Chapter 17 Extraordinary Control Ability
Yue Ning, wearing the cloth shirt made by Aunt Chunmei, got on the car holding his father's urn and left Xiaoyanggou, where he had lived for fourteen years.
They first took a bus from the county to the city, then took a train from the city to the capital of the next province, and finally took a plane to Beijing. At that time, airplanes were not something that ordinary people could take, and buying plane tickets was not something that could be easily purchased. Fortunately, Director Chen accompanied them and knew how to issue a letter of introduction and buy plane tickets, so they were able to make the trip smoothly.
They were in a hurry along the way and didn't care about anything else. Yue Ning still wore a pair of patched cloth shoes, and one of her clothes was a new homespun shirt made for her by Aunt Chunmei, and the other two were her old clothes.
Opposite the hotel is a department store. Yue Baohua took his granddaughter to the department store to buy clothes. The department store is located at a crossroads, with a round island in the middle, where policemen in white uniforms were directing traffic. The grandparents and grandchildren crossed the road and saw that the department store was a square Soviet-style building with two rows of slogans painted on the facade.
There was a crowd of people at the door. Yue Baohua was wearing a short-sleeved POLO shirt and Yue Ning was wearing a homespun dress. This combination attracted a lot of people's attention. Walking into the department store, the ground floor sold food and small sundries. Yue Baohua saw that there was ice cream on the counter, so he asked Yue Ning: "Ningning, do you want some ice cream?"
"Um!"
Yue Baohua took his granddaughter and asked her what she wanted to eat. Yue Ning chose the only sesame ice cream she had ever eaten in her life. She peeled off the wrapper and was about to find a trash can when Yue Baohua took the wrapper. Yue Ning tilted her head and saw her grandfather's eyes full of love. She only heard her grandfather say, "Eat it quickly, it will melt."
Yue Ning was standing in the corner eating ice cream. Yue Baohua saw people queuing at the food counter and said, "I'll go see if there's anything I can buy there."
Yue Ning was eating ice cream and watching his grandfather queue up to buy a bag of things, then hurried back happily.
Yue Ning finished a small ice cream in just a few bites.
Naturally, Yue Baohua handed the cake to her, took the popsicle stick from her hand, and said, "Ningning, many people buy this crystal cake.
"Yue Ning took out a piece of crystal cake and took a bite. Yue Baohua came back from throwing away the garbage and asked, "Is it delicious?"
"So sweet." Yue Ning handed him the paper bag, "Grandpa, eat it."
Yue Baohua took the paper bag and took a cake to eat. The filling of this crystal cake was very sweet, with the aroma of osmanthus and orange. He usually didn't eat sweets, but seeing the child eating happily, he ate happily too. After Yue Ning finished eating, Yue Baohua stuffed her a handkerchief. The pastry was a bit greasy, so Yue Ning wiped her hands.
"Let's go upstairs and buy some clothes." Yue Baohua said.
The grandparents went upstairs. After all, it was a department store in the provincial capital. The first floor was for food and daily necessities, and the second floor was for clothing, leather goods, fabrics, and women's products.
The two first came to the women's clothing counter. Outside was a long glass cabinet. Clothes were stacked in a grid as high as a person behind it. A red slogan was posted on the cabinet: "Develop the economy, ensure supply." The times have changed to focus on economic development. There are more styles and brighter colors on the rows of clothes. Dacron shirts are being snapped up by everyone.
The weather was getting hotter, and Yue Ning knew that Dacron was not very breathable, so he still wanted to wear clothes made of pure cotton. The printing quality of pure cotton shirts was not as good as that of Dacron, and the colors were not as bright as those of Dacron, so few people were interested in them. Yue Baohua walked along behind his granddaughter, thinking about the clothes worn by the beautiful girls on the streets of Hong Kong City, and he looked down on all the clothes here.
Yue Ning looked down at the counter and saw small square-collared shirts in white, blue and green. She said to the salesperson, "Comrade, give me the small and medium white ones to try."
The salesperson raised his eyelids and said, "This is made of cotton cloth. You need a cloth coupon."
"I have." Over the years, Yue Ning had tried every means to pay back the work points her father owed the brigade. She had to eat, and she didn't save much food coupons. She had hardly ever made clothes. When she was butchering pigs and sheep with Uncle Agen, the owner saw that she was a young girl doing this kind of work, and her clothes were patched again and again, so he gave her a few old clothes; or when the village distributed cotton, she went to her third grandmother's house on rainy days and spun yarn with her. She helped her weave cloth and make clothes with homespun cloth.
The salesperson bent down and took out a shirt from the glass cabinet. Yue Ning pointed at the pants next to him and said, "1.7 meters waist, navy blue."
The salesperson squatted down and searched from top to bottom, then looked up and asked, "We have no more. We only have khaki and khaki ones. Do you want any?"
