Chapter 186 Supermarket
Xia Mian pushed the cart ahead with a proud and confident stride, with Zhou Pingchuan following behind. They didn't look like casual flings or one-night stands, but rather like Tom and Jerry.
Upon seeing the snack section, Jerry plunged in without hesitation. Zhou Pingchuan stood between two rows of shelves, calmly observing everything before him.
Large families like the Zhou family are numerous, but not as lively as one might expect. Everyone has their own thoughts and schemes behind the scenes, like a frozen lake with turbulent undercurrents beneath a seemingly peaceful surface.
Raised as an heir in such an environment, especially with his parents dying young, Zhou Pingchuan never understood the meaning of "childhood." He had hardly ever even been to a supermarket.
The only time was when his driver had to take leave, and Xue Chunling went to pick him up from school. She noticed he was in a bad mood and wanted to cheer him up. This simple woman from the countryside had never been to entertainment venues; her usual haunt was the supermarket. So she took him to the supermarket and told him to take whatever he wanted, and she would buy it for him.
Xue Chunling lived frugally and only shopped at local supermarkets where the goods were very cheap. Zhou Pingchuan, who was still in elementary school, lingered among the shelves, walking back and forth twice among the snacks he had never seen before.
"Put whatever you want to eat here," Xue Chunling said, pointing to the shopping cart.
"I don't want to eat," Zhou Pingchuan said.
Such a tender little kid, I wonder where he learned self-control. Or perhaps successful people are born with the skill of self-control.
But he was still a child, and Xue Chunling saw the longing in his trying-to-hide expression. She said gently, "It would be good to buy one, otherwise we would have come all this way for nothing."
His gaze swept across the shelf, and finally, Zhou Pingchuan picked up a bag of potato chips—those delicious, tasteless junk foods that were deep-fried and flavored with artificial flavorings.
Unfortunately, he only ate a third of the bag of potato chips. When he got home, one of the maids told his grandfather that he had hidden junk food in his room. His grandfather called him out, threw the rest of the chips into the trash can in front of him, and also fined Xue Chunling a month's salary.
Xue Chunling is unmarried, but has a mother who is undergoing treatment for a terminal illness. The Zhou family's salary is much higher than that of other families, yet they still struggle to make ends meet.
From then on, Zhou Pingchuan never ate snacks again, nor did he ever go to the supermarket. Even though Xue Chunling repeatedly emphasized that she had asked him to take the potato chips and that it wasn't his fault.
The vast family offered him no warmth whatsoever, only coldness.
"What are you thinking about?" Xia Mian interrupted when she saw that he was absent-minded. "If you want to eat something, help yourself."
Zhou Pingchuan snapped out of his reverie and glanced at the empty shopping cart: "You don't want anything?"
“I can’t buy any,” Xia Mian suddenly said resentfully. “Director Gao told me to go back to the set on the tenth of the month. If I’ve gained weight, he’ll kill me!”
During the Lunar New Year, the food is plentiful, and there are bound to be gatherings with relatives and friends, which inevitably involve drinking. It's hard to say whether you can maintain your current figure, not to mention the snacks, which are sinful!
Zhou Pingchuan thought of Xue Chunling: "Take a pack, don't come for nothing."
"No, a few more days won't make a difference," she said, her skin so smooth it seemed to glow, yet her tone betrayed a weariness beyond her years. "Once filming wraps up, I'll indulge in it for days and nights. But you're right, since we're already here, it'd be a shame not to buy some. How about... you try some for me?"
Xia Mian got excited and jumped around the shelves, finally pulling out a bag of potato chips. It was a bulk pack, a huge bag, one bag was practically equivalent to three bags: "It seems to be a new flavor, I've never tried it before, this is it!"
Without asking his opinion, the boy simply stuffed the potato chips into the shopping cart.
Zhou Pingchuan was stunned for a moment.
Years later, the missing parts of life were filled in this way, like a boomerang, catching people off guard.
Fearing she might lose her willpower, Xia Mian left the snack area without looking back, her attention immediately drawn to preschool toys.
There wasn't anything he wanted to buy here; he was just browsing out of curiosity. Many children were squatting on the ground playing with building block models, and since the shopping cart couldn't fit, he left it with Zhou Pingchuan and went in alone.
Kids' things are always novel and interesting. He touched and looked around like he was on a treasure hunt, and actually found a fascinating treasure: a sword that emitted rainbow lights, and when you shook it, it played the latest trendy, cheesy songs. If you filled it with bubble solution, it could even blow bubbles—it was incredibly cool!
Xia Mian wanted to show Zhou Pingchuan, but when she turned around, she found that he was gone. She searched around and finally found Zhou Pingchuan in front of a few shelves in the corner.
He walked over quickly and happened to see Zhou Pingchuan holding a small square box in each hand, his brows slightly furrowed, and his face showing dissatisfaction.
Xia Mian then realized that the items on this shelf were labeled as... family planning products.
"What are you looking at?" Xia Mian was on high alert.
“The number isn’t quite right,” Zhou Pingchuan said. “We need to order a batch from overseas. I don’t know if you can send it over before you leave.”
Xia Mian glanced at the two boxes of condoms in his hand out of the corner of her eye. They were different brands, both the largest size. That meant he didn't think the largest size was big enough.
In matters like this, it's hard for men not to belittle and compare themselves to each other. Xia Mian sneered, "Are you that big? Can't you even fit in here?"
"It's not long enough," Zhou Pingchuan said.
"Look how clever you are," Xia Mian said dismissively. "If it's not enough, just put it in a plastic bag. It's economical and saves a lot of money. Why bother with these fancy little blue and green boxes?"
I was worried you might be uncomfortable.
"..." It's like he's talking as if anyone wants to use this thing with him! Xia Mian's expression changed. Seeing Zhou Pingchuan throw the two boxes into the shopping cart and then choose two more, his expression changed again.
"Just use this for now," Zhou Pingchuan turned the car around and then saw what he was holding. "What is this?"
Xia Mian: "...The Great Sword."
Zhou Pingchuan gave a short laugh, took the item from his hand, and tossed it into the shopping cart.
So, on their first trip to the supermarket after transmigrating into the book, they received a large bag of potato chips, four boxes of large condoms, and a large sword.
The company's business could be postponed for two days. After the procurement was completed, Zhou Pingchuan did not return to Kepler, but returned to Longxi with Xia Mian.
Uncle Li is incredibly efficient. He just confirmed the New Year's decoration style yesterday, and today both villas are fully decorated. In winter, when dormancy is more intense than ever, Uncle Li used a lot of fresh-cut flowers: Ecuadorian roses, peonies from New Zealand, and Japanese palace lanterns that look like little yellow lanterns adorning the doorways and cabinets... everywhere is full of life and vibrancy.
At this moment, Xia Mian finally felt a sense of reality: "The New Year is coming."
Yes, the Chinese New Year is coming soon.
The first year he passed through.
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