Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 11 Maltose

Wangjia Village is not far from Hetian Town. In just twenty minutes, Wang Chengpeng arrived in the town.

As the number of people gradually increased, Wang Chengpeng could only push his bicycle while holding Wang Meiyan's hand and slowly walk through the market.

Although this is troublesome, it is the safest method.

Otherwise, if he were to encounter a thief or human trafficker, Wang Chengpeng would truly be left with nothing but tears.

Looking at the dazzling array of goods in the market, not only Wang Meiyan, but even Wang Chengpeng was overwhelmed.

He hadn't felt this familiar shopping experience in a long time.

However, when faced with the goods at the market, the two of them mainly focused on looking but not buying, just enjoying the sight of the products.

Most of the agricultural products sold at the market can be purchased in the village, which is convenient and allows you to sell to your neighbors. Why not?

A few minutes later, Wang Chengpeng finally found his target in the market: a small vendor selling maltose.

The amber-colored maltose looks just like real amber, and it looks beautiful when it's placed in a ceramic jar, like the most beautiful gemstone.

Compared to the exquisite and expensive candies sold in supply and marketing cooperatives, these homemade snacks are clearly more cost-effective.

From afar, you can see a large group of children gathered around a vendor selling malt candy, their mouths watering at the rich, sweet aroma in the air.

The longing in his eyes was exaggerated, as if it were about to overflow.

Even so, only a very small number of children are able to truly enjoy the delicious taste of maltose.

In this era of scarcity, even a few cents had to be carefully calculated, and only lucky children could afford to spend a few cents to buy some malt candy to satisfy their cravings.

Their eyes gleamed as they stared at the two small wooden sticks in the vendor's hand, eagerly hoping the vendor would roll up some more maltose for them.

Unfortunately, the vendor's hands were extremely steady, and he rolled exactly the right amount each time, leaving no room for complaint.

The children who bought maltose can only stick out their little tongues and lick the sweetness of the maltose little by little, feeling so happy that it was as if the maltose was melting on their tongues.

Of course, there are also some unlucky children who, having just received the malt candy, have dropped it on the ground before they've even had a chance to eat much of it, crying their hearts out as if they've lost the whole world.

Just as Wang Chengpeng was getting closer to the malt candy stall, a small hand grabbed him from the side.

Looking back, it was Wang Meiyan who had grabbed her, and she said in a timid voice:

"Brother, I don't want to. I don't want to eat any sweet maltose at all."

Wang Meiyan was not good at lying after all. Her eyes seemed glued to the malt candy in the vendor's hand, showing no sign that she didn't want to eat it.

Being sensible makes people feel distressed.

Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Little sister, don't flatter yourself."

"I was planning to buy maltose for myself, but there wasn't any for you."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng took out three cents and handed it to the vendor, asking for a bamboo tube of maltose.

Unlike the simple games made by rolling sticks, if you spend more money, you can get a tube of malt candy that all children envy.

Even a large earthenware jar of maltose in a vendor's hand can be sold to you as long as you can afford the price.

I rolled up some maltose with a stick and put it in my mouth. A rich, sweet flavor slowly melted in my mouth, like the taste of happiness.

However, it was precisely this sweet taste, which represented happiness, that made Wang Chengpeng frown and say:

"It's bitter and doesn't taste good."

Wang Meiyan, who was already upset because Wang Chengpeng said the malt candy wasn't for her, immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this and said:

“How could maltose be bitter, brother? You must be eating it wrong. You have to stir it vigorously.” After saying that, he took the bamboo tube from Wang Chengpeng’s hand, took out the wooden stick given to him by the vendor, and began to roll it up with great effort.

Once the maltose had melted in her mouth, Wang Meiyan said confidently:

"Where is it bitter? Maltose has always tasted like this; it's actually quite delicious."

"Brother, if you don't like the taste of maltose, you need to find the reason yourself. Did you just eat something very bitter, which is why you feel this way?"

Seeing Wang Meiyan's earnest explanation, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
"Anyway, I just think it's very bitter and I don't like to eat it."

"Do you want it or not? If not, I'll throw it away."

"I never eat anything that bitter."

Upon hearing that Wang Chengpeng was going to throw away such delicious maltose, Wang Meiyan immediately shielded the bamboo tube behind her back and said:
"You can't throw it away, how can you throw it away?"

"You don't want it, but I do."

Wang Meiyan's actions were exactly what Wang Chengpeng wanted. He stuffed all the things into Wang Meiyan's arms and said:
"Okay, then I'll give you everything."

"Thank goodness you're here, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to deal with all this trash."

"Let's keep going. We've come all this way to town, so we should explore it as much as possible."

Just as Wang Chengpeng was about to push the cart forward, he felt a small hand tugging at his clothes, saying:
"Brother, thank you."

"You're so kind. When I grow up, I'll treat you to something delicious."

Wang Meiyan wasn't stupid; she quickly realized that the bitterness was nothing more than Wang Chengpeng's ploy of feigning indifference to lure her in.

Carefully tucking the bamboo tube into her bosom, she smiled and gave what she considered the most beautiful promise.

However, it was precisely Wang Meiyan's obedient appearance that made Wang Chengpeng shake his head.

Such an easy girl to coax, I must keep a close eye on her, lest she be deceived by others.

After a brief incident of buying candy, the two strolled around the market again.

It was the 1970s, so even the town's market wasn't very big. After wandering around for another ten minutes or so, the two finished exploring the entire market and headed off in a more distant direction.

Even in the town, there aren't many truly luxurious buildings; most are low-rise brick and tile houses.

However, these seemingly ordinary brick houses are something that countless people dream of.

After walking around for a while, Wang Chengpeng and his sister arrived at the town's largest scrap metal recycling station—Hetian Scrap Metal Recycling Station.

In those days, even scrap metal collection stations were under government management and were state-owned enterprises; not just anyone was qualified to operate one.

Seeing the junk lying haphazardly on the ground, Wang Chengpeng quickly picked up a seemingly brand-new radio, pointed to the "Great Wall" logo on it, and asked:

"Comrade, how much is this radio?"

In his previous life, Wang Chengpeng owned a radio of the same model, which, perhaps due to its age, frequently had various problems.

It was precisely because of this that Wang Chengpeng developed superb radio repair skills.

After some tinkering, he might be able to fix the radio.

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's questioning, stationmaster Ji Yongyue appeared quite impatient and loudly urged him to leave:

"Where did this little brat come from? Go play somewhere else."

"Don't buy everything you see. This isn't something a greenhorn like you can handle."

(End of this chapter)