newbobooks Chapter 415 Bamboo Dragonfly
Chapter 415 Bamboo Dragonfly
Continuing up, they found no one around anymore, finally free from the noise and their ears quieted down. It was so quiet that they could clearly hear the subtle rustling of fallen leaves drifting down from the treetops.
This kind of tranquility makes people feel comfortable, as if the whole world has quieted down, leaving only the sound of their footsteps.
After going up a few more steps and crossing two identical platforms, I finally reached the first street.
The mountain city is indeed worthy of its reputation. Even to go shopping, one has to climb so many steps, and every step tests the pedestrians' physical strength and endurance.
Jing Chunxi took a deep breath and looked up ahead. The streets meandered up the hillside, giving people the illusion that the city was about to extend to the top of the mountain.
The mountain's unique character is woven into the streets, which are actually narrow alleys barely wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass through. The alleys are paved with bluestone slabs, but they're not perfectly smooth, with gaps between the slabs and uneven terrain, making walking a bit bumpy. The alleys are winding, with no end in sight.
Step onto the first street.
The houses on either side are also very peculiar. The first few feet above the foundation are made of stone, and above that are wooden buildings, most of which have only one floor with a wooden attic, and the roofs are mostly covered with tiles. This architectural style is simple and rustic, and the years have left deep marks here.
This street was not busy, and most of the shops on both sides of the dock had their doors open, with a small wooden window facing outward. Looking inside through the wooden window, it was not very bright, but you could roughly see what the shopkeepers were doing.
The streets were so quiet that it was hard to find anyone. Occasionally, you could hear birds singing or children playing in the distance.
They walked slowly along the street, passing nearly ten shops. Two sold daily necessities, and one sold something resembling embroidery, though the patterns were a bit strange. Even the bags and purses they made were strange, completely different from what they were used to seeing. Perhaps those strange designs were part of local customs, or perhaps they held some special meaning. Jing Chunxi felt a little timid looking at them, so he pulled them along and left.
There were two other shops selling dried goods and sauces. Dried bamboo shoots were the most common items piled up at the entrance, along with radish strips, radish sauce, and a few unnamed sauces. These sauces, however, smelled quite fragrant.
Chuntao ran over. Perhaps the old man sitting at the door didn't understand Mandarin, so she gestured to him for a long time and asked several questions. She pointed at the dried bamboo shoots and then at the sauce.
After a while, she came back and said happily, "Miss, the dried bamboo shoots here are a little expensive. They cost four cents a pound for the groceries, and ten cents for three pounds."
Everyone looked at her and smiled. Jing Chunxi's tone was full of sarcasm: "The price over there has been set. Do you think it's not low enough? Are you relieved now?" She knew that Chuntao was always cautious. She would always compare prices before buying things, for fear of being cheated. She just went to check the price.
Chuntao blushed and said hesitantly, "I saw it, and I had to ask to feel at ease." She lowered her head, looking a little shy, but couldn't help handing a clay jar to Jing Chunxi to see.
With a hint of boasting on her face, she said, "Miss, such a big jar of radish and fermented black bean sauce only costs ten cents. I've tried it. The radish is dried into thin strands, and there's a lot of fermented black beans. It's fragrant and spicy, and goes really well with rice."
Jing Chunxi shook her head slightly, with a hint of disapproval in her tone: "Aren't you tired of carrying it? Why don't you buy some more when you go back? Then buy a few more bottles and let everyone try them." She felt that Chuntao was a little impulsive. After all, they still had to walk a long way on the way, and it was really inconvenient to carry such heavy things.
Tang Shuang also looked at Chun Tao with disgust, then took the jar from her hand with a hint of complaint in her tone: "That's right, you can't carry it yourself after buying it, so you just give me trouble." Tang Shuang always said one thing and meant another, and she couldn't bear to see Chun Tao suffer.
After hearing this, Chuntao showed a trace of grievance on her face. She chuckled and muttered softly: "I just think this sauce is particularly delicious. I don't know who it benefited from after buying it back." After saying this, she glanced at the frosting meaningfully.
Everyone laughed and said nothing more.
"Miss, there are some bamboo woven items over there," Xiao Man suddenly said, pointing to a shop in front of him. He was so excited that he seemed to have just seen some rare treasure. His eyes were wide open, and his face was slightly flushed with excitement. As he spoke, he kept pointing in the direction of the shop, afraid that Jing Chunxi would not notice.
Most bamboo weaving shops have a plethora of items at their entrances. One side is usually filled with baskets, baskets, dustpans, and other daily necessities, while the other side is lined with several large rolls of bamboo mats. Mats for drying grain and sleeping are arranged in large piles, arranged according to size, at the entrance.
These things are already bulky, and once they are placed at the door, they will go over the eaves of the house, and they will occupy the walking alley, making the alley seem even narrower.
The sunlight shines through the gaps in the bamboo mats onto the ground, creating mottled light and shadows that add a touch of ancient charm.
Xiaoman ran over first, rushing to the bamboo weaving shop like a gust of wind, her eyes scanning the various bamboo weaving gadgets, and finally stopped on a bamboo dragonfly inserted in a bamboo tube.
His eyes lit up, and he picked up the bamboo helicopter without hesitation and asked loudly, "Boss, how much is this?" His voice was very crisp and loud, with a hint of childishness.
The grandfather weaving the bamboo baskets was already quite old, his hair white, his face marked by the marks of time. He had his head bowed, his back hunched, as he concentrated on weaving the bamboo baskets. Perhaps he was hard of hearing, but he didn't respond, let alone look up, his concentration completely focused on the bamboo weaving in his hands.
Xiao Man waited for a while, but when the old man didn't respond, she took the bamboo dragonfly and moved it closer to him. She then asked loudly in his ear, "Grandpa, how much is this bamboo dragonfly?"
This time, the old man, perhaps having heard or noticed Xiao Man leaning so close, finally raised his head. His eyes were bright as he glanced at the bamboo dragonfly in Xiao Man's hand. He didn't say anything, simply raised a finger, then lowered his head to continue weaving his bamboo basket.
"What does this mean?" Xiao Man was stunned. He looked at Jing Chunxi and then at Chuntao, his face full of confusion.
Chuntao frowned and whispered, "It can't be a penny, right? It takes a lot of time to weave this, and it looks quite difficult to weave." She picked up the bamboo dragonfly and looked at it carefully, and found that the patterns on it were very delicate, obviously it took a lot of thought.
Xiao Man wanted to ask more, but thought the old man might be deaf and dumb, so she didn't say anything. She just couldn't help but muttered softly, "Ten cents seems too expensive." He was a little reluctant, and his eyes swept back and forth between the bamboo dragonfly and the old man, seeming a little hesitant.
Suddenly, a child's voice came from the side: "This is one penny each. I can make it up. He can't talk, so just give him a copper coin."