Storing Grains in Two Parts

Zhuang Zhuang was telling the truth.

In fact, when Jiang Danhe was writing the letters, he couldn’t help but write two long pages of confessions to Xiaoguo. However, he was worried about what Xiaoguo would think of him. She might think that he was being too impulsive, so he decided to delete a portion of it, and kept the more reserved lines.

Xiaoguo didn’t have time to care about Zhuang Zhuang’s emotions earlier on because she was immersed in the love lines within the letter. She didn’t expect Jiang Danhe to be so good with his words. He should have been more reserved.

—-

“Xiaoguo, are you going to the market tomorrow?”

Mrs. Yang and Xiaoguo gathered around the stove, eating melon seeds and chatting.

Hearing her words, Xiaoguo hesitated and looked at the weather outside. “Yes, it’s about time…”

There were no more green vegetables at home. For the past two days, they had been eating all kinds of meat and Zhuang Zhuang was starting to complain. It was indeed time to make a trip.

“Shall we go together?” Mrs. Yang gestured to Xiaoguo.

“All right.”

Mrs. Yang smiled and suddenly thought of something. “By the way, is Zhuang Zhuang’s birthday coming soon?”

She still remembered the day when Xiaoguo delivered Zhuang Zhuang, she and the midwife were kept busy the entire night. Zhuang Zhuang was delivered only at dawn. At that time, there was a rare snowstorm. Miraculously, the sky cleared immediately after Zhuang Zhuang was born, so she had a deep impression of that day.

“Yes, twenty-sixth.” Xiaoguo was delighted to hear that. “That’s right. I have to hurry to the county to buy some stuff.”

As soon as Mrs. Yang mentioned it, Xiaoguo got excited. She wasn’t so concerned about the cold anymore. Since Zhuang Zhuang’s birthday was coming, she had to do the necessary preparations.

She had to prepare food, beverages and also a birthday gift for Zhuang Zhuang…

Xiaoguo listed out all the items, afraid that she would miss out on any items. This was the first time she was organizing a birthday celebration for Zhuang Zhuang. She had to prepare well.

Mrs. Yang looked at her excited face and didn’t say much. She just laughed at her. “We usually just have noodles for our birthday. What else do you need to plan?”

“It’s different.” Xiaoguo shook her head. She knew that most people here would only have noodles for their birthdays, unlike rich families who would hold banquets. She didn’t want to celebrate Zhuang Zhuang’s birthday in such a simple manner.

“What’s the difference?” Mrs. Yang didn’t think much of it. Wasn’t it just a birthday? It wasn’t some significant birthday date either. It was just a child’s birthday. Just a simple celebration would suffice.

Xiaoguo shook her head and did not answer.

The next morning, Xiaoguo got up and prepared breakfast for Zhuang Zhuang. She brought the food into the house and heated up the stove. When everything was ready, she put on her traveling clothes and the leather cloak that Jiang Danhe had sent back.

After she was fully dressed, Xiaoguo became three times her original size. She wouldn’t get hurt even if she fell off the donkey cart.

She walked to the bed and gently bent down to inform Zhuang Zhuang, who was still sleeping, “Zhuang Zhuang, I’m going to the county. Be good and stay at home. I’ll lock the door for you and will be back shortly. Remember to eat the food on the table when you wake up.”

After a rambling explanation and seeing him nod in acknowledgment, she left the house without any worries.

With her attire, it was quite difficult to move freely. She also had difficulty bending over and lifting her arms.

When she arrived at the door, she saw Mrs. Yang waiting for her.

“Sister-in-law, why didn’t you knock?”

“Hey, I just came out not long ago.”

Mrs. Yang waved her hand to show that it was nothing. She was also well-insulated and was wearing a fur hat on her head.

Xiaoguo’s interest was piqued by the unique design of the hat. “Your hat looks pretty good.”

Mrs. Yang swiftly got on the donkey cart. She didn’t move as clumsily as Xiaoguo. After sitting down, she looked speechless when she heard Xiaoguo’s words. “Brother Yang took three years to get this for me.”

Xiaoguo was confused. Three years? She understood within the next instant. “Oh… Did he bring it back from the military camp?”

