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

(Bonus chapter if you guess correctly in the comments!)

"This little basket is beautifully woven!"

"What's the price? Sister, may I take a look at this small one you're holding?" Someone had their eyes on the garlic basket in Wang Guifen's hand.

Wang Guifen openly showed everyone that this stall was a treasure trove, and she always managed to snag some good stuff.

Cao Xiulian considered the options in her mind, then smiled and announced the price to everyone:

Medium-sized vegetable baskets are 25 yuan each, small garlic baskets are 10 yuan each, large two-color baskets are 50 yuan each, square baskets are 40 yuan each, and those with animal ear designs are divided into two categories of 60 and 80 yuan each, depending on size. The rest are all quoted at roughly the same price.

After the price was quoted, everyone felt that the price was indeed reasonable, and one basket for each person, and the remaining eleven baskets were sold out in no time.

Ya Ya was overjoyed to see how popular the basket was.

A basket that costs two coins can sell for so much money here!

The smallest one that Wang Guifen had was still wanted by many people, so Cao Xiulian made a count and told Ya Ya to bring a few more next time.

Ya Ya held a stack of loose bills, and Cao Xiulian counted them for her; the total came to 350 yuan.

She carefully folded the money, put it into her small handbag, pressed it repeatedly, and her little face beamed with joy.

The basket was empty, but some aunties and uncles were still willing to leave; they were all regular customers who had bought wild vegetables from the sprouts before.

"Hey boss, when are you going to sell wild vegetables again? We're all waiting!"

Ya Ya tilted her little face up and thought about it seriously: "It rained all night in the village yesterday, and it rained during the day too. When the rain stops, Grandma said we should go up the mountain to take a look, maybe we can pick some mushrooms."

Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up, and they nodded happily.

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

Wild vegetables smell so good, wild mushrooms must be so delicious they'd make your eyebrows fall off!

I have to come and squat here every day, no matter what.

After everyone had left, Cao Xiulian busied herself frying sugar cakes. Ya Ya folded up the plastic sheet, picked it up, and returned it to her aunt.

"Thank you, Auntie! I'm going to buy things for my grandmas!" Ya Ya patted her bulging little handbag.

I earned three red bills today! Grandma Liu even earned fifty! Grandma earned five padded jackets in one go, that's amazing!

But Grandpa Wang is the real expert; he earned half of it.

"Alright! Be careful on the road, and keep a close eye on Xiao Bao!" Cao Xiulian said as usual, handing the fried sugar cakes to the customers.

Ever since that little girl came, her stall seems to have become more successful.

Ya Ya pushed her little cart and walked briskly along the roadside of the morning market.

Past the area with the fragrant breakfast stalls is the section selling fresh vegetables and meat.

I already bought some delicious steamed egg cakes and sausages last time, so I didn't look at them much this time, no matter how fragrant they were.

She remembered that Aunt Lin was muttering about how all the ginger and fermented black beans in the village were gone when she was cooking lunch today. Without ginger, the meat wouldn't have a good smell, so she pushed her cart straight to the meat and vegetable section.

Upon entering the vegetable section, one is greeted by a vibrant array of reds and greens.

Truckloads of cabbages were piled high, with tender little bok choy still glistening with water droplets, as well as long-stemmed vegetables that smelled a bit pungent. There were long, thin green strips of cabbage, some with plump, bright purple berries, and others with thin, pointed berries, all piled up separately, red and green.

Most of the buds didn't recognize them; they just looked around curiously. Wild vegetables were so expensive in this area, these must be expensive too.

Don't spend money recklessly.

After searching for a long time, I finally found an old man in a red floral jacket squatting on the ground in the corner of a small stall. In front of him was a large pile of things, the most eye-catching of which was a tall pile of yellowish-brown ginger.

There was a sign stuck in the pile of ginger that said 3 yuan per jin.

All of these are words that Ya Ya recognizes.

She covered her mouth. Ginger was such a rare thing. In the village, people would only use a little bit when cooking meat or when someone caught a cold. They would grind it into fine powder and use it sparingly.

Aunt Lin also tried to grow some ginger, but this plant is delicate, afraid of cold, afraid of waterlogging, and requires a lot of land and fertilizer. After taking care of it for half a year, she finally dug up a few pieces.

I never expected to find so many here, and they're only 3 yuan per pound.

Could it be that Uncle wrote down the wrong price?

Ya Ya dragged her little cart forward a couple of steps, squatted down in front of the stall, and asked softly but earnestly, "Uncle, is there a mistake on this price tag?"

The old man in the red coat was arranging vegetables when he heard the childish voice asking the question. He looked up and saw a little girl in a cream-colored cotton coat. He immediately smiled, his face full of wrinkles: "You didn't write it wrong, it's three yuan. Ginger is a bit more expensive in the cold weather, but it's not outrageously expensive. Little girl, did your family send you to buy it? Our prices are much more affordable than in the supermarket."

Supermarket? Another novel word.

Ok……

Ya Ya stared at a piece of ginger that was as big as her palm. After thinking for a while, since her uncle hadn't made a mistake, she decided not to be polite!

The little guy waved his hand confidently: "Uncle, help me carry five pounds!"

The stall owner, an older man selling bright red floral-patterned jackets, jerked his neck back sharply, revealing his double chin, and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Five catties? Little kid, you're buying things recklessly! Ginger keeps well, but can your family finish it all? Don't get scolded when you get home!"

Ya Ya tilted her head, her face serious, and nodded firmly: "We can finish it! There are twenty-one of us!"

"Twenty-one!?" Uncle's eyes widened, then he nodded happily. "Oh my, so many people! Your family is thriving! Great!"

He smiled as he took out a red plastic bag and picked out firm, plump pieces of ginger for Ya Ya. Ya Ya's little eyes were also busy; she curiously squatted in front of the stall, examining the other vegetables. Apart from the ginger, none of the others had prices listed, and she didn't recognize them.

"Uncle, what's this? This place is all about selling vegetables, why are you selling fruit too?" Ya Ya asked, pointing to a small pile of round, red fruits topped with green leaves.

Her uncle looked at her little hand and laughed: "These are persimmons. You can cook them or eat them as fruit. They're delicious stir-fried with eggs, sweet and sour, and very fragrant! You can also wash them and eat them directly; they're red and soft."

Such a magical fruit?

Ya Ya tentatively picked one up with her little hand and smelled it, but couldn't detect any scent.

But after hearing her uncle describe how it could be used to fry eggs, and how it was sweet and sour, her little mouth couldn't help but smack a couple of times. Maybe she should take it home and try it?

"How much does this persimmon cost?"

"Same price, three yuan per jin. Want me to pack two to take home and try? Two are enough for a big plate. Come back if you like them!"

Seeing the little girl nod, the stall owner picked out two red and firm ones. Seeing she still seemed unsatisfied, he pointed to a long, purplish-red thing next to her: "Little one, do you recognize this?"

Ya Ya shook her little head like a rattle-drum, "I don't know her."

The thing was a shiny purple, long and round, and smooth to the touch.

"Is this...is this also a dish?"

"This is eggplant. It's delicious whether stewed or braised. It's soft and absorbs flavors well. When stir-fried with meat, it's even more flavorful than the meat itself, and you can even taste the meat's aroma."

The stall owner noticed that this little customer had a particular trait: as long as he described how to make it smell good, she would buy it if she thought it was delicious.

Ya Ya swallowed hard, her eyes filled with amazement. How amazing! It could taste like meat!

"This big one is only one yuan, it's cheap." The stall owner played his trump card.

"I'll have one too!"