After checking the TV tickets and confirming there were no problems, the sales clerk picked up her work ID and cadre ID.
After reviewing the two certificates, she glanced at Sun Zhengguo with surprise.
She had initially thought that this was the secretary of some high-ranking leader, here to do something for the leader.
But it turns out he himself is a high-ranking leader; he's really young and promising!
After verifying the documents, the salesperson made a note of them before respectfully handing the documents to Sun Zhengguo.
"Hello comrade! We happen to have a 17-inch Beijing brand television here, priced at 886 yuan. Would you like to buy it now?"
"Hiss~!"
Upon hearing the price, Grandpa and the others gasped in shock; it was outrageously expensive.
However, Sun Zhengguo had anticipated this and didn't take it seriously, giving his wife a wink.
Upon seeing this, Ning Xiaowei walked to the counter, picked up a floral cloth bag, and began taking out money.
Grandpa tried hard not to look at or think about the thick stack of black paper money, while Grandma pouted, feeling a pang of pain in her heart.
Soon, the sales clerk finished counting the money and casually asked another question.
"Hello comrade, do you need an external antenna for your TV? This doesn't require a ticket; you can buy it with your TV ticket, just in case the signal isn't very good when you get back."
Hearing that they needed an antenna, Ning Xiaowei, who didn't understand these things, could only look at Sun Zhengguo.
Sun Zhengguo happened to know these things, so he decided to take a look first, and if it was suitable, he would buy one.
But when he actually saw the antenna, he was dumbfounded. This thing was so perfunctory!
Just a few metal rods wrapped in aluminum foil, plus a string—something so simple it couldn't be simpler—yet it costs 108 yuan.
This can't even be described as black; it's black to the extreme.
Seeing that her husband was still thinking, Ning Xiaowei assumed he thought it was too expensive and was about to take out the money when Sun Zhengguo stopped her.
"Wife, wait a minute."
As he spoke, Sun Zhengguo looked at the sales clerk again, "Sales clerk, we don't want this antenna."
"But with it, the TV will be much clearer, and you might even be able to find a couple more channels!"
The saleswoman was still trying her best to promote the product, because the manufacturer would give a certain rebate for every antenna sold, which was why she was working so hard.
"Comrade! I'm sorry, I didn't bring enough money today, so I'll buy a TV first!"
Upon hearing Sun Zhengguo's lame excuse, the sales clerk simply pouted, then started issuing the invoice and picking up the goods on the spot...
After buying the TV, the family lost all interest in shopping. They hurriedly left the department store carrying a large cardboard box, amidst envious glances from others.
Half an hour later, the entire Sun family returned to the courtyard, their hearts filled with anticipation, ready to see it for themselves.
After opening the cardboard box containing the television, Sun Dajiang was about to examine it further to see how to start it up.
But Sun Zhengguo was an experienced driver; he didn't need to do any research. He simply carried the TV to the table, plugged it in, and gently turned it on.
"It's lit up! Everyone look, there's something inside!"
Sun Zhengnan excitedly moved forward, wanting to find out what was going on, but what greeted him was a screen full of static.
Grandpa looked disappointed. "What is this?! I spent 886 yuan, and this is all I got?"
"Zhengguo, is there something wrong with the TV?" Ning Xiaowei was also a little flustered, afraid that something might happen.
Don't be fooled by how readily she took out the money; she was actually terribly pained inside.
"..."
"Don't worry, everyone, this is normal. We still need to search the channel."
Sun Zhengguo first raised his hand to signal everyone to wait patiently, and then he calmly changed the channel.
Sure enough, after a few turns, it switched to Beijing TV, where a solo crosstalk performance by Ma Sanli was playing.
Wow! There really are people inside.
Grandpa was overjoyed. He had only heard about it on the radio before, but now he finally saw it in person.
Upon seeing the images on the television, Sun Zhengguo stopped adjusting the settings, assuming there weren't many channels available.
Then he pulled out the antenna at the back, fiddled with it a few times, and the picture on the TV became clearer.
"Zhengguo, isn't there an antenna in the back? Why did we have to buy an antenna earlier?"
Sun Dajiang, being an experienced electrician, immediately spotted the problem.
"Dad, this is the antenna that comes with the TV. The one they were selling earlier was an outdoor antenna. It will help the signal reception be stronger after you install it."
After listening to his son's explanation, Sun Dajiang nodded, and then tried asking.
"Son, did you think that antenna was too expensive today? How about I buy you one?"
"No, no." Sun Zhengguo shook his head, showing a disgusted expression, and then began to complain.
"Dad, you have no idea, the antenna they're selling is utter garbage, and they're charging 108 yuan for it. They're just crazy for money."
Believe it or not, I'll make one myself tomorrow, costing less than 10 yuan, and it'll be 100 times better than his."
"That's right, because my grandson is an engineer!" Grandma said with a proud look.
But her eyes never left the TV while she was speaking, which shows how powerful this thing is.
...
As evening approached, almost no one in the house moved except when they went to the toilet.
Even when the news is on TV, everyone in the room watches it with great interest.
With dinner time approaching, Sun Zhengguo had no choice but to call Sun Zhengnan to the kitchen, and the two prepared a simple dinner.
This really worried Sun Zhengnan. "Big brother, you're so biased! There are so many people in the room, why did you have to call me out of all of them?"
"Hahaha! Just because I'm your boss, what, you think I can't command you?"
Seeing his older brother's forced smile, Sun Zhengnan immediately backed down.
"Brother, that's not what I meant. I was just curious. Since you don't like it, I won't ask."
"Alright, alright, don't feel wronged. Don't you think there's an old saying that goes, 'There's plenty of time in the future.' You'll be able to watch TV as soon as you come back. Who can compare to you?"
"Yes! How come I didn't think of that?" Sun Zhengnan felt enlightened, and his hands were able to knead the dough with more strength.
...
Soon, the two finished cooking and brought the food to the main room.
"The TV should stop now, right?" Sun Zhengguo thought to himself.
However, reality taught him a lesson, showing him the magic of television.
Everyone held steamed buns, shoveled some vegetables into their bowls, and then sat down in front of the TV to eat and watch, even the children did the same.
"Zhengnan, tell me, is this TV show really that good?"
"I don't know either! Brother, I'll go take a look if I have nothing else to do."
"Uh...?" Sun Zhengguo was speechless.
However, Sun Zhengnan didn't care about all that. He picked up his bowl and steamed bun and joined the group watching TV.
Only Sun Zhengguo remained at the table, eating his meal out of boredom.
A moment later, Sun Shujie came over with his younger brother. Sun Zhengguo was secretly pleased, thinking that his son had come to keep him company.
It turned out he was overthinking it; his two sons had run out of food and had only come over to get more.
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