“You got it right.” Mrs. Yang took out a vegetable dumpling. “This is your prize for guessing right.”

“Haha, a vegetable dumpling as a reward?”

Xiaoguo happily took the dumpling from her hand. To be honest, Mrs. Yang’s culinary skills were really superb. At the thought of this, Xiaoguo was salivating. With the dumpling in hand, she couldn’t wait to eat it.

Seeing that she liked it, Mrs. Yang was overjoyed. She started eating as well. She had made them in the morning. When they were done, she held them in her arms to retain the temperature, so the dumplings were still warm.

“Look at you, you even put on clothes for the donkey.” As Mrs. Yang ate, she looked at the donkey in front of her and shook her head in amusement.

“This is what fashionable looks like.”

As Xiaoguo spoke, she finished the last bite of the dumpling. Then, she quickly put on her scarf gloves. The later she put on the gloves, the more heat she would lose with each passing second.

Mrs. Yang didn’t understand the word “fashionable”, but she could guess that it was similar to what she was saying. She smiled at the thought.

The two of them went straight to the center of the market. As the weather was cold, there were not many people on the streets. Compared to before, it was a world of difference.

The commoners were all staying at home to keep warm. There were not many vendors selling vegetables and meat on the streets.

The two of them did not park the donkey cart at the entrance of the market like they usually did. Instead, they drove straight in. In any case, the streets were quiet so it was fine to drive in.

The donkey’s appearance attracted a lot of attention. It was obvious that they had never seen anything like it. During times like this, some people don’t even have warm clothes to wear. To think that someone would dress a donkey in clothes.

Although there were not many stalls selling vegetables, Xiaoguo still bought a lot.

Xiaoguo didn’t expect to see green vegetables in winter during ancient times. At first, she thought that only cabbages and potatoes would be available in winter. She didn’t expect to see other vegetables like leeks, rapeseed and carrots. In addition to these, there were also green onions, ginger, and garlic. She bought more of everything that she could keep and store.

“Are you stocking up on food again?”

Mrs. Yang was dumbfounded as she watched Xiaoguo move the items into the cart. She bought almost everything she saw. She couldn’t help but think of the time when winter was just approaching. She had seen it before. The carts of groceries looked like wholesale goods.

“This young lady is doing the right thing. Who could possibly come out in this terrible weather? It is good to stock up more food. I heard this winter will be the coldest we’ve ever had. There will be heavy snow soon.”

The old lady who was selling vegetables happily helped Xiaoguo load the cart. As soon as this girl arrived, her goods were sold out in an instant. It seemed that she could go home early today.

Mrs. Yang didn’t think much of it. Every year was always the coldest year. She didn’t believe in those words.

“Auntie, is that true?”

Xiaoguo became serious when she heard that. So it is the coldest year. She knew it. The weather over the past two days has been really mysterious. One moment it was overcast, and the next moment it was sunny.

“Of course it’s true. I’m not lying to you, child. Just watch. There will definitely be snow in two days.”

When the vegetable seller heard Xiaoguo’s words, she immediately assured her. What was her occupation? She relied on the weather to grow vegetables. Her old man had said that there would be heavy snowfall soon. He had also asked her to bring more vegetables out to sell when the weather was clear. Otherwise, once the heavy snow comes, the vegetables would freeze.

When Xiaoguo heard this, she was more or less convinced. When it came to the weather, who could possibly know better than the farmers who relied on the heavens for a living?

“Sister-in-law, you should buy more too.”

Seeing that Mrs. Yang was only buying in small quantities, Xiaoguo couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. What if the snow storm came and there were no more vegetables at home?

“No need. We still have a cellar full of potatoes and cabbages. My mother-in-law had a full plot of those vegetables and had recently harvested them.”

Mrs. Yang patted Xiaoguo’s shoulder and told her not to worry. She had a lot of vegetables at home. She was just buying a little more for variety.

When Xiaoguo heard this, she was relieved. It was good that Mrs. Yang had enough vegetables. At least she was not like her, who had run out of vegetables at home. Besides, she didn’t grow any crops in the fields like other families. How could her small little plot compare to theirs?