Chapter 49: Visiting a Department Store

Ziyi and Yike went shopping in the department store. The store is on the second floor. As you enter the door, you can see rows of wooden counters with all kinds of daily necessities on them. Salespeople are standing at the counters, chatting while looking at the various people outside the counters with disdain. In this era, the job of a salesperson is a "golden rice bowl", so some salespeople go to work with tinted glasses.

The people outside the counter were basically wearing gray, blue and black clothes. The men had crew cuts or side-parted hair, and most of the women had two long braids hanging down their chests. These people outside the counter all have one thing in common: they look left and right at the things in the counter. Compare and take a look. The salesperson ignored him and held his chin high.

Ziyi took Yike to the grocery counter first. A girl with big braids and wearing a blue work suit stood behind the counter. Behind her was a long grid of shelves with soy sauce, oil, vinegar, wine and other grocery items on them.

Ziyi bought 3 kilograms of salt, a bottle of vinegar, two packs of candles, five boxes of matches, 2 kilograms of white sugar, and 1 kilogram of brown sugar. To buy these, you need money and tickets, so Ziyi didn't buy much, not to mention that he bought all of them on the black market. The salesperson's attitude was surprisingly nice, but you could tell the reason when you saw her blushing and constantly stealing glances at Ziyi.

The salesperson clattered on the abacus and finally worked out that Ziyi had to pay one yuan and eighty-three cents and three taels of grain and oil coupons. Ziyi paid the money and the grain and oil coupons.

Ziyi took Yike to the watch counter again to buy a watch for her. There were four watches on the counter, both men's and women's watches. I was shocked when I saw the prices. The cheapest one cost more than 50 yuan.

Yi Ke was shocked, thinking it was too expensive, so he quickly stopped her from buying it. Otherwise, if a little girl was walking on the street with such an expensive watch, do you think those thieves would be stealing? Ziyi had no choice but to give up. But in the end he said he would buy it for her when she was a little older, saying that it was a dowry for her when they got married.

It suddenly occurred to me that in a family where a woman marries well, the man will give the woman three big things: a watch, a bicycle and a sewing machine. I really didn't expect that he would take it so seriously. I couldn't accept it. Otherwise, I would be embarrassed to leave.

After leaving the department store, Ziyi took Yike to the guesthouse first.

The guesthouse is a two-story building. A round-faced waitress was sitting leisurely at the counter, spitting out melon seed shells from her thick lips. With a "crack" sound, another melon seed shell broke open and was spit out. A pile of melon seed shells was piled on the counter.

"What do you do?" When the round-faced girl saw Ziyi, her eyes lit up and she quickly stood up and asked.

"What else can I do in a guesthouse if I don't want to stay overnight?" Yi Ke thought to himself but didn't say anything. It was easier for a handsome guy to handle this kind of thing.

"How much does it cost to rent two rooms?" Ziyi asked.

"A single bed room is two yuan, and a single bed room with two beds is two yuan and fifty cents." The round-faced girl said, staring at Ziyi's face.

Ziyi was a little impatient, so he turned sideways to avoid the fiery gaze and said, "One room with one bed, one room with two beds, stay for one night."

"Bring me the letter of introduction."

Ziyi took out three letters of introduction, booked two rooms, and took Yike and the round-faced girl to the guest rooms upstairs.

Yike lived in a single room with only one bed. When he went in, he saw that there was really only a bed and a wooden cabinet, nothing else. After waiting for a while, a woman in her forties brought a washbasin, a towel and a ceramic jar. The aunt explained that the toilet and shower room were at the end of the corridor, and that all passengers shared the toilet and shower room.

Ziyi put his things in the room and came to look for Yike.

"How's the room? Is it clean?"

"It's fairly clean. How about yours? Have you put your things away?"

"It's all ready. Let's go buy some old newspapers."

Ziyi took Yike to the scrap collection station, and Yike's eyes lit up again when he saw it. Isn’t this the place where those space heroines in books make their fortunes? oops! I have to try my luck too.

