To bring back the goods, Liu Yihang rode a tricycle, while Liu Xiangdong took Lin Guihua on a bicycle.
The three of them quickly headed towards the Sanhe Street Market.
Once there, Liu Yihang led his parents through the market, giving them a brief introduction to its different sections to make it easier for them to come back in the future. Finally, they went straight to the clothing wholesale area.
It was getting late, and everyone was getting ready to leave work, so there were very few people buying things.
Liu Yihang led them on a shopping spree.
Once September is over, it will get cold in October, and I'll need to buy more clothes. So I'll just buy two sets of short-sleeved shirts to alternate wearing, and then buy thicker clothes when it gets colder.
Lin Guihua picked out two short-sleeved shirts, two pairs of thin trousers, a pair of rubber sandals, and a pair of canvas shoes for Liu Xiangdong. She also bought him several pairs of socks and two pairs of underwear.
Just as Liu Yihang was about to ask the price and pay, Lin Guihua stopped him and went up to the shopkeeper to haggle frantically, managing to bring the price down from over eighty yuan to just over seventy yuan.
The boss kept saying he wasn't making any money, and only then did Lin Guihua turn around smartly: "Son, give me the money!"
Liu Yihang silently gave his mother a thumbs up.
Next up was Lin Guihua herself. She only chose two loose-fitting short tops, two pairs of thin pants, a pair of sandals, a pair of casual shoes, several pairs of socks, and a change of underwear.
Liu Yihang asked her to choose two more items and buy a dress, but she absolutely refused.
“We’re not rich right now, so as long as we have something to wear, that’s fine. Besides, it’s not convenient for us to wear skirts while we’re doing business. I know you’re being kind, I’ll buy you some later!” Lin Guihua said earnestly.
Liu Yihang had no choice but to give up.
Lin Guihua's clothes cost nearly eighty yuan in total, which was very cheap.
The two hugged their new clothes, shoes, and socks, touching them with delight, like children.
Lin Guihua hadn't worn new clothes for many years, and Liu Xiangdong had always worn his younger brothers' hand-me-downs. This time, he could finally wear new clothes that fit him.
Liu Yihang felt inexplicably sad.
Finally, before Liu Yihang had even bought anything himself, Lin Guihua took him directly to the best men's clothing store in the market.
"Boss, pick out two fashionable outfits for my son to wear these days." Lin Guihua has always been generous to her son, wanting to give him the best whenever possible, a sentiment probably shared by every mother.
"Okay, ma'am, your son is so handsome!" The proprietress walked over, glanced at the family, and started praising them.
Judging from the large bags and packages they were carrying, you could tell they weren't just browsing; they were there to buy something.
"Haha." Lin Guihua chuckled happily upon hearing the proprietress's praise.
Liu Yihang looked around awkwardly.
The clothes in this store are really nice; they're all the most fashionable right now.
The shop owner brought out several of the best-selling short-sleeved shirts in the store for Liu Yihang to choose from.
Liu Yihang chose a black short-sleeved shirt, a white short-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans with a standard style, and a pair of brown casual pants.
A black short-sleeved shirt paired with jeans, or a white short-sleeved shirt paired with brown casual pants.
When the shop owner saw that he had made his choice, she showered him with compliments: "This young man has great taste. I think the clothes look even better with this combination."
Lin Guihua also thought it looked good, and that her son would definitely look handsome in it.
But she maintained a nonchalant demeanor on the surface: "It's alright, boss lady, give me a price."
"Sister, I won't charge you extra for these two sets, I'll give them to you for 120 yuan," the proprietress said.
"What? One hundred and twenty? Boss lady, give me a discount. These clothes of yours will be out of season soon. Nobody buys summer clothes anymore."
"We just happened to lose our belongings when we came here, and we had no clothes to wear, so we came to buy some." Lin Guihua repeated what she had just said to the two shop owners.
The shop owner knew perfectly well that these clothes were already past their season and would have to be sold off at a discount in a few days. She was trying to sell as many as she could, but she always tried to put a positive impression on them.
"Sister, these clothes of mine are selling very well. After autumn comes, you can wear a short-sleeved shirt underneath and a shirt on top, which will also look good. You can buy with confidence. I will definitely not lose money at this price."
"Boss lady, give me a fair price, two sets for eighty yuan!"
The proprietress's face darkened: "That won't do. I'll take the loss of eighty, but add a little more."
"Eighty is fine, if you don't want it, then forget it. Hanghang, let's go and look at other stores. I just saw some nice clothes at that other store." Lin Guihua made a move to leave.
The whole family had already reached the shop entrance when the proprietress called them back.
"Big sister, come back, come back. Here's eighty for you."
Lin Guihua revealed a triumphant smile.
Liu Yihang thought his mother really didn't want it anymore, but he didn't expect it to be a ploy. He quickly took out eighty yuan and gave it to the shopkeeper.
She kept complaining, "This is the cheapest I've ever sold it. I have to pay this price to get it in bulk, so it's like I'm giving it to you guys for free."
"It's closing down soon anyway. It's fate that we've met, so I'll give you a discount. Please come back to support my business in the future!"
Lin Guihua smiled and said, "Of course, I'll come back in a month to buy autumn clothes for my son, and I'll come back to patronize your business then."
The proprietress was somewhat pleased to hear this.
She didn't forget to promote her products: "My clothes are the best-selling in the market. They're all new styles from the south, and young people love them. They look great with the shoes from the Warrior brand next door."
"Warrior?" Lin Guihua didn't know anything about shoe brands.
Liu Yihang knew about Warrior (Huili), a brand of shoes that was very popular among young people at that time, just like Nike and Adidas in later generations.
When I was in high school, my classmates often talked about who had bought new Warrior shoes, and how shoes from brands like Double Star and Peak were also very popular.
He could only ever wear the cloth shoes his mother made by hand. Although they were comfortable, he couldn't help but secretly envy them.
Now, hearing these things again, he feels no emotion at all.
"Ma'am, Warrior shoes are so comfortable, all the young people these days love them," the shopkeeper said, trying to sell them.
I guess they're doing cross-promotion with the Warrior brand next door.
Upon hearing that young people liked them, Lin Guihua immediately said, "Then let's go to Huili and buy Hanghang a couple of comfortable shoes to wear."
Liu Xiangdong and Liu Yihang reluctantly followed Lin Guihua to the Warrior shoe store next door.
The boss is taking inventory.
"Boss, which of these styles is the most fashionable? Can I try them on?"
The shop owner enthusiastically recommended several nice styles, all of which were casual shoes.
Finally, Liu Yihang chose two pairs of lightweight casual shoes, one white and one black.
Lin Guihua once again used her silver tongue to lower the price from eighty yuan to fifty-three yuan.
The boss also gave me two pairs of socks as a gift.
Liu Yihang went out, turned right, and bought himself a dozen pairs of underwear, thus completing his wardrobe purchase.
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