Chapter 010 Town
Met with Lu Qingyao, Sang Bai followed behind, while Lu Qingyao led the way in front with Chen Dongsheng, each holding onto a mule.
Upon closer inspection, Sang Bai noticed that the hands of the two individuals over there were tucked inside their sleeves, making it impossible to see their hands from the outside
Wang Daqing's family has bought a tape recorder, just called over here!" said the woman, Gui Xiang
But now it is truly exhausting; it is difficult for those from decades later to understand the feeling of walking dozens of kilometers. In any case, Sang Bai is currently preoccupied with assembling a motorcycle, otherwise, after walking a few more trips, his legs would become thin.
Comrade, we are a state-owned restaurant, so of course it is affordable
Upon hearing about the beef soup, Chen Dongsheng swallowed hard and couldn't help but quicken his pace
Naturally, Sang Bai must store the autumn harvest in the space; otherwise, with its ability to survive in the wild during autumn, it would not be sufficient to fill its own stomach. It is better to store the peaches in the space, as not eating them would be of no use. In a few years, if these peaches manage to cultivate into beings, perhaps they could even perform a comedic dialogue with another peach.
Having taken half a pie, Sang Bai began to taste the beef soup
We cannot envy that, as they have relatives abroad. Last year, they just got married and I heard they directly bought a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a Seagull watch for their father-in-law.
Upon hearing the voice of Lü Qingyao, Sang Bai immediately replied: "Awake, awake, Master Lü!"
The center of the town appears to be the town government building, a two-story small concrete structure, topped with a red five-pointed star, and surrounded by a small courtyard approximately the size of half a football field
Three people entered the town and soon arrived at the machine shop. Upon reaching the location, they found a long line already formed at the entrance. By the time it was their turn, they would have to wait at least thirty to forty people behind.
Lu Qingyao called Chen Dongsheng to unload the items, and naturally, Sang Bai was there to help
The young man smiled and said, "Master, it's alright, you go ahead and eat, I will take care of things on this side."
Sang Bai set down the bowl, gazed out the window, and suddenly saw a person riding a bicycle passing by the door. The bicycle was carrying a long rectangular paper box, which had a colorful light sign for a tape recorder printed on it
When the meat soup was served, Sang Bai couldn't help but exclaim.
Gui Xiang, what are you looking at? Has your family member arrived?
Upon hearing that a cow costs only 500 yuan, Sang Bai felt that this livestock was not particularly expensive
Although it may not compare to Zhuge Village's Guoqiang at this time, it is at most just a small margin of ten percent behind
Sangbai is fresh in everything, looking around with a curious baby-like demeanor
Three people, with seven hands and eight feet, unloaded all four or five bags of grain. Lü Qingyao placed a small bag at the end of the line, while Chen Dongsheng, together with Sang Bai, arranged the other bags of grain against the wall.
It was precisely this remark from Sang Bai that amused the woman serving the soup.
Sang Bai recalled that he also wanted to acquire an ox, so he asked, "How much does a plowing ox cost?"
Is it possible to conduct the autumn harvest at home
Upon hearing that he was still entitled to the treatment reserved for women and children, Sang Bai tugged at his cheeks and said, "Let's go!"
far
Is bargaining still done this way now
"Young man, where are you from? The capital or the Pearl? I can see you must be from a big city; a small place could never raise someone like you," the woman said with a grin.
"Let us go, we have arrived in town to have a bowl of beef soup," said Lü Qingyao
Lu Qingyao believed that with such delicate and tender skin as that of the mulberry and cypress, it would surely be a headache to travel such a long distance, thinking of using livestock for transportation
Moreover, Sang Bai possesses a calm and serene disposition, exuding a subtle elegance that is somewhat refined. Although he may not be exceptionally striking in appearance, when placed among the people of this era, his characteristics stand out distinctly, and he can undoubtedly be described as a delicate young man.
