What came was a half-enclosed three-wheeled vehicle with blue color. The front driving position had doors and windows, while the rear compartment was open.
Auntie Chen greeted inside the car and then climbed up and sat down using her snake skin bag as a cushion, Wen Qian shared half of the space with her.
After they sat down, Auntie Chen waved her hand to signal ready, then the driver started the vehicle.
Because it was an open compartment, everyone sitting inside was blowing wind. Wen Qian thought that later when it gets cold, they should just walk to the trifurcation and take the bread car. Blowing people catch a cold would not be good.
There were three other people above, two women and one man, all looking in their sixties. Because the three-wheeler made loud noises when driving, they talked loudly in the wind.
"Is this your daughter?" One of the elderly women wearing a flower cheongsam asked Auntie Chen while looking at Wen Qian.
"No, she is Yuan Ao's girl." Auntie Chen also answered loudly.
"Oh oh." The other party's expression showed exaggerated sudden realization, "Yuan Ao, that's your upper one? The one alone? Wen Old Head and his wife picked up the girl?"
"It's not the one who said when the old man died, the girl ran away! I heard she went out to work and ran away! And didn't come back!" The hard-of-hearing old man who cut in still had a cigarette in his mouth.
Wen Qian rolled her eyes in her heart. Really not considering the person involved was here at all.
What kind of ran away or not, either the daughter-in-law ran away or the girl ran away. If not seen, then say ran away.
"Ai ya ya, where did you hear such words!" Auntie Chen scolded the old man in her heart for unable to speaking properly, "The girl got admitted to university and seldom comes back as she stays there."
The few people on the opposite side said "oh" to show that they understood.
One old lady said, "Of course one studies in big cities if admitted to university. How can it be studied in the village? What can be studied in the village, Yellow Mud University! Carrying rod falls to the ground, horizontal is number one, vertical then nothing known!"
Everyone laughed loudly.
Wen Qian asked Auntie Chen directly, "Who are they? Where are they from?"
Auntie Chen introduced them one by one to her, this is from which village, this is from where.
The people living here were scattered. Apart from those from the four or five gullies nearby that she was familiar with their faces, she did not know the others.
There was only one whom she knew, the rest two were not from nearby gullies, so it was normal Wen Qian did not know them.
The three-wheeler went uphill and downhill. Another person came up at the trifurcation. Then it took them all the way to town.
After more than ten minutes, it stopped at the edge of town and dropped them off, with scheduled return before nine o’clock.
After that, Wen Qian split up from Auntie Chen.
Wen Qian did not have anything particular to buy, could only said to buy while seeing.
A river forms boundary, managed by different towns separated at two sides.
Across the bridge is a town called Fengletown. This side of bridge is a village called Liuhe Village. Where they said go to town is just one street, starting from bus station at town opposite of bridge through bridge to this side’s street corner.
Wen Qian is from this side of Liuhe Village. Liuhe Village is managed by Pinghe Town. They need forty minutes ride and ten yuan bus fare to go Pinghe Town from their village. It is such a hassle.
Unless it is for school, hospitalization, or applying documents, people nearby won’t easily go. As they are near Fengletown, they shop or save money on this side, anyway the supermarket, bank are available in the town center.
All stalls concentrate at this one street, with first floor of residential buildings at both sides becoming shops, opened to all sorts of stores.
Wen Qian crossed the bridge and stopped at a stall selling steamed mungbean flour pancakes, she missed it for so long.
The steamed mungbean flour pancakes are called "fa mian pian pian" based on local dialect here. Mungbean flour and water added with yeast powder are proofed twice. Water is applied on surface then stick onto pan. Leave some water at pan bottom then steam to cook.
Different from "mo mo" or steamed bun, one side is crispy while other side is soft.
Some other places call the mungbean pancake "pian pian" use glutinous rice flour to make, also different.
Wen Qian basically did not see such breakfast sold at An City.
Already many waited in front of the stall, with big and small revolving pots with wheels, covered by cone-shaped pot lids.
The small pot was ready, started to collect money and distribute pancakes.
Smaller one was one yuan and fifty cents each, bigger one was three yuan each. So Wen Qian directly told the shopkeeper she wanted ten big ones, to takeaway later. The other party agreed and Wen Qian made mobile payment before leaving.
Wen Qian bought two packs of salts, stopped by pig meat stall to take three pork ribs and one piece of pork belly with five layers.
The butcher shop owner knew Wen Qian, asked her what she currently does. Wen Qian said she was clerk but recently resigned. Then owner did not ask further.
Owner's child and Wen Qian were primary and middle school classmates. Classmate already married when Wen Qian had not graduated from university yet.
Then, bought one bamboo sifter, one pannier, and one laundry basket from the bamboo artisan grandpa stall. Asked Auntie Chen beforehand so knew the rough prices, was not overcharged during purchase due to being a young adult.
Wen Qian asked if he had been setting stall at the spot. He nodded, said the space behind his stall belonged to his son's store, so had been here for long term.
Wen Qian felt she may frequent purchase in future, thus asked about bulk purchase discount possibility. Owner smiled seemingly not believing she would buy a lot.
Wen Qian went into an alley at roadside holding the stuff, towards the past location making cotton-padded mattress. Found the one-floor-and-a-half house roof tiles collapsed down entirely.
Looked around without any people, Wen Qian put all stuff into her space, only holding the laundry basket. Went to the spot with people, she asked and knew the shop had relocated.
Wen Qian came to ask for the price per jin using their home cotton or kapok cotton, labor fees, and inquiry details, before going to take pancakes.
On the way back to take pancakes, Wen Qian saw fish stall and bought one jin grass carp at four yuan and fifty cents per jin.
Returning, the packed pancakes were ready. Wen Qian put into the laundry basket, fish held separately.
She looked roughly around what were commonly sold at the street, seemingly no urgency on particular purchase, so went to street side to wait for ride.
Auntie Chen was also there when arriving. Surprised at Wen Qian's amount of pancake purchase, "Why you buy so many? Moreover all big ones?"
"I'll store to slowly eat over time." Wen Qian put two into small packs to Auntie Chen, "These are for you and Uncle Chen."
Auntie Chen first reaction was to reject. She only occasionally goes to town to buy some pancakes and fried dough sticks, normally would have breakfast at home.
Wen Qian did not let her reject and directly stuffed into her basket.
After she requested Auntie Chen help watch over her stuff, while she buys paper goods and incense at shop near bridge, with Auntie Chen naturally happy to help.
Wen Qian noticed the town has express delivery station, also some shops have delivery platform receiving points.
Shop owner told her delivery here can only send to town offices, address needs to write Fengletown instead of Liuhe Village, otherwise the delivery would be sent to Pinghe Town instead.
Wen Qian thought it convenient for herself to buy goods in future. Hence purchased some more snacks from the shop owner.
Returning with the goods, happened to encounter the three-wheeler came over when Auntie Chen lifting her stuff onto vehicle. The three-wheeler driver called Chen Lin, almost forty years old, living at Dachenwa. He knew Wen Qian and asked how long she would stay at hometown.
