When announcing the date of engagement, the bride gives a dowry list, which is actually to ask her husband's family to help check for omissions and fill in the gaps. If there are any missing, they will help the couple fill them up and avoid duplication.
Wang Chunting's dowry did not include a washbasin. Perhaps she felt that the Xiang family steel plant had many workers and industrial coupons, so there was no need for a dowry of this kind.
So Zhang Jidi arranged for Xiang Lihua to buy it, just in time to use up the industrial coupons that were about to expire.
Xiang Mianmian finished both tasks quickly, so it would be inconvenient for her to go back alone. She could also help Xiang Lihua queue up to buy a washbasin.
There were long queues for necessities like rice, flour, grain, oil, and coal, but there were far fewer items like washbasins and furniture that required industrial coupons. Xiang Mianmian only waited for half an hour before it was her turn.
The staff member was very kind and asked with a smile: "What would you like to order, little girl?"
"Two washbasins and a washbasin stand."
"Okay, two industrial coupons, and a washbasin for 2.5 yuan. We have regular washbasin stands and ones with built-in mirrors. Which one do you want?"
He turned his head to look behind the staff.
The staff kindly made way for her and gestured, "The mirror is about the size of my two palms. A regular one is 2 yuan, and the one with a mirror is 2 yuan and 50 cents. You also need an industrial coupon."
"Buy the one with the mirror, it's 7.5 dollars total, and there are three industrial coupons, right? Here you go."
Xiang Mianmian thought about it and decided to buy one with a mirror.
Although it is more expensive, having a mirror can make her brother pay more attention to his image. It's okay for her sister-in-law to have a dressing table, but her brother doesn't have the time to look in the mirror at the dressing table before going out.
This washbasin stand has a mirror, so Xiang Liguo can look in the mirror while washing his face. It is a good thing to pay attention to his image.
The staff member asked the porter at the back to bring it over. He took the money handed to Mianmian and said, "Yes, you are quite good at mental arithmetic, little girl. What grade are you in?"
"I'll be in the third grade soon, thank you, uncle." Xiang Mianmian answered casually. He could lift the washbasin, but he couldn't lift the 1.6-meter-high washbasin stand.
The staff asked the movers to put it next to her: "Ask your parents to come and get it, don't let them drop it on you."
He nodded to Mianmian, took the washbasin and ran to the coal team, but found that the person was no longer there.
Looking around, he saw the little girl who had just bought candy sitting next to a pile of coal, so he walked over and asked, "Sister, where is my brother?"
The little girl pouted and said, "My dad is here. He's going to drag the coal cart back first. There's something on it and he's afraid it might slip off. Your brother is following behind to help."
After all, he had borrowed someone else's car and left some coal here for the girl to guard, so Xiang Mianmian secretly slipped her a piece of candy.
The little girl's eyes lit up, and just as she was about to say thank you, Xiang Mianmian pinched her mouth, pinched her cheeks, and whispered, "Shh, stop talking and eat quickly."
Even though no one was fighting over the coal, people were fighting over the candy.
She also obeyed, peeled off the sugar coating and quickly put it in her mouth, savoring the rare sweetness with the tip of her tongue.
Xiang Mianmian felt relieved and waited for her family to come with the little girl.
Not long after, the sky began to darken and it felt like it was going to snow, and it looked like it would be quite heavy.
Fortunately, Xiang Liguo finally arrived. After listening to the little girl's explanation, he loaded the pile of coal from his home into the car and went to get the washbasin rack. Then the two siblings went back.
The two of them worked together to return home quickly. It hadn't snowed yet when they got home. There was half a truck of coal and some purchased supplies in the storage room. Xiang Lihua must have come back first to unload half the truck.
After unloading this truck into the storage room, Xiang Liguo frowned, looked at the sky, and pulled a piece of plastic sheet onto the truck:
"I'm going back. Someone helped us transport our stuff. I'm afraid he won't be able to carry all the coal back in one truck. Little sister, stay home and don't catch a cold."
Xiang Mianmian didn't force it, and went to get the brazier and prepare to roast a fire.
Her decision was right.
Not long after Xiang Liguo left, it began to snow lightly. A few minutes later, Zhang Jidi hurried home, brushing the snow off his body while saying:
"Oh, you guys are pretty quick. The department store was also packed. Luckily, I was quick and grabbed fifty feet of cloth! I've already used up all my tickets."
Xiang Mianmian's eyes lit up. "We went to the square early today, so there weren't many people there. Mom, you're amazing. Take off your shoes and warm yourself by the fire. I'll get you some slippers."
After a busy period, the two of them sat down in front of the brazier.
After half an hour, the snow was getting heavier. The good news was that Xiang Liguo finally came back with Xiang Lihua and Xiang Lili, and there were some miscellaneous items on the cart.
The three of them were covered in snow, and even after battling it out for a long time, there was still moisture on their bodies. They shivered as they sat in front of the brazier to warm themselves. After a while, steam began to come out of their bodies.
"We brought back meat and oil for both families. The snow was so heavy that we gave our plastic sheeting to Uncle Qin and his family to cover the coal. The rice is also at his house. We'll bring it back later."
Xiang Liguo stretched his frozen fingers over the brazier, trying to warm himself while talking.
Zhang Jidi had already set up a triangular iron rack on the brazier, boiled water in a kettle, and made ginger tea for the three of them. Each of them drank a bowl of it, which was so spicy that it made them sweat.
"Okay, let's wait until the snow stops before going. There's no need to rush. Lidang, how many kilograms of rice did you buy?" Zhang Jidi felt sorry for his children and put away the bowls for them.
Xiang Lidang, who didn't like ginger tea and couldn't force it down, grinned and said, "70 kilograms. I checked the household registration book and it shows that each person only weighs 10 kilograms."
Yes, when purchasing New Year’s goods at the end of the year, you cannot buy as much rice as you have money. You need your household registration book to buy the corresponding amount.
Household registration is very important and affects all aspects.
Zhang Jidi sighed, "Why is it still the same as the previous two years? Didn't they say there was a good harvest this year? I thought I could buy more."
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