Chapter 109 I've Always Remembered It
After saying that, he saw someone else coming to look at the cloth, and he consciously stood aside: "I'll make room for you, take your time buying, take your time buying!"
Lu Dongping was holding the pocket so she didn't need to lift a finger at all. She happily followed him out of the cloth selling area.
When they were almost at the door, Lu Dongping stopped and asked her, "Do you want to buy anything else?"
Wen Wan nodded vigorously: "Yes!"
"Still buying? Sister, do you have enough money?"
Although Lu Donglin was only in the third grade, he still knew what notes and money were. He had just spent a lot of money and notes on cloth. He had never seen so much money, so many notes, and cloth tickets in his life.
Wen Wan looked at him with a smile and said, "Who knows? Anyway, I came here today just to do some shopping. If I don't have enough money later, I'll just keep you here and redeem you when your brother gets his salary."
Lu Donglin was stunned for a moment: "Is there any use for me? Is there anyone who wants it?"
This time it was Wen Wan's turn to be dumbfounded. She looked at Lu Dongping and said, "Why isn't he afraid? Wouldn't children cry when they hear this?" Especially children who came to the county town for the first time and were unfamiliar with the place.
Lu Donglin immediately realized she was teasing him. He puffed out his chest and snorted twice, "Am I an ordinary child? I'm not. I'm almost thirteen, an adult. Do you still want to scare me? Impossible!"
Wen Wan was overjoyed to see him like that.
She wanted to buy shoes. At the beginning of the year, Zhang Hongying made her a pair of cloth shoes. The upper was corduroy with a red sole and small flowers. It was light and beautiful. She usually wore those. Now that the weather was hot, she changed into the black leather sandals she brought from home.
When it comes to shoes, you always need to have two pairs to rotate. If you wear one pair too tightly, not only will your feet be uncomfortable, but the shoes will also wear out very quickly.
She didn't want to buy anything too nice because she didn't see the kind of shoes she wanted in the department store.
There was only a pair of black pigskin shoes, which had a particularly strong smell and were not cheap, so he simply chose Bai Lishi and Bai Huili for himself and Lu Chun'e, and then bought Liberation shoes for Lu Dongping and his wife Lu Mingjiang.
Lu Donglin quietly tugged at Lu Dongping's sleeve and called out to him, "Brother, you have to hurry up and make some money. Your partner is such a spendthrift."
Lu Dongping sneered, "Spending money is a skill, and not spending money is stupid. If you think you've spent too much, why not tell your sister Wen Wan and ask her to return your pair?"
Lu Donglin's eyes widened: "Why?"
Lu Dongping patted him: "Don't get excited."
After paying, Wen Wan walked up to the two people with her bag in hand and gave them a puzzled look: "What's going on?"
The two, one big and one small, shook their heads together: "It's okay!"
Wen Wan stuffed the cloth bag in her hand into the sack that Lu Dongping was holding. "Okay, we've bought everything we need. I originally wanted to buy you a pair of leather shoes, the kind that slip on, but I couldn't find any suitable ones. So let's buy you Liberation shoes. They're durable and can be worn everyday, and you won't be reluctant to part with them. My aunt made me cloth shoes at the beginning of the year, but I don't know how to make shoes, so I've always wanted to buy her a pair, and today I bought her one. Then we all have new shoes. My uncle and Chun'e can't be without them, so I just bought them for them."
It took Lu Dongping a while to realize what she meant. Was she explaining herself to him? Was she afraid that he would think she spent too much money?
That's totally impossible. Of the five pairs of shoes, only one is hers. The rest are for her to wear at home. All the money was spent here.
"Just buy it. What you said makes sense. This kind of shoes is not expensive and durable, which is pretty good. But, do you have enough money? Why don't you buy something for yourself?" He remembered that when he came back to the county town, the girl bought a big bag of biscuits and candies, and she was listless all the way because she didn't buy milk powder.
Wen Wan thought for a while and said, "I was originally planning not to buy anything, but, I'd better buy some. I don't know when I'll come next time!" The key point is that she felt a little embarrassed to bring a little kid like Lu Donglin with her.
Lu Dongping asked Lu Donglin to help carry things and wait for her not far from the snack bar. She bought biscuits, milk candies, malted milk, and a thick stack of toilet paper.
Anyway, they were all in one pocket, and I don’t know what she bought.
As she walked out of the department store, she peeled a piece of candy and gave it to Lu Donglin.
Lu Donglin, who had solemnly told Xu Qingming that he didn't like sweets, was so sweet that his eyes were almost squinting.
I didn't intend to buy so many things when I went out, and the two sacks I brought were almost full.
When they arrived at the agreed place on the edge of the county town, the tractor was there, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. Figuring they would have to wait a while, Lu Dongping put his things on the tractor and said to Wen Wan, "I have something to do. I'll be back soon. You and Donglin wait here for me."
Wen Wan nodded in agreement. She had been running around since she got off the tractor in the morning. Now her legs felt like noodles and her feet hurt so much that she couldn't walk.
