Yang Niannian had no idea that when she went to deposit some money, Fang Hengfei actually questioned whether the money was a pension.
After a busy morning, I was already starving. Jiang Yang and I went to a nearby restaurant and ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and a big bowl of mushroom soup. We both ate until our stomachs were full.
Especially Jiang Yang. Although he is skinny and has no belly, he has an extraordinary appetite. He can eat four bowls of rice, and he finishes all the vegetable juice and mushroom soup without wasting a single grain of rice.
After dinner, Jiang Yang started clamoring to buy a refrigerator and a TV to give Jiang Yueyue a surprise in the evening.
After the policy change, the supply and marketing cooperatives were replaced by various large and small stores. Two years ago, Haicheng also built a new department store, and only there could you buy large items such as televisions and refrigerators.
I came out today to meet Zheng Haitian. Both of us were dressed quite formally. Although they didn't look like nouveau riche, they didn't look poor either.
Yang Niannian has a good temperament, and Jiang Yang has a good temperament too. The salesperson was very enthusiastic towards them. "Excuse me, do you want to buy a refrigerator or a TV?"
"All of them." Jiang Yang came to such a place for the first time, and he was not quite used to it, so he spoke cautiously.
The salesperson was delighted, thinking, did he meet a big customer?
The service was more enthusiastic.
She took Yang Niannian and Jiang Yang to look at refrigerators. Yang Niannian recognized several old brands at a glance. These brands of refrigerators can be used for more than 20 years, and their quality is beyond doubt.
Of course, the price is also quite expensive, because materials were scarce and manufacturing costs were high in that era.
Jiang Yang didn't know much about electrical appliances, so he had no idea what kind of refrigerator was good. He could only ask Yang Niannian for help, "Niannian, which refrigerator do you think is good to buy?"
Yang Niannian looked around and pointed to a large refrigerator with two layers. "I think this one is pretty good. Pick a color you like."
Jiang Yang nodded. He didn't hesitate and said, "Then red will be a happy color."
The waiter has been working here for a year, and has never seen such a straightforward buyer. He was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.
"This one is 1,082 yuan. You have a good eye. This refrigerator is selling very well. The top can be used to keep leftovers fresh, and the bottom can be used to freeze. We also provide warranty service, but don't worry, we haven't encountered any quality problems with the refrigerators we have sold so far that need repair."
As I said, in that era of material scarcity, the cost of manufacturing electrical appliances was high. They were expensive, but at least they were durable.
Yang Niannian had been mentally prepared. She nodded calmly and said, "Take us to see the TV again."
"Okay, come over here with me." The waiter was secretly delighted. The two of them didn't even blink an eye when they saw the refrigerator worth more than a thousand yuan. They were really rich.
She led the two to the TVs and said, "These TVs are selling very well and are very affordable, ranging from 500 to 700 yuan."
Jiang Yang stared at the TV, his eyes shining, "Can you turn it on and see?"
The salesperson smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry, these don't have antennas plugged in, so I can't find any TV stations when I turn them on. It's all snow."
Jiang Yang didn't embarrass her, and turned to look at Yang Niannian, "Which one do you think is good?"
Yang Niannian shook her head. She didn't like any of these TVs, so she looked at the salesperson and asked, "Don't you have any color TVs here?"
If you buy a black and white TV, you will have to change to a color TV in a few years. It is better to just buy a color TV so that you can watch it for many years.
The salesperson was a little surprised. "Do you want to buy a color TV?"
Color TV?
Jiang Yang was stunned. "What is a color TV?"
"The clothes of the characters on TV are all colorful," Yang Niannian explained.
Jiang Yang became interested, "Then buy a color TV."
He asked worriedly, "Do I have enough money to buy a color TV?"
Yang Niannian comforted, "If it's not enough, I have more here, don't worry."