Sang Bai saw this matter in a television drama forty years later, but he never expected that even with the establishment of the New China, nothing had changed at all
Comrade, we are in a hurry to have a meal, please help keep an eye on things. If anyone is behind us, just let them know that we have six bags of grain to load, " Lü Qingyao politely said to a young man at the end of the line.
The two places are not far apart, but they are both mountainous roads. We should still walk. Covering a distance of sixty to seventy li will take at least eight hours. This means we will arrive in town by one o'clock in the afternoon
Lu Qingyao misunderstood Sang Bai's meaning and said somewhat apologetically: "I forgot, how about I go and bring the donkey from the village for you to ride..."
When Chen Dongsheng mentioned the train, he already had a look of longing on his face
As for cars, that is impossible; even if one had a car, it cannot be driven. In most places, the width is less than two meters, which only allows for one person and one animal to pass, so what use is a car
"Well, it must be at this time. If we don't leave now, we won't return until late at night," said Lü Qingyao.
Indicate for Lü Qingyao to leave first, while Sang Bai takes care of the autumn harvest here.
The entire town has only one noodle shop, and not only the townspeople but also those from the surrounding villages come here for food; it would be a miracle if there were no lines.
We spend thirty yuan a month, and the cheapest tape recorder costs at least seven or eight hundred yuan, which would take two years of not eating or drinking to afford
"Awake now, let's tidy up and set off," Lu Qingyao said without further ado
Chen Dongsheng stated: "It depends on the type of cattle; the best can sell for nearly 500, while the inferior ones still fetch around 300. Mules are also about 300, and donkeys are somewhat cheaper, around 170 to 180."
With three strides and two steps, he reached the courtyard gate and opened the large door
This journey took me from dusk until dawn, and then I watched the sun rise from the east until it was directly overhead.
How should one speak?
Sang Bai could not help but say a few words
But at this time, there were no livestock available for riding; it was precisely the busiest season for farming, and everyone wished they could plow themselves to conserve the strength of the animals. Who would have the leisure to ride into town?
Three men and two mules arrived at the town, and before they even entered, they spotted a small grove nearby where about twenty to thirty cattle, horses, and mules were tied up. A dozen or so middle-aged men, armed with nets, were gathered in groups of three to five.
After sitting down, nearly half a minute passed before a robust woman in her forties shouted at the three people.
It is truly a loud outcry, and of a very boisterous kind. With such an attitude, if one were to open a shop forty years from now, they would likely be beaten to death within six months.
The taste is average, but it excels in the quality of the ingredients; half a pancake is equivalent to a bowl of soup, leaving one feeling quite full
One cannot help but exclaim, in the past when eating beef soup outside, it would cost around 20 yuan, and the beef would merely float on top of the soup, with only three or four slices of beef.
We also do not know when we will be able to afford it
Well, this is the town. There are two buses to the county seat each day. Once you reach the county seat, you can buy a ticket to the provincial capital. After arriving at the provincial capital, you can take a train to various places across the country
Sang Bai replied: "No problem, I will send it out shortly, let it go into the old forest to forage, and I will call it back when I return"
Sangbai Road: "What time is it?"
Chen Dongsheng saw Sang Bai's expression and realized that he had never seen it before, so he explained: "That is the livestock market. Do you see those two people? They are negotiating prices..."
In addition to the money, there are three small tickets, which can be considered as a revelation for Sang Bai. Two of them are food coupons, and the other one is also a food coupon, but one of them is printed with 'national', while the other two are valid for use within the province
The scenery along the way is truly remarkable, having seen all kinds of mountains, waters, and ponds. If this place were to be in a future era, it would surely be developed into a high-end guesthouse, and it would be a disservice to this beautiful landscape not to charge you the price of a five-star hotel for a night's stay.
Oh!
The sun is directly overhead, and a group of people has already spotted the small town
At this moment, Sang Bai stood on the small slope, looking down at the town situated on the flat land at the foot of the mountain, and asked, "Is this the town?"