"Yes, help me get one out so I can try."
The salesperson took out a pair of khaki pants and pointed to the curtain on the side: "Go try it on."
Yue Ning walked in with the clothes. The salesperson leaned one arm on the counter and said to Yue Baohua, "Old comrade, you are so kind to your nanny. You even bought clothes for her."
"Nanny?" Yue Baohua's face immediately became long and he said in a deep voice, "This is my granddaughter, my own granddaughter."
The salesperson expressed surprise: "Ah? Then why are you dressed so neatly, but your granddaughter is dressed like a beggar?"
Yue Baohua almost gasped, wondering how the mainland salespeople had no basic manners at all, asking about the customer's private affairs and saying such rude words.
"My child and I have been separated for many years, and I just found her." Yue Baohua became more and more unhappy, "Are you interested in other people's private affairs?"
The salesperson laughed nonchalantly and said, "Just asking casually, old comrade, why are you making such a fuss?"
Yue Baohua really didn't want to pay attention to her, so he looked towards the curtain.
Yue Ning was changing clothes behind the curtains. The fitting room was right next to the counter, and she could hear the conversation between her grandfather and the salesperson clearly. In the days when supplies were not abundant, salespeople in department stores were close to the water and could get in-demand goods. Salespeople in the largest department store in the provincial capital were especially favored by their relatives and friends. They were all a little flattered and didn't know who they were.
Yue Ning changed her clothes quickly. She first wore a small-sized long-sleeved shirt. The size was about right, but the length was too short. Then she changed to a medium-sized one. The length was right, but it was too big. She wore it as a loose version. The pants were much better. The trousers of this era had a long section reserved for the trouser legs. She was tall, so she didn't need to cut them. She could just buy some needle and thread and hem them herself when she got back to the hotel.
"Comrade, I'm short and round, this dress is too long and covers my butt, it doesn't look good. Do you have a shorter one?"
"Winter melon and loofah both wear green clothes. Winter melon is winter melon and loofah is loofah. You are short and fat, but you blame the clothes made by the clothing factory for being bad?"
Can't these salespeople say something nice? Yue Ning looked in the mirror. Her father had braided her hair into two pigtails since she was a child. After her father passed away, she kept doing it this way. After all, all the girls in the countryside did it this way, and she, a shepherdess, didn't need to stand out. At this moment, her past life flashed before her eyes. She had made a name for herself in that world, and her dressing was casual, but also unique.
Yue Ning untied her pigtails and let her hair down. After keeping the pigtails for so long, her hair curled into big waves...
"Can you consider other people's feelings when you speak? You are a clerk and she is your customer. You get paid only when she buys something. How can you yell at your own breadwinners?" Grandpa's voice was steady and powerful, and what he said was very true. Unfortunately, the sales clerks don't think so. They have their own logic.
"Old comrade, what are you thinking? When did she become my breadwinner? I'm fed by the government. I'm a pragmatic person. She's not good-looking and nothing she wears looks good on her. She doesn't know what's going on." The salesperson retorted forcefully without showing any weakness.
My grandfather is from Hong Kong, and there is a huge difference in thinking between the two sides. It was like talking to a deaf person when he was explaining things to the salesperson.
Yue Ning lifted the curtain and walked out. Her appearance made the salesperson's eyes suddenly light up.
The salesperson's mouth was like a dried bean pod bursting open, and words popped out: "Old comrade, is your eyesight okay? Look for yourself, your girl is pretty, and the yellow pants that no one wants look good on her. But her body is like a winter melon, and her legs are like sticks..."
Yue Ning then saw that the customer who was humiliated by the salesperson was a plump older woman. At this moment, the older woman's face was flushed, her forehead and nose were covered with sweat, and her whole body was trembling slightly.
"You..." Grandpa wanted to argue with the salesperson.
Yue Ning stepped in front of Grandpa and faced the salesperson. She smiled, but her tone was so calm that it was frightening: "You have buck teeth and a protruding mouth, your teeth can be used as rakes; your eyes are shaped like green beans, which is a good match for a turtle; your face is as rough as tree bark..."
The salesperson didn't expect her to start cursing. He pointed at Yue Ning and yelled angrily, "Who are you scolding?"
Yue Ning grabbed her hand and pressed it against the glass. Yue Ning was a man who could carry a strong rural laborer, so how could a salesperson in the store break free? Yue Ning looked around and asked loudly: "Everyone, please judge. Do you think I am cursing or telling the truth?"
"Tell the truth!" someone shouted at the top of his voice.
The salesperson was in no mood to argue and twisted his body desperately: "Let me go!"
Seeing something was wrong, several sales clerks at other counters ran over and one pushed open the door behind the counter.
Seeing that he had help, the salesperson became tough again: "Let me go!"