When I entered the scrapyard, I saw piles of broken glass, torn shoes and shabby covers on the ground. They were the kind that were no longer worth using. There were also piles of broken tables, chairs, stools, cabinets, broken wood, and some miscellaneous junk. Almost nothing could be used again.

The air was filled with a pungent, foul smell. Yi Ke couldn't help but mutter, "Didn't they say that I could buy a lot of old things on Taobao? Where are the old things? Where are the red sandalwood and mahogany? Humph! Novels are all lies."

"What's the lie?" Ziyi asked, not hearing clearly.

"No, I thought there was something good here." Yi Ke said hurriedly

"Oh! Where did you hear that? How can you bear to throw away such good things?"

"What about the furniture of the landlords, the rich and the capitalists?"

"Which ones? They are usually placed in government agencies."

"Look, everyone says novels are deceptive." Yi Ke thought to himself.

"So what are you buying here?"

"Old newspapers. Buy some old newspapers and read them at home."

“Are there no old textbooks to buy?”

"No, who would be willing to buy it?"

"Hey, young man, what do you want to sell? The purchase price is posted on the wall." said an aunt in her forties at the purchasing station.

"Comrade, I want to buy some old newspapers to paste on the wall."

"Newspapers, yes. They're in that room. Pick one for yourself."

Ziyi and Yike walked in and saw a messy pile of waste paper. In the waste paper pile there were stacks of old newspapers, worn-out books, some paintings, etc.

"A rare copy, an antique painting." Yi Ke became excited again and immediately squatted down to look for it. He wondered if the one with traditional Chinese characters was a rare copy. He looked through it again and again but did not know how to identify it and there was no system to help him check. "Oh, is it a rare copy?" His excited heart became heavy again.

Ziyi found it very interesting to see Yike's eyes light up one moment and then look downcast the next. He looked at the book Yike pulled out and said, "There are several books over there that are the same as this one, but none as bad as this one."

"Several copies? Then it's not a single copy." He threw the book with traditional Chinese characters in disgust. "Forget it, I just don't have the golden finger." Yike simply walked out of the scrap collection station and stood outside waiting for Ziyi.

After waiting for a while, Ziyi came out with a snakeskin bag.

"What did you buy?" Yi Ke asked curiously.

"Some newspapers and a few books. Let's go back. Uncle Hao might be waiting anxiously." Ziyi took Yike back to the guesthouse, and Li Haoran was indeed waiting there.

After putting the things in the guesthouse, the three of them went to the state-owned restaurant for dinner. Due to the blow from the scrap station, Yi Ke no longer had any interest in the state-owned restaurant. In short, Yi Ke no longer believed in what was written in the novel. He just watched it for fun and should not take it seriously.

The state-owned hotel is at the end of the street from the guesthouse.

Above the hotel gate are written the four big characters "State-owned Hotel", with "Hard Struggle" on the right and "Self-reliance" on the left.

When you enter the door, you will see seven or eight square tables, each with four benches. There are two rows of wooden signs hanging on one wall, with the names of dishes and prices written on them.

Yi Ke went forward to take a look and found that the dishes were relatively simple and not expensive. For example, a steamed bun that was not too white cost four cents each and required two taels of food coupons; a deflated bun cost six cents each and required two taels of food coupons; dumplings with fresh meat cost eighteen cents each and required three taels of food coupons; noodles in soup cost eight cents each and required six taels of food coupons; and noodles with diced meat and soybean paste cost two cents and nine taels of food coupons. Egg drop soup is five cents, no ticket required...

People ordered dishes, paid money and tickets, and then went to the window to get them themselves. Everyone sat around the table, just like a big pot in the cafeteria.

Uncle Hao ordered fifteen fresh meat buns, a plate of braised pork, a large bowl of egg drop soup, and a bowl of rice for each person. The meals were all in large, filling portions, nothing like in the previous life. It’s just that the egg drop soup lacks oil and salt, so it’s not very good. After eating, we walked back slowly and went back to our rooms to sleep. You can't hang around outside at night. If you are caught as a spy, you will have nowhere to complain.