Xu Zi smirked, a hint of smugness in his eyes. Oh dear, he's getting smug again.
Yu Jiu glared at him and said coquettishly.
"Stop showing off. Save your money; it'll come in handy later."
Yu Jiu didn't really want to buy anything; she was just browsing around since she was already there.
"No need to show off, we're already here. We should spend what we need to spend, no need to be frugal."
"Okay, I understand."
Yu Jiu wasn't a stingy person; having money meant she wouldn't mistreat herself. However, buying things at the department store required not only money but also coupons.
Do you have a ticket?
Yu Jiu asked a question.
"Yes, I have."
Xu Zi casually pulled out a stack of tickets. He usually made sure to exchange some tickets in addition to the money when he sold watches. There were tickets for food, drinks, and daily necessities, but he didn't take the watch tickets because he didn't need them.
He was exceptionally well-prepared; being by his side made it seem like she didn't have to worry about anything. Yu Jiu smiled and nodded happily.
"Okay, then I'll buy something too. I'd like this scarf."
This scarf is made of cashmere, it feels very soft and comfortable, and the colors are quite vibrant, a mix of shades that aren't too flashy—gray, pink, and blue. Yu Jiu fell in love with this scarf at first sight; it's perfect for winter.
However, she just asked about the price, and it is indeed quite expensive, costing over twenty yuan.
"Okay, this one will do. How much?"
Xu Zi glanced at the salesperson and immediately prepared to pay.
"28 yuan, plus half a foot of cloth ration coupons."
"Okay, here you go."
A scarf costing 28 yuan, plus half a foot of cloth coupons, was indeed expensive, but Xu Zijiang paid and gave the coupons without hesitation. The saleswoman couldn't help but stare with envy, her hands deftly handling the money. She wished someone would be this quick to buy things for her.
She often sees men who, because they think something is too expensive, start arguing with their wives right there at the counter. There are too many of them. If they can't afford it, what are they doing here? They even make grand pronouncements, telling their wives to buy whatever they want, but then their wives just pick out a mid-to-low-end item and they can't help but complain and yell at them for being too expensive. These kinds of men are just showing off.
After seeing so many saleswomen, they couldn't help but feel nauseous. Finally, a handsome and generous man came along, and the saleswomen were as happy as if they had seen their boyfriend. It was truly a rare treat.
"Come on, let's see if there's anything else you want. Don't young ladies have those face creams? I don't think I've ever seen you use them before. Do you want to buy some?"
Xu Zijiang hadn't even thought about this when he went to another province last time. He bought Yu Jiu clothes, shoes, snacks, and trinkets. He hadn't really noticed skincare products. It wasn't until an aunt offered to do Yu Jiu's facial makeup on her wedding day that Xu Zijiang remembered that girls sometimes put things on their faces.
Yu Jiu chuckled and bantered with him.
"I did apply it, you just didn't notice."
However, she only used the simplest clam oil. It's definitely a good time to try new skincare products; she should buy a wider variety to try. Her skin doesn't have many blemishes, so she mainly needs moisturizing products. Her face gets quite dry in winter, but better in summer.
"Really? Have you applied it yet?"
Xu Zijiang looked at Yu Jiu in surprise. He carefully examined Yu Jiu's fair and tender face, but he couldn't see anything.
"Don't look, you can't tell. It's just a thin layer. It's like water, it dries after a few pats, and your face looks no different from if you didn't apply it at all. Sometimes I even forget if I've applied it or not."
"Oh, I see," Xu Zijiang thought thoughtfully. He had thought it was the kind of thing you smear on your face so everyone could see it. At that time, Xu Zijiang's mother was getting old and hardly used any skincare products. He also didn't have any sisters or anything, so he was really lacking in knowledge about this kind of thing.
The two walked to the skincare counter, which was filled with a dazzling array of products, including clam oil, Pechoin, and Shanghai Girl Snow Cream, among others. There were face creams, eyebrow pencils, and lipsticks.
