Chapter 92: Shopping with the whole family
The restaurants were all closed, only Bai Chengxiang still ran the braised meat shop.
He was a business-minded man and specially bought a batch of braised chicken and duck wrapped in oil paper.
In this way, people can buy a whole one when visiting relatives during the New Year.
Business has been good these days, and many old customers have come to place orders with him. He plans to braise more chicken and duck tomorrow and close the store in the afternoon of New Year's Eve.
Bai Zhenzhu drove the old couple, the children, Liu Fang and Liu Huiying to go shopping.
Xu Yin wanted to go, but Bai Zhenzhu didn't dare take her.
There are so many people on the street, what if you get squeezed and your stomach hurts?
Bai Chenglei didn't go either, and simply went to the braised meat shop to help.
The car picked up Xia He at the intersection.
She rubbed her hands as she got into the car and said hello to Old Man Bai, Li Xiufen and others first.
He then pulled Shuo Shuo into his arms and held her in his arms, his face full of envy:
"Two wheels really can't compare to four wheels. Your car is really good. It's not cold to sit in it in winter."
White Pearl encouraged her:
"I'll teach you later. Once you get your driver's license and have money, go buy it."
In the early 1990s, there were not many vans and they were very expensive, but in a few years the price would come down.
By that time, vans will fill the streets and will be an important means of transportation.
Nowadays, the so-called shopping in the county town mainly means shopping in the department store area.
Xia He asked Bai Zhenzhu to park the car in front of a store. She knew the owner and asked him to help look after the car.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the streets were filled with the festive atmosphere and were crowded with people.
The streets are full of vendors selling clothes and food, and even the air is filled with the smell of the New Year.
When they came across a stall selling fried oil spoons, the children were so frightened by the smell that they couldn't move.
Without waiting for Bai Zhenzhu to take out the money, Liu Fang took the initiative to buy one for each child.
Liu Fang smiled with emotion and said:
"I didn't dare to take my children shopping before. If I saw someone selling oil spoons, I would take a detour."
She is used to being frugal and is reluctant to spend money if she doesn't have any extra money.
Now that they have money, the couple has saved several thousand dollars in just a few months and is willing to spend it on their children.
There were also people selling biscuits and rice candies, and Liu Fang bought some of them.
Liu Huiying also bought a string of sugar-coated fruits for each child, one string after another just like the candied haws in the north.
So the happiest people during the Chinese New Year are the children. Their pockets are already full before they even enter the department store.
The department store was even more crowded, with several adults each holding a child for fear that the child would be lost in the crowd.
Xia He was the most powerful one. She squeezed in with Bai Zhenzhu and Liu Fang.
Her past few months in the department store were not wasted, as she became familiar with many of the sales clerks.
Helped Liu Fang grab things like glutinous rice noodles, milk candies, milk powder, etc.
Liu Fang bought a lot, and she also brought some for Xu Yin.
Bai Zhenzhu also bought some snacks that she didn't usually buy, such as plum candies, hawthorn candies, and some sandwich biscuits from big cities.
After buying food, there is no need to look at clothes in the department store.
I walked around the street for a while and bought some red lanterns and blessing characters.
It was almost noon, and Xia He insisted on treating everyone to a meal.
"Uncle Bai and Auntie are here. I haven't invited them yet. I'm Shuo Shuo's godmother, which means I'm your half-daughter, so I should invite them."
Li Xiufen felt that this girl was cheerful and generous, and was on good terms with her youngest son. She was also Shuo Shuo's godmother, so she should visit her more often.
We had lunch at the state-owned restaurant again.
After dinner, Xia He wanted to continue shopping, but Old Man Bai wanted to go back.
So Bai Zhenzhu drove Old Man Bai and the children back first. Liu Huiying didn't want to go shopping anymore, so she went back to see the children.
Li Xiufen also wanted to go back, but Bai Zhenzhu wouldn't let her because she still wanted to dress up for her mother.
After sending the guests back, Bai Zhenzhu parked the car at the original place, and Xia He took everyone straight to the barber shop.
