Chapter 73 Jong-kook Store (Completed)
Sergei and his whole family came to visit Zhongguo Store!
Before dawn, Nastya and Sasha climbed onto the master bedroom bed, one on each side, and scurried around under the covers like two little mice.
"Dad! Get up! You promised us you'd go shopping today!"
Sergei painfully rubbed his face with his hand, picked up the watch from the bedside table, squinted at it, and then felt even more pain.
"It's not even seven o'clock yet..."
It's the weekend! A rare day off!
Nastya shouted, "I want to be the first person to enter the new store!"
Sasha chimed in, "Then I'll be the second one!"
Sergei pulled the blanket over his head, trying to block out the demonic sound, but someone suddenly yanked the blanket off—it was Valentina.
"Sergei, get up, you lazybones! We're about to set off!"
Sergei could no longer pretend he hadn't heard. He struggled to sit up in bed and protested in a low voice, "But the new store doesn't open until ten o'clock..."
"If you go at 10 o'clock, you'll only see empty shelves!"
Valentina pulled out a fancy, colorful flyer, on which she had made detailed notes, especially about discounts, raffles, and limited-purchase tropical fruits.
You can enter a prize draw for every 10,000 rubles spent. The prizes are varied, including whole cases of canned goods, brand new down jackets, this year's new tea, and the top prize is a 21-inch color TV!
“We need to buy five kilograms of laundry detergent and dish soap. I don’t want to wash everything with smelly soap anymore. Nastya needs a new schoolbag without patches. Sasha’s shoes have worn out long ago. And your mother, Olesia, would be more comfortable with her legs if we could put a few hot water bottles in her blankets.”
Sergei asked expectantly, "What about mine?"
Could we buy him two bottles of domestically produced green-bottled spirits? They even have a shiny red star on the bottle!
Valentina glanced at him. "Just lie in bed and wait for us to come back and tell you what the mango tastes like!"
Sergei got up, looking ashamed.
He lathered up a brown, flat bar of soap to shave, combed his hair with water, changed into a relatively decent coat, carefully hid the money in a pocket close to his body, and took his whole family by bus to the commercial district in the city center.
However, when the family arrived at Friendship Department Store according to the address on the flyer, the outside was already crowded with people, and they couldn't even see what the entrance looked like.
Sasha jumped up and down, yelling, "We're late! Dad, it's all your fault!"
Sergei raised his wrist in disbelief, but his watch showed it was only 8:30!
Valentina seemed quite calm, as did Nastya, who was holding her grandmother's arm.
"That's normal. Nobody wants to miss this promotion. You can save almost half the money. Who knows when there will be another good deal like this next time?"
Nastya added, "And fruit! Tropical fruit! I've only ever seen it in textbooks, and even the principal has never eaten it."
Sergei straightened his back.
"I have eaten it."
Nastya and Sasha asked in unison, "Did you eat it in China? What did it taste like?"
Sergei's chest didn't seem as upright anymore.
"No, it's not Jong-kook... The taste, uh, should be pretty good."
Olesia smiled and explained to the two children, "It's canned fruit. The factory used to give a mixed fruit can to model workers. It had apples, pears, apricots, pineapples, and lychees in it. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing to eat."
Sergei muttered, "But they all taste the same..."
Most of Rus' territory lies in the frigid and temperate zones; even including former union states, it doesn't amount to a single acre of tropical land.
Even if there is a lot of oil and natural gas, we can't just ignite it to heat up the land and artificially create a region suitable for tropical crops.
In the 1990s, when cold chain transportation and logistics were underdeveloped, it was difficult to taste local products thousands of kilometers away than to send a satellite into outer space. Even with the determination of Emperor Tang Minghuang, a master of rotting, it was impossible to stop the fruit from rotting.
Tropical fruits can only be imported from abroad, and the prices are naturally quite high, making them unaffordable for ordinary people.
Let alone people from Emei, even for northerners like Lao Zhong, tropical fruits were quite rare in the 1990s. They may have seen gold and diamonds, but they might not have eaten mangoes or durians.
Therefore, the most prominent feature on the Friendship Department Store's promotional leaflets is a group photo of tropical fruits, colorful, vibrant, and juicy, exuding a unique tropical passion and exuberance.
