enjoyebooks Chapter 56 Buying groceries
Chapter 56 Buying groceries
The farmers' market is on the east side of the community, a five-minute walk away.
When Song Huan walked in carrying two plastic bags, the auntie at the pork stall at the entrance was chopping ribs with a knife, making a loud thud on the cutting board.
She looked up at him once, then again, and stopped wielding the knife in her hand.
"Little friend, where's your mother?"
Song Huan walked past her. "I came by myself."
The auntie paused for a moment, watching his small figure disappear into the vegetable section, and muttered to the tofu seller next to her, "Whose child is this? He's already helping his family buy groceries so early!"
Song Huan didn't hear that sentence.
He stood in front of the beef stall, looking up at the meat hanging on the hooks.
The stall owner was a fat middle-aged man with bloodstains on his apron, and he was using a fan to swat away flies.
He looked down at the boy, assuming he was looking for his mother. "Little boy, you've gone to the wrong place. The grocery store is over there."
Song Huan pointed to the beef shank on the hook, "How much is this?"
The chubby man paused for two seconds, then asked, "You're buying it?"
"Um."
Where are your parents?
"I'm at home. I'll go buy it."
Song Huan's tone was very calm, just like when she usually gets food in the cafeteria.
The chubby man looked at him for a few seconds and then quoted a price.
Song Huan asked him to cut a pound of beef and then let him choose a piece of beef brisket.
When paying, he took out a fifty-yuan note from his pocket, handed it over, and stuffed the change into his pocket—his movements were very swift.
A woman buying meat nearby stared in amazement, turning to the person behind her and saying, "Whose child is this? So young and already knows how to buy groceries?"
The people behind them shook their heads, also looking on with curiosity.
Beef is high in protein and rich in iron.
This is what the doctor told him: it's good for girls to eat beef during those days.
In her previous life, Lin Yue had severe menstrual cramps and had to go to the hospital. Song Huan then went to ask the doctor for advice.
Lin Yue also suffers from painful periods, and she experiences excruciating pain every time she gets her period.
Later, even though Song Huan's salary wasn't high, she would buy several kilograms of beef for her to eat every week before her period.
After getting enough protein, my menstrual cramps weren't as bad anymore.
He then went to the vegetable section and bought a few tomatoes. They were bright red and a little soft to the touch, just right.
There was tomato sauce on the shelf next to him, so he took a jar. He said that adding some tomato sauce to stewed beef would make it taste better.
I also bought a few eggs to make steamed egg custard. It's soft and fluffy, easy on the teeth and stomach.
I bought a pound of millet; I'll make porridge to nourish myself.
He stopped when he got to the fruit stand.
The durians were piled on the outside, prickly and thorny, and you could smell the aroma even through the shell.
He remembered that Lin Yue used to love eating durian, and that durian was a warming food, so it was good for girls who were afraid of the cold.
However, durian is very expensive, so even if Lin Yue wanted to eat it, she wouldn't tell Song Huan.
But Song Huan would still buy one every month on the day she got her period.
I picked a medium-sized one and asked the shopkeeper to help me peel it open and put it in a box.
"Little boy, can you carry all that?" The fruit vendor looked at his hands, which were full of bags, and asked with some concern.
Song Huan hung the bag back on her finger and tested its weight.
"I can carry it."
The aunt was still worried, so she took a large bag, put all the loose items together, and hung it on his wrist.
"Walk slowly, don't fall."
Song Huan nodded and left the market.
After walking for a while, he passed a supermarket and stopped.
My reflection is shown in the glass door, my hands are covered with plastic bags, I look like a mobile shelf.
Does Xiao Yunqing not have sanitary napkins yet?
He thought for a moment, then pushed the door open and went inside.
The sanitary napkins were on the third shelf, and he circled around twice before finding them.
The shelves were fully stocked with pink, blue, and purple items, as well as long and short, thick and thin products.
He stood in front, somewhat bewildered.
I've seen GG in videos before, but when I'm actually standing in front of the shelf, I still don't know which one to choose.
Moreover, the sanitary napkin brands he was familiar with hadn't become popular back then.
A female shop assistant walked over and paused when she saw him looking at sanitary napkins.
Song Huan turned to look at her, her eyes clear and innocent. "Sister, I'd like to ask, how do I choose this?"
The female shop assistant paused for a moment, looking at the vegetables hanging in his hands and then at his serious expression.
Her lips twitched, but she held back a laugh. "Who are you buying this for?"
"Classmate. This is her first time here, and she has a stomachache."
The female shop assistant's expression changed, from amused to something else.
She walked over and took a few packages from the shelf.
"This one is for daytime use. This one is for nighttime use; it's longer and won't leak at night. This one is a panty liner; it's for when your flow is light."
She would explain each bag she picked up, and Song Huan would nod in response.
In the end, he chose three brands, all of which were the most expensive, two packs each of daytime and nighttime use, and extra-long packs.
As the female shop assistant was packing his bag, she couldn't help but say, "You're really nice to your classmate."
