Chapter 86: Wow!

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Wow!

Yun Zhen walked to the very back of the farmer’s market, turned a corner, and saw a shop. Just as the instant noodle vendor had described, numerous pots, bowls, pans, and ladles were displayed at the entrance.

"Girl, looking to buy an iron pot? I have electric pots, hand-forged iron pots, and traditional cast-iron pots. The prices are fair, and the quality is excellent." The owner had an amiable expression.

Yun Zhen gestured with her hands to indicate the size. "I’m looking for a wood-fired pot about this big."

"An old-fashioned wood-fired pot, right?"

Seeing the size she was gesturing, the owner knew she was buying it for a self-built house in the countryside; a stovetop in an apartment couldn’t possibly fit a pot that large.

"Come with me," the owner beckoned. "The wood-fired pots are all in the back."

Yun Zhen followed her inside.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG! The sound of hammering metal rang out. Two men—one older and one younger—were wearing thin shirts, drenched in sweat as they forged iron pots with specialized tools.

The owner said with a smile, "This is my husband and my son. The wood-fired pots we sell are all hand-forged by them. Our shop might look small, but we are the only place in the entire city that still makes old-fashioned wood-fired pots.

"Nowadays, everyone has moved into apartments and uses electricity or gas to cook, so they’ve switched to smaller pots. Wood-fired pots are only used in rural self-built homes. The people who used to forge old-fashioned iron pots either only make small ones now or have changed professions entirely. We’re the only ones who have stuck with it.

"The wood-fired pots are all here. Take your pick and let me know which one catches your eye." She pointed to a row of iron pots of various sizes on the ground.

Spoiled for choice, Yun Zhen finally pointed to the two largest and deepest pots. "How much for these two?"

"They have a forty-five-centimeter diameter. They’re two hundred and twenty yuan each," the owner replied.

Two hundred and twenty yuan? Yun Zhen mentally calculated her remaining funds. She had just spent seven hundred and twenty yuan on instant noodles, leaving her with one thousand one hundred and thirty yuan. She wanted to buy these two large pots; they would be perfect for cooking communal meals. Two pots would cost four hundred and forty yuan.

She pointed toward the entrance of the alley. "I’ll take these two. Could you please help me carry them to the alley up ahead? I have other things I bought waiting there. My family will come to pick everything up later."

The owner nodded eagerly and called out to the father-and-son blacksmith duo, "Honey, son, come over here for a second! Help carry these two pots the customer picked out to the alley up ahead."

The two men stopped their work.

"Which way?" the son asked.

Yun Zhen gave detailed directions again. Having grown up in the area, the son knew exactly where she meant after hearing it once. He and his father carried the large pots Yun Zhen had chosen out the door.

Yun Zhen added, "I also need extra-large spatulas and ladles that can be used for cooking in these communal pots. I’ll take two spatulas and two ladles."

The owner nodded in understanding and found four spatulas and ladles that were half a person’s height. "How do these look?"

Satisfied, Yun Zhen nodded. "They’re perfect!"

The owner gestured with her fingers. "Fifty yuan for the spatulas, and sixty for the ladles."

That was another one hundred and ten yuan spent.

When the owner’s husband and son returned, she had her son deliver the spatulas and ladles Yun Zhen had just purchased.

Yun Zhen then went to the egg shop in the farmer’s market.

As soon as she walked in, the female owner recognized her at a glance. "If it isn’t the girl from last time! Buying eggs again? How many this time?" She smiled warmly.

Yun Zhen smiled back. "I want the fourteen-yuan eggs. Just like last time, I’ll take ten trays."

"Sure thing! I’ll get them for you. Should we deliver them to the same alley as last time?" the owner asked.

Yun Zhen nodded.

The owner turned her head and shouted, "Honey, bring the cart over!"

She had bought another five hundred eggs, spending one hundred and forty yuan. Afterward, Yun Zhen bought ten one-yuan bags of salt and twenty one-yuan bags of vinegar. She had noticed that the village consumed vinegar much faster than salt.

"Sweet potatoes sold by the sack! One hundred catties a sack for one hundred yuan! Potatoes are ninety yuan a sack!"

