Chapter 95: Fang Fei

The car sped all the way toward the provincial capital. In the lead car, Xiao Zhou was driving, with Old Master Lin, Lin Lishan, Zhang Guoqing, and Xizi as passengers.

At this moment, Xizi was sitting stiffly, putting on a serious face and pretending to be calm. Except for his curious, darting eyes, his whole little body was tense. Zhang Guoqing glanced at him with amusement but didn’t say anything. He figured that after a while, Xizi would relax. The fact that the child was paying attention to his own demeanor meant he was really growing up. Pointing it out in front of others would only hurt his self-esteem.

Xiao Zhou glanced at the rearview mirror and advised, “Sir, why don’t you rest for a bit? It’ll take a little over two hours to reach the provincial capital without passing through the county.”

“Mm, just focus on driving safely. We’re not in a hurry.”

The two cars didn’t stop along the way, heading straight to the provincial military district guesthouse. As soon as they got out and headed inside, even before Xiao Zhou could check them in, several soldiers came over from a distance, having already received word to welcome Old Master Lin. They led the group straight upstairs to their rooms.

Once inside, Lin Lishan quickly grew impatient with the small talk. Noting that it was still early, she quietly told Old Master Lin she wanted to take the child out for a walk. With his approval, she hurriedly took Xizi and left ahead of the others.

Exiting the guesthouse lobby, Lin Lishan took Xizi’s hand, got in the car, and drove toward the city center. Along the way, she asked a couple of pedestrians for directions and easily found the Friendship Store.

The provincial Friendship Store had just opened at the end of last year. It only served overseas Chinese or those with foreign exchange coupons. Rumor had it that the store was filled with dazzling goods, and the three-story building was a prominent landmark in the city. No wonder anyone she asked could point her straight there.

Lin Lishan parked the car and led Xizi to the entrance. Two security guards stood at the wide doorway. Seeing them approach, they quietly reminded her that only overseas Chinese or those with foreign exchange coupons could enter.

Lin Lishan was used to shopping at Friendship Stores in Beijing and knew the rules. She casually showed them her coupons and was allowed in. The goods inside were indeed much more refined and varied than those at the supply and marketing cooperatives, and the service was noticeably better too.

Lin Lishan quietly asked Xizi, “Shall we start browsing from the first floor? Take a look at what you like—Grandma will buy it for you. You can also help pick something for your little brother and sister.”

Xizi’s eyes widened as he curiously took in the array of goods. He shook his head, “Grandma, you buy what you want. I’m just here to see and learn, not to buy anything. You go ahead and shop, I’ll stick with you and won’t wander off.”

Lin Lishan patted his head, took his hand, and, knowing the Zhang family raised their children well, didn’t press him further. She planned to look through all three floors before making any decisions.

The spacious first floor was dedicated to groceries and some fine grains. The counters were arranged in a rectangle, making it easy to browse everything in one loop.

In the grocery section, rows of glass counters displayed all kinds of hard and soft candies in various colors and shapes, beautifully arranged in glass jars. There were also regular and fancy packaged pastries and gift boxes wrapped in red paper, all neatly lined up with price tags.

The two innermost rows of counters along the wall were stocked with bagged and canned milk powder, both domestic and imported, as well as some canned malted milk and brown sugar.

Not far from the stairs to the second floor, directly opposite, was a long counter for imported goods. There were various foreign baguettes and black breads displayed in bamboo baskets, and shelves on the right side of the counter were stacked with chocolates in different flavors. The selection was impressive. In Lin Lishan’s view, the layout was modeled after foreign stores.

After making a round, Lin Lishan had a general idea—Friendship Stores in every province were similar, prioritizing overseas Chinese to earn foreign exchange. This setup was quite advanced for the time. She thought of the grand hotels in Shanghai, where a single dish could cost half a month’s wages for an ordinary worker, and realized the disparity here was no surprise. The gap between rich and poor had always existed. Since the purges, only the most notorious capitalists and landlords had been targeted, but there were still countless hidden wealthy families.

Take overseas Chinese, for example: they had vast assets abroad, but their domestic spending was minimal—each was a hidden millionaire. Now, if a family had a relative overseas, they never lacked money or goods, living far better than those relying on ration coupons. Most of these overseas Chinese had fled with their assets when the country was in trouble, and now that things were stable, they returned and received special treatment. Lin Lishan couldn’t help but feel a surge of contempt.

Little did she know that not long after, those with overseas connections would face a catastrophe—few would escape unscathed. Years later, Lin Lishan would often sigh at the unpredictability of life.

After finishing the first floor, Lin Lishan took Xizi upstairs. The second floor was all daily necessities and household goods.

Several rows of counters were clearly labeled in red characters, making everything easy to find at a glance.

Toiletries like soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes were neatly arranged. Next came rows of textiles—towels, handkerchiefs, pillowcases, all sorted by type. There was a section for raw materials like fabric and yarn, and counters for finished goods like thermal underwear, shoes, boots, coats, and pants.

At the back were women’s products—bras, sanitary belts, and toilet paper—all together with detailed labels and prices.

On the right side of the second floor were kitchen supplies like iron pots, cleavers, spatulas, bowls, and chopsticks, including a few imported items. She even found stoves—electric, coal, and alcohol stoves—as well as stylish hot water bottles and copper hand warmers.

