Zhumaying Town is an ancient town with a long history. It is not far from Shanhaiguan, the world's number one pass, which was a prosperous place where merchants gathered in the Qing Dynasty. The Daji and temple fairs here are particularly famous. Every time they arrive at Daji, it is known as the "First episode in the Guan", and until now, it is still the main trading place for the people within dozens of miles nearby. Until the end of the 20th century, material life was extremely prosperous, small shops and supermarkets were extremely popular, and logistics was extremely convenient, Zhumaying Daji gradually faded its function, but there are still quite a lot of ordinary people who still follow the tradition of going to the market.

The Zhumaying collection is calculated on the "two, five, and eight" period, which is calculated on the old calendar. Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and it is also the last big collection before the New Year. In 1994, when material life was not yet rich, this big collection is very important to the people.

After riding in the donkey cart for more than an hour, Liu Yufan finally stepped onto the streets of Zhumaying Ancient Town again. In his childhood memory, the impression here is very clear. The prosperity and bustle of the large restaurant are like a huge magnet, which once attracted him deeply. Now, when seeing this familiar scene again, Liu Yufan is more moved and nostalgic.

However, Liu Yufan is a little sleepy now. Maybe he slept too late last night. He played with Wang Xiaoyong and others until after nine o'clock. When he got home, he climbed on the kang and sorted out his music theory knowledge for more than an hour. He was at the age of time, so there was no reason not to get sleepy.

There is no way. Compared with many reborn people who are awesome, Liu Yufan's basic conditions are really miserable. His poor family and closed environment make him unable to even find a music theory or piano score, and he can't afford it even if he can find it. Not to mention the piano, Liu Yufan vaguely remembers that there seems to be an old-fashioned organ in elementary school that is more than 20 years old. As for the piano, it is probably good to have one or two Jianghai, which is more than 300 miles away from here. In this era, except for a very small number of rich people, most people probably don't know what the piano is.

Xiaofan still needs to put in a lot of effort to stick to his musical dream.

"There are so many people." Liu Jian said loudly. Looking around, people were crowded with people on the five or six meters wide streets, and it was difficult to move forward. Those who rode bicycles and those who pushed the cart could only passively be hugged by the crowd.

After a difficult "journey", the mule cart finally came outside the market. The big market in Zhumaying is a large open area, built on the south side of Zhumaying Town. People who go to the market must first pass through a street in the center of the town. There are shops on both sides of this street. Of course, the things inside are better than those on the market. Every big market is also the peak of store opening.

Liu Yufan's family got off the bus in the big department store in the center of the street. This is their place to go to the market every time. Liu Yufan's aunt and uncle are all here to be salesmen. They have to go in and say hello first and put some inconvenient things here for them to take care of.

Zhumaying Department Store.

A few large red characters are painted on the white and gray wall, which looks particularly eye-catching.

This is the largest department store in Zhumaying Town. It has a width of more than ten rooms. The south-facing house is painted with green paint on the bright windows and door frames. There are also several toy tricycles for children to ride in the window. In this era, it was a "treasure" that children dream of, but unfortunately, few of them can afford it for a few dozen yuan.

There are also many people in the department store. Liu Yufan's family walked towards the east entrance, stepped on the exquisite water-brushed stone steps, and lifted up the cotton door curtain made of green coarse cloth. As soon as they entered the store, a familiar smell came to their faces.

The department store is very spacious, with large ceiling fans with green leaves on the already peeling ceiling. However, it is winter now, they are all quietly staying there. Looking around, a large north side is half a person-high counter, with goods placed in different categories, and counters on the east and west sides. When customers come in, they feel like they are surrounded by these three counters, but it is very wide and long, and there is no depressing feeling.

In the mid-1990s, in the countryside, such a place could be called "luxury" in the eyes of children and adults. Liu Yufan looked at everything here quietly, and his thoughts were surging. The fragments buried deep in his memory became vivid again.

"Xiaofan, come here quickly, your uncle is there." Chu Qing saw his son being stunned by the other side, patted him and shouted.

