The two men asked the team leader for a letter of introduction and applied for three days' leave. The busy spring planting season was over, and the team leader was quite willing to approve the leave.
They took a bus from the village to the county town, and then took a bus from the county bus station for more than three hours to reach the provincial capital.
In the 1970s, Northeast China was still an industrial base, with the provincial capital having developed machinery, chemicals, papermaking, and various factory industries.
They first went to the purchasing station to sell medicinal herbs, keeping the precious ones. Su Qingmeng also collected a lot of common ones. After she sold the medicinal herbs, the two of them had a visible source of income. They spent a lot of money, and having an income could prevent the villagers from making random guesses.
There is a Xinhua Bookstore in the provincial capital. After selling the medicinal herbs, they bought some novels and high school materials in the Xinhua Bookstore.
The department store had a much wider variety of goods than the county supply and marketing cooperative. There were many colors of fabrics here, including Dacron. Su Qingmeng bought a little of each, and also bought the red cloth that Lin Erlan had requested.
Lin Xiuyao pointed at a red skirt and said, "Let's buy one. It will look good on you." Su Qingmeng thought the style of the skirt was good, so she bought one.
Electronic products that are often out of stock in the county town are all available here. The two bought a camera and went to the watch counter and picked out a Shanghai brand watch for Lin Xiuyao. This was Su Qingmeng's insistence on buying it, as she felt a little resentful that she didn't buy a gift last time.
They also bought pearl cream, which doubles as foundation. Moutai liquor is limited to two bottles at 8 yuan each, so they bought four. They also bought two bottles of canned lychees, which are quite rare these days.
The most important thing was that they had sanitary napkins for sale. Su Qingmeng pretended to be buying them for someone else and bought up all the stock, using them sparingly to last until the college entrance exam. The thing she was most uncomfortable with after traveling through time was her menstrual period. During the few days of her period, she didn't want to move.
After visiting the supply and marketing cooperative, they went to the guesthouse to check in, put all their things into the space in the room, and continued shopping.
There are four scrap yards in the provincial capital. The two went to the nearest one and bought some old bottles and jars, precious wood, ancient books and paintings. They also picked out some worthless things and mixed them in. The lady guarding the yard saw them buying so many things and asked about the situation.
The two said they had just gotten married and moved into a new house, and they had nothing at home. The eldest sister did not suspect anything and even praised them for knowing how to live.
Over the next two days, they used the same excuse to visit all the remaining sites, collecting many precious antiques and finding some college entrance examination papers from before the Cultural Revolution.
Lin Xiuyao even went to the black market to sell some goods. In a small county, selling too much would attract the attention of the relevant departments. In a more populous provincial capital, however, there were no restrictions. Passing by a post office, Su Qingmeng explained to him the prices of precious stamps in later generations. They went to the post office and bought different stamps, citing their interest in stamp collecting.
After receiving the White Rabbit candies they secretly stuffed in, the staff was very patient and found various stamps for them. Su Qingmeng found that some of them looked familiar and would definitely be very valuable in the future, so she asked for a few more of those.
They were leaving tomorrow, so they finally had some time to stroll around. Someone was flying a kite in the park, so they bought one to try. They also bought some fresh fruits and vegetables at the agricultural and sideline products wholesale market, which had a much wider variety than in the countryside.
The trip to the provincial capital was pleasant and fulfilling.
When they got off the bus, a strange aunt walked with them. This road only led to Songjiang Brigade.
Su Qingmeng: "Do you know her?" There are very few strangers in the village. This aunt is well-dressed and has the sense of superiority of a city dweller.
Lin Xiuyao shook his head, "I haven't seen it."
They walked together all the way. When they arrived at the village, the aunt asked them, "Are you from this brigade? How do we get to the educated youth site?"
Su Qingmeng showed her the way. After thanking her, the aunt went to the educated youth site. She looked at Lin Xiuyao with longing in her eyes and said, "I want to go and see." She felt that this might be Gu Shuyuan's mother.
Lin Xiuyao laughed, wondering why he hadn't noticed before that his wife loved to join in the fun. They followed quietly.
Wu Shiyao saw the person who suddenly appeared at the door, "Aunt Qin," her eyes were red. She had suffered a lot since going to the countryside, and Gu Shuyuan still ignored her. She hugged Aunt Qin, "Why are you here?"
Gu Shuyuan's mother, Qin Suo, said distressedly, "Good boy, you have suffered so much. It's all Shuyuan's fault. I will teach him a lesson."
As soon as Gu Shuyuan came out, he heard his mother's words and frowned, "Mom, why are you here?"
Qin Suo comforted Wu Shiyao, then said to Gu Shuyuan with a stern face, "I have something to tell you." The two went into the house.
Su Qingmeng was a little disappointed. Why didn't they talk outside? Everyone was silent and listening attentively. The houses at the educated youth site were not soundproof, so even though there was some distance, she could still hear some words.
The female voice said, "I said I don't agree. She is just a village girl."
Gu Shuyuan said in a clear voice, "I like her, I won't marry anyone else, I have the right to choose my own wife."
Their voices gradually grew louder. "Why don't you think about your future? If you marry her, are you going to stay in the countryside forever?"
"I have my own plans, and my father has already agreed. Don't worry about it!"
The room fell silent. Qin Suo's chest heaved, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak. "Mom, Xiaoyuan is a kind and hardworking girl. You will like her."
Qin Suo snorted, "I just like Shiyao. I watched her grow up. In my heart, she is my daughter-in-law."
Gu Shuyuan couldn't convince his mother, "You must be tired after coming here, so take a rest first. I will bring Xiaoyuan to see you tomorrow." After that, he went out.
Wu Shiyao: "Brother Gu, don't quarrel with Aunt Qin. She is doing this for your own good."
Gu Shuyuan said, "Don't worry about it. This is our family's business and has nothing to do with you." He walked out of the educated youth site and looked in the direction to find Lin Xiaoyuan.
It would be obvious if we followed him. Su Qingmeng sighed regretfully, "Let's go back."
Lin Xiuyao said, "What? Haven't you seen enough?"
"Yeah, who doesn't want to watch fun?" She is usually quite bored. She has no mobile phone and no internet. Life in the countryside is basically working from sunrise to sunset, with no ups and downs.
Lin Xiuyao: "Don't worry, in our place, if anything happens, we'll know about it in a few days."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