Who wouldn't want to try these adorable treats that have come from afar?
Their parents never ate it, their grandparents never ate it, their great-great-great-great-grandparents never ate it, and even their children never ate it!
This is the first time they've seen and tasted tropical fruit, and it might be the last! Who knows how long this rotten country can last? It might collapse completely tomorrow! Or maybe the US will drop an atomic bomb as retaliation for the Cold War.
So I must buy tropical fruits today!
Even if you really can't afford it, just looking at it or smelling it is fine!
With this in mind, the entrance to the new store was crowded with eager customers. As soon as the door opened, they rushed in, sprinted to the fruit counter, slapped rubles on the salesperson's face, and snatched the last piece of fruit.
Sergei squeezed through the crowd, protecting his wife and children from being separated while supporting his elderly mother, whose legs ached from standing for too long. He also took the time to check the inner pocket of his coat to make sure no thieves were reaching into his clothes.
In this anxious wait, suddenly, strange music came from not far away.
First came the sound of drums, then the sound of gongs, tinkling and clattering, the rhythm gradually increasing, the gongs and drums intertwining, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
There were no wind instruments, no strings, and no melody, but surprisingly it sounded quite nice, with a cheerful feeling, as if the gray sky had brightened up.
Nastya tiptoed toward the direction of the sound and asked curiously, "What is that? I've never seen an orchestra like that before."
Sasha said with certainty, "This must be a rock band from China!"
"A rock band?" Sergei almost spat it out on the spot.
"This is traditional music from China!"
As the sound of gongs and drums rang out, the crowd gradually dispersed, and everyone curiously gathered around to watch the opening ceremony performance, including Sergei and his family.
Nastya and Sasha were short and squeezed into the crowd, unable to see anything except for the gasps of surprise from the audience in the front row and the increasingly enthusiastic applause.
Sasha was so anxious that she jumped up and down on the ground, as if springs had grown from the soles of her feet.
Nastya tugged at Sergei's sleeve and said matter-of-factly, "Dad, I want to see."
Sasha also realized what was happening, grabbed Sergei's other sleeve, and shouted, "Me too!"
Sergei sighed helplessly, muttering, "You're not little kids anymore," as he struggled to lift the two children, one on each of his shoulders.
—Wow, that's heavy!
Sergei swayed and almost lost his balance, but fortunately Valentina helped him up and supported the two children behind him, sharing half of his weight, which prevented the three of them from collapsing on the spot.
Nastya's eyes were fixed on the center of the field, and she finally saw clearly that two big, furry creatures were dancing!
Sasha leaned forward excitedly, repeatedly exclaiming, "What is that? What is that? I've never seen anything like it before!"
Sergei screamed in terror, "Don't move! Don't move!"
He's not some invincible warrior; carrying two children at the same time is already his limit.
Valentina pinched Sasha's buttocks hard, and he finally behaved.
Lion and dragon dance teams performed together, vying for the embroidered ball amidst the gasps of the crowd. One moment the dragon swung its tail, the next the lion shook its head. Although they couldn't display the dazzling skills of professional teams, it was still a lively and exciting event.
For the people of E'guo who were seeing lion and dragon dances for the first time, it was incredibly novel and interesting!
The sounds of Chinese-style gongs and drums, combined with exotic lion and dragon dances, create a feast for the eyes and ears, making one feel as if their spirits are soaring to the heavens.
The sky was still overcast and a bit cold, but smiles unconsciously appeared on the faces of the onlookers.
When the performance ended, the store doors finally opened amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd!
Nastya was almost impatient; like a little leopard, she nimbly and swiftly weaved between the forest of legs.
Sasha followed behind her, running fast with his head down, recklessly bumping into things, just like an amateur quarterback.
At this point, the adults no longer cared about scolding the little ones; they were more anxious than anyone else, wishing they could sprout wings and fly directly to the central counter.
—Fruit! Tropical fruits available in limited quantities!
The once empty and clean shop was instantly flooded with people. From above, there were heads everywhere; from below, there were shoe prints everywhere on the ground.