"Oh, I understand." Liu Yufan retracted his thoughts and followed them.

"Oh, here we come." Liu Yufan's uncle was standing behind the counter and greeting two customers who bought pens. When he saw several people coming, he greeted him and started busy.

"You only have this kind of pen here. There are several types of pens outside." The one who bought the pen looked like a mother and daughter. The daughter looked fifteen or sixteen years old, and was picking up a pen and looking at it while asking.

"We are the only one here. This is the best pen for the hero brand. What are the things sold at the stalls outside? They are all fake. The quality is not comparable to this. We are a regular department store here. The quality of the things sold is absolutely reliable. Look at the tip of the pen, it is absolutely good!" Liu Yufan's uncle is Xue Tiezhu. As his name is, he is big and thick, with a garlic nose and a loud voice. He stands there and has a power, and his words seem to be particularly convincing. These words just now obviously moved the mother and daughter.

"Give it a little cheaper." said the mother carrying the basket.

"It's not cheap anymore. I'll tell you, you spend money to buy a good thing. When you go back, you can guarantee that you won't use it. Otherwise, you can add another 50 cents and I'll give you a bottle of ink. We are all authentic ostrich ink here, and we all buy seven cents."

The mother and daughter were finally moved by Xue Tiezhu and paid for a pen. Xue Tiezhu skillfully took out a piece of cardboard covered with pens, opened a bottle of ink, dipped the tip of the pen and handed it to the little girl.

"Come and try it, do you think you're going to be in use?" Xue Tiezhu said.

The little girl wrote the words "Zhumaying Middle School" on it. Although it was not beautiful, it was still neat. It seemed that she was a middle school student there.

"This word is so beautiful, it's good to see this child's study." Xue Tiezhu praised on the side at the right time. The woman who bought the pen took the sentence with some pride and said, "I'm not the second place in the school in the final exam. His father said he would buy a pen to reward him."

"I said, this child is really promising and will definitely be able to get into a good school in the future. How about it, will the pen be good?" Xue Tiezhu asked with a smile.

"It's very useful." The girl smiled. Obviously, Liu Yufan's uncle was so impressed just now that she was talking to her.

After buying pens, the mother and daughter left with satisfaction. Liu Yufan's uncle turned around and greeted the family. Chu Rong, who was not far away, also walked over.

"Just arrived?" Chu Rong greeted Liu Yufan's family enthusiastically.

"Well, you're quite busy here." Liu Yufan's father said with a smile.

"No? I haven't been idle these two days, it's almost the Chinese New Year." Xue Tiezhu said with a smile.

"Yes, I can't even walk." Chu Qing nodded and then looked around and asked, "Where is Xiaozhe?"

"Oh, this big show is quite messy. I let him stay at home, and his master is watching." Chu Rong said.

Xiaozhe's name is Xue Dongzhe, who is the same age as Liu Yufan, but his birthday is a few months older than him. He is very good at playing with Liu Yufan, and he belongs to the kind of best friend. At that time, as long as the winter and summer vacations are winter and summer, Xue Dongzhe will always go to Liu Yufan to play.

This guy should be a fat guy. Liu Yufan was a little amused and thought about Xue Dongzhe's appearance.

"Oh, then we won't stay there. We have to go to the market to buy things quickly. We have to go back in a while." Liu Yufan's mother said.

"What's the hurry? Let's go later. There are quite a lot of people outside." Liu Tiezhu said with a smile.

"No, you guys are busy. We'll buy things later and come back." Chu Qing said, and said to Liu Yufan and Liu Xiaoran: "You two come with me and buy clothes for you first."

"Oh." Liu Yufan responded and followed his mother. This was the "convention" of his family over the years. His father Liu Jianjun went to buy vegetables, while Chu Qing was responsible for buying New Year's clothes for the two children. A few meat and vegetables, each with a set of new clothes, a little firecrackers and a new calendar. This is the entire "New Year's goods" of Liu Yufan's family.

