Dong'an Market in Dongdan District. This comprehensive shopping mall, which underwent a public-private partnership last year, is packed with shops. It's the only place in Beijing where you can shop, dine, and enjoy a performance.
All of this resulted in a huge influx of visitors, a throng of people from all walks of life. Zhou Jiao even spotted the last nobleman walking his bird in the crowd.
There are a wide variety of goods in the market. In a conspicuous place in the shop, the high cash register is covered with dense steel wires leading to each counter.
From time to time, the salesperson at the counter would roll up the money bills he received with the newly issued receipts, clamp them with an iron clip, and push them hard towards the cash register.
The customers queuing in front of the counter didn't have to run around. The whirring sound of the iron clamps hitting the wire and the customers' voices filled my ears.
Zhou Jiao looked worriedly at the iron clamps passing above her head, while paying attention to the clothes and appearance of the people around her and listening to the conversations in the crowd.
She had visited this market in later generations, but it no longer had the prosperity it has today. The theaters, restaurants, and bookstores she had just seen surrounded the market, making it a leisurely destination for the people of the capital and even a sacred place for tourists from other places.
Mrs. Cheng and Lin Lishan were in separate lines. Zhou Jiao didn't think there was anything she needed to buy, so she said hello to them and walked on.
Rumor has it that foreign embassies are concentrated in this area, so you can find a lot of foreign magazines. But when she got to the bookstore, she found that there were no old books left, only new books. This immediately made her feel bored.
She wandered over to the fabric section and saw Lin Lishan already selecting patterns. Afraid of being dragged along, she quietly turned to the left and continued to observe the prices at the various counters.
Taking advantage of the fact that many things don't require tickets nowadays, and having identified her target, her next goal is to take Zhang Guoqing to exchange funds for supplies.
After more than an hour, they finally came out carrying their belongings. Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief; wandering aimlessly wasn't her style.
Lin Lishan dragged Zhou Jiao and the old lady inside the Silian Hair Salon. Eighty cents? What a rip-off! But there were plenty of takers.
Zhou Jiao declined her mother's offer. She liked long hair, straight hair. Looking at her fellow women with perms and beaming faces, she wept for them. Wearing a cotton-padded jacket in the dead of winter, wouldn't she be afraid her man might mistake her for someone else?
After the three women had their hair cut, seeing that it was getting late, they immediately found a car and rushed home.
Zhou Jiao smiled secretly at Old Lady Cheng in the car. She remembered that when the old lady went out, she told Zhang Guoqing with a confident look that she would be back in three hours and in time for Ping An to wake up.
See! No matter how old a woman is, her shopping desire never wanes.
When he got home, Zhang Guoqing saw Zhou Jiao empty-handed in the living room and raised his eyebrows. His wife said she went shopping in the morning.
He quickly handed his son to Zhou Jiao. He had discovered that the child didn't like the milk powder. It must be that the little guy had tasted it.
"Mom, grandma sent someone to invite our family to her house for dinner tonight. What about Ping An?" Zhang Guoqing said softly when he saw Old Mrs. Cheng happily following Zhou Jiao to the east wing with her things in her arms.
Lin Lishan said without even looking up, "Ask your dad and wait until he comes back. Xiaowu, stop laughing. Help mom take a look at this material and make you some clothes."
"Mom has always had good taste. If you think it's okay, then it must be okay."
"My Xiaowu is really good at talking. If you have nothing to do in the evening, go out and play with Xiaofei and the others, or go to the movies with Jiaojiao. Go out more often, don't stay home all the time. Are you worried about leaving your safety to mom?"
Zhang Guoqing nodded cheerfully. He secretly thought to himself that he was still worried. His mother-in-law was like a child. He was worried the child wouldn't be familiar with the child if he left her with Aunt Chen. It would be better for him to look after her himself. Especially these past few days, Jiaojiao had been so worried. There would be plenty of opportunities after a walk. Looking at Lin Lishan's beaming face, he sighed.
He prayed that Mr. Lin would be smart. He heard that the Gu family member hadn't left all afternoon and was still staying at the Lin family's house. Was he targeting his father-in-law and his wife?
He's currently experiencing a huge headache with Gu Ruyi. Can't he just calm down? He'll definitely use the dowry repayment as a way to test Zhou Jiao tonight. He's already decided to give up on the dowry; it's a potential firehose! Gu Ruyi is always a hidden danger.
Zhou Xiaozheng was returning home from get off work, followed by Lin Aiguo.
Lin Aiguo, who was in his forties, treated Zhou Xiaozheng with great respect. It would be hard for someone unfamiliar with him to imagine that this was the relationship between a brother-in-law and his brother-in-law.
After entering the living room, Lin Aiguo didn't rush home. He drank the hot tea brought by his aunt and continued chatting with Zhou Xiaozheng.
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded slightly when he learned that the Lin family was inviting him to dinner tonight. Someone was already waiting at the house, and he didn't intend to avoid them. A moment later, Old Lady Cheng and Zhou Jiao came out and told him about tonight's banquet.
Old Mrs. Cheng refused Lin Aiguo's invitation on the grounds of taking care of the children. She fixed Zhou Jiao's hair and urged the family to hurry over.
The group left the house and encountered many familiar faces along the way. It was the end of the workday, and many people were heading home. Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng, they stopped and greeted him. Soldiers from a distance also gathered around, looking at Zhou Jiao curiously.
Rumor has it that the Cold-Faced King, Zhou Xiaozheng, dotes on his only daughter. If you need help, talk about his daughter first, and Zhou Xiaozheng won't be sarcastic. If you praise his daughter to her face, you might even get a rare smile from him.
These past two days, everyone has seen that he is no longer so stern, and they have begun to have the courage to joke and chat with him.
Looking at the crowd before him, Zhou Xiaozheng smiled as he introduced Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing to everyone. He noticed that the soldiers and their families living in the buildings ahead had gathered to watch, and he knew they were curious. He was happy to let everyone get a good look at his daughter, Jiaojiao.
Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing smiled and exchanged pleasantries, listening to their banter. They nodded and thanked the invitation. They chatted with this group of rough-hewn men until the end, laughing heartily. These were lovely soldiers, straightforward, warm, and friendly.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Aiguo invited everyone to his house for a drink. Everyone understood that this was their family dinner, and some even understood that this was the first time the Zhou and Lin families had dinner together, so everyone smiled and declined.
Some people knocked on their lunch boxes and pointed to the location of the cafeteria. Groups of three or four made appointments to have a drink and then left.
Lin Aiguo and Zhou Xiaozheng hurried home, but before they reached the bend in the path, they ran into a few old soldiers, who this time called out to Zhou Xiaozheng.
Several old men looked at the family, laughed, and said that Old Man Lin was not bragging. They praised Zhou Jiao non-stop, smiling and greeting her. One or two old men patted Zhang Guoqing on the shoulder and asked him to go to the small park to practice boxing with them tomorrow.
These old men had already met Zhang Guoqing that morning and were deeply dissatisfied with his decision not to join the army. In their view, the descendants of soldiers should still serve in the army.
At this moment, the old man brought up the old matter again and asked Zhou Xiaozheng to persuade the child to let him apply to military school.
Zhou Jiao was left in a state of confusion as she faced these old idiots—they kept repeating the same compliments and then insisted on enlisting Zhang Guoqing. She began to wonder if Zhang Guoqing's university aspirations would be emphasized in two years.
Seeing that it was getting late, the old men had talked to their heart's content and let the family leave.
The journey of just a few minutes ended up taking over an hour. Lin Aiguo didn't dare to slow down at this moment. He lowered his head and pulled Zhou Xiaozheng towards home quickly.
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