Sweet potatoes? Yun Zhen heard the familiar name. One hundred yuan a sack? If it was also a hundred catties, it would be the exact same as what she bought last time. She went over to take a look and saw a crowd of people rushing to buy them.

The male vendor stood on his truck, shouting, "Authentic local honey sweet potatoes! We’re not selling by the catty today—it’s one hundred yuan a sack! The potatoes are locally grown too. We have too much stock, so it’s a massive clearance sale today! Ninety yuan a sack!"

Yun Zhen squeezed her way to the front and said, "I’ll take three sacks of sweet potatoes and one sack of potatoes."

The whole village had already tasted the sweet potatoes, and everyone had agreed they were delicious. They had never eaten potatoes before, so Yun Zhen wanted them to try some.

The vendor unloaded the sacks from the truck. "Three sacks of sweet potatoes and one sack of potatoes. That comes to a total of three hundred and ninety yuan."

"Wait here for a moment, let me go get a cart," Yun Zhen said. There was no way she could carry four heavy sacks on her own.

"No need for all that trouble. I have a cart right here. Just tell me where it needs to go, and I’ll push it over for you." The vendor called his wife over to watch the stall.

"It’s just up ahead. Thank you!" After loading the goods onto the cart, Yun Zhen led the vendor over.

The young man hired by the farm tool shop owner to watch over her goods couldn’t help but gasp. "Girl, how did you buy so much stuff? Can one truck even carry all this?"

Yun Zhen bought him two bottles of water. "Please wait for me just a little longer. I have to go grab one more thing."

The young man tried to decline the water, but she forcefully shoved the bottles into his arms.

Yun Zhen rushed off frantically and soon came back carrying some vegetable leaves she had collected earlier. With her last few yuan, she bought ten lighters!

Now left without a single cent to her name, she took her mountain of goods and returned home.

This time, she landed in an open area not far from the wheat threshing floor. The rooms at Grandpa Zhang’s home could no longer hold all the things she had brought.

Upon returning to the village, her eyes widened.

"WOW!"

"WOW!"

Yun Zhen and the villagers cried out in astonishment at almost the exact same time.

Yun Zhen was amazed by the ring of blue tents set up on the threshing floor. Against the snow-white landscape, they were incredibly striking—a spectacle unlike anything she had ever seen. Everyone had actually finished pitching them!

The villagers, on the other hand, gasped because they were blown away by the sheer volume of goods the Goddess had brought this time. Although the Goddess brought a large pile of things every day, today’s haul was exceptionally massive. It was literally a small mountain.

They were utterly stunned!

There was pork fat, cotton, rice, flour, a cart, instant noodles, large iron pots, eggs, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Most of these were things they could recognize, though some items were completely alien to them—like the stacks of colorful, patterned boxes.

Yun Zhen was full of praise. "Dad, Uncle Village Chief, you guys are so fast! When did you finish setting these up?"

The Village Chief said with pleasant surprise, "Goddess! We did not fail your expectations. The tents were completely set up today between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m."

Yun Zhen was astonished; that truly was lightning fast. "Is it cold to stay inside? Are there any drafts? How’s the waterproofing?"

Yun Duo was smiling from ear to ear. She told her daughter, "It’s not cold at all! Even without a stove, it blocks the wind and keeps us warm. With a stove lit, it’s as comfortable as spring inside! It doesn’t leak, either. Your dad poured a little water on the roof of the tent, and it just slid right off without leaving a single water mark. Zhen Niang, you have such a great eye to find such wonderful houses!"

"Goddess, please forgive our previous ignorance and foolishness," the Village Chief said, his face full of shame. "A house made of cloth is not only warm but also waterproof! We were profoundly ignorant and shallow to actually doubt the divine artifacts you bestowed upon us!"

As expected, divine objects could not be judged with mortal eyes.

Yun Zhen was brimming with anticipation. "It’s alright, Uncle Village Chief. Hearing you talk about how windproof and warm the tent houses are makes me want to hurry up and experience it for myself."

Having earned the Goddess’s forgiveness, the Village Chief led the way with utmost reverence. "Your tent house is right in the middle, facing south."