Yu Jiu's eyes lit up when she saw the lipstick on her lips, and she pointed at it.
"Excuse me, could you please get that for me? I'd like to take a look."
"good."
The sales clerk deftly took the lipstick down and carefully explained its effects. "This is very effective when your lips are dry. It's very moisturizing, suitable for both summer and winter, and not oily at all."
How much is this?
Yu Jiu felt her lips had been a bit dry lately, probably because autumn was approaching and she wasn't used to the weather here, so her lips were starting to crack. This hadn't happened when she was at home. It wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, but the main issue was that she had a boyfriend now, and dry lips were really unpleasant, Yu Jiu thought, blushing, and suddenly felt shy.
"One yuan a stick, no ticket required."
Compared to a scarf, the lipstick is a good value, but compared to other skincare products, it's a bit expensive. After all, clam oil costs only 10 cents a box and lasts a long time. Even a relatively expensive brand like Pechoin only costs one yuan a box. However, one yuan is just a drop in the bucket for Xu Zijiang and Yu Jiu, Yu Jiu said without hesitation.
"Give me two."
Then she started looking at other skincare products.
Three hours had passed when they came out of the department store. Sure enough, women are full of energy once they start shopping. Yu Jiu said she didn't need anything and would just browse around, but she ended up carrying a basket full of things. She looked radiant and seemed very satisfied with her shopping experience.
Xu Zijiang was also very satisfied; Yu Jiu was happy, and so was he.
"What do you want to do next? Let's put our things back at the guesthouse and then go eat. After dinner, how about we go see a movie?"
There's a movie theater in the city, but I don't know if they're selling tickets today. Even though these days theaters don't show many kinds of movies—mostly action films like war movies—when two people are together, it's just about passing the time; it doesn't necessarily have to be something romantic.
Yu Jiu nodded with a smile.
"Okay, let's go eat first, and then go see a movie."
Yu Jiu, not wanting to spoil the mood, readily agreed to Xu Zijiang's arrangement.
After putting their things back at the guesthouse, the two went to the state-run restaurant, which had a wider variety of dishes than the one in the commune. Yu Jiu ordered a lion's head meatball, and Xu Zijiang ordered a crucian carp soup and a stir-fried water spinach. The two sat down at the table.
As soon as she sat down, Yu Jiu seemed to kick something. She looked down at the ground and saw what appeared to be a black backpack.
What is that?
Yu Jiu was puzzled, wondering whose things had fallen there. She picked them up, opened them, and saw that they were full of various documents. The more she looked, the more terrified she became, breaking out in a cold sweat. She quickly put the documents back and zipped the zipper up.
She gestured quietly to Xu Zijiang.
"Run!"
As soon as she said "stand," the horse stood up.
"Oh, why? The food hasn't been served yet."
Xu Zijiang was a little confused, but he quickly realized what was going on.
"Is something wrong with what's inside?"
Yu Jiu nodded slightly. The two of them were sitting in the very corner of the restaurant, which was somewhat cramped and backlit. Therefore, the black backpack placed there blended into the darkness.
Yu Jiu didn't have time to explain. She was anxious to leave immediately. Seeing this, Xu Zijiang didn't hesitate any longer, and the two of them grabbed their backpacks and ran away.
The waitress was serving dishes to other tables at the counter when she suddenly noticed that one table was empty and two people were hurrying out. She immediately shouted for help.
"Come back! Your food hasn't arrived yet! They've already started cooking, where are you going? Aren't you going to eat? Hey! Who are you? You ordered food and aren't going to eat it, what's the point of cooking it?"
The waiter grumbled and told the chef to cancel the menu, then continued taking orders from other tables.
Xu Zijiang and Yu Jiu weren't doing this for the first time; people often did it. The waiter was a little unhappy, but it wasn't a big deal or something worth taking to heart.
So he muttered to himself for a while and then forgot about it.
However, no sooner had the two left than a person wrapped up tightly returned to the place.
He was bent over, seemingly searching for something under the table, exuding a menacing aura.
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