Chapter 112: Mother Zhang Visits the Provincial Capital

After leaving the train station, Zhang Guoqing led his mother straight to the car and had her sit in the front passenger seat. Seeing the few strands of white hair on her head, he felt a pang of sadness. His mother had really had a hard life. She’d been up before dawn and busy until late at night, working in the fields, doing housework, taking care of the family. She’d toiled her way into old age without enjoying a single good day. She’d spent most of her life in the village, and this was her first time ever coming to the provincial capital.

Driving the car, Zhang Guoqing thought to himself that he should first take his mother out for a good meal. He’d noticed earlier that there were both the Friendship Mall and the Department Store on the main street—both lively places. He planned to spend the day with her, strolling around and showing her the big city. The car still had gas, so he’d return it to the military district tomorrow and take care of some errands on his way back.

“Mom, my mother-in-law finally left. Let’s go eat first. Once we’re full, I’ll take you to see the best mall in the city. Jiaojiao gave me a lot of remittance coupons and told me to bring you out to pick whatever you like.”

Mother Zhang looked around the car, touching the window glass with her hand. She hadn’t dared look closely before, with her in-laws present. “Let’s send a telegram to your grandma’s house first, or we might forget once we get busy. We can just have a simple lunch—things are expensive in the city.”

“Just listen to your son today, Mom. We’ll go to the post office first to send the telegram, then I’ll take you out for a good meal. I’m not returning the car today—tomorrow I’ll drive it back myself. Today is all about showing you the city.” Zhang Guoqing parked the car, asked a passerby for directions to the post office, and drove over.

At the post office, Zhang Guoqing sent the telegram, making sure to specify: “Arriving in Beijing on the 23rd at 5pm, Lin Danren bringing 500 jin of goods, urgent pick-up at station.” He even included a comma to avoid any misunderstanding. After all, his father-in-law had just left yesterday, and with train delays, they might arrive at almost the same time—someone from the family had to meet them.

“Mom, the telegram’s been sent to Beijing. At the latest, they’ll get it by tomorrow night. Now let’s go eat. Just wait for your son to show you around—I’ve got plenty of money.”

Mother Zhang sat in the front seat, curiously watching the crowds of people getting off work outside. She noticed there were so many people riding bicycles, and hardly anyone wore patched clothes. She couldn’t help but sigh at how nice the city was—so many people, so many vehicles. Back in their village, just having two bicycles made them the envy of everyone, but here there were hundreds, even thousands. City folks didn’t have to work in the fields for work points, and during the busy farming season, they didn’t get worn out. City people weren’t tanned and looked energetic and cheerful, all smiling. The children were clean, carrying schoolbags, running and jumping about. She kept saying how wonderful the city was.

It was rush hour—lots of people and even more cars, mostly workers from nearby factories. This was the bustling city center, where living standards must be higher and children’s education more valued.

Mother Zhang hadn’t seen the poorer parts of the city. Some families there dressed, ate, and lived worse than people in their village. At least in the village, the yards were big, not like in the city where a dozen families squeezed into one courtyard, several generations sharing a single kang bed. If a city family had many kids and lived off wages, even basic food and clothing could be a problem. But Zhang Guoqing didn’t explain all this—he just let her enjoy the excitement and be happy.

At the restaurant, Zhang Guoqing found them a seat, then went to the counter to order, choosing several dishes. Whatever they couldn’t finish, he’d pack up to take home for his father.

Mother Zhang watched him bring over plate after plate of meat dishes, happily accepting them but quietly scolding him. She knew not to embarrass her son in public—her Xiao Wu was someone important. The way people treated him today was different from ordinary folks. Besides, since they’d already paid, it’d be a waste to return the food. She decided to eat less and bring the rest home so the family could taste city food.

After a hearty lunch, the two of them packed up the leftovers, got in the car, and headed straight to the nearby Friendship Mall.

Zhang Guoqing showed the remittance coupons, and after the staff checked them, they let Mother Zhang into the main hall.

Faced with such a different environment, Mother Zhang was a bit nervous. She looked around at the glass windows and display cases, then at her own clothes. She breathed a sigh of relief, carefully glancing around, and whispered, “Xiao Wu, I think you can’t even get in here without those coupons.”

