one answered. She guessed that Zhang Chengyuan was not awake yet and was planning to call her.
As soon as he raised his voice, the door opened, and his eyes met Zhang Chengyuan's. Seeing her confused look, it was a bit funny.
"Daughter, pack up quickly, or you may miss the oxcart."
When Zhang Chengyuan heard that there was a car, he immediately became energetic: "Okay, Aunt, please come in and sit down first, and I'll go and clean up."
After washing up quickly, I simply put my hair up, leaving half of it draped. I put on my clothes neatly, then went to pick the mushrooms and came out with a basket in one hand.
"Auntie, let's go."
"Walk."
Zhao Lihua responded and went out first, followed closely by Zhang Chengyuan. After leaving the door, he put down his burden and locked the door with one hand, then picked it up again and followed Zhao Lihua.
Zhang Chengyuan said curiously: "Auntie, where should we ride the bullock cart?"
Zhao Lihua walked quickly ahead, carrying a large backpack on her back, but it was covered with cloth so that no one could see what was inside.
She heard this without even replying: "It's still early, we have to walk another four miles before we can get on the bullock cart."
Zhang Chengyuan was surprised and said: "So far?"
Zhao Lihua didn't take it seriously and said: "It's far, if we don't take a detour to make a bullock cart, it's only as far as the market."
Zhang Chengyuan hesitated and asked, "Don't we have an oxcart in our village?"
"Who can afford it?"
Zhang Chengyuan didn't answer any more, and the two of them just walked like this.
Zhang Chengyuan silently estimated the time now. It dawned early in autumn. It was slightly bright at the moment, at most five o'clock, and certainly less than six o'clock.
The four-mile journey was said to be easy, but walking was quite strenuous. In addition, Zhang Chengyuan was also a little tired as he was carrying something on his back.
Finally, the bullock cart could be seen in the distance, and Zhang Chengyuan spoke to Zhao Lihua: "Auntie, how much does it cost for a round trip by bullock cart?"
Zhao Lihua was also a little tired. After hearing the question, she said to her carefully: "Usually it costs a penny to ride from here to the market. Like us, all the things we bring take up space, so we have to settle down. You have to pay more." Add two pence and it’s three pence.”
"What if we go to town?"
"The town is far away from us. It is said that you have to pay to go there. If you have the spare money, why not go to the market. We usually have a small market every three days and a large market every fifteen days. You can buy everything."
Zhang Chengyuan nodded and said he understood. It seemed a bit impossible to sell the mushrooms, but he still refused to give up: "Auntie, can I sell these mushrooms?"
"Yes, our market will not only include people from the village, but people from the town will also come."
"That's it, then I'll be relieved. I thought I was going to go all the way in vain."
Zhang Chengyuan said happily, feeling much better.
