Chapter 21: Going to Market

After the recent division of the household, many daily necessities were lacking. In the town, the fourth and tenth days were market days; these were smaller local markets. The larger markets took place in the county on the second and eighth days.

Today was the eighth day of October, the big market day. Early in the morning, Shen Chengyao harnessed the bullock cart and took his three little ones, who were eager to join him, to the county. It was still dark and the October morning weather was quite chilly. Perhaps it was due to the lack of pollution and absence of the greenhouse effect in this era, but Xiao'er found the weather at this time much colder than in her previous life.

The three children sat on the bullock cart, shivering in their weathered, worn-out cotton jackets. Xiao'er decided to buy new cloth later on, whatever it took, to make down jackets.