If you can't get any grain, it means your business is down by half, and your profits will be meager.
Just as he was feeling dejected, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the distance and jumped up, shouting, "Brother, brother, the God of Wealth has arrived!"
After saying that, he ran towards Yan Xiaoqiang. Zhao Weiguo was stunned for a moment, but immediately realized what was happening and chased after him.
Yan Xiaoqiang also saw the two running over, and quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him.
The three met, and Yan Xiaoqiang turned and walked towards the station, saying as he went:
“My son is getting married in August. I need money and gifts, including at least 2,000 catties of white rice. When is it convenient for you to go to that back mountain where we traded last time?”
Two thousand catties! And that's the minimum!
The Zhao brothers exchanged a glance, their hearts pounding. "Damn, we've struck it rich this time!"
Zhao Weimin was extremely clever; he knew his son's wedding would require some nice gifts, and in a flash, he came up with a solution:
"A pair of watches, a sewing machine, a radio and a bicycle are already in your household, so let's also get some candy and wedding cakes, as well as bedding for the bride."
Yan Xiaoqiang nodded: "When can you come over?"
Zhao Weiguo thought for a minute and said, "Three days from now, I'll come to your back mountain. It'll be around 8 p.m., by then everyone will be asleep."
Yan Xiaoqiang readily agreed, but inwardly he thought, "Why isn't he sleeping at this hour? He should be an owl."
The timing was perfect; Yan Xiaoqiang boarded the bus three minutes later, and as the bus started moving, Zhao Weimin and Zhao Weiguo began to discuss their plans while watching it disappear into the distance.
"Brother, what did the God of Wealth just say? At least two thousand catties of rice. Did I hear that right?" Zhao Weimin asked.
"Weimin, I'll get the money and tickets. You get the watch, the sewing machine, and all the things needed for the wedding, including milk powder, malted milk powder, cakes, and the like." Zhao Weiguo said and quickly left.
Zhao Weimin knew what was on his mind when he heard about the baby formula. His brother always said that the little girl looked like his own sister, but he was too young back then and had forgotten.
Zhao Weimin turned and ran towards the market. There were so many things needed for the wedding, so he decided to get all the big items ready today.
When Dongnan and Xuemei arrived at the hotel Yan Xiaoqiang had mentioned, they handed over a letter of introduction and told the clerk that they were an engaged couple who had come to the county to buy wedding supplies.
The waiter glanced at the two of them with envy. They were getting married at such a young age, and their families were even buying them things. Their families must be very well-off.
Unlike me, I'm almost twenty-eight, my boyfriend's family doesn't have a house, so I have to wait. I don't have much money either, so I have to save up for my dowry.
I charged them 1.6 yuan, booked two rooms, and even kindly told them that the supply and marketing cooperative near the hospital had a lot of things and they could go there to take a look.
The two thanked her profusely, saying how kind and helpful she was. Once inside the room, Xuemei tried to close the door, but Dongnan quickly stopped her, explaining that unmarried men and women shouldn't close the door when in a room together.
Southeast opened the cloth bag, took out the pancakes that Xuemei had made that morning, and ate two for each of them for lunch. After eating, they went to buy things and then caught the second bus back the next day.
That lady was right. The supply and marketing cooperative near the hospital is huge. It has almost everything you need, including food, drinks, clothes, and household items. They even have bicycles and sewing machines.
Xuemei was astonished to see a sewing machine priced at 160 yuan, plus a sewing ticket and industrial coupons.
“Southeast, you said sewing machines are so expensive, why don’t we tell Grandma not to buy one? Let’s save some money, we still have Southwest and North South to go.”
Southeast glanced at Xue Mei, his eyes filled with affection. Grandma had such good taste; both his mother and Xue Mei were chosen by Grandma. They were such thrifty and good wives.
"Xuemei, let's listen to Grandma. If Grandma says we should buy it, then we should buy it. There are many people in the family, so we should get a sewing machine. Then you can make two sets of clothes a day."
Xuemei thought about it for a moment and felt that Dongnan really knew a lot. He was indeed a scholar. However, she was now learning to read by following Nannan's example.
The two chatted and laughed as they strolled around the supply and marketing cooperative, and finally decided to make their move.
A pair of red tin thermos flasks with floral patterns, a pair of enamel basins, a tall spittoon, two bed sheets, a pair of pillows, a wedding quilt, and some cotton fabric for making underwear.
Southeast bought two pairs of pigskin shoes for Cuihua and himself, a white shirt and navy blue trousers for himself, and a floral shirt and black trousers for Cuihua.
They saw a counter selling large red flowers for brides and grooms, so they bought a pair to use on their wedding day.
Southeast casually bought four more boxes of face cream: one for his mother, one for his grandmother, one for his wife, and one for Nannan.
Xuemei laughed and said, "Our Nannan is the prettiest. Such a little one, after washing her face, she must apply face cream, and after washing her hands, she must apply clam oil."
Southeast nodded: "Our Nannan is beautiful, she should use more skin care products. Let's go buy a few more boxes of clam oil."
Shopping takes the longest time. By the time Yan Xiaoqiang got home, Dongnan Xuemei was already carrying bags and packages back to the hotel.
Seeing the wedding supplies piled high in their hands, the salesperson's eyes welled up with envy; the supplies must have cost at least seventy or eighty yuan.
Look at their thermos flasks, they're all made of tin. And this bag looks like a face cream bag, they're really rich.
Jealousy took hold of him, and his attitude changed: "No one is allowed in the same room if you're not married. Someone will come to check on you."
Southeast was a little confused. Things were going well just now, so why did they change their attitude so quickly?
Xuemei, however, saw envy, jealousy, and hatred in the other person's eyes. As for what they hated, who cares?
After placing the items in the southeast room, Xuemei took out some food. After dinner, the two went back to their respective rooms to sleep.
The next day, the two of them got on the bus early in the morning with their wedding supplies and headed home. Originally, Southeast wanted to drive around the county town for a bit and then take the afternoon bus back.
But Xuemei was worried about spending money and also missed home, so she insisted on taking the early morning bus back.
Everything was normal at home, but the news that Dongnan was getting married on the 28th of August had already spread throughout the village.
When the two returned to the village with their small bags, the older women and aunties all gathered around, wanting to see what the Yan family had bought for their new daughter-in-law.
The thermos and the high-end spittoon were exquisite items, and the young women wanted to touch them, but Xuemei stopped them.
"These are all the new bride's things. Don't you know the rules? Just look, what? You want to touch them? What do you mean?"
Don't let the small size of the village fool you; there are quite a few rules. There are things like year-end ancestral worship, and women can't touch the new bride's things, in case she gives birth to a girl the following year. Women can't touch men's heads, and there are many other rules.
Bei Nan and Xin Nan had already spotted Dong Nan and Xue Mei. The two of them took off running over. Bei Nan, taking advantage of her small size, charged ahead recklessly, scaring away all the village women.
The four of them laughed and carried their things home. Yan Xiaonan stood at the door of the main room waiting, wanting to see what kind of things were needed for a wedding these days.
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