Sang Bai could not help but sigh inwardly: Poor child, even taking a train is a dream.
At this moment, the woman realized that the young man at the table had a demeanor that was different from others. The people here, not to mention the farmers, even the village heads and town heads, all had a rustic appearance, with rough and dark skin.
"So... are we just going to do it this way?" Sang Bai asked
In front of me is a large bowl of beef soup, good gracious! It truly lives up to the name of beef soup, with a sea of broth that must contain at least half a bowl of beef. It looks like there is at least three taels of beef in it.
In total, it costs 1.8 yuan, and I still need to provide a food coupon
This sound immediately attracted the attention of three to five diners in the shop, as well as the two waitstaff.
There are approximately two to three hundred households, with a little over half of the houses made of red bricks and gray tiles, while the larger portion consists of thatched cottages similar to those in Willow Tree Village, but the houses here are somewhat taller and appear to be in better condition.
Please, comrade, we would like two bowls of beef soup
Chen Dongsheng was somewhat perplexed; in his view, isn't bargaining for large livestock always like this
Sang Bai was quite curious about the small town; not to mention the bright red slogans on the walls, which were a novelty to him. As for the pedestrians, even the animals defecating indiscriminately appeared to him as a sight to behold
It is indeed quite genuine
Not far from the town government, there are several brick houses and a school. There are four rows of brick houses, and there are facilities such as a playground and a basketball court, which look quite decent. Currently, a group of children is playing on the playground
From the image above, it is evident that this is an old-fashioned cassette recorder
However, others are not allowed to ride; Mr. Sangbaisang is naturally the only exception in the entire village, for he is a cultured person
Upon hearing this, Sang Bai was momentarily taken aback. Is it not far to say that it takes seven or eight hours to walk?
Sang Bai could not help but exclaim in astonishment upon hearing that a tape recorder costs seven to eight hundred yuan
Mr. Sang, have you woken up?
Sang Bai does not possess such a rustic demeanor, and whether it is due to the spatial factors or something else, his skin is now delicate enough to be able to squeeze out water. Moreover, he has received an education from twenty years in the future, which gives him a level of confidence that surpasses that of people from this era.
Lu Qingyao exchanged a few polite words with others, and then brought Sang Bai and another person to a restaurant across the street where they took a seat
How could Sang Bai possibly pay attention to this thing? He merely glanced at it and then shifted his gaze away. However, when his eyes fell upon the loud-mouthed aunt in the store, he discovered that she was actually looking enviously at the silhouette of the bicycle.
In fact, after putting it into the space, I took the two bags of rice and flour that I needed for today in my hands
It is not certain; during the slack farming season or when the wife returns to her parental home, one might also ride livestock, said Lü Qingyao
Sang Bai smiled without saying a word, and turned to see Lu Qingyao take out the pancakes he had brought from his pocket. He thought that the woman was likely to say something strange, but to his surprise, after glancing at them, she casually walked away
Lü Qingyao spoke while pulling out a cloth pouch from his waist, which he opened layer by layer, revealing three layers in total. Inside were various small denominations of currency, the largest being a two-yuan note in green, along with a one-yuan note in red. The rest consisted mostly of ten and twenty fen notes, with a variety of five fen and one fen notes as well.
Master, what would you like to order?
As for Lü Qingyao and Chen Dongsheng sharing a bowl of soup, Sang Bai felt a bit awkward, but did not engage in excessive politeness, understanding that if he continued to be overly courteous, it would be a waste of time to keep pushing the meal back and forth
No, no, what I mean is that everyone goes to the town on foot
At that moment, another waiter happened to come out of the room and, seeing his colleague in this state, immediately started making jokes
Upon entering the village, I noticed that there were people in the courtyards of each household. It seemed that the villagers had begun preparing breakfast, and after eating, they hurried to work in the fields as soon as it was light.
What!
The small town consists of a single street, which serves as the main thoroughfare running from east to west, with all the houses situated on either side of this main road