Qi Zhenzhen kneaded the well-risen dough for a while longer, dividing it into evenly sized portions. She rolled them into moderately thick wrappers, folded them, and sprinkled a thin layer of flour. After folding the entire wrapper, she cut it into strips, then gently grabbed and tossed them, scattering more dry flour to prevent sticking. She repeated the same action seven times, transforming all the dough into noodles.
The water in the large pot had just come to a rolling boil. The noodles were added, and after adding water three times and bringing it back to a boil each time, the noodles floated to the surface.
The cooked noodles filled two large basins, the swirling steam accompanied by a rich wheat aroma that made one’s nose twitch involuntarily.
Qi Zhenzhen first ladled a large bowl, scooped some tiger vegetable salad for Yun Shi, mixed it, and then sent it over. Afterward, she called Zhang's brothers and Qi Yi to eat.
Zhang's brothers used Qi family's largest bowls, while Qi Zhenzhen and Qi Yi used their usual smaller eating bowls.
The noodles were firm and smooth, and paired with the tiger vegetable salad, they were incredibly satisfying.
Qi Zhenzhen and Qi Yi ate quite delicately, slurping the noodles into their mouths with barely a sound. Zhang's brothers, however, slurped them up in large mouthfuls, their sounds rising and falling, creating a lively atmosphere.
By the end of the meal, Qi Zhenzhen had labeled the two brothers as "rice buckets."
Yun Shi ate one bowl of noodles, Qi Zhenzhen ate two, and Qi Yi, likely due to the physical exertion from his morning run, unusually ate three bowls. The rest were, as usual, completely consumed by Zhang's brothers.
Zhang Xiaoniu quietly cleared the bowls and chopsticks, inwardly despising himself. How could he forget everything when faced with food? He had reflected before going to sleep last night, resolving to be particularly careful in front of Zhenzhen, but then…
It was embarrassing!
Zhang Erniu, on the other hand, didn't overthink things. He was full and would have the energy to work later.
"Brother Zhang Er, I plan to go to town this morning. You can look after things here at home. Have you found the cooking woman I asked you to look for?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"The person has been found. She will come around mid-morning. It's the mother and daughter from the Du family at the east end of the village. Both are nimble and of good character," Zhang Erniu replied.
Qi Zhenzhen had heard a little about the Du family's mother and daughter. Both had rather unfortunate lives. The Du family's mother lost her father in middle age and her son in old age, while the Du family's aunt lost her husband in middle age. Villagers kept their distance from them, calling them "lonely stars" who would bring misfortune to those who got close. The mother and daughter, sharing similar misfortunes, were much closer to each other than typical mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pairs. They managed two mu of land and did embroidery to support the Du family's only male descendant, the son of Du's mother and the grandson of Du's aunt, who was studying.
"Alright, if Brother Zhang Er says they are good people, they must be good," Qi Zhenzhen said, unfazed by the notion of "lonely stars." In her opinion, the Du family's mother and daughter were merely unlucky.
After informing Yun Shi and reminding Qi Yi to take good care of her, Qi Zhenzhen put on her carrying basket and went out.
There was an ox cart in the village that went to town, costing four copper coins for a round trip. At this time, the ox cart was waiting at the village entrance.
Qi Zhenzhen jogged over. The ox cart was already quite full.
After giving Old Man Yu, who was driving, two copper coins, Qi Zhenzhen found an empty spot at the tail of the cart to sit.
Most of the passengers going to town were women. When Qi Zhenzhen arrived, the women who had been chatting animatedly fell silent, constantly observing Qi Zhenzhen.
Xinghua Village was not large. Any stir or gossip during the day would spread throughout the village within half a day. The commotion yesterday had been quite fierce, and everyone knew about it.
Given that even the ruthless Niang Er Hei had been at a disadvantage, it was evident that the seemingly frail girl from the Qi family was not to be trifled with.
At this moment, the people of Xinghua Village felt a sense of apprehension towards Qi Zhenzhen, and none of them proactively approached to strike up a conversation.
Qi Zhenzhen was happy with this. Although she needed to build good relationships with everyone, she wasn't in a hurry.
Along the way, any conversations were in hushed whispers, accompanied by glances at Qi Zhenzhen. Given how obvious it was, Qi Zhenzhen naturally knew they were talking about her. As long as there was no direct confrontation, she didn't mind whatever they did. Da Feng Novel Network.
About half an hour later, the ox cart stopped.
The destination – Cuiping Town – was reached.
Qi Zhenzhen, carrying her basket, nodded to the crowd and followed the flow of people into the town.
Unlike the village, the houses in town were all lined with blue brick and grey tiles. The people coming and going in town wore better clothes than those in the village. Although most were still cotton cloth, cotton cloth also came in different grades.
Finding a kind-faced person, Qi Zhenzhen inquired about the location of the Nanbei General Merchandise Store and headed straight there.
The place was easy to find because the person who gave directions said that finding Wutong Street meant finding the Nanbei General Merchandise Store.
When Qi Zhenzhen found Wutong Street, she saw a row of banners. The most prominent part of the banner was a golden yuanbao (gold ingot) design, followed by the five characters "Nanbei General Merchandise Store."
It turned out that the entire street was the Nanbei General Merchandise Store, no wonder Aunt Mo said that the Nanbei General Merchandise Store had everything. Such a large establishment would surely need a vast amount of goods to fill it.
"Qi Zhenzhen, you've come to the Nanbei General Merchandise Store too." A crisp voice sounded behind Qi Zhenzhen.
Turning around, she saw a girl in a pink top and grey skirt, with two glossy black braids hanging down to her chest, exuding youthful vitality.
Qi Zhenzhen had a recollection; they had arrived in the same cart earlier, but she had no memory of whose family the girl belonged to, as the original owner of her body didn't interact with villagers before.
"Who are you?" Qi Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows slightly, appearing to be in thought.
"My grandfather is the village head. My name is Mingyue, Song Mingyue," the young girl replied with a smiling face. "My grandfather told me yesterday to often look for you to play. I didn't expect to meet you now. I came with my mother. I told her I was coming to the general merchandise store before she went to the fabric shop."
The granddaughter of the village head, her eyes were clear, and her face was full of joy, making her easily likable.
"Shall we shop together?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
Song Mingyue nodded and naturally linked her arm with Qi Zhenzhen's.
This level of intimacy… Qi Zhenzhen was a bit unaccustomed to it, but seeing Song Mingyue's natural demeanor, she silently endured it. She expected that they might become friends in the future, and friends should be a bit affectionate, shouldn't they?
"This is my first time at the general merchandise store," Qi Zhenzhen said somewhat at a loss.
"I've been here many times. Zhenzhen, what do you want to buy? I'll take you," Song Mingyue said enthusiastically.
Qi Zhenzhen listed all the things she needed to buy. Song Mingyue looked surprised and said, "You want to buy so many things?"
"I'm thinking of planting some cabbage and radishes in the yard, so we'll have vegetables for winter. We don't have any land at home, and as the weather gets colder, we need to stock up on enough food for the winter. My winter clothes and Qi Yi's from last year are too small, and if we alter them, we'll need to add cotton and fabric," Qi Zhenzhen said calmly. "As for other things, I'll add them as needed."
Song Mingyue nodded upon hearing this. "Yes, we should prepare everything. My mother and the other aunts handle these matters at home. They are here this time to cut fabric. After we finish buying things here, I'll take you to the fabric shop."