"Everyone says that I am telling the truth. Do you admit it?" Yue Ning had no intention of letting go.
At this time, a male salesperson came out to smooth things over: "What you just said was indeed insulting."
"That's right, in fact, her teeth are not particularly ugly, they are just a little more protruding than mine; her eyes are not too small, they are just a little smaller than mine. What I said just now was just scolding and insulting. If everyone in the world has standard looks, wouldn't they be cast in the same mold? The nine sons of a dragon are all different. Some are fat, some are thin, some have long legs, some have short legs. As a salesperson in a department store, she comes into contact with customers every day, but instead of thinking about the needs of the working people and feeding them back to the manufacturer, she laughs at the customers' figures. This lady is just a little plump, isn't being plump a good thing? Why does the country need reform and opening up? Isn't it to improve people's living standards?" Yue Ning let go of his hand, walked towards the middle-aged man who came out from behind the counter, and stood in front of him, "If everyone was as thin as a bamboo pole like me, would that be a good thing? Comrade, don't you think so?"
The salesperson ran over to the middle-aged man and called out, "Manager Zhu..."
Yue Ning turned to look at the customers and said loudly: "Dear brothers and sisters, Comrade Lei Feng said that we should treat our comrades like..."
This is a quote that everyone is familiar with, and everyone naturally responds: "As warm as spring."
Yue Ning then guided: "Treat your work like..."
"As hot as summer!" This voice was louder than before.
“…”
Everyone's voices became stronger and stronger. After guiding everyone to finish reading the quotations, Yue Ning turned to the middle-aged leader and said, "Leader, you must know this comrade very well. Tell me, is she as warm as spring to the broad masses of working people? Is she as enthusiastic about work as summer?"
The salespersons always had a bad attitude and were very sensitive to this. When Yue Ning spoke up, they all agreed.
"They are not as hot as the summer, but as fierce as the summer sun!"
“…”
When the leader saw that the situation was not good, he quickly raised his hands and signaled everyone to be quiet: "You are right to criticize. It is indeed our salesperson's attitude that is problematic. We will definitely correct it."
"Brothers and sisters, please be quiet for a moment." Yue Ning shouted loudly, "We must believe that the leadership is determined to rectify the situation, and this female comrade also has the intention to correct her mistakes. Let them resolve this matter internally. But..."
She turned to the salesperson. This bad attitude of hers had become the norm. In the past, she would just scold the customers away. She didn't care whether the customers were happy or not.
Now there are a lot of noises around:
"If she can change, the sun will have to rise from the west."
"This kind of person won't give up until he sees the Yellow River, and won't cry until he sees the coffin."
“It would be strange if the changes were good!”
"That's right, their faces are uglier than my stepmother's."
“…”
Yue Ning said to the salesperson with a serious expression, "Comrade, what I said just now about your appearance was insulting and wrong. I sincerely apologize to you!"
What was going on? The salesperson's eyes widened, not understanding Yue Ning's intention at all.
"Everyone should be responsible for their own mistakes. Only those who know their mistakes and can correct them are good comrades, right?" Yue Ning smiled again, "You should also apologize to that lady."
The salesperson hasn't taken any action yet, and her leader doesn't want the matter to get any bigger. The main reason is that this little girl is too troublesome. Looking at her temperament and the tone of her voice, plus the extraordinary old man behind her, could it be that some leader has come incognito to visit the department store?
The leader quickly held Yue Ning's hand and said, "Little comrade, you are just trying to educate her by giving her an example. How can I ask you to apologize?"
"After all, I did say rude words, so I have to apologize. Hearts for hearts, there must be revolutionary friendship among the working people. We cannot do without friendship and mutual assistance." Yue Ning responded by shaking hands with him.
"Yes! If your thoughts are not correct, you really need to be criticized and educated."
A nearby salesperson came over to remind the one who was cursing: "Be more proactive."
The salesperson who had been cursing finally came to his senses and walked over to hold the plump lady's hand: "Comrade, I'm really sorry. I spoke in a very bad tone just now. Please forgive me."
"Comrade, I'm really sorry. We will definitely make corrections later." The leader also hurried to apologize.
"No...it's okay." The eldest sister responded stutteringly. She was a simple person and had never seen such a scene before. Such an apology made her a little at a loss.
The leader looked at Yue Baohua, paused, then turned his gaze back to Yue Ning and said enthusiastically: "Little comrade, thank you for pointing out the shortcomings in our work."
"It's also because you have high standards for your work and are willing to accept well-intentioned suggestions. With a leader like you, you will definitely do better and better." Yue Ning smiled and looked down at her body, "I'm going to change my clothes. I still have to buy some clothes!"
"well!"
Yue Ning lifted the curtain to change clothes.
The leader did not return to the office immediately, but walked to Yue Baohua and said, "Old comrade, your granddaughter is really a character!"