There are too many people on the street, and it is difficult to take a step. Chu Qing kept calling the two children to follow, holding the two children's hands for a moment and dared not let go. There are so many people, if they squeeze the children out of their way, there is no place to find them! You must know that there are no mobile phones these days.

The fragrance emitted from the stall selling thirteen fragrances, the scent of the sulfur emitted from the second kicks occasionally, the salty smell emitted from the stalls that buy braised shrimps and fermented bean curds, the pungent smell of dry tobacco emitted from the old smokers, the mouth-watering aroma of the big cakes wrapped in Zhumaying's specialty, and the air is filled with various smells.

"This may be the flavor of the New Year." Liu Yufan thought to himself as he smelled the smell in the air.

"The bitter sand makes the feeling of hurting the face, as unforgettable as the father scolds his mother's crying..." On the roadside open-air audio-visual stall, an old single-card recorder played Zheng Zhihua's "Sailor". Now, it is the time when this song is popular all over the streets and alleys. Of course, for big places, this song is already "outdated". In remote rural areas, it seems that it is not as popular as the trend.

Listening to this song, Liu Yufan couldn't help but hum, but a series of content flashed in his mind subconsciously: Well, the electronic flavor of the accompaniment is too strong, the straight bass in this place is used well. Alas, if the guitar sound is a bit distorted in the interlude, it would be even better... As a basic amateur music lover, Liu Yufan also has a certain knowledge of arrangement and orchestration. When he hears a song, the reaction is naturally different from that of ordinary people.

After leaving the audio-visual stand a little reluctantly, Liu Yufan had the urge to buy a recorder. Although in later generations such as mp4, ipod, mobile phone, etc. had long submerged the recorder into the long river of history, now, the recorder is the only way for Liu Yufan to appreciate music. Unfortunately, even such an antique-level recorder is not something Liu Yufan can have now, which is more than 100 yuan. He dares to say that his mother Chu Qing will definitely kick him in the butt.

Rows of colorful clothes sucked Chu Qing's footsteps like magnets. Women have never been immune to clothes. However, Chu Qing looked at it for a while and did not buy it. Instead, he came to the children's clothing area with a familiarity and started to pick up clothes for the two children. Liu Yufan saw it and felt uncomfortable. When he was young, he didn't realize what it was about his mother buying clothes for them. Now he thinks about it, his mother is also a woman. Who doesn't want to dress up beautifully during the Chinese New Year? But Chu Qing, who has worked hard for a whole year, is reluctant to buy even a pair of new socks for himself. Parents' love for their children is never lingering, but it is the deepest.

My mother first bought a piece of clothing for her sister Xiaoran, a purple velvet patterned top and dark green pants. Looking at the color matching, Liu Yufan was speechless, but the little girl liked it very much. No wonder, Liu Yufan's vision was more than ten years away from them.

Next was Liu Yufan's clothes. Although Chu Qing still wanted to buy him another set of "military uniforms", after all, this was the most common in boys' clothes stalls. But with Liu Yufan's insistence that he "will rather die than surrender", he finally changed into a black cloth jacket and pants.

On the way back, my mother was still complaining: "Your child is getting more and more stubborn as you grow older. What kind of torn clothes are you? How can you look better than that military uniform? What do you look like when you wear black during the Chinese New Year?"

Liu Yufan followed his mother without saying a word. Anyway, his goal has been achieved. If my mother likes to say something, let her say it. Anyway, she will no longer wear that ridiculous "military uniform".

The three of them walked around the market for a while and bought some vegetables and fruits. Although they were fruits, namely apples, pears, hawthorns, and the southern bananas and oranges were simply invisible at this time. Although they were not valuable things, they also filled a full bag.

"There is nothing to buy. Let's go to your second aunt to wait for your dad." Chu Qing said to Liu Yufan and Lu Xiaomei.

"Mom, I want to go to the bookstore." Liu Yufan said, pointing to a small bookstore called "Sanwei Bookstore" opposite.

"What are you looking at? So many people! Let's see it when you have time!" Chu Qing was anxious to go back, but he didn't want to delay his work.

"Just take a look, a glance!" Liu Yufan became stubborn again.

