The saleswoman’s eyes lit up, and she immediately smiled even more warmly, turning around to pick up several dresses from the shelf: “Comrade, look! These are all new arrivals, made of fine Dacron material, and the cuts are perfect. These bright colors are especially flattering for brides! Your husband will definitely love them!”
Zhou Runqing’s gaze swept over one of the maroon dresses, her fingertips lightly touching the soft fabric, and she said firmly, “This one will do.”
The saleswoman smiled and her eyes crinkled: “Comrade, you have excellent taste! This fabric is a brand new, top-quality item. It’s designed to be fitted at the waist, and it will definitely accentuate the bride’s figure. With a cinched waist, she’ll look incredibly stylish walking down the street!”
Zhou Runqing paused, then frowned and pointed to another apricot-pink dress, “Put this one on too.”
The sales clerk’s eyes lit up, and she chuckled, “This one doesn’t have a defined waistline, but it’s still very popular.”
She straightened her skirt again and continued, “These two pieces require 24 feet of cloth coupons. If you have military cloth coupons, that would be much more convenient. Not only would you get priority redemption, but they would also be more useful than civilian cloth coupons, as you wouldn’t have to wait in line for a quota!”
Department stores have monthly civilian supply quotas for in-demand fabrics such as Dacron and corduroy.
Even if you have enough cloth coupons, once you run out of your monthly quota, you can only wait until the next month.
Military cloth ration coupons were not subject to quota restrictions; as long as the required length was sufficient, goods could be picked up directly.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Runqing took out his officer’s ID card from his pocket, lifted the cloth ration coupons with military insignia that were tucked inside, and took out three zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) in length.
The sales clerk took the dress and said with a smile, “Comrade, you took two dresses, which is 24 feet long, and you still have 6 feet left!”
She glanced at the counter next to her and said, “Why don’t you pick out a few pairs of polyester socks for the bride? They’re durable, stylish, and practical.”
Zhou Runqing nodded, paid the bill, took the cloth bag, casually stuffed it into his handbag, and without stopping, walked straight to the leather shoe counter next to him.
The shoe sales clerk, an experienced craftsman wearing a blue cloth hat, immediately stood up with a smile: “Comrade, looking for shoes?”
Zhou Runqing’s gaze swept over the several pairs of leather shoes displayed on the counter, and his voice was low: “These are for the women, the best of the best.”
The master craftsman immediately understood and smiled as he brought out two pairs of sheepskin shoes from deep within the counter. One pair was dark brown, and the other was black. Both were the most classic round-toe, low-heeled styles, with clean uppers and not a single unnecessary pattern.
He placed the shoes on the counter. “Comrade, these two pairs are mostly bought by women. They look very elegant whether paired with a skirt or a Lenin suit!”
Zhou Runqing glanced at the two pairs of shoes, but his gaze went past them and landed on a pair of off-white sheepskin shoes.
The shoe had a rounded and delicate toe, a square heel that was an inch high, and the upper had a warm, matte sheen in the sunlight, like a piece of fine mutton-fat jade.
In my mind, I pictured that fair, snow-white skin, even more beautiful than mutton fat jade.
He raised his hand and lightly pointed with his fingertip: “The pair.”
The old craftsman followed his finger and looked down. He was taken aback at first, but then picked up the pair of off-white sheepskin shoes with even gentler movements than the previous two pairs.
“Oh, comrade, you have a really good eye! These shoes are so rare! They’re only available in a few big department stores, not anywhere else.”
“These shoes are nice, but they get dirty very easily. Most women wouldn’t buy them because they get dirty very quickly if they just walk on a dirt road or get a little dusty.”
“These sheepskin shoes can’t just be washed when they get dirty; they have to be taken to a professional shoe shop for maintenance, which costs money and isn’t cheap.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Runqing didn’t even frown. His gaze fell on the sheepskin shoes, and he immediately pictured a woman wearing them, paired with an apricot-pink dress, standing in the island’s family compound waiting for him to return home.
Without saying a word, he said in a deep voice, “This is the one.” After recalling it in his mind, he added, “Wrap it up in this size.”
The experienced salesman immediately smiled and gave a thumbs up, while the saleswoman at the nearby counter also came over enviously, saying, “Comrade, you really dote on your wife!”
The man’s usually stern face broke into a rare, light laugh. After paying, he took the shoebox and left the mall.
Back in the car, Xiao Liu joked, “Commander, this is the first time I’ve seen you shop at the mall for so long.”
The regimental commander usually hated shopping, and would usually have his bodyguard buy all the daily necessities for him.
This time it was probably something I bought for Comrade Lin. I was being very careful, not wanting him to touch it, and I carried all the bags myself.
Xiao Liu smiled meaningfully, then received a warning look from the regimental commander, and quickly started the car, heading towards the street revolutionary committee.
Upon arriving at the Revolutionary Committee’s entrance, Zhou Runqing and his companion went straight into the office, identified themselves, and explained their purpose.
The staff at the neighborhood office didn’t dare to delay. They quickly dug out old files to verify the information and, according to his request, promptly issued him an identity certificate.
Meanwhile, those inside the house didn’t notice that outside the Revolutionary Committee office, several figures were hiding in the alley, staring intently at the military jeep.
One of the gazes was particularly fiery and sharp, fixed on the car with eyes practically sparking.
The group of followers chimed in, each offering their own opinion.
“Boss, look at this military vehicle! It’s so much better than that beat-up truck we cobbled together! If we could even touch the steering wheel, that would be heaven!”