The granddaughter came out of the fitting room with long wavy hair and a loose white shirt tucked into her waistband. Even with such an ordinary outfit, Ningning managed to wear it with the charm of a Hong Kong female star.
Yue Baohua was more shocked by her maturity than her dressing style. He had been running a restaurant in Mong Kok, a place full of people of all kinds, and had to work hard for many years before he became smooth and could handle conflicts that might occur at any time. He was an acquired talent, but Ningning, at such a young age, was able to integrate great principles into such a small matter, and put herself in a favorable position to achieve her goal. This gentleman was right, his Ningning was indeed not simple.
“The kid is really capable!”
"From your accent, you're not from the north, are you?"
"I'm from Yuecheng." Yue Baohua replied.
"Oh, people from Yuecheng are rare here. Are you here on business?"
It's true that if the top beam is not straight, the bottom beam will be crooked. This person is just like his subordinates, chatting with others during working hours. If they were in Hong Kong City, the boss would definitely fire them on the spot. Yue Baohua said patiently: "I'll pick up the children."
"Oh! Is your granddaughter studying in college here? You came to pick her up during the holidays? It's obvious that the little girl has been carefully nurtured. Only a family like yours can raise such an outstanding child."
Yue Baohua was annoyed by these words. At this moment, he heard a voice: "Uncle Hua."
"Sorry, my friend is here." Yue Baohua pointed at the person at the stairs and walked towards Qiao Junxian.
Yue Baohua walked over and asked, "Why is the Second Young Master here?"
"I want to see the business situation of department stores in the mainland, mainly to understand which home appliances are selling well. When I was in college, I represented a West German brand of home appliances, which sold very well in Hong'an Department Store and hypermarkets. This time I came to the mainland with my grandfather to see if there are any opportunities for cooperation."
Qiao Junxian has been here for a while. Although he has only known Uncle Hua's granddaughter for a few days, she always brings him surprises. He just saw her ability to control the situation, which is really amazing. He wanted to say hello to Yue Baohua, but when he saw Yue Baohua chatting with someone, he waited aside. Seeing Yue Baohua's helpless face, he probably felt annoyed, so he took the initiative to say hello.
"How do you like it?" Yue Baohua stared at the counter and talked to Qiao Junxian.
"I haven't seen it yet!" Qiao Junxian saw Yue Ning lift the curtain and come out, "Yue Ning is out."
Yue Ning changed back into a homespun shirt and patched pants. She didn't have time to braid her hair, so she just tied it into a ponytail.
The department store manager opened his mouth wide. How come a fashionable girl went in and a simple country girl came out?
Yue Ning was surprised when he saw Qiao Junxian: "Mr. Qiao, you are here too?"
"I'm here to check out the appliances."
"Yeah?"
"You guys take your time walking around, I'll go upstairs first." said Qiao Junxian.
"goodbye."
Yue Ning turned to the salesperson and said, "Comrade."
The salesperson didn't dare to neglect this young lady anymore, no matter whether she was dressed like a country girl or a city girl: "Both the shirt and the pants look good on you."
"I want the medium size. I also want the blue and green ones." Yue Ning put the two shirts on the counter.
Everyone disliked the color for not being bright enough, but Yue Ning liked it very much. The blue was a grayish haze blue, and the green was tinged with yellow, just like the grassland gradually turning yellow in autumn, which was the withered green in traditional Chinese colors. In her previous life, she opened a high-end restaurant, focusing on traditional Chinese style, and also applied Chinese painting techniques to the plating. She used a lot of withered green, a color that is not bright but has a very artistic conception.
"You want this one too?" The salesperson deliberately unpacked the green one and said, "Young man, this one was dyed badly by the fabric factory, so we gave it to the clothing factory, who then sold it to us. We don't need a cloth coupon, and it's cheap."
"Yes." Yue Ning asked her to take out two pairs of pants.
The salesperson calculated the price, wrote out the receipt, clipped the money and the receipt onto a clipboard, hung it on a steel wire rope above his head, and read out the ticket loudly: "Total forty-three dollars and eighty dollars, forty-five dollars."
This is really a huge sum of money. Her annual dividend in Xiaoyanggou is not even this much.
The splint slid along the wire to the cashier counter, gave the change and stamped the tickets, and then returned from the wire.
Yue Ning put her clothes into a patched cloth bag and slung it across her body. She then went to the shoe counter and bought a pair of T-strap leather shoes, a pair of sneakers, and some underwear. Her underwear was all small vests she sewed herself, made of thick homespun cloth that was not see-through, and the patches on the vests could be seen through her shirt.
Yue Baohua was happy that his granddaughter was not shy about buying the shoe. He carried the shoe box and went downstairs with Yue Ning.
When the grandparents and grandson reached the stairs, Qiao Junxian just came down.
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