Zhang Guoqing patted her hand gently, telling her not to worry. “That’s right. This place is mainly for overseas Chinese and some officials. Without remittance coupons, you can’t get in—probably for security reasons. Mom, let’s start from the first floor. There are three floors in total, everything you can think of, and the prices and quality are better than outside. Xizi said we can pick out everything we want first and pay all at once—not like the supply and marketing co-op, where you have to pay first and then go back to get your stuff.”

Mother Zhang was dazzled from the moment she walked in. She just nodded as Zhang Guoqing explained, looking at everything. The goods were indeed nice, but the prices were something else too.

She followed him from the first to the third floor, picking out a few things that were cheaper than at the co-op, then hurriedly pulled him to leave. She wasn’t used to this kind of place.

Once outside, Mother Zhang let out a sigh of relief. “Xiao Wu, where to next?”

Zhang Guoqing drove a short distance and stopped. “Mom, this is the biggest department store in the city. It’s like the supply and marketing co-op—some things require coupons, but I’ve got plenty. Just buy whatever you like, don’t worry about money.”

The department store was just a two-story red-brick building at the intersection of two roads, its walls covered in propaganda slogans:

“Down with American Imperialism, Realize Communism!”

“Worker-Peasant Alliance, Urban-Rural Cooperation!”

“Hard Work and Thrift, Build the Nation!”

“Take the Road of Collectivization, Achieve Common Prosperity!”

The big red characters were eye-catching. The entrance was bustling, and everyone coming out was loaded with big bags. The two of them entered, and immediately heard the loudspeaker: “Today’s special: Liberation shoes, one pair per person. Defective textiles on the second floor, no coupons needed. Surplus stock on the first floor, also no coupons needed.”

Hearing this, Mother Zhang quickly dragged Zhang Guoqing to the surplus counter on the first floor, not bothering to ask anyone. She squeezed into the crowd where it was busiest. Zhang Guoqing barely managed to shield her as they pushed in. Watching her excitedly pick things out, he queued up to pay and get the receipt for the sales clerk.

After squeezing back out, Zhang Guoqing stuck close to his mother, who was now in full shopping mode, excitedly listening to the announcements and rushing up to the second floor to check out the defective goods.

Zhang Guoqing looked at the crowded scene with a headache—almost all women, all shouting at the clerks to show them things. The counter was packed, everyone talking at once, so noisy you couldn’t make out what was being said. He had no choice but to wait outside for his mother. After she finally picked out the towels and fabrics with the fewest flaws, and the clerk wrote up the receipt, more than half an hour had passed. He hurried downstairs to pay, got the stamped invoice, and ran back up.

Finally, he could relax—the clearance sale was over. Now they could browse at their own pace. That earlier frenzy was like a brawl, everyone afraid of missing out, and all women—he felt awkward pushing in.

“Mom, from now on we have all the coupons we need. I’m ready, so no need to rush.”

Mother Zhang looked happily at the things he was carrying. “You don’t get it. If we’d come here first, there might have been even better stuff left. It’s so cheap.”

She was used to the supply and marketing co-op’s way of shopping, so she dragged Zhang Guoqing to the counter on the left of the first floor to look around. They spent a long time there, and finally, Mother Zhang was satisfied and ready to go home.

Zhang Guoqing looked at the things they’d bought—actually not much. Most of the time, his mother just looked at things without buying. He didn’t get what was so fun about window shopping. He realized that shopping with Jiaojiao was much better—she was decisive, picked what she wanted, and left.

He used to hear friends complain about how they’d never go shopping with their mothers again, and he’d found it strange—wasn’t it great to spend time with your mom, carry her bags, and see her happy and excited? He’d even felt sorry that he didn’t have his own mother around.

Now he understood. If he ever saw that friend again, he’d give him a big, sympathetic hug—especially since his mom just liked to look without buying, making him anxious for her. In the end, when she found something she liked but was reluctant to spend the money, Zhang Guoqing just paid for it himself.

He also realized that his Jiaojiao wasn’t spoiled at all—her temperament and habits matched his perfectly. Even after their sudden rise to wealth, she hadn’t changed. Whether shopping or living, she was always practical and never wasted time on useless things. If she had to window shop like this, she’d probably lose her temper.

