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

It was a whole box of freshly baked sponge cakes.

The iron baking pan was still emitting a faint steam, and the golden cakes were neatly arranged, their edges slightly puffed up with an enticing light brown ring.

The aroma of sweetness, eggs, and wheat mingled together, steaming hot, and wafted into one's nose.

Ya Ya had smelled this aroma many times before when she passed by, but at that time she was in a hurry to buy food to fill her stomach and was reluctant to spend money recklessly. In her heart, she also thought that pastries must be very expensive and only rich people could afford them, so she could only resist looking at them and smelling them and hurriedly run past.

But now it's different. Knowing exactly how much money she has left, she has enough, and even some to spare. Her feet lifted uncontrollably, and Ya Ya walked straight towards the place with the strongest fragrance.

The closer she got, the more intense the fragrance became, sweet but not cloying, enveloping her warmly, making even her breath sweet.

Right in front of me was a small stall that specialized in selling sponge cakes. The iron tray was full of freshly baked, fluffy, round sponge cakes that looked like little flowers.

The golden sponge cakes were poured onto the iron plate, piling up into a small mountain.

The stall owner was a friendly middle-aged man wearing a mask. He was holding a brush in one hand and a small tin can in the other, and he was greasing the empty baking tray in preparation for baking the next batch.

Seeing Ya Ya pushing her little cart over, her little nose twitching, the stall owner stopped what he was doing and offered her a small plastic sample plate.

"Little one, would you like to try some? It's freshly baked and still warm."

Ya Ya carefully took it and took a small bite.

Wow!

It melts in your mouth, soft and fluffy, sweet, and not dry at all. The aroma made her eyes squint.

"Isn't it delicious?" the stall owner said with a smile. "Our sponge cake is made without a drop of water. It's soft, low in sugar, and even the elderly with bad teeth can eat it. Kids love it too. It won't spoil for three to five days. It's suitable as a snack or breakfast."

Ya Ya was intrigued; it's durable and suitable for elderly people with dental problems!

"How much is this?"

"We have both loose and boxed items." The uncle pointed to the small red cardboard boxes stacked on the other side of the stall. "Loose items are ten yuan per jin (500g), and one jin can fill a big bag. Boxed items are fifteen yuan a box. They are substantial, look nice to carry, and are presentable when visiting relatives."

"We have original flavor sponge cake, as well as honey and red bean flavors."

"How many are in a pound?" Ya Ya was itching to try them, the sweet and milky taste still lingering in her mouth, but she was also worried about not getting a good deal, so she asked in a low voice.

"There are more than a dozen of them! Since this isn't heavy, it makes a lot of room!"

A dozen or so!

Ya Ya's eyes lit up as she looked at the sponge cakes, each one bigger than her little fist: "Then, give me a pound of each kind."

Ya Ya had never eaten red beans or honey before, but since she had bought them, she decided to try them all. She had never had anything bad to eat in this area, so she decided to buy a pound of each and take them back to the grandparents in the village to try.

"Alright!" The stall owner couldn't stop smiling as the food was sold right after it came out of the oven, and the customer was a generous little one at that.

She quickly weighed out three pounds of different flavors for Ya Ya, packed them into three small bags, tied them tightly, and put them into her little car trunk.

Ya Ya took out three 10-yuan bills and handed them over.

After buying the sponge cake, Ya Ya also bought a few pounds of meat. The little cake wasn't heavy, but it took up quite a bit of space.

The little cart gradually gained weight.

Ya Ya thought to herself that since she had already started buying delicious food, she might as well go and take a look at the fragrant braised meat that her aunt had bought for her in the beginning. She could chew on one piece for a long time!

Having made up her mind, Ya Ya walked straight toward the storefront that sold cooked food.

She knows this small area very well now; the various aromas are always a test for her.

The braised food stall was busiest at this time of day. The aroma of the wok mixed with the smell of meat wafted far and wide, attracting a large crowd. There were three employees inside. One of them was an auntie with her hair tied up. She was holding a piece of red sausage wrapped in plastic wrap and cutting it into small pieces with small scissors, offering samples to the people in front of the stall.

"Try it, the freshly made sausage is delicious!"

Ya Ya also got a small piece, carefully put it in her mouth, and chewed it. It was salty and savory, and her mouth was full of the rich, meaty aroma. The texture was chewy and delicious, a taste she had never had before.

In the past, during the Lunar New Year, when there were many people in the village, people would also get enemas.

The meat is chopped, mixed with salt, wine, scallions, and ginger, stuffed into sausage casings, cooked, and hung under the eaves. It can last for a long time. Grandpa Wang once gave her one, but it didn't taste like this.

Ya Ya pursed her lips, smacked her lips a couple of times, and thought that this red sausage tasted even better. The meat flavor wasn't as strong as the one Grandpa Wang made, and she couldn't taste any meat bits. She didn't know how it was made, but it was just very delicious.

Meat is seven yuan a pound, but if this small intestine costs more than ten yuan, I won't buy it!

Ya Ya carefully calculated for a while before making a decision.

Kids love snacks, and the little cake had given her a taste of them all. Now everything looked tempting, but Ya Ya suppressed her instincts and, following her own plan, carefully approached the stall: "Excuse me, how much is this red sausage?"

Before you could even see the woman with her hair up, all you could see was her white woolen hat.

Ya Ya struggled to lift her head and raised her little hand: "I'm here, I asked."

"Six for ten yuan," the auntie with her hair up replied with a smile.

Hearing the childish voice, the people around looked down and realized it was a tiny baby. They instinctively moved aside to make room for her.

Ya Ya's eyes lit up immediately.

Ten yuan... six sticks?

This is so cheap and a great deal!

Where they live, sausages are made with real meat, pig's blood, and scraps—all genuine meat scraps. But here, meat costs seven yuan a pound, and ten yuan can buy six sausages made with meat, each one almost as thick as her little wrist and longer than her foot.

A single piece can be served as a large dish, enough for the entire village to have a meal, and everyone can taste the meat.

Ya Ya doesn't understand modern technology, starch, or anything like that; she just feels like she got a great deal.

She quickly counted on her little fingers: six sticks for ten yuan, so twenty would be twelve sticks, thirty...

If you keep trying to calculate it and can't figure it out, just stop calculating it altogether.

"Auntie, is it really six sausages for ten yuan? You're not mistaken, are you? They smell so good." She tilted her head up and asked again earnestly.

"Really, that's right. We've always sold at this price. We're an old shop; we've been in the morning market for three or four years." The auntie was amused by her; the child was so honest, afraid that she would be taken advantage of.

Ya Ya was completely relieved; anything that wasn't reporting an error was either a great deal!

She pulled out a red bill, "I want a hundred."

"Oh my! You bought so much? Can you carry it all? Where are your parents?" The shop assistant, who was styling her hair, was startled and looked around to see if any parents were with her.

He then glanced at Ya Ya's collar.

Recently, there have been many videos on Douyin (TikTok) of young children going out with cameras attached to their bodies. Parents say it's to help their children develop social skills.

But I didn't find any cameras here.