“We poor peasants who have been poor for generations, driving this car is like trying to fly to the sky, it’s like trying to get shot.”
However, Shen Lichuan, who was called the boss, was not thinking about the car at the moment.
He gave a wink to his henchman, who immediately understood and quickly poked his head out of the alley. He pretended to maintain order at the entrance of the street office’s revolutionary committee, strolled around wearing a red armband, and then hurriedly came back to report.
“Boss, guess what? This car really belongs to the regimental commander who took Miss Lin away. He’s an official in the Revolutionary Committee, and he’s so obsequious, calling her ‘Regimental Commander’ all the time. It looks like he’s getting a replacement identity document for that little darling of the Lin family.”
“I also overheard that this regimental commander surnamed Zhou is going to marry Miss Lin. He also asked the neighborhood office to inform the material storage department that after they get their marriage certificate, they will come and collect the items that the Lin family can return.”
Shen Lichuan gritted his teeth, so angry that he punched the lime wall in the alley. His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf, revealing ferocity. He let out a cold laugh: “The woman I’ve finally got my eye on is about to be mine, and now he’s playing the hero and saving the beauty. What kind of good thing is this!”
The group of followers were all terrified by their boss’s fierce expression and fell silent.
Ignoring the bloodstains on his fists, Shen Lichuan, with a lingering resentment, glared at people with a fierce look that could rip out their hearts.
His gaze searched among his followers and found someone. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he raised his hand to beckon.
The lackey scurried forward, bowing and scraping: “Boss, you called me.”
Shen Lichuan whispered a few instructions in his ear.
The henchman’s eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, “Yes, boss.”
The little follower was leisurely strolling around the doorway, cracking sunflower seeds.
The director of the Revolutionary Committee was frantically calling for people to find the household registration records when he turned his head and saw Da Long loitering at the door with his hands in his pockets. His eyes lit up immediately.
“Dalong, you’ve come at the right time. Don’t you know Comrade Lin Yuqiu too? Quickly write up an identification for Comrade Lin.”
The Revolutionary Committee Director turned to Zhou Runqing and explained gently, “Commander Zhou, the old files of the Lin family are really hard to find. This person is the son of a former servant of the Lin family, so it would be perfect for him to write this certificate.”
Da Long was dangling his hands in his pockets when he heard the name Lin Yuqiu. His eyes lit up and his voice suddenly rose: “Miss Yuqiu?”
He sidled closer, bracing himself against the oppressive gaze, and looked the man in military uniform up and down, his tone full of feigned surprise.
“What? You know our Miss Yuqiu?”
“Isn’t Miss Yuqiu’s fiancé the young master of the Xie family? Why are you here to reissue Miss Yuqiu’s identity certificate?”
Da Long had always called Yu Qiu “Miss” like his father had, and he couldn’t change his way of addressing her.
Upon hearing this, the man’s face instantly lost all warmth, his gaze suddenly turned cold, his jawline tightened, and the chill surging in his eyes almost overflowed, creating an eerily low atmosphere around him.
The Revolutionary Committee Director turned pale with fright. He quickly stepped forward and pulled Da Long away, forcing a smile at Zhou Runqing while sternly scolding, “Why aren’t you writing your identification? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Upon hearing the director say that he was talking nonsense, Da Long immediately perked up, raised his voice, and clenched his fists tightly: “Director, I’m not talking nonsense!”
“My father used to work for the Lin family. I would go there every day, hoping that Miss Yuqiu and Young Master Xie would give me a snack.
The young master and young lady were good to me. They would give me pastries and even teach me to read. I remember it all!”
Da Long raised his chin high, his eyes seemingly full of protection for the two of them, as well as dissatisfaction with Zhou Runqing, the outsider who suddenly appeared.
As he spoke, his eyes reddened. “My Miss Yuqiu and Young Master Xie grew up together. They went to bookstores, watched movies, played the piano, and practiced calligraphy together since they were little. They were inseparable.”
“Back then, Miss Yuqiu had such a wonderful voice. She sang that Jiangnan folk song so softly it could melt water, making people’s hearts itch.”
“Young Master Xie would sit next to us playing the piano, and he and Miss Yuqiu would often play and sing for us. What a beautiful scene, but unfortunately, it can never be the same again.”
He watched as the regimental commander surnamed Zhou’s eyes were filled with dark clouds, and the air around him seemed to be able to freeze a person to death. His throat was a little dry, and he deliberately dragged out his tone, each word piercing his heart.
“Back then, when Young Master Xie came to the Lin family, he could go straight into Miss Yuqiu’s boudoir. Who else had that kind of treatment?”
The Revolutionary Committee Director slapped Da Long on the forehead, saying, “You’ve spouted a whole bunch of nonsense, hurry up and write it down.”
Da Long glanced at the regimental commander out of the corner of his eye before picking up the pen and writing down his identification as required.
When he came out of the office and saw the jeep speeding away, Da Long was overjoyed and ran into the alley.
“Boss, you don’t know, that regimental commander surnamed Zhou was so angry his face turned ashen. I was afraid he’d shoot me!”
Shen Lichuan sneered: “What are you afraid of? If he shoots you dead, his job as regimental commander is over!”
“What’s more, he also colluded with capitalists. The military region leaders wanted to sleep with the capitalists’ daughters, but the price they paid was much higher than what we paid.”
“You lot, go and find out where Miss Jiao is now! I, Shen Lichuan, will definitely take a bite of this meat that’s already in my mouth!”
“Yes, boss.”