After getting in the car with his mother, Zhang Guoqing thought for a moment, then went back in to buy some face cream, cod liver oil, and soap. No woman dislikes these things, and besides, his mother was only 46—not old at all, just unpampered from rural life. Since they’d come to the big city, he should bring back some gifts for his sisters-in-law and sisters.

“Mom, these are for your daughters-in-law and daughters. Share them out. Whatever’s left, you keep for yourself. It’s cold now—putting this on will keep your hands from cracking, and it’s good for your face too. I saw all the women here love this stuff.”

“Oh, my good son! I was wondering what you were buying. These are expensive and rare—you should take them back for Jiaojiao. Why’d you buy so much?” Mother Zhang was both happy and distressed, but she really liked them, holding the boxes and smelling their fragrance.

Zhang Guoqing laughed at her—he could see how much she liked them, unable to put them down. Even though his own salary wasn’t high, when he bought high-end foreign cosmetics for Jiaojiao, she was both reluctant to use them and loved them dearly.

He remembered reading somewhere: “There isn’t a woman who doesn’t love cosmetics. Every woman wants to stay young and beautiful. No matter her age, after 18 she doesn’t like being asked how old she is—she’d rather be asked about her secret stash of money.”

“Mom, Jiaojiao’s mother gave these to us. Just use them without worry—your son knows what he’s doing, I’m not putting on airs. I really do have money. Let me tell you a secret—don’t tell anyone, not even Dad. Jiaojiao’s mother gave us a lot of money, including six years’ rent for a house in Beijing—50 yuan a month. Do the math, how much is that? As long as that house is rented out, we get 50 yuan every month. My mother-in-law said we can spend as much as we want, we’ll never run out. My brother-in-law only makes 36 yuan a month. So, really, we’re not short on money—keep your own money, and if you want anything, just tell me.”

Mother Zhang was stunned, counting on her fingers, her heart pounding so hard she couldn’t do the math. She muttered, “I—I’d better not count. Xiao Wu, don’t tell anyone about this, not even your dad. Remember, not a word. Oh my, no wonder your mother-in-law buys things by the truckload without blinking.”

Zhang Guoqing laughed. He figured his dad already suspected he wasn’t short on money, knew about Jiaojiao’s rental property, and understood his mother-in-law’s personality. Still, he and his wife had tacitly kept quiet about it. He only told his mother because he saw how reluctant she was to spend. As for the rest, he didn’t plan to tell anyone—not even his mother.

“Feel better now? If there’s anything else you want but felt bad about buying, let’s go take another look.”

Mother Zhang was tempted, but then shook her head. “No, even if we have money, we can’t waste it. Save it for Ping’an, and for your future kids. Life is long.”

Zhang Guoqing took out the coupons, sorting out the ones that were about to expire. “Let’s use up all the coupons that are expiring soon—otherwise, it’d be a waste.”

He locked the car and took his mother back into the department store. This time, Mother Zhang was much more relaxed and bought whatever she needed. Together, they used up all the soon-to-expire coupons.

After shopping, Zhang Guoqing drove his mother to the park for a stroll. Then he tried to take her to the cinema, but she absolutely refused, saying it’d be dark by the time the movie ended and the family would worry. So Zhang Guoqing asked around for where to buy old books and cassette tapes.

After a few twists and turns, they finally found the place. He went to check out the tapes first, buying some with revolutionary songs. After asking his mother, he bought opera and storytelling tapes too. Zhang Guoqing knew these would be hard to find in the future, so he bought a big stack regardless of the price, carefully explaining to his mother what each tape was about. Otherwise, she’d be anxious—these were expensive, after all. His eldest sister only made so much a month, and the most expensive tape was 1.5 yuan, the cheapest 0.5 yuan, and he spent nearly 50 yuan in total.

After that, Zhang Guoqing took her to a nearby area full of old book stalls. It was indeed the provincial capital—two whole alleys of book stalls, and the prices were better than in the county. He made two trips to carry all the books back to the car.

“All right, it’s almost dark. Let’s head home—Dad must be worried sick, and who knows what Jiaojiao’s eating for dinner. Let’s go. I’ve had enough of the city for today.”

Mother Zhang was a bit scared of him now. She’d never seen anyone spend money like water. People were staring at them—if it weren’t for the car parked outside, someone might have tried to rob them."