Song Huan took the bag. "It's nothing."
He then went around to the general merchandise section, picked up a hot water bottle, it was red, made of rubber, and felt quite soft.
When he went to pay, the cashier was a young man. When he saw what he bought, the barcode scanner in his hand paused for a moment.
Without batting an eye, Song Huan placed the items one by one on the table, paid, bagged them, and left.
The young man watched his retreating figure and said to the person next to him, "That kid is awesome."
When he got home, the door was still closed the way he left it.
He took out his key, gently turned it, pushed the door open, went in, and then gently closed it again.
The living room was quiet, the curtains were drawn, and the light was dim.
He carried the items into the kitchen and placed them one by one on the stove.
I rinsed the beef under the tap, cut it into chunks, and soaked it.
Score the tomatoes with a cross, blanch them to remove the skin, and then chop them.
Slice the ginger, wash the red dates, and take out the brown sugar.
The porridge in the pot was cooked; it was thick with millet, and had red dates and ginger slices added, smelling sweet. He ladled the porridge out and covered it to keep it warm.
Then he tiptoed to the door of the room, which was not closed tightly, leaving a crack.
He gently pushed the door open a little and looked inside.
The blanket on the bed was bulging out, with only a tuft of hair showing on the top of her head.
He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave.
The tuft of hair suddenly moved.
The blanket was pulled down a little, revealing a pair of bright eyes that were looking at him.
Eyes facing each other.
Xiao Yunqing quickly pulled the blanket over her head and shrank into it.
Song Huan paused for a moment, then pushed open the door and went in, carrying a hot water bottle and a bag of sanitary napkins. She walked to the bedside and stood there.
"Little cloud?"
A muffled voice came from under the covers, "What?"
He placed the hot water bottle on the bedside table and then the bag next to the bed, saying, "This is for you."
Xiao Yunqing pulled the blanket open a crack, revealing one eye. She looked at the hot water bottle, then at the bag.
Her face flushed instantly, red all the way to her ears. "Why...why did you buy this?!"
Song Huan said seriously, "You'll find it useful."
"I already have one! My mom bought it for me a long time ago!" Her voice was both anxious and embarrassed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Song Huan didn't reply. He unscrewed the cap of the hot water bottle and pointed to the kitchen.
"The hot water is ready. Drink it in a bit, and holding your stomach will make you feel better."
He then took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over, saying, "This is for you."
Xiao Yunqing took it, unfolded it, and saw a line of words written crookedly on the note, clearly in Song Huan's handwriting.
Use daily, change every 2-3 hours.
For nighttime use, use a longer length. For extra-long flow days.
There's another line of smaller print below: Don't fill the hot water bottle with boiling water, lukewarm water is fine. Avoid cold and spicy foods these days, and drink plenty of hot water.
Xiao Yunqing stared at the note for a long time.
The handwriting on the note was ugly and crooked, but every stroke was written very carefully.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and her nose stung with emotion.
Song Huan didn't notice and turned to walk out, saying, "You go ahead and do your thing, I'll go cook."
As I reached the door, a voice came from behind me, "Song Huan."
He turned around.
Xiao Yunqing sat on the bed, holding a hot water bottle, her face flushed and her eyes red.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then didn't.
"Thank you for your hard work." The voice was very soft, like a mosquito's hum.
Song Huan smiled and said, "You're welcome."
Then he walked out and closed the door behind him.
The moment the door closed, Xiao Yunqing buried her face in the hot water bottle.
It smells like rubber, warm and comforting.
She lay there for a while, then listened intently to what was happening outside.
The sounds of running water, chopping vegetables, and spatulas hitting the wok came from the kitchen.
She tiptoed out of bed, grabbed the bag, and slipped into the bathroom.
When I came out after changing, my stomach didn't hurt as much.
She stood at the bathroom door and glanced towards the kitchen.
The door was open, the light was on, and Song Huan stood in front of the stove with her back to her.
His cat apron was tied crookedly, and the pink cat pattern was squeezed together on his chest, looking a bit comical.
He was cutting something, the knife moving slowly but steadily.
After I finished chopping, I turned around to get the pot and saw her standing there.
Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment, then turned and ran, burrowing into the quilt.
Song Huan stood at the kitchen doorway, looked at the closed door, and smiled.
He had already heard it.
He heard it the moment the bathroom door opened, and he could also hear her soft, tender voice.
He looks so good when he cooks.
Song Huan turned back and continued chopping vegetables.
The tomato stewed beef was bubbling away in the pot, releasing a delicious aroma.
He turned the heat down and chopped some scallions, intending to sprinkle them on the steamed egg custard later.
The water in the steamer boiled, so he stirred the egg mixture, covered it with plastic wrap, poked a few holes in it, and put it in.
I set a time and turned to fill the hot water bottle.
Xiao Yunqing lay on the bed, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen, the sound of slippers on the floor.
She closed her eyes and placed the hot water bottle on her lower abdomen.
It felt warm, warming me from my stomach all the way to my heart.