Chapter 445 What do rice koji, soybeans, and salt equal?

In those days, most markets were opened in counties and towns during festivals. The reason why the market in Beijing was opened in Wangfujing during the Spring Festival was mainly to promote agricultural and sideline production in the communes of the surrounding counties and to facilitate the exchange of goods between urban and rural areas.

However, not just anyone can set up a stall. Every year, the market has clear rules and regulations, and each commune under the jurisdiction of the surrounding counties will issue a certain number of slots.

The market mainly sells agricultural products, with locally produced vegetables, grains, oils, poultry, and eggs as the main items traded. Some markets also sell some unique products, such as iron yam, honeycomb honey, homemade farm-made soy sauce, and various mountain products stockpiled after autumn.

In addition, there are some homemade snacks and treats. However, these products are tested by a special food safety unit before entering the market to prevent any unnecessary accidents.

As the capital city, the management and testing in this area are extremely strict and rigorous.

The annual market is managed by the Kyoto Department of Commerce in conjunction with multiple departments, including the Public Security Bureau and the Health Bureau, to combat speculation and profiteering while ensuring legal transactions.

As soon as it was light, the street designated by the Ministry of Commerce for the market on Wangfujing Street was already filled with stalls selling all sorts of things, including piglets.

Bai Nuo and Fang Meng found a good spot nearby to park their car, and each of them carried a large basket on their backs as they went inside. The place was already packed with people.

"So many people!"

Looking at the crowded market, Bai Nuo started to feel a chill run down her spine; her social anxiety was about to kick in!

Fang Meng smiled and grabbed the little girl's wrist, even using both of their sleeves as padding to avoid being seen and causing trouble. He then quickly squeezed in.

"There are only a few days left in the year, and the New Year is just around the corner. There will definitely be a lot of people coming to sell or buy things. There should be a lot of good stuff, especially homemade snacks and sauces from farmers. Many of them taste better than what you can buy from the supply and marketing cooperative."

"Stay close to me, don't get lost." Fang Meng pulled the person to squeeze inside while leaning over and whispering, "Don't put anything in your pockets, there are bound to be a lot of thieves coming today."

"Should we arrest them?" Bai Nuo asked, her face showing some hesitation.

Fang Meng smiled and said, "No need. I'll make a mental mark later, and then find some time to get Jin Zicheng, Tao Jianhua, and the others together and take them all down. There's a security team stationed nearby, and they keep a long list of stolen items every year, so we won't have to worry about not finding the owners."

After hearing this, Bai Nuo stopped worrying. She didn't want to be busy working at this time; shopping happily was the most comfortable thing to do.

The two of them started shopping from the beginning. They didn't need to buy poultry, eggs, vegetables, etc., as they had more than enough to eat from their own farm. However, they could take some more grains and oils out of the car on their way back.

Bai Nuo bought several large jars of wild mountain honey, and also found someone to buy iron yam. There wasn't much of it; a member of a production team had found it by chance in the mountains. It was definitely a good product, and a villager had put it in a separate sack next to a pile of potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Before anyone else could discover it, Bai Nuo bought the whole bag. She planned to pick a few and put them in her space's herb garden to see if she could develop a business with them.

We saw several farmhouses selling homemade sauce, and Bai Nuo and Fang Meng specifically chose the one with the strongest aroma and bought three large jars.

Next came all sorts of snacks and treats, local specialties from old Beijing. The two of them went on a shopping spree, buying a lot of local mountain products as well.

In less than three hours, Fang Meng made two trips back and forth to the car to deliver things.

"So, is there anything else you like?" Fang Meng squeezed into the crowd again and found his little sweetheart at a stall.

It was almost noon, but the number of people in the market hadn't decreased at all; in fact, it seemed to be increasing. I guess some of them were taking advantage of their lunch break to come over.

Bai Nuo turned her head and smiled at Fang Meng, raising her eyebrows slightly. Her voice contained a trace of spiritual power, ensuring that only Fang Meng could hear her.

"I haven't found anything I like, but I have my eye on two humanoid beasts!"

Fang Meng's eyes flickered slightly as he released a wisp of spiritual power, which, guided by Bai Nuo's spiritual power, landed on the two young men not far away.

The two young men were wearing gray-black padded jackets, one of which had several patches on it. He had dark skin, rough skin, was short, and had an ordinary appearance; he was the kind of person who would be easily lost in a crowd.

Both of them had hair that was about an inch long, and it was all messy, as if they hadn't taken good care of it for days.

Judging from their clothes, they should be villagers from a commune under the jurisdiction of a nearby county. It's not surprising that many villagers who come to the market to sell goods also buy things from other stalls that they don't have at home to take back as New Year's gifts.

However, Fang Meng never doubted his partner's judgment. The two exchanged a glance and followed without changing their expressions.

The two young men looked around and whispered to each other. The market was crowded and noisy, making it difficult to hear the deliberately hushed voices of others. Unfortunately, there were two people with special abilities here who could hear each other even more clearly than the other person when they released their mental energy.

"We have plenty of soybeans and salt at home, but now we're just missing rice koji. Isn't this market supposed to be very abundant? How come we don't even have the most common rice koji? This place is really too backward."

One of the young men, with small eyes and a height of only about 1.6 meters, complained to his companion with a dissatisfied expression.

"Keep your voice down. This place has been backward for a long time. Just bear with it a little longer. Once we finish our work, we can go home."

The 1.6-meter-tall man curled his lip, his eyes full of disdain: "We still have to wait. How long do we have to wait? Nobody has contacted us. They just tell us to wait. We can't buy rice wine, and we can't even find delicious matsutake mushrooms. I really can't stand this poor, run-down place for even a day longer."

The two young people spoke with accents that sounded somewhat like they were from Fuxia. Their fondness for matsutake mushrooms was understandable, but…

"Rice koji, soybeans, salt?" Bai Nuo turned her head to look at Fang Meng, a smirk playing on her lips, and asked, "What comes to mind when you think of these three things?"

"Oh!"

Fang Meng sneered, lowered his head slightly, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He silently uttered two words: "Miso!"

As soon as the words fell, the two looked at each other. Without any planning or communication, the tacit understanding they had cultivated since childhood allowed them to divide the tasks in an instant.

The next second, Fang Meng turned around and walked towards the exit of the market. Bai Nuo put her hands in the pockets of her jacket and strolled around the market, occasionally looking at a stall. She would chat with the aunties and grandmas she didn't know. With her pretty little face and sweet, talkative mouth, she won the hearts of several aunties.

[One chapter short today, I'll make it up tomorrow. I made up for the two previous missed chapters the next day, so you have to believe me, I definitely won't be late again, hehehe, see you tomorrow!]