Chapter 28 Doubt
Many people who come to the department store early in the morning are there specifically for eggs.
In the countryside, every household can raise a few chickens, and every now and then they can eat eggs to satisfy their cravings.
But that doesn't work in the city.
City residents could only buy eggs from the department store, and if they were out of stock, they had to queue up every day to try their luck.
"What time is it? How come you're out of eggs? I came yesterday and couldn't buy any. You're not holding back even if you have some, are you?"
Discontented voices came from the back of the line.
The sales clerk rolled her eyes. "Eggs are hard to come by this time of year. If we have them, we have them; if we don't, we don't. Do you think I'll conjure up eggs for you just because you're yelling at me?"
Seeing that she couldn't buy eggs, Zhang Cui decided not to waste any more time and went to the meat counter instead.
Seeing that all that was left was lean meat that no one wanted, Zhang Cui turned around and left decisively.
It's not worth it at all. You can't even buy a little bit of oil. Isn't it a waste of money?
Song Lubai grabbed her mother's sleeve. "Mom, let's buy some meat. If we wait any longer, there won't even be any lean meat left."
Zhang Cui resolutely refused to buy it, saying, "Why buy it? It's a waste of money. Didn't we just eat meat a couple of days ago? Why are you so craving it?"
Song Lubai drooled as she looked at the lean meat spread out on the table.
She loves eating lean meat, which is disliked by everyone else. Lean meat is much more delicious than fatty meat! She would be willing to eat lean meat every day.
Unfortunately, she didn't have control over the family finances, and her mother's decision to not buy meant she wouldn't buy it.
After taking one last, reluctant look at the red meat on the table, Song Lubai was led by her mother to the second-floor clothing section.
Hanging on the wall were floral dresses, blue, gray, and tan outer garments, but the most eye-catching was a purple shirt.
Song Lu rolled her eyes at her mother's gaze lingering on the purple shirt for a few moments. She said, "Mom, go ahead and buy it. Purple suits you."
Her mother works in the factory every day and has fair skin, so she can definitely pull off such a bright color.
Zhang Cui shook her head, "I have enough clothes, there's no need to buy new ones."
Song Lubai knew that her mother was reluctant to buy it, after all, her mother hadn't even bought her a new outfit for the New Year.
Song Lubai glanced at the shirt a few more times, planning to save up her salary and exchange it for cloth coupons to buy it for her mother.
"I think the yellow floral Braga dress looks good too. Why don't you skip the shirt and buy a dress instead? You can wear it as soon as it gets warm."
Song Lubai firmly refused, "I just want a white shirt."
The shirts hanging on the wall include white ones and pink ones.
Zhang Cui didn't like the white one, but she did like the pink shirt with an embroidered lace collar.
"White clothes get dirty easily, I want that pink one, it's more stylish."
The saleswoman said lazily, "A white shirt is eighteen, and a pink one is twenty. Both require two and a half feet of fabric ration coupons. Your daughter is thin, so she can wear any size. I suggest buying a medium size, as it will be more comfortable to wear if it's a little loose."
The two pieces of clothing were two yuan apart. Seeing Zhang Cui hesitate, Song Lubai hurriedly said, "Mom, I want the white one. I'm sure I can wear it cleanly."
After saying that, she looked at the sales clerk expectantly, "Can I try this one on?"
The sales clerk looked her up and down, then gestured with her chin, "Come in, go in and put on a set."
Her mother's silence meant she didn't object to buying the white shirt.
Song Lubai happily went through the small door behind the counter.
The sales clerk gave her a medium size.
The door wasn't closed tightly, leaving a crack through which the sales clerk stood. Song Lubai wasn't afraid.
"Sister Na, why didn't your brother come today? I didn't see the truck either. I don't think he had any purchasing tasks today, right?"
Upon hearing the car, Song Lubai paused in buttoning her clothes and turned her attention outside.
“The truck has a minor problem and needs to be repaired in the next couple of days. My brother doesn’t use official vehicles for personal purposes.”
Li Na rolled her eyes, feeling wary.
The girl opposite realized she had said the wrong thing and smiled apologetically, saying, "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to know where Li Guangming went today. I was just asking for someone else."
Li Na glanced at the saleswoman at the pastry and candy counter who kept glancing in her direction, and felt a little smug.
With her brother's looks and qualifications, there are plenty of young women who would want to be his wife. Unfortunately, her brother only likes pretty girls. He's been on many dates before, but none of them have caught his eye.
Li Na replied dismissively, "It seems he went to the countryside to visit some people. He left early this morning."
"Oh? Going to the countryside? You have relatives in the countryside, right?"
Li Na didn't like hearing this and snorted, saying, "What relatives? It's just a trip to the countryside. I've never been there before, so I'll just go and take a look."
Song Lubai, who was trying on clothes inside, felt her heart pounding very fast after hearing this.
At that moment, she even forgot about the important question of whether the white shirt looked good on her.
When she came out, Li Na looked her up and down, her eyes showing appreciation. She praised her frankly, "You look good, it makes your skin look whiter, and tucking the hem into your pants makes your waist look slimmer. It's just that the sleeves are a little long. Should you exchange it for a smaller size? The sleeves should fit just right."
Song Lubai shook her head, "I'll take this one. Just roll up the sleeves. This dress can be worn in summer too, so I still need to roll up the sleeves."
"Comrade, your brother's name is Li Guangming, right? Did he go to Sanshui Village under Chaoyang Commune today?"
Li Na looked at her strangely, "How did you know?"
Song Lubai's heart pounded even faster. She tried to evade the question, saying, "I heard it from a friend. My friend knows your brother, Li Guangming. I never imagined you were his sister."
Zhang Cui thought it was a small world; the saleswoman was actually Li Guangming's sister.
However, neither of the two families has officially met yet, so talking about it now would seem too hasty.
Zhang Cui stopped Song Lubai, who wanted to continue talking to Li Na, paid the money, and prepared to leave with Song Lubai.
Li Na kept staring at Song Lubai, and before leaving, she asked, "Is your surname Song?"
Although she was married out of the family, her husband's family and her own family lived close by.
Li Na knows that her brother has recently taken a liking to a girl and is now eager to meet her. She's heard that the girl is very beautiful.
Upon first seeing Song Lubai, Li Na had to admit that Song Lubai was pretty, and even more so in a white shirt. There were very few women like her in a crowd.
Li Na had an inexplicable confidence, believing that Li Guangming's judgment must be that high.
Song Lubai replied, "My surname is Song."
The other party clearly knew who she was. Song Lubai wanted to ask for more information, but her mother forcibly took her away.
Last night's dream still haunted her; Li Guangming had inexplicably gone to the village where Liu Mei's mother lived.
The more I thought about it, the more something seemed off.
Her heart was pounding in her chest.
A strong intuition told Song Lubai that something big was going to happen today.
Otherwise, how could Li Guangming have happened to go to Sanshui Village?
Li Guangming went to Sanshui Village, but that was just her suspicion.
The suspicion came out of nowhere and was unbelievable, but Li Guangming's sister confirmed his guess that he had indeed gone to Sanshui Village.
As they left the department store, Zhang Cui muttered, "We haven't even officially met yet, so don't talk so much to them."
Song Lubai shoved everything in her hand into her mother's hands.
"Mom, I have something urgent to attend to. You can take it back yourself first."
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