Lu Dongping moved the sack, took out the cloth bag containing the shoes and took it away.
After Lu Dongping left, Lu Donglin and Wen Wan sat on the edge of the tractor and asked, "Sister, why did you buy so many things? We make all the shoes we wear at home and have never bought any!"
Wen Wan dangled her legs over the side of the car, "I'm getting married to your brother, so I have to buy something for everyone. It's just this time, not often. Your brother is fixing up the house and making furniture for the wedding, so I'll just buy a few pairs of shoes, it's nothing." She bought the cloth with the money Zhang Hongying gave her, and added to the shortfall with the money Lu Dongping gave her. These few pairs of shoes were the only ones she paid for herself, and it seemed like a lot, but it was just the cloth she spent. She was going to take the cotton yarn back to make mosquito nets, whether anyone else used it or not, she had to have it. There were too many mosquitoes in the mountains, and the gaps in the door were large. The mosquitoes were annoying at dusk and dawn, and it was really annoying.
As for the cloth, she knew exactly how many tickets Lu Dongping's mother had given her. The rest, including the ones Lu Dongping had given her, were hers. She would buy whatever she found suitable and do whatever she wanted with it when she had the time. Getting married was a big deal, and even if it was in the mountains, she wanted to do the best she could within her limited means.
Lu Donglin began to sigh again. He felt that his brother had such a good eye for choosing a partner. How could he be so picky?
He was silent, and neither was Wen Wan. She sat there wondering what she could make with the cloth she had. Besides clothes and mosquito nets, she also wanted curtains, but she felt it was inappropriate. There wasn't enough cloth at home for clothes, so why would she use it to make curtains? She'd better not make people hate her.
Just as I was pondering this, a few people carrying sacks and backpacks came over and asked, "Is this tractor going to the commune down below?"
Wen Wan's thoughts were interrupted. She looked down at them and asked, "Which commune are you going to?"
"Which commune are you from, little sister?"
People who don’t answer questions but ask instead are annoying. You call me little sister? Who is your little sister? You have a problem!
Wen Wan shut up and ignored them. The men looked at each other and laughed. The little girl was really good-looking, but she had a really bad temper.
Wen Wan turned around, leaving the back of her head to the few people, too lazy to pay attention to them.
It was broad daylight and there were two tractors parked nearby, so there was no need to be afraid.
Lu Donglin looked at those people warily, and the hairs on his body stood up.
He didn't feel relieved until those people went to another tractor not far away, probably found the right place, and put the luggage on it.
"Sister, where did my brother go? Why hasn't he come back yet? The driver is nowhere to be seen either." The fearless boy felt uneasy and particularly insecure for the first time when he arrived in a strange place.
Wen Wan checked the time. They had arrived at around nine in the morning, and it was almost four now, so it was almost time to go back. The driver hadn't shown up either. What on earth had he been doing?
People couldn't help but think about it, and it came back as soon as they thought about it. Lu Dongping actually came here with the tractor driver.
Wen Wan greeted Liu Dacai and asked, "Are you going back now?" She and Liu Dacai knew each other. The last time they came to the countryside, someone drove a tractor to the county town to pick them up, and this time he also took her to the county town.
A man in his forties, dark-skinned, with a beard, a sturdy and honest appearance.
"Let's go back. It's getting late and we still have a long way to go." After saying that, he glanced into the tractor and said to Lu Dongping with a smile, "Oh, not bad. Two full pockets. You've spent a lot of money today, right?"
Lu Dongping said, "How can you prepare for a wedding without spending money?"
Liu Dacai threw a fake punch at him and said, "You kid, you are showing off in front of me again." But he still took Wen Wan's presence into consideration and didn't say any nonsense.
Lu Dongping grabbed the shelf in front of him and swiftly climbed onto the driveway. "You're such a difficult person. You don't believe lies when I tell you, and you don't like to hear the truth when I tell you the truth. You're so hard to please."
Liu Dacai chuckled twice: "When has your mouth ever told the truth? You're always swaying around, almost like a young girl trying to trick a young girl. How can you fool someone like me who's been through this?"
As he was talking, the tractor started up, puffing out smoke. He sat on it, held the handle and started running.
Wen Wan then quietly asked Lu Dongping: "What were you doing just now?
Lu Dongping said, "It's a rare visit. I went to the meat processing plant. My family hasn't eaten meat for a while."
Wen Wan looked at the bag he brought over and asked, "Are you buying so much? Aren't you short of meat coupons anymore?"
Lu Dongping said, "I have an acquaintance over there. He cut a piece of pork belly and took the receipt. He also gave me two cleaned pork ribs as a gift. Don't you like soup?"
The corn ribs were roasted in the pot over high heat, and the milky white broth was more fragrant than any other meat. The meat clinging to the bones was also uniquely flavorful, and the marrow between the bones was even more fragrant. They had been stewed once before, during the New Year pig slaughtering period. Lu Dongping had seen her sip the soup with such satisfaction, and he had always remembered it!
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