Chapter 11

Early in the morning, just as Shen Mo’er emerged from her treasury, she heard the loud, rhythmic braying of a donkey. Opening the door, she saw a donkey cart already waiting in the neighboring brigade headquarters' courtyard, with several people already seated on it.

She hurriedly called her father, and they scrambled to wash up. Skipping breakfast, they simply sliced up the golden melon that Auntie Chen had given them the day before. The father and daughter each ate half a melon and headed out.

Once they climbed onto the cart, they realized Auntie Chen was there too, cradling a vegetable basket filled with half a melon and half a cucumber. Shen Mo’er quickly averted her gaze and greeted her proactively, "Auntie Chen."

Auntie Chen smiled warmly and shifted over to make room for her. "Come, come, sit by me."

Shen Mo’er sat down, while Shen Shaoyuan took a seat next to one of the men.

Before long, Zhou Mancang and Uncle Liu, the man responsible for driving the donkey cart, arrived. With a flick of the whip, the donkey began to trot forward.

There were six or seven people packed onto the cart. The women sat on one side and the men on the other, squeezed tight. Fortunately, it wasn't hot yet, otherwise, they would have been drenched in sweat.

Shen Mo’er gazed at her surroundings with curiosity. Even though she possessed the original owner’s memories, experiencing it firsthand felt different—like a veil that had previously obscured everything in a hazy, indistinct blur had been lifted, making every detail sharp and clear.

"Educated Youth Fu, where are you heading? Shall we go together?"

A soft, delicate voice rang out. It sounded as if the speaker was deliberately lowering her volume, but given how close everyone was sitting, it was audible to all. Shen Mo’er looked over curiously and saw a young woman sitting toward the inside, sporting a chin-length bob and a slightly round face.

"We aren't going the same way."

Another voice responded flatly.

Shen Mo’er followed the sound to a man sitting across from the young woman. From the moment Shen Mo’er had boarded the cart, he had been leaning forward, his face buried in his elbows, revealing only a thick head of hair.

As he raised his head, Shen Mo’er finally caught a clear look at him.

*How handsome,* she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He had elegant, well-defined brows and bright, clear eyes like stars. He looked refined and fair-skinned.

The capital of Great Liang had no shortage of talent, and as someone who had always appreciated beauty, Shen Mo’er had seen countless handsome men. Yet, no one had struck her as quite so pleasing to her eye as this man.

What a pity.

His temper was a bit sour. When the girl invited him to travel together, he hadn't even asked where she was going before declaring they weren't on the same path, leaving her quite embarrassed.

Shen Mo’er pondered for a moment and managed to retrieve the identities of these two from the original owner's memories: the man was Fu Mingze, and the girl was Yang Qingqing; both were educated youths from the Yangliu Brigade.

Yang Qingqing’s eyes turned slightly red, and she offered a forced smile. "If we aren't heading the same way, then never mind."

Fu Mingze glanced at her, said nothing more, and buried his head back into his elbows.

Auntie Chen, always a warm-hearted soul, saw Yang Qingqing’s plight and offered, "I’m heading near the food station. If you’re going that way, we can keep each other company."

Yang Qingqing smiled. "I’m not going there. Thank you, Auntie Chen."

Auntie Chen waved her hand, signaling it was nothing; she had only offered to give the girl a way to save face.

Upon reaching the commune, the group climbed off the cart one after another. After agreeing on a time to meet for the return trip, they dispersed.

"You’re heading to the 'Sparrow Market,' aren't you?" Auntie Chen pulled Shen Mo’er aside and whispered.

*Oh?*

Shen Mo’er blinked and quickly nodded. "Yes."

She didn't really have a specific destination in mind; she was simply a newcomer curious about the world and wanted to see what lay beyond the village. Plus, now that she had some of the local currency, she wanted to buy some daily necessities.

According to the original owner's memories, shops in this world were rare. The county town had a department store, but the commune only had a supply and marketing cooperative and a food station. Furthermore, many items couldn't be bought with money alone—they required ration coupons.

As for the "Sparrow Market"... thinking back, the original owner seemed to have heard of it but had never visited, which was why it hadn't immediately come to mind.

"For us humble farmers, besides the few feet of cloth coupons we get per person at the end of the year, we really don't have a single hair's breadth of anything else. If we don't trade for a few things at the Sparrow Market, what else can we do?"

