The cars sped towards the provincial capital. Xiao Zhou was driving the first car in front, and in it sat Grandpa Lin, Lin Lishan, Zhang Guoqing and Xizi.
Xizi feigned composure, his face stern, his entire body tense except for his curiously darting eyes. Zhang Guoqing watched with amusement, but didn't offer any warning, figuring he'd relax after a while. A child's ability to pay attention to their own manners was a sign of true growth. Pointing fingers in public would only damage their self-esteem.
Xiao Zhou was driving, looking in the rearview mirror, and advised, "Commander, you should take a rest first. If we don't go into the county town, it will take more than two hours to reach the provincial capital."
"Well, drive carefully and be safe. We are not in a hurry."
The two cars drove straight to the Provincial Military District Guesthouse without stopping. As they got out of the car and headed inside, before Xiao Zhou could even get a room, several soldiers arrived from afar. They had received the news and were coming to greet Mr. Lin. They led him and his family upstairs to their rooms.
After everyone entered the room, Lin Lishan watched them exchange pleasantries impatiently. Seeing that it was still early, she whispered to Grandpa Lin that she wanted to take the children out for a walk. After getting his consent, she quickly took Xizi and left early.
After leaving the guesthouse lobby, Lin Lishan took Xizi's hand, got in the car, and drove directly to the provincial capital. On the way, she asked two passers-by and found the Friendship Shopping Mall easily.
The Friendship Mall in the provincial capital was just about to open late last year. It's only open to overseas Chinese, or if you have remittance vouchers. They say it has a dazzling array of goods, and the three-story building stands out among the provincial capital's architecture. No wonder everyone points it out when they ask.
Lin Lishan parked the car and walked towards the mall entrance with Xizi. Two security guards were standing at the large entrance. When they saw them, they quietly reminded them that those who were not overseas Chinese or did not have overseas remittance vouchers were not allowed to enter.
Lin Lishan had also shopped at the Friendship Mall in Beijing, and knowing this rule, she casually showed the other party her overseas remittance voucher and went straight in. The items here were indeed more exquisite than those in the supply and marketing cooperative, with a much wider variety, and especially the service attitude was much better than that of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Lin Lishan whispered to Xizi, "How about we start from the first floor? See if you like anything and grandma will buy it for you. You can also help your younger brothers and sisters see what they like."
Xizi opened his eyes and looked at the many commodities around him curiously. He shook his head when he heard it. "Grandma, you buy it yourself. I just came with you to broaden my horizons. I don't plan to buy anything. Look for yourself. I won't get lost if I follow you."
Lin Lishan touched his head and held his little hand. Knowing that the Zhang family was very dedicated in educating their children, she didn't ask him any more questions and planned to take a look at all the goods on the three floors first.
The spacious first floor is dedicated to the sale of non-staple foods and some fine grains. The counters are arranged in a circular shape, and it is just enough to walk around it to see everything.
The grocery area is lined with glass counters, with hard and soft candies of various colors and shapes packed in colorful glass jars.
There are also ordinary and exquisitely packaged pastries, and gift boxes wrapped in red paper, neatly placed on the counter, and the counter also carefully labels the prices of various items.
The two rows of counters in the back, against the wall, were filled with bagged and canned milk powder, both domestic and imported. There were also some canned malted milk and brown sugar.
Across from the stairs to the second floor stood a long counter of foreign goods. Baguettes and brown breads of various varieties were displayed in bamboo baskets. To the right of the counter, a tall shelf displayed a variety of chocolates. It was quite a comprehensive selection. To Lin Lishan's eyes, it looked like a parody of foreign goods.
After a quick tour, Lin Lishan had a rough idea of the situation. The Friendship Malls in each province were similar, prioritizing overseas Chinese and earning foreign exchange. This structure was truly advanced. Thinking of the grand hotels in SH, and the dishes that cost an average worker half a month's salary, the display here was no surprise. The gap between the rich and the poor has existed since ancient times. Since the liquidation, only the well-known capitalists and large landowners have been cleared out, but how many wealthy individuals are hidden away?
Take the overseas Chinese, for example. With vast assets abroad and extremely low domestic consumption, they're all invisible millionaires. Nowadays, if a family has a relative who's overseas Chinese, they're never short of money or supplies, living far better than residents who relied on coupons for rations. Remembering that the vast majority of overseas Chinese fled abroad with their assets at home, fleeing the country's suffering, and now that the country is stable, they're receiving preferential treatment upon returning. Lin Lishan felt a surge of contempt.
Lin Lishan could never have imagined that it would not be long before those with overseas connections would suffer a catastrophe, leaving them either dead or injured. Years later, Lin Lishan often lamented the unpredictability of life.
After shopping on the first floor, Lin Lishan took Xizi's hand and went up to the second floor, which was full of daily necessities and living supplies.
Several rows of counters are separated by red letters, making it easy to see at a glance.
Toiletries like soap, hand soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes are neatly arranged. In the past, textiles were displayed in rows, starting with towels, handkerchiefs, and pillowcases. Then, each counter was clearly categorized. Raw materials like cloth and yarn were grouped together, while finished items like autumn clothes, autumn trousers, shoes, boots, coats, and pants were all gathered in a few counters.
At the innermost part are women's products, such as bras, sanitary belts, and toilet paper, all placed together, with instructions and prices carefully labeled on them.
On the right side of the second floor, there were kitchen items like iron pots, kitchen knives, shovels, bowls and chopsticks, and a small number of imported products. At the end, she actually found stoves: electric stoves, coal stoves, and alcohol stoves, as well as fashionable hot water bottles and copper hand warmers.
Lin Lishan took Xizi and asked the salesperson to get the things. After getting the coal stove and the alcohol stove, she quickly ordered 5 hot water bottles and 2 hand warmers at the counter. These were specially for Zhou Jiao to use when taking the children out.
