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

As the sky grew brighter, Ya Ya was almost at the end of the morning market, near the spot where she had bought the coat earlier. Just as she passed it, she heard the loudspeaker announcement again: "Clearance sale! Seasonal clearance! Cotton shoes and socks on sale at bargain prices!"

Cheap! Clearance sale!

Ya Ya understood these two words immediately.

That's what those girls in floral jackets shouted last time!

Ya Ya quickly pushed the cart toward the sound and saw a pile of cotton shoes, all covered in dark material, with thick beige fleece showing inside. They looked so warm.

There were also stacks of snow-white socks next to her, the fabric of which was whiter than any paper she had ever seen.

Ya Ya subconsciously looked down at her cloth shoes, which were made of a thin layer of coarse cloth that had been washed until it turned white, with some dried cattail fluff stuffed inside. Her socks were made of coarse linen, with scraps of cloth stuffed in the middle, making them stiff and ugly.

The woman selling shoes spotted the little boy pushing his cart immediately. She deftly pulled a pair of children's shoes from her pile of black cotton shoes and waved them at him: "Little boy, aren't your feet cold in these thin shoes? Come on, try these on, and I'll give you a discount."

She bought too many cotton shoes, and since young people don't like these old-fashioned cotton shoes and the demand from the elderly is not high, and they are about to go out of season and become unsaleable, she plans to sell them off cheaply.

It's not easy to spot a potential customer, even if it's just a little kid. I still have to greet him and let him try on the shoes. This kid's shoes are even more outdated than the styles I stock!

Ya Ya wiggled her stiff toes, too embarrassed to go forward.

She still had marks from chilblains on her toes, and her socks were ugly; she was afraid of getting someone else's new shoes dirty.

The older woman noticed the child's awkwardness, glanced at her little feet, and smiled kindly as she pulled her to a small stool nearby: "Auntie will give you a pair of socks. Don't be afraid, try them on. If they fit well and are soft, then you can decide whether you want to buy them."

Ya Ya sat down on the small stool in a daze, with a pair of snow-white socks stuffed into her hands.

She couldn't bear to waste such soft fabric.

"Auntie, how much are these shoes and socks?" Ya Ya asked tentatively, rubbing her socks with her little hands.

If it's similar to a padded jacket, then she'll give it a try and buy some for all the grandparents and younger brothers in the village.

"Cotton shoes are fifteen yuan a pair, socks are ten yuan for ten pairs, minimum order of ten pairs!"

15? I can afford it, even if it gets dirty.

Ya Ya felt relieved, but looking at the small white socks in her hand, she was a little unsure how to put them on.

"Take this sock and press it into a small circle at the opening like this, then put it on over your toes, and pull it on!" The older sister could tell that she didn't seem to know how to put on socks.

Ya Ya blushed and bent down to take off her shoes. When she took them off, a few tufts of catkins came out with them, and her little face turned even redder.

"Take your time trying, Auntie won't look." The older woman said, turning her head to walk around to the other side of the stall to continue looking for customers to sell to.

Ya Ya's awkward mood eased a lot. Then she took off her stiff, coarse linen socks, revealing her little feet completely. They were clean and fresh. She had taken a bath when the sun was strong at noon, and you could still smell a faint fragrance.

Following her aunt's example, she found the opening in the sock, rubbed it to make a flat little circle, and then pulled it over her toes.

The fabric is also elastic, so when you put it on, it fits snugly against your feet, wrapping them perfectly against your skin.

Then, picking up a dark cotton shoe, Ya Ya stepped into it, pulled out the shoe upper from under her heel, and stood up.

Her toes felt like they were stepping on a warm, fuzzy cloud, the soft warmth enveloping them completely. Her nose tingled, and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

I feel so happy and warm.

"Do they fit? Are they warm? Try walking a few steps." The older sister asked through the small hill of cotton shoes as she stood up.

Ya Ya gently wiggled her toes, looking a little relaxed.

"It's a little bit big." She held up two fingers to indicate the length.

"It's good to be a little loose," the older woman said with a smile. "You kids' feet grow fast, so a little bigger means they'll last longer. If they're too big, Auntie will get you another pair that fits better."

Ya Ya nodded, gently lifted her foot and took a step. The soft soles of her shoes and her feet, wrapped in fluffy fur, made each step feel like walking on clouds.

Judging from her expression, the older woman knew the deal was done. "So, how about I wrap it up for you? Or will you just wear it?"

Ya Ya sat back on the small stool and put the other cotton shoe on her foot. The warm touch made her reluctant to take it off.

"Auntie, I want this, and then... I want to buy twenty more pairs."

The older sister was stunned. It turned out that this casually recruited order was actually a big one.

"Little friend, one pair is fifteen yuan, twenty-one pairs is three hundred and fifteen yuan. Do you have enough money? Do you want some socks?"

"I've brought enough!" Ya Ya touched her little handbag; she had dozens of red bills inside.

"Socks...I'll take them."

"Okay, so there are twenty-one people in total, right? Then there are thirty pairs of socks. That's three hundred and forty-five in total, I'll charge you three hundred and forty."

"Do you know your shoe size? These shoes have to fit properly, unlike socks, which can be worn by both men and women."

The older sister confirmed the quantity and size with her.

"Shoe size? What is shoe size?" Ya Ya was stumped by her question.

"If you're going to buy shoes for someone, you need to know their foot size and what size shoes they wear."

"I want to buy some for my grandparents, my uncles and aunts, and my little brother, who is shorter than me." She had no idea how big the villagers' feet were, so she could only gesture to explain what she knew.

Hearing this, the older sister's heart softened. It seemed like there weren't many young people in the village, no wonder a little kid was running around the morning market.

"Then you should buy the socks first. The socks don't come in different sizes, and both men and women can wear them. Are there any little brothers in your village? Auntie will get you five pairs of children's socks and twenty-five pairs of adult socks. You'll have extra socks to wear out."

She added, "You can come back for the shoes after you get the size. Auntie will still be here tomorrow."

Ya Ya nodded emphatically, paid forty-five yuan, and bought thirty pairs of white socks plus cotton shoes for her own feet.

The older sister helped her put her old shoes and socks into a plastic bag. She paused, noticing the cattail fluff in the shoes and the socks stuffed with scraps of cloth...

She had never seen socks like these before.

These days, people still use this method to keep warm.

She sighed silently and took a few pairs of fleece-lined children's socks from under the cart next to her: "Child, Auntie has a few extra pairs of children's socks here. They're defective, so you can have them."

"What do you mean by 'defective product'? Auntie, you'll lose money if you give me these thick socks, I don't want them." Ya Ya waved her hands repeatedly, only taking the small bag containing her shoes and socks.

"They're dirty and torn, so if you don't want them, Auntie will have to throw them away in a bit." She said, making a gesture as if to throw away the pretty cartoon children's socks.

Ya Ya quickly stopped her, saying it was such a waste to throw away such nice socks. They were so thick, and had a soft fleece lining just like the shoes. It was just because they got dirty that they were going to be thrown away...

Ya Ya took the socks, several thick ones. She looked them over but didn't find any dirt. Although she was a little suspicious, she carefully put the socks into the bag containing the white socks.

"Thank you, Auntie. I'll come back to buy shoes again tomorrow. Please stay here, Auntie!" Ya Ya hung the bag of old shoes on the handlebars and pushed the cart away.

She looked up at the sky. She had plenty of time today, and Xiao Hebao hadn't urged her to go back to Lotus Village yet.

Thinking about the empty cellar, he pushed the cart back.

She remembered that there seemed to be a place selling grains and noodles near where she used to sell eggs, so she went over to take a look.