Lin Lishan asked the sales assistant to get her a coal stove and an alcohol stove, then quickly picked out five hot water bottles and two hand warmers—these were especially for Zhou Jiao to use when taking the kids out.

She then picked out several bars of soap, a few toothbrushes, and some toothpaste, leaving them at the counter and telling the sales assistant she’d settle up after visiting the third floor.

Happily, she took Xizi up to the third floor, which was filled with home appliances, bicycles, sewing machines, and other big-ticket items. The prices were even lower than at the supply and marketing cooperatives. In the end, she gave up on the bicycle and bought a radio instead. She would have liked to buy a bike, but Jiaojiao would surely say it was a waste.

Back on the second floor, she grabbed two more pots for making tonic soups, a set of pretty celadon plates and bowls, and a purple clay teapot. She really couldn’t stand drinking tea or wine from coarse bowls—it ruined the appetite.

Thinking of little Ping’an, she bought a few baby spoons and plastic bowls, and picked out some other children’s items. Worried she wouldn’t have time off when she returned to work in Beijing, she decided to buy everything in one go.

Looking at the pile of goods on the floor, she paid for everything on the second floor and asked the sales assistant to pack it up and move it downstairs. She didn’t bother having Xizi guard the pile—no one would dare steal it, and you couldn’t get out the door with it anyway. All the other customers were leaving their things around just as casually.

Afraid she’d missed something, Lin Lishan took Xizi from counter to counter, buying as she went. Xizi kept signaling her with his eyes, making her laugh—he kept insisting he didn’t want anything.

“Don’t worry, Grandma’s got coupons and money. If you like something, just say so. When we get back, remind me to ask someone at the military district for a military backpack for you. I see lots of kids carrying those to school—they’re big enough for a lunchbox. You should have one too, it’ll look great. Look at these pencils—aren’t they pretty? You can share them with your little brothers and sisters, and everyone gets a pencil case.”

“Grandma, Zuoyou and Shitou are still little, and the two girls are even younger—they don’t need them. Ma’am, could you please take off the pencil cases?” Xizi was anxious—his grandma loved to buy things. He really worried about her.

Lin Lishan grabbed a tin box and a handful of pencils. “Fine, then let’s get hair clips and elastic bands—little girls love those. Don’t worry, the patterns here are much prettier than at the supply and marketing co-op.”

She picked out a few more—these elastic bands were useful for anyone.

Next, they went to the textile counter. She wasn’t interested in yarn—knitting sweaters was exhausting, and if she bought it, Jiaojiao would just end up knitting nonstop. The thought of all that yarn in Jiaojiao’s wardrobe made her heart ache—if she finished it all, her hands would be ruined, and the colors might not even suit her. But when she saw the bright red and soft yellow yarn, she nodded—these were worth buying. Only her daughter was young enough to pull off those colors; she’d look lovely in them.

Looking at the fabric nearby, Lin Lishan got excited. The woolen cloth was nice—gray and black looked good, and paired with a red or yellow sweater, Jiaojiao would love it. She secretly planned to make Jiaojiao a Lenin suit and a coat for Xiao Wu, so she bought two bolts to use over time.

She picked out a few more pieces of fabric and bought a big bag of cotton before reluctantly leaving.

She couldn’t help it—Jiaojiao barely had any clothes, and what she did have was faded or patched. Thinking of her nieces’ wardrobes stuffed with clothes, yet always complaining they had nothing to wear, she wanted to buy up all the fabric here so Jiaojiao could have a new outfit every day.

Back on the first floor, she decided to stock up on snacks for her daughter, so she’d have something to nibble on or serve to guests. She could also treat her nieces and nephews.

“Xizi, your aunt’s things are almost done. Now let’s buy some snacks—pick out anything you like. That baguette isn’t very tasty, so let’s just get a little to try.”

At the snack counter, she bought whatever Xizi’s eyes lingered on, a pound of each. After picking out the pastries, she bought three pounds each of milk candy and hard candy, packed separately. The candies looked fancy. Remembering that Jiaojiao had never tried chocolate, she bought two packs—it was heavy, so a pound wasn’t much—and got some baguettes too.

After paying for everything, she’d only spent 300 of the 600 yuan in foreign exchange coupons she’d brought. She had enough money, but not enough coupons, and began wondering where she could get more as she led Xizi back to the car, grateful that the staff helped carry everything—otherwise she’d have been exhausted.

“Xizi, are you hungry? If you are, let’s eat before heading back. Grandma will take you somewhere nice.”

“Grandma, let’s just go back. I’m afraid you’ll run back in and buy more—you’ve already bought half the store! Let’s go, I’m really not hungry.”

Lin Lishan laughed and patted his head. “Alright, we’ll do as you say and go back first. Tonight, we’ll see if there’s anything else we need, and tomorrow we’ll check out the supply and marketing co-op here. The provincial capital is bigger than the county—there’s bound to be more stuff.”

Xizi frowned. “We already have plenty. Let’s wait and see if my aunt needs anything before buying more. This is expensive—tomorrow we’ll just look, not buy. My eldest uncle has access to internal goods anyway, and they’re much cheaper.”

Lin Lishan burst out laughing and replied as she drove, “Alright, tomorrow we’ll just look. Tonight, I’ll take you to play with some kids and see if anyone has an extra military backpack—you’ll look great using that as a schoolbag.”"