Then I went to the counter and ordered a few bars of soap, a few toothbrushes and a few tubes of toothpaste. I placed them on the side of the counter and told the salesperson on the second floor to come down to the third floor to settle the bill.
She happily took Xizi's hand and went up to the third floor, where everything was filled with household appliances, bicycles, sewing machines, and other big items. After looking around, the prices were even cheaper than at the supply and marketing cooperative. In the end, she gave up the bicycle and bought a radio instead. She wanted to buy a bicycle, but Jiaojiao would definitely say it was a waste.
After returning to the second floor, she ran to get two more pots for stewing tonics. She also chose a set of beautiful celadon plates and bowls and a purple clay teapot. She really couldn't stand the idea of using coarse bowls for drinking and tea, or anything else. It really affected her appetite.
Thinking of Xiao Ping'an, she bought a few baby spoons and plastic bowls, and then picked out some other baby supplies. She was worried that she wouldn't have any vacation time when she returned to Beijing for work, so she simply bought a lot at once.
Looking at the pile of things on the floor, she finally paid for the items on the second floor, asked the salesperson to help pack them, and then moved them to the first floor. She piled the things there, not letting Xizi watch over them. No one dared to steal them, and they couldn't even get out the door. Didn't she see that the customers inside were also leaving their things as carelessly as she did?
Lin Lishan was afraid that she would miss something, so she took Xizi to buy things from one counter to another. Xizi was so scared that he kept pulling her and winking at her. Lin Lishan was almost amused to death by this child, who also emphasized that he didn't like it.
"Don't worry, Grandma has money and tickets. You can buy whatever you like. When you get back, remember to remind Grandma to ask someone at the military district for a military bag. I see a lot of kids like to carry big military bags to school. They can hold lunch boxes. You should get one too. It'll be unique and impressive. Look at these pencils. Aren't they beautiful? Give them to your brothers and sisters when you get home. One pencil case for each of them."
"Grandma, Zuoyou and Shitou are still little, and my two younger sisters are even younger. They don't need this pencil case. Auntie, please take it away." Xizi was very anxious. This grandma loves to mess around. He was really worried.
Lin Lishan took a tin box and grabbed a handful of pencils. "Okay, then buy some hair clips and rubber bands. The little girl likes these. Don't worry, the patterns at the supply and marketing cooperative aren't as pretty as this."
Lin Lishan picked out some more. This rubber band is very good and anyone can use it.
Then she went to the textile counter, looked at the yarn, but she wasn't interested. Knitting is exhausting, and she was afraid that if she bought a sweater for her daughter, Jiaojiao, she would knit it vigorously. She was terrified when she saw all the yarn in Jiaojiao's closet. She wondered if she would keep it after knitting it all. The most frightening thing was that the colors didn't suit her. Finally, she saw the bright red and tender yellow and nodded. She had to buy it. It was rare to find a good color, and this color would only complement her daughter's small size. She would definitely look beautiful in it.
Looking at the fabric next to her, Lin Lishan was immediately excited. The woolen material was quite good, and the gray and black colors looked good too. She imagined pairing it with a bright red or pale yellow sweater. Her daughter, Jiaojiao, would definitely love it. She secretly planned to make Jiaojiao a Lenin suit, and a coat for Xiaowu, which would also look good. So she simply ordered two pieces and kept them for later use.
Finally, after picking out a few more pieces of other fabrics and buying a large bag of cotton, Lin Lishan reluctantly left.
There was no other way. Not only did her Jiaojiao's closet have very few clothes, but they were all washed white or patched. Thinking of her nieces' closets full of clothes, and always complaining about having nothing to wear, she wanted to move all the fabrics here back and let Jiaojiao wear a new set every day.
Back on the first floor, she saw all the food and decided to prepare some for her daughter to eat when she was free, so she wouldn't have to sit around and chat when guests came over. She could also satisfy her nephews and nieces' cravings.
"Xizi, your aunt has almost finished her shopping. Next, let's go buy some food. Buy some of what you like. That baguette-like bread isn't very tasty, so let's buy a little so we can enjoy it."
At the snack counter, she watched Xizi's gaze and bought whatever she wanted, weighing each one by a pound. After selecting the snacks and pastries, she weighed out three pounds of milk candy and three pounds of hard candy, packing them separately. The candies looked quite varied and high-end. She remembered that Jiaojiao had never tried chocolate before, and that it was very heavy, so a pound wasn't much. She weighed out two bags and bought some baguettes.
After all the payments were made, only 300 yuan of the 600 yuan overseas remittance coupons she brought were left. She had enough money, but unfortunately she didn't have many coupons left. While trying to figure out where to get the bills, she pulled Xizi and carried the things back to the car. Fortunately, the staff inside helped to carry them to the car, otherwise she would have been exhausted.
"Xizi, are you hungry? If you are, let's eat and go back. Grandma will take you to eat something delicious."
"Grandma, let's go back. I'm afraid you'll run inside again. Oh, you've already brought everything inside back home. Let's go back. I'm really not hungry."
Lin Lishan patted his head with a smile, "Okay, listen to our Xizi, and go back first. We'll think about what to buy tonight. Tomorrow we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative here. The provincial capital is bigger than the county town, so there must be more things."
Xizi frowned, "We already have a lot. Let's wait until my aunt needs something before buying more. It's very expensive. Let's just wait and see tomorrow. My uncle has domestically produced goods, which are much cheaper."
Lin Lishan laughed heartily and answered him while driving, "Okay, we'll just try and buy something tomorrow. Tonight, I'll take you to play with other kids and see if they have any extra military backpacks. That would be a great schoolbag."
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