“We can’t do that here. You’ll have to go to the county or the provincial capital. But phone calls to Hong Kong aren’t cheap. They cost several hundred dollars a minute. If you really want to contact your mother, I suggest you write a letter.”
Hundreds of dollars per minute?
Gui Dechen immediately backed down.
She only has a few thousand dollars in savings, how many minutes can she make a call? It's more cost-effective to write a letter!
After leaving the post office, Shen Qianqian rode her bicycle straight to the county town.
The main reason I came out today is to resolve the issue of picking up my package.
It's almost noon now, and she's going to the county town to have lunch at the state-run restaurant, buy something at the supply and marketing cooperative, and also check out the overall environment of the county town. She went to see her injured friend a couple of days ago, but didn't get a proper look at the injury.
Since the reform and opening up began in 1978, the country has opened four special economic zones last year. The spring breeze of development is about to sweep across the country, but unfortunately, this breeze is still a bit far from where she is now, so she can only proceed slowly.
In her past life, she seized the family fortune from her scumbag father who favored sons over daughters and built the company into a powerful enterprise, all because she loved making money. Now, in this era of rebuilding and development, she is determined to make a name for herself.
It was already noon when they arrived in the county town. Shen Qianqian was so hungry that she felt dizzy and went straight to the state-run restaurant without thinking.
Wow, there are quite a lot of people.
Shen Qianqian looked around and saw several large characters written on the wall: "Develop the economy, ensure supply."
The blackboard has a menu: Today's offerings: Pork dumplings, Sweet and sour yellow croaker, Chicken stew with mushrooms...
Just as I was about to read on.
A loud voice rang out from ahead.
"We still have three servings of pork dumplings left!"
Shen Qianqian suddenly looked up and squeezed in without thinking: "I want a serving of pork dumplings, a serving of sweet and sour yellow croaker, plus four steamed buns, and takeaway steamed buns!"
The waiter, a young man, glanced at Chen Qianqian warily upon hearing the noise and began writing something on a piece of paper.
What?
This waiter has very distinctive features; he's very thin and looks like a monkey, especially when he glares at people.
Isn't it said that nine out of ten people working in state-run restaurants are fat?
"One pound of meat coupons, two ounces of grain coupons, one yuan."
Shen Qianqian handed over the ticket and money together, then found an empty table to sit down, slurping her milk candy while waiting for her meal.
She needs to buy a few clothes later. The clothes she wears now are all hand-me-downs from her other siblings, and there's also a piece of clothing that Grandma Fang wore, which was covered in patches.
How could she tolerate this?
Dumplings and steamed buns wrapped in oil paper were served together.
The dumplings were quite large, with plump bellies, thin skins, and plenty of filling. After eating about half of them, the sweet and sour yellow croaker was served. It was a long, deep-fried croaker, topped with a sweet and sour sauce, which was very appetizing.
After finishing her meal, Shen Qianqian took the steamed buns and left, heading towards the supply and marketing cooperative.
As she passed an intersection, she saw a familiar figure enter a dark alley. This person looked exactly like her cousin Yu Linsen, who was all show and no substance!
Shen Qianqian parked the car, her eyes narrowing. It's Saturday! Shouldn't this guy be at school if he's not going home? Why is he here with a bunch of hooligans?
Pfft, it seems my cousin, who's rumored to be a model student, has some issues. Shen Qianqian didn't go in; she stepped off onto the footstool and left.
I took a short stroll around the county town and didn't see any self-employed individuals doing business. It seems everyone is still observing the policies. The situation in the provincial capital must be much better now, right?
Shen Qianqian arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative and saw her older cousin, Yu Linxiu, tidying things up behind the counter.
Although she disliked the eldest daughter-in-law, she believed that good things can come from bad bamboo. Her older cousin was a decent person, and more importantly, she was also someone who had been exploited. Yu Linxiu had excellent grades, but as a result, she was assigned to work as a temporary salesperson at a supply and marketing cooperative right after graduating from high school. You should know that it was the perfect time to go to university, which was only recently after the college entrance examination was opened.
Unfortunately, the two eldest sons were short-sighted, exploiting their daughter to support their good-for-nothing son. Her eldest cousin failed the college entrance exam twice and was a complete waste.
"Big Cousin".
Yu Linxiu looked up when she heard the voice, her expression full of surprise.
"Qianqian, what brings you here? Is something wrong at home?"
Shen Qianqian shook her head. What could possibly happen to the Yu family? They paid back their money, she got hers, and everyone has a bright future.
Yu Linxiu exclaimed in surprise, put down her things, and came out from behind the counter. "Qianqian, what happened to the injury on your head?"
There weren't many people at the supply and marketing cooperative at the moment, so no one would notice if they took a break. Yu Linxiu brought Shen Qianqian to the side and looked at her with great concern.
Shen Qianqian directly told Su Qiang about the matter.
Yu Linxiu covered her mouth upon hearing this, her expression stunned. She hadn't expected that so many things would have happened while she hadn't been home for a while.
"How's your head? What did the doctor say? When are you going back? Someone will come to relieve me later, and I'll go back with you. I'll leave a piece of meat for you to eat when we get back."
That's why Yu Linxiu is different from the other members of the eldest son's family. She's willing to spend money on her brothers and sisters, and she speaks very nicely. She's just too docile, and you can tell at a glance that she's easy to bully.
Shen Qianqian smiled at her: "You work so hard, how could I spend your money? I came here today just to take some meat back. The police gave me the money Su Qiang paid yesterday, so I don't need the money. Big cousin, tell me which candy is the best. My mouth tastes bitter from taking medicine lately. Oh, and I need to buy clothes. The clothes at home are torn, so I gave them to Grandma as rags."
Yesterday, besides repaying the money, Grandma Fang also repaid some coupons, including several cloth coupons. She plans to buy a few sets of clothes directly, so she won't need to buy cloth, as she doesn't know how to sew.
Yu Linxiu was diverted to introduce Shen Qianqian to the most popular milk candy, fructose, and other snacks at the supply and marketing cooperative. Finally, she picked up two pieces of clothing full of the characteristics of the era: crisp, wrinkle-free, sturdy, and durable Dacron shirts!
One was beige, the other light blue, both paired with navy blue trousers. The overall look was sophisticated and elegant, so I paid for them.
And what about Friendship Snow Cream, Clam Oil, Volcanic Mud Mask, Fumeiling Facial Cleanser... Okay, okay, I'll take them all.
The original owner had toiled in the fields for years, his face and hands nearly ruined. As a result, Su Qiang's medical expenses were reduced by more than half.
Shen Qianqian spent money like water, spending nearly twenty yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative in a short time, and then noticed that the other party was looking at something else.
Yu Linxiu felt a chill run down her spine and quickly stepped forward to stop him.
"Qianqian, you've bought so much, what if you can't bring it all back?"
Shen Qianqian agreed, saying that riding a bicycle to carry goods would indeed be more troublesome, so she reluctantly stopped.
Yu Linxiu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was obedient.
After their conversation, she felt that her cousin had changed and was very different from before, but it was a good change. She was poised and confident, and her eyes were full of energy.
In the end, Yu Linxiu was unable to go back with her because the colleague who was supposed to take over had to take leave, so Yu Linxiu had to stay at her post.
Shen Qianqian once again marveled at how a bad bamboo could produce a good shoot. She hung the pork belly that Yu Linxiu had insisted on buying on the front of the car, tied a bunch of her own purchases to the back seat, and nimbly stepped off, heading back towards the Wuxing Production Brigade.
Ugh, I really want a car, I really want an assistant. Right now, I have to carry everything myself even when I'm just shopping, it's so miserable.
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