Chapter 2 The Gloomy Little Darling of the 70s 2
"Wh...what?!"
The sales clerk gasped sharply, her eyes widened, and her arrogance vanished.
Overwhelmed with disbelief and shock, the knitting needles in her hand clattered to the ground.
"You mean you want all of these?"
The sales clerk pointed to the row of clothes and pants and asked, quickly calculating the prices in her mind.
"All of this adds up to at least 70 yuan."
She doubted whether Shen Ci could afford it.
Seventy? That's not enough! Carrying all those clothes is exhausting!
Shen Ci took out ten ten-yuan bills from his bag. In this era, the largest denomination was only ten yuan. Thinking about it, it makes sense. A worker only earns about thirty yuan a month. If the denomination were too high, it would be very shabby to only have one bill a month.
A wad of cash was thrown on the counter, and the sales clerk composed herself and quickly began counting it.
"That's sixty-five in total. Here's your change."
Everything you buy here requires a ticket, but Shen Ci already had some in her bag, which was enough.
"Host spends 65 yuan, receive a tenfold rebate of 650 yuan!"
It wasn't that Shen Ci didn't want to return more money at once, but there wasn't much to buy here, and she couldn't carry it all if she bought too much by herself.
The sales clerk's attitude changed drastically. She handed the packed clothes, pants, and shoes to Chen Ci, wondering to herself which wealthy person had come out to spend money, as their purchase amounted to a week's worth of her business.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you were so impatient just now, you look down on people."
"Wow, she's so rich! I only dare to buy one of these clothes a year, and she bought so many at once!"
"I'm so envious, I wish she were my mom."
The crowd had long been drawn to the commotion. After all, these days, being a sales clerk is a secure job, passed down through three generations. Even if the person leaves, the job remains. The sales clerk's attitude remains the same, but few dare to challenge them.
Unexpectedly, it was Shen Ci who was generous, completely changing the salesperson's perception!
When Shen Ci left the department store, she was already carrying a lot of bags and packages.
She looked around and said, "I'll pay five yuan to anyone who can help me carry these things!"
Before anyone could react, this statement was like a windfall; who wouldn't be stunned upon hearing it?
Suddenly, a tall, burly man with a buzz cut darted out from the crowd and snatched the item from Shen Ci's hand.
"I!
I am a veteran, and I am physically fit.
His eyes were clear and his face was upright. Hmm, not bad. Shen Ci handed the things over to him with peace of mind. She was not afraid of encountering danger. The system would take care of it.
"Oh dear, I've lost five dollars!"
"Ugh, I'm so angry!"
"How come this person is so fast! My five dollars!"
Those who didn't realize what was happening were heartbroken and slapped their thighs in frustration, feeling even worse for not getting those 5 yuan than for losing 5 yuan themselves!
"Ding! Spend 5 yuan, triggering a 50 yuan rebate!"
The system's normal rebate is ten times the amount, but under special circumstances, it can trigger a hundred times, or even a thousand times or ten thousand times the rebate.
Shen Ci found a guesthouse to stay in; the necessary documents had already been completed by the system when she arrived in this world.
"Just leave your things here. Come with me tomorrow. It'll be five yuan a day, how about it?"
The man with the buzz cut nodded, a look of joy on his face.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am a local, and my home is in the village below. My name is Zhou Zheng. I just retired and have some free time."
I'll definitely be there on time tomorrow!
...
The next day, Shen Ci didn't appear until noon. When she saw that the bodyguards were already waiting outside, she waved and took all the things she had bought the day before. They set off for Zhoujia Village!
"System, why are there only bicycles and no cars?"
On the way, Shen Ci sat on the back seat and kept yawning. The guesthouse didn't have a Simmons mattress, and the bed board was very hard. Zhou Zheng was trying hard to ride his bicycle, which was full of bags and packages.
"Host, in this era, there is no private car purchase or leasing service."
To get the car, you'll have to complete the tasks diligently.
A bicycle was already a big deal. If a family owned a bicycle, it was considered cool and impressive. In a village, it was quite remarkable if one family owned a bicycle!
"Boss, is your home also in Zhoujia Village?"
Zhou Zheng suddenly asked.
"Oh?" Shen Ci realized that this old soldier also had the surname Zhou. "What a coincidence!"
"Your home is also in Zhoujia Village? That's great, I don't need to give you directions."
Hey, do you know a kid named Zhou Huai from Zhoujia Village?
He should be about fifteen or sixteen years old this year, has been to school, and lives in the family whose house has a jujube tree in front of it.
The bicycle suddenly wobbled from side to side, and Zhou Zheng's surprised voice came from behind him, making him feel inexplicably guilty.
“I know… he’s my cousin, we don’t keep in touch much, but I’ve heard about him.”
If you'd like to know, boss, I can tell you.
That child had a hard life. His mother ran away not long after he was born, and his father remarried quickly. They had another child a few years later, and I heard they had another one a couple of years ago.
Zhou Huai has had a really tough life, sigh. But boss, why are you asking about him?
Zhou Zheng is not often at home, is not familiar with Zhou Huai's mother, and does not recognize Shen Ci.
Just as I was wondering, Shen Ci's voice came from behind me.
“I am his mother.”
What? You're his mother?
So you're Zhou Huai's mother, the one who ran away after giving birth?!
Zhou Zheng wished he could cut his tongue off right then and there. Why did he have to be so talkative? He had to blurt out everything!
"Ahem, well... no way, boss, you look so young, how could you possibly be my cousin's wife?" Zhou Zheng chuckled awkwardly.
He thought she was some college student, so rich, young, and good-looking, with a set of snow-white teeth, looking like a young girl.
"I take good care of myself."
"We're almost there. Take me directly to the Zhou family's house."
Shen Ci had no qualms about it; she was Zhou Huai's real mother, the one recognized by the system!
now.
Zhoujia Village, Zhou Dayou's home.
The boy knelt in the courtyard, his thin back straight, his faded trousers fluttering in the wind.
"Dad, I want to study."
Grandpa, Grandma, I got into high school!
Zhou Huai gritted his teeth and said that he not only passed the exam, but was also the only one in the whole village to pass it. He knew that he had to go to school to leave home.
"Study, study, why don't you take a look at yourself and see if you're cut out for this?"
Even if the whole family didn't eat or drink, we still couldn't afford to support you. Don't say that I, as your stepmother, am mistreating you. Look around the family, besides you, who else has gone to high school?
We've treated you well enough. Your second brother didn't even finish his studies, and you're still not satisfied? You ungrateful wretch, do you really think you can become a golden phoenix?
His stepmother, Wang Layue, glared at him with displeasure.
It doesn't hurt, but it feels like a stone is stuck in your heart.
Zhou Huai turned his gaze to his grandparents.
"Oh, child."
It wasn't easy for us to raise you. Your mother didn't want you. If it weren't for your father and your stepmother, the two of us old folks would have taken care of you.
You were carried off and eaten by wolves long ago.
Here we go again. Instead of gratitude, Zhou Huai felt only deep disgust.
Whenever these things are mentioned, his grandparents will bring up his biological mother, whom he has never met, and ask if he was the one who made her leave. He knows best how he is doing.
"Dad, I want to study."
Zhou Huai looked at his biological father one last time. Perhaps because he was a boy, Zhou Dayou hadn't treated him too badly, and he barely managed to survive and grow up.
"You don't have money? Your mother's family is rich. Try saying a few nice words to her."
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