With Yang Niannian's support, Jiang Yang immediately felt more confident and followed the salesperson to the second floor, where several color TVs were displayed. To prevent dust, each TV was covered with a film.
In this day and age, many people cannot get enough to eat. The average wage for an average person is only 20 or 30 yuan a month. It is impossible for a wage earner to buy a color TV. Only self-employed individuals or dual-income families can afford one.
Anyway, most people won’t buy such luxury items. To put it bluntly, they can’t afford them.
"It has only been a short time since we started selling color TVs here. Many people don't even know they exist. The screen is 14 inches and the visual effect is good, but the price is a bit expensive. The cheapest one costs 1,563 yuan, and the more expensive brand costs 1,829 yuan."
The salesperson introduced the prices in a very polite manner and in a good tone. Even when he heard Jiang Yang worry that he couldn't afford it, he didn't look down on them.
Being able to buy a refrigerator and a black and white TV means he has some financial resources and is much more capable than workers like her. How can she have the confidence to look down on others?
When Jiang Yang heard the price, he was relieved. "It's much cheaper than I thought. I thought it would be two or three thousand."
Jiang Yang felt that this price was acceptable, and finally after discussing it with Yang Niannian, he bought one for 1,563 yuan.
The prices of electrical appliances are fixed and it is basically impossible to bargain down the price. When you pay in the end, you just get a small amount of the price.
After agreeing on the delivery time, Jiang Yang drove Yang Niannian back to the army. He felt that the wind blowing on his body was sweet, but Yang Niannian felt it was smelly, it was all the smell of his sweat.
Arriving at the gate of the family compound, Jiang Yang did not go in as before. "You should rest well at home these few days and review your high school knowledge seriously. When you are admitted to the university, I will buy firecrackers and come here to celebrate for you."
"Okay, go back now."
Yang Niannian waved at Jiang Yang, turned and walked into the family compound. Just after she walked a few steps in, she faintly heard a burst of singing.
She had already walked into Wang Fengjiao's yard, and could still hear the singing, which was much clearer than before. "Whose house is playing the song?"
Wang Fengjiao put the half-finished sole on a stool and helped Yang Niannian into the main room.
"It's from Xu's family. Her brother from her mother's side sent her an old radio. She was like possessed. She played songs in the yard all morning, and in the afternoon she played it upstairs. It sounded like a ghost. What's the point? She might as well listen to a storyteller."
Unexpectedly, these divine songs praised by later generations became like ghost cries in Wang Fengjiao's mouth. It turns out that if you don't like something, no matter how good it is, it is useless.
Yang Niannian didn't say that she also liked listening to this song. She echoed Wang Fengjiao's words and said, "The song sounds okay, but playing it so loudly will indeed affect others."
"Who is playing songs on the loud speaker?" Ding Lanying's unhappy voice suddenly came from outside.
Yang Niannian and Wang Fengjiao looked at each other, then leaned their heads out of the main room and saw Ding Lanying standing on the road, shouting at the top of her lungs towards the floor where the song was playing.
"If you want to listen to music, move the radio into the house and turn down the volume. Living in the military compound requires you to have the qualities of a military wife. This is not your hometown village, so don't make that noise and disturb others."
It’s no wonder that Ding Lanying’s shouts were quite effective, and the song really stopped.
Wang Wangfeng pulled Yang Niannian back into the house and whispered, "Director Ding's red eyes are acting up again."
Yang Niannian thought of Ding Lanying's expression just now. She felt that Ding Lanying was not just angry about this matter. "Did anyone offend her these days? I saw that she was angry when she spoke."
"My future son-in-law is about to be lost again. How can I feel good?"
Wang Fengjiao glanced outside and saw that Ding Lanying had left. She moved a stool for Yang Niannian to sit on. "I heard that a girl came to the entrance of the army at noon to look for Deputy Commander Qin and gave him a pair of black cloth shoes. Everyone is saying that Deputy Commander Qin's iron tree will bloom soon."