Howard felt relieved and immediately said to the sales clerk, "This one! Look again, do you have a matching top or pants? Do you have any other colors or styles that would suit her?"
He pointed to Mingzhao.
Seeing that Howard was agreeable, the sales clerk's attitude improved, and she pulled out a few more items from under the counter: a beige short-sleeved "Dacron" shirt, a pair of dark blue straight-leg pants made of denim but with a good color, and a light yellow light jacket made of corduroy.
Howard showed the materials to Mingzhao, who then gave a brief "tactile assessment" and nodded in approval. Howard waved his hand dismissively: "I'll take them all!"
As the sales clerk wrote out the receipt, she couldn't help but glance at Huo Hua and Ming Zhao a couple more times, jokingly saying, "Comrade, buying clothes for your sister? You're really generous! This 'Dacron' isn't cheap!"
Howard was taking out his money when he heard this, he paused, his ears inexplicably burning, and he mumbled an "uh-huh" without explaining.
Mingzhao paid no attention to the title "little sister"; her attention was drawn to the colorful candies on the counter next to her.
After buying clothes, pants, and a jacket, Howard pulled Mingzhao to the shoe and sock counter.
He remembered that Mingzhao's old cloth shoes were worn very thin.
I picked out a pair of black plastic sandals with buckles for her to wear in the summer, got her a pair of work shoes, and bought her several pairs of cotton socks and nylon socks.
Finally, Howard's gaze fell on the most enticing part of the supply and marketing cooperative—the pastry and candy counter.
Inside the glass display case, golden sponge cakes exuded an enticing sweet aroma, colorful hard candies printed with the double happiness symbol were displayed, and animal crackers, glutinous rice strips, and peach crisps were wrapped in oil paper... The sweet fragrance seemed to permeate the air.
Howard recalled Mingzhao's "amazed" reaction to the braised pork during dinner, and a thought struck him.
He pulled Mingzhao over, pointed to the dazzling array of pastries and candies in the counter, and asked generously, "Which one do you want? Pick whatever you like!"
Mingzhao's gaze was instantly drawn to the colorful and varied objects.
In interstellar space, energy supplements are standardized nutritional pastes or high-energy bars, colorless and odorless, highly effective but utterly devoid of enjoyment.
What are these things in front of me? They emit complex organic molecular signals, which combine to form a pleasant pheromone called "sweet".
For the first time, a pure, childlike curiosity and longing shone in her clear eyes!
She pointed to the neatly stacked, golden-yellow sponge cakes: "This... one?"
"Chicken cake, good!" Howard immediately said to the sales clerk, "Weigh one pound!"
She then pointed to the colorful fruit hard candies in the clear glass jar: "This... one?"
"Fruit candies, sure! Half a pound, please! All sorts of colors, please!"
Next came cookies with animal patterns, rice strips covered in icing sugar, crispy peach shortbread... Wherever Mingzhao's finger pointed, Huo Hua's "Give me a pound" followed, as if he wanted to make up for all the sweetness she had missed.
The sales clerk beamed with joy as she deftly weighed the items, wrapped them in oil paper, and tied them with paper rope.
Mingzhao's eyes lit up as he looked at the small mountain that was rapidly piling up on the counter.
She carefully reached out her finger and poked a piece of sponge cake peeking out from the oil paper package. The soft, warm touch made her fingertip tremble, and then a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart.
She leaned closer to smell the bag of fruit candies, and the mixed fruity and sweet aroma made her subconsciously swallow.
Howard's heart melted at the sight of her curious and greedy expression; the tension and turmoil of the past few days seemed to be washed away by the sweet aroma.
He paid the fare, picked up his large and small bags of spoils, filling two large net bags to the brim! Clothes, shoes, socks, and a small mountain of sweet pastries!
"Let's go home!" Howard's voice carried an unprecedented sense of ease and...satisfaction.
The return trip on the truck was still crowded and noisy.
But Howard's mood was completely different from when he arrived.
He protected the large and small bags around him, and also protected Mingzhao, who was sitting quietly beside him.
Mingzhao was tightly clutching the open bag of chicken cakes in her arms.
With each bump in the truck, the enticing sweet aroma grew even stronger.
She finally couldn't resist and carefully picked up a piece of the still-warm, golden sponge cake with two fingers.
Under Howard's smiling gaze, she carefully put the small, soft pastry into her mouth.
Bite down gently with your teeth.
Soft and fluffy! Creamy and smooth! The rich aroma of eggs mixed with just the right amount of sweetness is like a gentle explosion, instantly overwhelming all her taste buds!
An unprecedented, complex, and layered taste experience, like a dazzling firework, burst forth in her brain, which was accustomed to highly effective nutritional supplements!
Her eyes widened instantly! Her clear eyes were filled with pure, immense shock and...ecstasy!
It's even brighter than when I first saw the antimatter engine blueprints!
She even forgot to chew, just staring blankly at the cake, feeling the wonderful taste melting and spreading in her mouth.
Howard couldn't help but chuckle softly as he watched her adorable expression, seemingly stunned by a piece of chicken cake.
He reached out and, with remarkable ease, used his fingertips to wipe away a crumb of cake from the corner of her mouth, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.
"Don't be silly, eat it if it's delicious, don't just stand there." His voice was deep and pleasant, filled with unwavering affection.
Mingzhao then came to her senses and began chewing rapidly, like a little bear that had finally tasted honey, her cheeks bulging and her eyes sparkling with happiness.
After finishing one piece, she didn't hesitate to pick up another and stuff it into her mouth. Her satisfied expression made it seem as if she owned the whole world.
Howard watched her eat happily, then looked at the basket full of goods in his arms. The afterglow of the setting sun shone warmly on them through the car window.
At this moment, all those nonsensical notions of "genius syndrome," "broken" blueprints, and "naturally efficient" muscle lines were thrown to the winds.
All he knew was that he had taken his young wife out to buy new clothes and candy, and she was overjoyed, as if she had won the entire universe, because of a piece of chicken cake.
This feels... fucking good!
The truck drove toward the military district in the twilight.
The carriage was filled with the sweet aroma of sponge cake and a silent, warm atmosphere.
Others smelled the fragrance with envy and watched Mingzhao's delighted expression.
Mingzhao focused intently on enjoying the unique culinary feast that was just for her.
Howard looked at her, a smile on his lips that was more tender and reassuring than ever before.
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