Li Xiufen gave Bai Zhenzhu a glare:
"I'm so old now, why would I want to cut my hair? I don't want to spend that money."
Liu Fang felt embarrassed when she saw the posters posted in the barber shop.
"I won't cut it either. It's not easy for me to grow my hair this long. I won't cut it."
Liu Fang's hair is thick, black, and shiny, hanging down to her waist.
White Pearl was reluctant to let her cut it off, so she said:
"Sister-in-law, you don't need to cut too much, let the master trim it for you, just cut your bangs."
Liu Fang nodded. Her hair was split and could be trimmed.
As for Li Xiufen, she was pressed down on the chair by Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He.
Xia Hechong said to the barber in the shop:
"Please make my lady look better. Perm her hair."
She often gets her hair done here, and the boss is very familiar with her:
"Got it. I'll make sure you look 20 years younger."
So Li Xiufen was forced to get her hair permed and cut short, which made her look more energetic all of a sudden.
Liu Fang was so impressed:
"Mom, Dad won't recognize you when you go back like this. You look so beautiful."
Li Xiufen's old face felt a little hot, but she was happy looking at herself in the mirror.
After working hard all my life, I actually feel proud sometimes.
Bai Zhenzhu had her hair permed into big waves, which matched her beige wool coat. In Xia He's words, she was stunningly beautiful.
It was already late when I came out of the barber shop and there were fewer people on the street.
Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He pulled Li Xiufen and Liu Fang into the department store again, and this time they went straight to Jixiang Commercial Bank next to the department store.
Gold jewelry is sold inside, and the golden necklaces and rings are so eye-catching.
Xia He said to everyone:
"The gold jewelry here is supervised by the bank. It's all real gold, no fakes."
As she said that, she asked the salesperson to get her a gold ring and tried it on herself.
The smooth gold ring has no extra patterns and looks very nice.
The salesperson smiled and introduced:
"Comrade, you can try the styles here. They are new styles that have just arrived and are more youthful and fashionable."
Xia He took a look, nodded, and asked the other party to take it out and try it.
Both are satisfied.
"How much per gram?"
"106 per gram."
Xia He thought for a moment and said, "I want both. Is there a discount?"
The salesperson was delighted:
“We don’t offer discounts here.”
Xia He stopped bargaining as she had heard that Jixiang Trading Company did not bargain.
"I want both. Give me the order."
Bai Zhenzhu also liked the shiny ring and asked another waiter to take it out.
Seeing Bai Zhenzhu coming towards her with the ring, Li Xiufen quickly hid her hands behind her back:
"I don't want it. What's the point of wearing my claws, which are as thin as mulberry bark? Don't waste your money. Buy it for yourself."
Bai Zhenzhu took her hand without saying anything:
"I'd be happy to buy it for you."
Liu Fang also laughed and said:
"Mom, you can wear the pearls as a gift to me. They look beautiful."
Bai Zhenzhu put the gold ring on Li Xiufen's finger. It was a little small, so she asked the salesperson to adjust it and it fit perfectly.
Li Xiufen felt a little embarrassed, but couldn't help but tears up her eyes.
He murmured:
"I'm so old, and I still wear such an expensive gold ring. Isn't it a waste?"
White Pearl disagreed with her words:
"How is it a waste? I grew up very fast when I was a kid, and there wasn't much cloth at home, but you still rushed to make new clothes for me."
"Others told me to just wear my brothers' old clothes, but you said I was a little girl and it wouldn't look good in boys' clothes."
"Some people even said that it was a waste of money for a girl like me to go to school, but it was you and my dad who insisted on sending me to school regardless of what others thought."
This other person is Feng Cui.
Even though I didn’t live up to my expectations in the end, I will never forget the kindness of my parents.
Li Xiufen knew that her daughter was rich now and wanted to be filial to them, so she didn't stop her.
Anyway, these gold jewelry won't go bad, so I'll leave them to whoever buys them in the future.
She also reminded:
"Buy one for yourself, too."
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