Chapter 215 Shopping
215
She'd been craving it for ages... If she weren't afraid of scaring him the first time, she'd love to touch his shapely buttocks even more!
It's really perky; his work pants are stretched taut. I've heard that the perkier a man's butt, the stronger he is in bed. Mom, I guess I'll be eating coarse grains from now on.
Qin Haifeng: "!!!"
As Lin Baozhu finished speaking, a wave of heat instantly shot from the base of his neck to the top of his head! His entire face, including his ears, turned as red as a boiled shrimp, and his blood seemed to be boiling. His well-defined knuckles unconsciously gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, as if it would burst out of his chest!
"This...this is outside...it won't do!" His voice was dry and hoarse, his eyes darting away in a panic, unable to meet her smiling gaze.
"Wait, wait until no one's around, then you can touch me however you want."
Seeing that he was so embarrassed he was practically steaming, Lin Baozhu knew when to stop and patted his arm with a smile: "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Go back and rest, you haven't slept for two days and one night, even the best energy must be exhausted."
Qin Haifeng felt as if he had been granted a pardon, but also felt a sense of inexplicable loss. He responded softly, "Yeah... You should get some rest too."
Lin Baozhu returned home with light steps, and as soon as she entered, she met her mother's knowing and mischievous gaze. She chuckled, completely unashamed:
"Mom! Qin Haifeng is going to the county to submit his marriage application tomorrow! Shouldn't we start making arrangements for our engagement?"
"Get started! Get started right now!"
Upon hearing this, Lin's mother was overjoyed and slammed her hand on the table, even more excited than Lin Baozhu: "Tomorrow, I'll take you to the department store to buy everything! After the engagement, we'll have to find an auspicious date for the big event! We need to prepare the wedding supplies well in advance!" As she spoke, she hurriedly pulled out paper and pen, and began to list things in a flurry of strokes:
“Other families give three bedding sets and three blankets as dowry, but our daughter is precious, so I’ll prepare six bedding sets and six blankets for you! Plus a four-piece set of brand-new bed sheets and duvet covers! Pots, pans, ladles, spoons, chopsticks, not one can be missing! And new clothes, shoes and socks for the bundle…” she murmured, afraid of missing a single detail.
Although cloth ration coupons are scarce and fabric is expensive right now, the village has a partnership with the county cotton mill, so there's still hope of getting some good fabric by pulling some strings.
"mother……"
Lin Baozhu quickly interrupted her mother, saying, "Don't worry about the fabric for the quilts and clothes! I have special channels and can find ways to get good quality fabric that is both beautiful and sturdy! You just need to buy those pots, pans, thermos flasks, washbasins and other odds and ends!"
She was overjoyed: all those fine fabrics she had hoarded in her space could finally be put to good use!
"That's wonderful!" Upon hearing this, Lin's mother beamed with joy.
*Qin Family*
When Qin Haifeng got home, he took out a roll of 1,000 yuan and stuffed it into Shi Hanqiao's hand: "Mom, take this 1,000 yuan. Baozhu and I are officially starting our relationship today, and tomorrow we'll go to town to call the army and apply for marriage. Use this money to buy things for the engagement."
After saying that, he pulled out a bulging red paper package: "Inside... is the betrothal gift for Baozhu."
Shi Hanqiao squeezed the thickness of the red envelope and gasped in surprise: "Oh my, this must be worth over a thousand! That's way too much!"
She then hurriedly explained, as if afraid her son would misunderstand:
“Haifeng, it’s not that your mother thinks you’re giving too much! Look around here now, the average family’s dowry is only one or two hundred yuan. If they can come up with three hundred yuan, they’re considered very wealthy! You’re giving so much all at once, let’s not even talk about what the villagers will say about Baozhu’s family…”
She lowered her voice and continued, "What if we attract those jealous and malicious people and bring disaster upon the Lin family?"
She held her son's hand and continued, "Listen to your mother, we'll stick to the official dowry of 360 yuan, a lucky number for 'sixes bring good fortune'! We'll keep the rest for Baozhu secretly. If you're really worried about mistreating her..."
Shi Hanqiao's eyes lit up: "Let's get those 'three turns, one sound, and seventy-two legs' (note: bicycle, sewing machine, watch, radio; a set of furniture) all neatly and beautifully arranged! That way, outsiders will only envy Baozhu's good fortune and will never dare to have any wicked thoughts!"
Qin Haifeng listened to his mother's logical analysis, and the frustration he felt over not being able to openly give more money instantly vanished. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with genuine admiration, "Mother is so thoughtful! Besides these big items and the betrothal gifts, what else should we prepare?"
"There's so much to prepare!"
Seeing that her son listened to her advice, Shi Hanqiao immediately perked up and began listing off the treasures: "Fabric and cotton, the more the better! The new clothes and shoes for the wedding day! The furniture and decorations for the new house..."
She waved her hand and said, "Son, you're in charge of getting all the big-ticket items that cost a lot of money and require ration coupons! As for the rest of the small, miscellaneous things, your mother and a few close old friends in the village will definitely take care of them for you perfectly!"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mother."
After saying that, he glanced at his own yard. It was too late to build a house now. It seemed that Baozhu would have to stay there for a while. Once he bought a house in town, he would bring her to live there.
*
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Baozhu and her mother borrowed an oxcart from the village and bumped along the way to the four-story department store in the county town. Compared to the common goods in the commune's supply and marketing cooperative, the items here were not only of superior quality but also much more fashionable and stylish, dazzling the eyes.
Lin's mother had bulging pockets of banknotes, while Lin Baozhu held a thick stack of valuable coupons (cloth coupons, industrial vouchers, etc.). Upon entering the bright and imposing gate, the two were like fish in water, plunging headlong into a sea of shopping, beginning a veritable "great sweep"!
Snow cream, scented soap, sparkly hair clips, dainty leather shoes, an enamel basin printed with the double happiness symbol, an equally festive enamel mug… Lin’s mother even took a liking to two thick, soft towel blankets! Everything that could be used for the engagement and that caught her eye, she bought!
When they finally squeezed out of the bustling crowd at the entrance of the department store, satisfied, the scene was astounding—the mother and daughter's four hands, arms, and even necks were covered with all kinds of colorful packaging bags and tied boxes, making them look like two mobile New Year's goods stalls!
Lin Gengsheng, Lin's father, who had been waiting by the roadside with his oxcart since early morning, saw this "spectacular" scene from afar and quickly jumped off the cart, jogging to greet it. He hurriedly took the things from his wife's hands, muttering to himself:
"My goodness! You two have emptied the entire department store!" He carefully placed the brand-new belongings onto the oxcart, which was covered with a thick layer of clean straw. He secretly rejoiced: thank goodness he had the foresight to padded the cart with straw mats and then covered it with soft straw! Otherwise, all those precious items his wife and daughter had bought would have gotten dirty and damaged on the way back! That would have been heartbreaking!
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