Over the course of their journey, Li Huimin and Ouyang Zhenyu's relationship improved considerably, but Ouyang Zhenyu maintained a respectful distance.

This annoyed Li Huimin, but there was nothing she could do. The more Ouyang Zhenyu did this, the more she admired him.

This has become a closed loop.

When they arrived in Haishi, Li Huimin was eager to try it out. She was very familiar with the place; it was where her maternal grandmother lived.

She lived here for several years.

According to Ouyang Zhenyu's profile, he originally came from an ordinary family.

Many people have an indelible longing for Shanghai, after all, it was once the most prosperous foreign concession in Shanghai.

Therefore, Li Huimin felt that perhaps she could open up a different path here, and she wanted to show Ouyang Zhenyu what a truly bustling metropolis was like.

This is something Chen Ruixue and herself cannot compare to.

The car that came to pick me up was already waiting outside the train station, and the person who came to pick me up stepped forward enthusiastically.

"Hello, are you Comrade Li Huimin?"

This time it was arranged by the Bureau of Commerce and Trade, so the Bureau of Commerce and Trade was in charge of the coordination.

Ouyang Zhenyu was just one of the people invited by foreign businesses.

However, they were not internal staff of the Bureau of Trade and Economic Cooperation, so they were not included in this list.

The real leader is Li Huimin.

The person they were focusing on receiving was Li Huimin; people like Ouyang Zhenyu were indeed ignored.

The guesthouse arranged by the Materials Bureau was located in the affiliated guesthouse next to the Materials Bureau.

The local supply bureau is quite well-off, so their guesthouse is already of a very good size.

Compared to modern standards, it was actually the scale of a small hotel's renovation.

However, it was indeed quite simple compared to the five-star hotels of later generations.

The room was a double room with a private bathroom; the overall conditions were very good.

After checking in, Ouyang Zhenyu shared a room with the head of his supplies department.

After everyone settled in and took a shower, they realized how incredibly hot it was when they arrived here.

For the Northwest, it is still a relatively cold period, but for Haishi, the temperature has already reached the level of early summer.

Most people realized their luggage was inappropriate as soon as they arrived, and everyone had to do some shopping.

After a quick wash, Li Huimin came to find them.

"Dr. Ouyang, let me take everyone to buy some clothes. After all, we're meeting the other party tomorrow, so we need to get ready."

Even the thinnest among them is wearing a cotton-padded overcoat, or at most, a Zhongshan suit underneath.

But now you can see people wearing shirts everywhere on the street, and even some young people are wearing short sleeves or skirts.

When they got on the bus, the people who picked them up looked at them with undisguised disdain, clearly regarding them as country bumpkins.

"OK!"

Ouyang Zhenyu also had this idea. He not only wanted to buy some things, but he also wanted to purchase some other items since he had brought enough funds with him.

Although Chen Ruixue told him not to file for marriage now, Ouyang Zhenyu felt that marriage was the only way to protect Chen Ruixue.

I will definitely file a marriage report, but of course not, now is not a good time to file a marriage report.

He had to prepare a betrothal gift for Chen Ruixue's wedding; after all, she was the woman he loved, and he didn't want her to suffer any injustice.

These days, people get married in a simpler way, unlike in the past when they would expect such heavy dowries, or even things like three gold pieces, five gold pieces, a car, and a house.

In those days, people could get married by buying two sets of clothes and giving a dowry of at most 20 yuan.

In rural areas, a bride price might be around 50 jin of millet or 100 jin of wheat flour or cornmeal.

The group quickly left the guesthouse. Li Huimin was very familiar with the place and led everyone to the most famous commercial street by public bus.

The department stores here are incredibly prosperous. You should know that even before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the department stores here were already very famous.

Moreover, it's a multi-story department store.

The crowds of people coming and going on the street made them appear even more cramped and unsophisticated.

Their clothes drew disdain from many people, mainly because they were clearly from out of town.

Ouyang Zhenyu was the most normally dressed among the group.

He didn't wear a cotton-padded overcoat when he arrived; he was wearing a woolen overcoat directly. So, after taking off the woolen overcoat, his Zhongshan suit didn't look out of place.

However, the inner shirt is a layered cotton shirt, so it's impossible to walk around on the street wearing only a cotton shirt.

The others felt even more embarrassed by the stares of others, and their faces flushed red.

The most eye-catching person in this group was Li Huimin, who was wearing a dress.

I was wearing a down jacket when I got on the bus, but now I've taken it off and am wearing a thin skirt.

It is a very distinctive dress.

Wearing high heels, a ponytail, and a dress, she was not much different from the other pedestrians on the street.

"This is still the most famous department store. Besides the department store, there are all kinds of shops on this street, selling clothes, food, watches, daily necessities, and everything else."

You can choose your favorite items here. Of course, items in department stores are relatively more expensive, but everything sold here is from brand names.

"How about this, we all go our separate ways and buy whatever we like, then we'll meet at the department store entrance in three hours. What do you all think?"

Li Huimin harbored her own ulterior motives, hoping to use this opportunity to be alone with Ouyang Zhenyu.

However, perhaps because those in positions of authority lack empathy, they never considered that other staff members should come out with her.

Everyone is in a difficult situation right now. Who would want to wear this cotton-padded coat and wander around the streets? Wouldn't that attract attention?

Everyone is eager to buy clothes and go back to the guesthouse to change, no one wants to embarrass themselves here.

But since Li Huimin had already said so, they couldn't refute or refuse. Besides, once they heard that the department store sold brand-name goods, they knew they must be expensive.

Everyone's expressions were complicated; to be precise, they were all a bit nervous. This was truly like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden—no one was unafraid.

Seeing that no one responded, Li Huimin hurriedly spoke up.

"Please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it. There are many good things in these shops around here."

Moreover, you can negotiate prices in small shops, but you can't get a discount at all once you enter a department store.

I'm doing this for everyone's sake.

It's better not to say this at all; saying it is likely to offend people.

Everyone was seething with anger, as they hadn't been prepared for the trip.

Li Huimin knew in advance; judging from her clothes, she was well aware of the local climate, yet she didn't warn anyone.

This isn't an intentional attempt to make everyone a laughingstock.