Occasionally, a shoe that has been stepped on and taken off will be left all alone, kicked around by the crowd. Its owner has long since forgotten about the old shoe, as the counter is full of new shoes, all of which are brand new and reliable Chinese-made products.
Most importantly, the prices on the counter are extremely affordable, so even middle-aged people who work to support their families are willing to treat themselves to a new pair of shoes.
However, the most important thing right now is not the shoes.
In the very center of the store, surrounded by a circular counter, and under the watchful eyes of the sales clerks, stands a small mountain of fruit.
Golden, bright red, round, bow-shaped, and oddly shaped, they were exposed to the air so boldly, emitting strange and unfamiliar fragrances.
For a moment, everyone seemed to hold their breath.
Nastya looked up, stood at the front of the crowd, stared in surprise at the mountain of fruit, and exclaimed, "This is completely different from what I expected!"
Sasha tried to pry open the legs of the person in front of him, but he couldn't see anything.
Sergei looked up and peered through the layers of people.
"This is completely different from what I imagined," he muttered.
These unfamiliar fruits even look strange, making it hard to associate them with sweetness. They don't resemble apples and pears, nor plums and apricots. In short, they look more like exquisite works of art than edible food.
Only after these fruits have actually entered the stomach can the brain establish a connection between sight and taste. As long as the eyes see them, the tongue can conjure up a sweet and sour taste, and then the stomach acid will begin to be secreted.
But it didn't take long before the quick-reacting people rushed to the counter and held out a stack of rubles to the sales clerk.
"Give me one of each!"
The other customers also realized what was happening and stretched out their eager little hands.
"I want mango!"
"I want to try some lychees!"
"Is that a pineapple? It's too expensive, can I buy half?"
Someone else sniffed and said uncertainly, "Why does it smell bad? Is there some rotten fruit? Or is there a gas leak?"
The salesperson arrogantly said, "That's a durian!"
These ignorant folks, look at them, they can't even recognize a durian!
—Although he almost volunteered to throw away the "spoiled" fruit before the on-the-job training.
However, afterward, Boss Zhongguo generously distributed the damaged fruit from the journey to everyone to taste. He secretly muttered to himself, "How can you do business like this? Even damaged fruit can be sold for money." But he was quite fast at stuffing fruit into his mouth, and because he stuffed it in so quickly, he also put a piece of soft durian flesh into his mouth.
By the time he realized it, he had already chewed it several times!
Salesperson: ...
I feel a little nauseous, but I can't bring myself to do it.
He forced himself to swallow it, smacked his lips, and was surprised to find that it was... actually quite delicious.
A customer muttered, "I really can't imagine what kind of person would like to eat stinky fruit? Are all those tropical people's noses damaged?"
The sales clerk snorted, a sense of superiority creeping over her.
Hmph, they don't know anything!
However, the smell of durian is still a bit too overwhelming for those who are seeing it for the first time, so they can only sit alone at the top of the fruit tower, looking down at the crowd below scrambling for other fruits.
Amidst the crowd, Nastya struggled to climb onto the counter, took out the money her mother had given her from her pocket, reached out to the sales clerk, and successfully grabbed a mango, a banana, and three lychees.
Sergei, who was squeezed and unable to move at the back, shouted with delight, "Nastya, well done!"
Nastya carefully held the fruit in her arms; it was her spoils, and no one could take it away from her!
Sergei stepped forward and tightly shielded Nastya in front of him, so those who hadn't managed to grab the tropical fruit had to look away in disappointment.
Sasha was already drooling.
He followed Nastya around excitedly, stammering, "Let me try some, just one bite, I swear, I won't eat any more..."
Nastya proudly rejected him.
"No!"
She found her mother, and then her grandmother, who were all smiles as they held the items they needed to buy.
Yes, the three of them have a division of labor.
Nastya handed the mango to her mother, the banana to her grandmother, a lychee to her father, and then peeled the hard shell of another lychee herself.
It's strange that some fruits have a hard shell.
Sasha was so anxious she was about to jump up and down, repeatedly asking, "Where's mine? Where's mine?"
Nastya thought for a moment and placed a piece of lychee peel in his hand.
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Author's note: I think I've caught a cold, but I'm not sure, I'll check again...
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