It's said to be the next village, but it actually takes nearly 20 minutes just by car.
The mountain road is winding. Only the main road newly built this year is asphalt. The rest is full of potholes. Even if the drivers are skilled, Lao Zhu and others will inevitably have a few bumps.
But everyone was quite happy, and they started chatting while sitting in the same car——
“It feels like I haven’t eaten this in years!”
"Yes! I loved eating it when I was a child, and it would bubble in my mouth all the time."
"My family was poor back then, so I only did it during the Chinese New Year, to entertain people when they came over."
"I eat it with my fingers..."
"When I was in elementary school, we used this to fight in class. If it fell on the floor, we would blow it and still eat it..."
"And what do you call the rice crackers that pop into pieces?"
"We call it fried rice!"
"We call it rice krispies. In the morning in the winter, we soak a big bowl and add a spoonful of sugar. It just doesn't stand up to soaking! It's obviously a full bowl, but once the water softens, only a thin layer on the surface is left. It's hard to eat enough."
"Nonsense! The fried rice we have is made from fried rice grains that are completely dry and crunchy to the bite!"
Xiao Du was driving in the front, listening to the lively conversation of the old men in the back seat, and couldn't help but smile.
Apart from anything else, this rice stick seems to be everyone’s childhood memory, and he also loves to eat it!
I'm worried now, the old man is eating so much here, I'll wait until after the pig-killing feast to go back and check again...
Alas! It’s hard to say.
In the car ahead, Party Secretary Xiao Zhu was also puzzled: "Forty kilograms of rice is enough for me to cook for half a day. Why don't you just have people come to your door to do it? Why bother taking so many people so far."
Song Tan laughed: "People in our village haven't come back yet, so what's the point if it's not lively at home?"
"Besides, the old man has just arrived, why don't you find some excitement to keep them entertained for two days? In the next two days, I'm afraid they will have to help with cleaning the dishes and moving tables, chairs and benches."
Xiaozhu Party Secretary:......
She said to her heart that you are quite brave to do it!
Little did they know that Song Tan was also from a well-off family - Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, probably had an extraordinary family. Her grandfathers all had assistants, so they must be pampered and pampered every day.
For those who have money, leisure, and are old and have nothing to do, arrange some small tasks for them to help out. Not only will they have a sense of participation, but they will also be lively and happy!
What's more, there are assistants here. If you really can't do it, they will definitely help.
In this way, wouldn't it be easy to blend in? It also avoids wandering around the mountain village and looking boring.
She learned a lot about this from her grandma.
Speaking of this, Song Tan himself was also very interested: "Their village is quite close to Songshu Town, and there are many people. There is a market every now and then as the Chinese New Year is approaching. You haven't visited this big market for so long since you have been in the village, right?"
"Come, let me show you something!"
…
The reason why Pine Tree Town is called Pine Tree Town is because the large mountain forest is full of dense pine trees - of course, they are not the ones in the Northeast that can bear pine nuts. Many of them only bear empty towers and are not very big.
On the other side of the woods connecting to Songshu Town is Xiaosong Village, which is better developed than Yunqiao Village.
It is said to be a village, but whenever there is a Chinese New Year fair, there are even more stalls here than in Songshu Town, where not many people live, making it especially lively.
But now that Song Tan was driving over, he could see a large area of prosperous stalls spread out in front of him from a long distance, which was extremely lively.
It has been many years since the old man’s group has been to such a large gathering in the countryside. When they got off the car, everyone showed smiles that they had never seen in the world.
The vendor selling Spring Festival couplets at the stall next to him looked at the three Audi cars behind him curiously, and also opened his mouth and asked enthusiastically:
"Oh, this is a good car! It's still a brand from the Imperial City... Brother, your kid is doing really well outside now! Can't you buy a big couplet for the Chinese New Year?"
Ah, the vendors at the village fair spoke so directly. Lao Zhu paused for a moment before answering: "We haven't even reached Laba yet, so why have we started selling couplets?"
"What's the point!" The vendor said very freely: "We start selling here in the twelfth lunar month - come on, come on, look at the gold dust on my couplet, the children will be successful, and my hometown will be prosperous!"
"Here, let some brothers come and choose!"
Lao Zhu:……
Ah this, ah this, the atmosphere is really hot, even the sales are pretty hot, otherwise...
As soon as Song Tan took the rice over, he turned around and saw them hesitating to speak, and couldn't help laughing:
"Ouch! What's the rush? Let's go shopping first and then buy something - let's go and buy something in front!"
Even the rushers pushed people forward like chickens. The vendors behind were not in a hurry, but still shouted enthusiastically:
"Remember to look for me when you come back after shopping! I'll give you a real price here!"
The one in front was selling candies and glutinous rice sticks. This thing was also a childhood memory. Lao Zhu and others took another look at it without paying attention, but Xiao Du and others were worried.
It's not a question of whether it's clean or not, but some old men can't eat such things. They'll get headaches and fever, and it's hard to get medical treatment in the countryside...
Song Tan didn't give them a chance: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, there are more things up front, compare prices, it's easier to bargain later."
The talkative old Yang was immersed in the atmosphere at the moment, and was dizzy by the bustling atmosphere from all directions. He couldn't help but sigh:
“The flavor of the new year is so strong!”
Qiao Qiao shook her head: "No, today is a big gathering every half month. Xiaosong Village does this every New Year."
"Usually the market is in the morning...but I rarely come here. We all go to the market in the town."
"The market is very lively in the morning. I can't even walk. There are too many people."
The town he was talking about was Qingxi Town, where Yunqiao Village belongs. It was a little less prosperous than here, but it was a little closer and could be reached by bike in half an hour.
Unlike here, the drive takes nearly half an hour.
On the other hand, Party Secretary Xiao Zhu sighed: "Nowadays, the population in rural areas is small, and people come back to celebrate the New Year with fewer holidays, so the flavor of the New Year is actually nothing, but this collection is still so prosperous."
This is already much more lively than the mountains!
Especially the things sold at small stalls, it feels like they haven’t changed much in decades. Old men who are decades older can still find things in their own memories when they get together to comment on them!
Song Tan, on the other hand, was walking when she saw someone selling fried dumplings in front of her. The golden dumplings had just come out of the pan, and there was a burst of crispy fragrance in all directions. She quickly stopped:
"Qiaoqiao, go and ask for a price."
He turned around and asked the old man Tiantuan behind him: "Master Jiang spread a large amount of spinach on the edge of the ditch around the factory. It's an old variety. He said he wanted to eat spinach soup."
"Do you want to eat? If so, I will buy more. You can also eat these as snacks."