The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

"Darling, how much did you pay for this paper?" Fang Tiesheng stared at Ya Ya, afraid that she had been ripped off. The previous paper was quite good; it didn't waste ink, was white and smooth, and was very strong. It cost two yuan for fifty sheets.

"Five yuan a pack, lots of people are grabbing them!" Ya Ya was slowly moving the things from the space onto the table.

Bright red strawberries, two trays of eggs, a pile of steamed egg cakes, lean meat, two cleaned chickens, and a large bag of cleaned fish.

The already small wooden table was suddenly piled high with food.

Hearing that it only cost five yuan, Fang Tiesheng breathed a sigh of relief. That was cheap; no wonder he could buy so much.

It's a waste of ink, I'll keep it for now.

After Grandpa Village Chief, Grandma Liu, and Uncle Zhao finished cleaning up the food on the table and putting it in the cellar, and wiped the small table clean, Ya Ya pointed to the thermal underwear on the cart and showed off the little clothes that Aunt Cao had bought for her.

"Grandma, this bag was given to me by my aunt. She said it's for thermal underwear, worn close to the skin, and this short bag is called underwear, worn inside." Ya Ya was a little embarrassed, her little face turning slightly red.

Grandma Liu examined the pants and clothes closely by the light. The style of these pants and clothes was something they had never seen before. The material was soft and elastic, and it felt even more comfortable than silk.

"Wear it next to the skin?" Grandma Liu murmured. "If the weather is sunny tomorrow, give Nannan a bath and then put her in this."

She then looked at the small, colorful panties. "What are these panties for? And why are they for the innermost part of the body? Are underwear from that area made this short?"

Ya Ya blushed even more, and shyly leaned close to Grandma Liu's ear, whispering a few words.

Grandma Liu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is... How come the people over there are so clever and so particular?"

She quickly and carefully put everything away, then asked, "And what's this pile of clothes on top?"

Ya Ya became interested and, with a smile, untied the rope, introducing it to the elders:

"These are also thermal underwear and long johns, and they come in men's and women's versions." As she spoke, Ya Ya pulled out all the clothes and spread them out on the kang mat.

"Pants with holes in the front are for men, while those with flowers are for women."

She then picked up a pair of flat-chested underwear: "These dark-colored underwear are also for men."

Then she picked up the triangular one and whispered in Grandma Liu's ear, "Grandma, the auntie said this one with three big holes is for women. Remember to try it on."

Grandma Liu looked at the small piece of cloth the child handed her, with three huge holes in it, and her face instantly turned bright red; the little pants even felt hot to the touch.

Zhao Hu had already picked up a pair of black thermal underwear and was holding it up to his body.

Looking at the small hole in front of him, he instantly blushed deeply: "This, this is..."

The village chief turned his head and picked up a skewer as well. He immediately understood its purpose upon seeing the hole and exclaimed in astonishment, "My goodness..."

A group of ancient people were both amazed and embarrassed by the design concept of modern innerwear.

"How did they come up with that?"

"Unlike open-crotch pants, and unlike regular closed-crotch pants, this one small hole makes so much more convenient..."

"Uncle Zhao, would you like to try this on? Will it fit?"

Ya Ya looked curiously at the thin trouser legs in their hands.

"Yes, I can wear it, Uncle, you don't need to try it on." Zhao Hu's face turned completely red. Would it even look decent if he tried it on?

As long as it's convenient for you, that's fine.

Grandma Liu was holding a set of small floral autumn clothes. The fabric of these clothes didn't look as comfortable as the ones that aunt had bought for the little girl, but they were much better than their own linen clothes. However, they had a faint strange smell.

It's not as refreshing and fragrant as the ones in the little bud bag.

It must have been washed by that auntie.

That's so thoughtful.

Grandma Liu looked at the pile of thermal underwear and long johns, and thought for a moment, "These clothes are all close to the skin, especially the underwear, so they still need to be washed. The sun has been strong these past few days, so wash them all clean and let them dry thoroughly before taking a bath and changing into them."

The mere mention of "underwear" caused several people present to feel awkward, their ears turning red.

Everyone hurriedly gathered the clothes into the plastic bucket, and also pulled out the salt and a lump of pork fat from under the cart.

Fang Tiesheng noted down the prices of the clothes and closed his self-made notebook.

Grandma Liu looked at Ya Ya and said gently, "Are you sleepy, little one? You've bought so many things, you should rest early. We've finished knitting the shoes, Grandma will help you put them in the cart tomorrow morning..."

"No, no," Ya Ya quickly shook her head, "I still have something I haven't taken out."

Everyone looked at her empty stroller, wondering what else she had...

Ya Ya pointed to the open space near the kitchen and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, could you please move your stool over there? I'll put my things here."

The village chief glanced at it and realized that he still needed to make room for it. It seemed that the little guy had a big one hidden in his space!

He did as instructed, picked up his stool, and moved to sit next to Hu Zi. As soon as he settled down, he heard a series of loud noises, "clang, clang, ding-ding-ding".

Heaps of iron blocks were slammed heavily onto the muddy ground.

The village chief, Zhao Hu, Fang Tiesheng, and Granny Liu all froze on the spot, their eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The sound of the metal striking the metal felt like it was hitting their hearts hard.

A cold gleam shone brightly under the lamp:

Sickles, machetes, small sharp knives, and cleavers of varying lengths, all sharpened with a cold gleam.

There were also hoes and iron heads, big and small, thick and heavy.

A few pairs of scissors, plus a pile of shiny kitchen knives, were crammed together.

The blinding white light reflected off the earthen wall, making one's eyes dazzled.

Grandma Liu covered her mouth, unable to catch her breath for a long time.

The village chief's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

"This, this, this..."

Zhao Hu was the first to react, his eyes shining like a wolf that hadn't eaten for a week seeing a live chicken.

He squeezed through the crowd in a few steps, grabbed a wood-chopping knife, and weighed it in his hand.

It's easy to handle, evenly shaped, and has an incredibly sharp blade.

The machetes, sickles, and kitchen knives all have wooden handles; the rest are bare.

He happily held the machete up to the light, seemingly not having seen enough. He then slipped outside with the machete, held it up to the large mirror outside, and then lifted his shirt to tuck it into his waistband, touching it from side to side. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

He quickly went back into the house, went to the kitchen, took out a half-dried piece of firewood, raised his hand, and gently chopped it.

The firewood snapped in two with a crisp, clean cut.

"My God, this works amazing!"

He swung it a couple more times in the kitchen, and it felt very handy, a hundred or a thousand times more convenient than his old, over-sharpened wood-chopping knife!

The village chief's hands trembled like a sieve as he picked up a small, sharp knife. This thin, narrow knife looked unremarkable, but with a flick of his wrist, it plunged into the mud—hiss!

It's a tough one.

Needless to say, the black sickle had a crescent-shaped blade that gleamed with silver light.

Grandma Liu picked up a kitchen knife; it felt heavy in her hand, and the blade was thin and sharp.

"This cleaver should be more than capable of chopping vegetables and bones. I just don't know if it's easy to dull or get dull."

The ordinary kitchen knives they use are mostly made of low-end scrap iron, forged in small furnaces using traditional methods. Their hardness is unstable, they are soft, and they are easy to dull. When chopping large bones, they are prone to chipping and breaking.

It's also very prone to rusting, and becomes unusable if not sharpened for a few days.

Then look at those scissors. One end is covered with something like a soft shell, so it won't hurt your hands. The blades are even and strong enough to cut cloth and rope with ease.