Auntie Chen grumbled as they walked. "This Sparrow Market is fine for selling a few self-produced items, but hoarding and reselling is forbidden. I’ve even heard that some people in the commune are making noise about 'cutting off the tail of capitalism.' So, be careful when you're there—don't buy anything inappropriate."

Auntie Chen lowered her voice, acting mysterious. "If you see people selling grain, act like you don't see them. The 'Red Armbands' are watching; if they catch you, it's over. If you really need to buy grain, you have to go to the black market."

She barely whispered the words "black market."

"But be careful there too; getting caught means the end."

Auntie Chen added, as if an afterthought.

Shen Mo’er nodded with a serious expression. "I understand."

"Hey, isn't that Educated Youth Yang up ahead? Didn't she say she wasn't going this way?" Auntie Chen suddenly remarked.

Shen Mo’er looked up, and sure enough, Yang Qingqing was not far in front of them.

"She’s tailing that Educated Youth Fu," Shen Shaoyuan whispered.

Perhaps because of the Sparrow Market, the road was quite crowded. Shen Mo’er looked for a long while before she spotted a tall, straight figure further ahead. Judging by that thick head of hair, it was undoubtedly Fu Mingze.

Looking closer at Yang Qingqing, it was true—she would walk and stop, occasionally hiding behind passersby, clearly tailing him.

"..."

Shen Mo’er was speechless.

Fu Mingze’s attitude was indeed poor, but since he had already refused her, there was no need to insist on following him. It looked sneaky and didn't seem like something a proper person would do.

However, they weren't close with these two educated youths, so there was no need to meddle in their affairs.

Shen Shaoyuan had spoken quietly, and with the crowd, Auntie Chen hadn't heard him. She continued to mutter, "These educated youths... they still keep their distance from us commune members."

The so-called "Sparrow Market" was essentially a small, spontaneous bazaar formed by villagers from the surrounding areas. On the surface, it was for bartering—exchanging home-grown vegetables, fruits, or handmade goods.

Of course, in reality, money changed hands, and as Auntie Chen mentioned, some sold strictly prohibited items like rice, flour, and cooking oil. As long as they weren't caught, it was fine, but if the "Red Armbands" caught them, being sent to labor reform was the lightest punishment.

These small markets lasted for a very short time, usually only two or three hours. Once finished, everyone scattered like sparrows, hence the name "Sparrow Market." Some places called it a "Dew Market," meaning the market ended as soon as the morning dew dried.

The Liuqiao Commune’s Sparrow Market was held on an open lot not far from the food station. By the time they arrived, many small stalls were already set up. Fruits and vegetables were the most common, alongside handmade goods like bamboo baskets and pottery. Although it was a market, everyone wore a look of caution and vigilance, occasionally glancing around.

At the edge of the market, two young men wearing red armbands stood with their arms crossed, looking serious and sharp-eyed, like hawks watching for prey.

Auntie Chen was there to sell her basket of melons and cucumbers; she found a vacant spot and set her basket down.

Shen Mo’er and her father parted ways with her, heading further in search of mats.

They were also in need of bedding, but cotton and fabric were supplied in limited quantities according to a national plan and required coupons to purchase at the cooperative. Since they didn't have a single inch of cloth coupon or a catty of cotton coupon, they didn't even consider it for now.

After searching, they finally found a vendor selling straw mats in a corner. The mats were woven quite tightly. Shen Mo’er rubbed the mat for a moment and asked, "Do you have bamboo mats?"

As the weather grew hotter, straw mats weren't as cool as bamboo ones.

The vendor was a bearded man. He sized up Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan and said, "Preparing a dowry, I assume? Bamboo mats are expensive, so few people buy them. I didn't bring any today. If you're serious, come find me at the next market day."

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you want cotton? You need to make two quilts for a dowry, right?"

Shen Mo’er’s eyes lit up. She exchanged a look with Shen Shaoyuan and, without denying the dowry comment, mimicked his tone and whispered, "You have cotton?"

The bearded man grinned and made a hand-rubbing gesture as if counting money. "As long as the money is right, I have everything."

He looked around, quickly rolled up the straw mat on the ground, hoisted it onto a shoulder pole, and began walking away. "Follow me."

Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan exchanged another look, communicating silently:

*"Is there a risk? What if he has ill intentions?"*

*"I’ve observed his stance—he’s unsteady and lacks true strength. No matter, we can handle it."*

*Fine, let's follow and see.*