“Oh, it’s no big deal. I’ll just mention it to my cousin. But it might not come very quickly. If you can wait, I’ll have my cousin bring one over for you. Sis, what do you need the hair clip for? If it’s urgent, you can borrow this one of mine for now!”
Tian Baozhu said this casually, then asked.
“Oh, I’d be embarrassed to take it!”
Xu Xiuzhen hadn’t expected the girl to be so agreeable, and her face flushed slightly. Though she said she was embarrassed, her eyes remained fixed on the hair clip in Tian Baozhu’s hand.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? Sis, my name is Tian Baozhu. I’m an educated youth from Chengjiawan Brigade. When you’re done with it, just have someone pass it back to me. But even if you wait until I come to the county again to return it, that’s fine too.”
As she spoke, she pressed the hair clip into Xu Xiuzhen’s hand.
“Alright, since you’re being so kind, Baozhu, I won’t stand on ceremony! My name is Xu Xiuzhen, and the driver is your brother-in-law—his name is Hu Junhua. If you ever come to the county, feel free to find me or your brother-in-law.”
Xu Xiuzhen beamed as she wrapped the hair clip in a handkerchief and tucked it into her pocket.
“So that’s my brother-in-law! I’ll definitely be troubling you both from now on, Sis and Brother-in-law!”
Tian Baozhu widened her eyes slightly, not having realized the driver and conductor were husband and wife. She immediately called them “Sis” and “Brother-in-law” with a bright smile.
Hu Junhua, who was driving, simply gave her a simple nod, his hands steady on the wheel.
After the two had become sworn sisters, they seemed to have endless things to talk about. By the time they reached the county, Xu Xiuzhen and Tian Baozhu were reluctant to part. Xu Xiuzhen had initially wanted to invite Tian Baozhu to have a meal with her and her husband, but after Tian Baozhu whispered something in her ear that made a blush rise on her cheeks, she finally let her go.
Tian Baozhu strode off. She had already decided on the bus to first check out the county department store. Perfect—wasn’t Sister Xiuzhen’s aunt working there? Such a good connection would be a waste not to use.
She looked around, found a secluded spot, and went in. After a short while, she emerged carrying a bamboo basket on her back.
The county department store was indeed incomparable to the town supply and marketing cooperative. Although it wasn’t packed to the brim with people, it was bustling with activity. Moreover, this department store had two floors.
The first floor mainly sold everyday non-staple foods and such. Tian Baozhu figured that Sister Xiuzhen’s aunt, as mentioned, probably wasn’t on this floor.
Sure enough, the second floor was where higher-end goods like clothes and watches were sold.
Tian Baozhu took a quick look around, then headed toward one of the counters.
Fang Fengying was chatting with a colleague when a clear, crisp voice sounded in front of the counter.
“You must be Auntie, right? Sister Xiuzhen said she really liked the scarf you got for her. Today, she specially asked me to bring you something.”
Tian Baozhu said this with a smile.
Fang Fengying was momentarily taken aback. She looked closely at the young woman in front of the counter—she didn’t recognize her. However, since the girl mentioned Xiuzhen, she must have been sent by her niece.
“Oh, Xiuzhen sent you?”
“Really, no need to be so polite among family!”
As she spoke, she craned her neck to peek at Tian Baozhu’s bamboo basket. But the basket was tightly covered, making it impossible to see what was inside.
“Come, come, step inside to talk.”
Unable to see clearly and feeling awkward about asking her to reveal the contents outside, Fang Fengying lifted a section of the counter panel and invited Tian Baozhu behind the counter.
Tian Baozhu gave her a sweet smile and stepped inside.
She opened her bamboo basket and first took out a package of dried wood ear mushrooms, placing it on the stool where Fang Fengying sat.
“Auntie, my name is Tian Baozhu. I happened to come to the county this time. Sister Xiuzhen said that her brother-in-law’s colleague gave him some local specialties from out of town. Knowing I was coming to the department store, she insisted I deliver this to you.”
As she pulled out the dried wood ear mushrooms, Tian Baozhu accidentally lifted the basket cover a bit too much, briefly revealing the meat, chicken, and duck inside.
Fang Fengying sucked in a breath—that was meat! Although the dried wood ear mushrooms were already a generous gift, it was nothing compared to the meat in Tian Baozhu’s basket.
“So you’re Baozhu! You’ve grown so much that Auntie almost didn’t recognize you. Xiao Hong, I have a relative visiting. Keep an eye on my counter for me.”
Fang Fengying’s counter sold fabric. Taking out the dried wood ear mushrooms was fine, but the meat in Tian Baozhu’s basket wasn’t convenient to display. She led Tian Baozhu through the back door and downstairs. Once there, she turned around and looked the young woman up and down, a shrewd gleam in her eyes.
She knew exactly who her relatives were. Besides, that girl Xiuzhen would consider it a win if she didn’t try to take something from her.
“Girl Tian, do you want to trade the things in your basket?”
These days, people didn’t talk about buying things with money, so Fang Fengying asked directly about trading.
“Auntie is so straightforward. If there’s a buyer for what’s in my basket, I’m happy to trade.”
Tian Baozhu didn’t stand on false ceremony and replied directly.
“There’s not just meat, chicken, and duck in there—there’s also rice and noodles.”
Hearing this, Fang Fengying’s face lit up with joy. These were all rare, high-quality goods that were hard to get even with ration tickets.
“Good niece, Auntie will take everything.”
Tian Baozhu didn’t hesitate, calculating the price based on what she had sold yesterday. This made Fang Fengying even happier. After all, there was always a price difference between town and county goods.
Fang Fengying paid promptly, and Tian Baozhu was generous enough to give her the entire bamboo basket so she wouldn’t have trouble carrying everything back.
Seeing Tian Baozhu’s generosity, Fang Fengying kindly asked, “Our department store has some flawed fabric. Would you be interested?”
“Auntie Fang, could I take a look?”
Although Tian Baozhu didn’t lack for anything, she needed to have some things out in the open—just to keep up appearances.
“What’s there to stop you from looking? Come, Auntie will take you to see. If you like any, take a couple of lengths back.”
As she spoke, Fang Fengying looked Tian Baozhu up and down. For this trip to the county, Tian Baozhu had deliberately worn clothes without patches. So when Fang Fengying first saw her, she hadn’t dismissed her lightly. Now, she was even less inclined to think otherwise—after all, anyone who could procure so much meat and grain was clearly resourceful.
“Look at these fabrics—some just have misprinted patterns. And these few have some oil stains. Someone handy could easily cover up these imperfections. If you want them, I’ll give them to you at the internal price.”
This internal price was a privilege only available to department store employees—practically getting it for free.