The biggest difference between the two is that the department stores in county towns are relatively small and sell mostly food, clothing, and practical items.

The department stores in the provincial capital not only occupy a large area, but also have a wide variety of goods, including not only practical items, but also many items for people to admire, play with, and pass the time.

For example, kites, ornaments, cross-stitch...

There are also shops that specialize in selling velvet flowers. I just want to buy a couple of bunches to put at home, just for the look of them.

In small towns, everyone is tightening their belts to make ends meet; who has the leisure to buy this?

Look, a little kid accidentally broke a glass bottle that holds velvet flowers in the shop. Just that one glass bottle costs a dollar.

The child's parents were apologizing to the shop owner, who, being kind-hearted, let them go without taking their money.

Ye Yun just happened to walk into the store.

The proprietress picked up the shards of glass from the ground while warmly greeting Ye Yun.

"See if there's anything you like?"

The pink and red velvet flowers are really beautiful. The flower stems are adorned with two green leaves and are placed in a transparent glass bottle, with pebbles of various colors placed at the bottom of the bottle.

Ye Yun thought they looked nice, so she bought two as well.

One costs two yuan.

The proprietress, worried that she might have trouble carrying it, tied a rope around the bottle and told her to take it back, gently reminding her, "Don't bump into it."

Ye Yun gave him money as a thank you.

When the landlady was giving her change, she saw shards of glass that the landlady had thrown at the door.

The shards were from the glass bottle that the child had just broken. The shop owner had put it in a bag and left it at the door; it's perfectly normal for him not to want it anymore.

Ye Yun picked up a piece at random.

"Young lady, here's your change." The proprietress came over and handed her the change with a smile.

Ye Yun thanked them and left the shop.

After they left, the proprietress went to the door, picked up the bag containing the shards, and sat down at the small table.

Even a broken glass bottle has its value; it can be glued together to create a work of art.

However, after the fragments were laid out one by one, the proprietress looked at the fragments on the table, frowned, and a few question marks slowly appeared on her face.

"Huh... why does it feel like a piece is missing?"

...

Seeing that the driver had a lot of things in his arms, Ye Yun decided not to go any further and planned to wait until Qin Zheng had time to go out together.

The two left the mall.

After putting their belongings in the trunk, she and the driver got into the car one after the other.

Just as the driver started the car to head back, the door was suddenly pulled open, and a hunched-over man in black, billowing in the cold wind, forcefully squeezed into the car—