"The older this child is, the harder it is to manage. It will take a while." No matter what, it is not a problem for his son to like reading books. Although Chu Qing is a rural woman, he is still unambiguous in educating his children.

"Hey, I know." Liu Yufan said, and got into the bookstore a few times.

Compared with the bustle outside, the bookstore is very deserted. No wonder, books are not a must-have New Year’s goods. These days, those who read books are probably leisurely teachers and work.

The bookstore is very small, with a dozen square meters in appearance. There are bookshelves welded with corner iron on three walls, most of which are martial arts, romance novels and student tutoring books.

The boss is a thin man in his forties. He is surrounding the stove in the middle and reading novels while keeping warm. He glanced at Liu Yufan, ignored him, lowered his head and continued reading.

Liu Yufan was not here to read the novel. He glanced around and finally found two rows of reference books.

"Practical techniques for raising chickens, the top ten endgames of chess, Bruce Lee's lifeless three-legged kick..." Liu Yufan glanced quickly and did not find anything with the word "music". Although it was expected, he was still a little disappointed. Zhumaying is the most "busy" place in the nearby villages, but for Liu Yufan, this is a cultural desert. As for the music he loves, it is as far away as heaven.

Seeing Liu Yufan turning around and trying to walk out, the bookstore owner vaguely said, "What book is looking for? Didn't you find?"

"Yeah, no." Liu Yufan said, his voice unable to hide his disappointment.

"What's your name? If you really want it, I'll ask you next time I enter the book." The bookstore owner asked habitually.

"Okay, then I'll write down the title of the book for you. Please help me ask if there is any, I will definitely want it." Liu Yufan said, taking the ballpoint pen placed on the table next to him, and writing the words "Basics of Music Theory, Li Chongguang" in neat regular script. Then he put down his pen and turned around and walked out of the bookstore.

"Basics of Music Theory?" The bookstore owner took a look at the title of the book, looked at the child who had already walked out of the store in surprise, shook his head and threw the notebook aside.

Following his mother Chu Qing back to the department store, his aunt Chu Rong came out.

"All bought it? Look at this big bag." Seeing the three of you, Chu Rong said with a smile.

"Oh, there are too many people. Jianjun hasn't come back yet?" Chu Qing asked after putting a basket of things on the ground, moving his arms a few times.

"No, come in and wait a while." Chu Rong said as she pulled a chair from behind.

"No need, I'll stand outside for a while. Alas, Xiao Ran, don't touch it randomly, it's broken!" Chu Qing looked at her daughter looking at the toys inside the counter through the glass, and said quickly.

"I'm not afraid, let her see." Chu Rong said, taking out two steaming pancakes from the counter and saying to Liu Yufan and Liu Xiaoran: "Come on, you two are one!"

"Oh, why are you buying this for your child? It's quite expensive!" My mother complained.

"Just eat, the child is hungry!" Chu Rong said as she handed over the big cake with meat.

"Thank you aunt!" Liu Yufan took it and gave his sister one. He tore open the oil paper outside. A scent of scent immediately came out. The smoked pork head meat, the secret sausages he filled with were wrapped in thin pancakes that had just come out of the pot. The fragrance alone made people drool. Liu Yufan was indeed hungry after walking for a long time. He opened his mouth and bit it, and his mouth was full of fragrance.

"It's delicious!" Liu Yufan said vaguely while chewing.

"Haha, this kid!" Chu Rong was amused as she looked at Liu Yufan's eating habits.

After a while, Liu Jianjun came back with two large woven cages. When he came in, he shouted: "But he is back, there are so many people that he can't walk!"

"What did you buy?" Chu Qing turned around the things her husband bought and complained from time to time.

"Buy fragrant mushrooms again, this is quite expensive!"

"It's so delicious when stewing two pieces!"

"What's this similar to tree bark?"

"Oh, that's tangerine peel, for stewed meat, don't flip it!"

"Buy it blindly!"

...

Looking at his parents teasing, Liu Yufan suddenly felt a very warm feeling.

;
Chapter completed!