As Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou left the watch counter, they each wore a Shanghai brand watch.
Their shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the gleaming steel watch bands on their wrists, attracting attention wherever they went.
"That young man is so filial! He bought a watch for himself and one for his father too!"
"My son stole ten yuan from me yesterday! That bastard, I'm going to hang him up and give him a good beating tonight!"
The customers at the counter looked on with envy.
"Hey, lady, can I take a look at that Shanghai watch too?" a balding man said.
The saleswoman rolled her eyes: "Seventy yuan each, not cheap. If you're not buying, don't try it on. I'm too lazy to clean it if you get it dirty."
The man: "Hey? You weren't like this just now..."
"I was in a good mood just now, but I'm not so good now, so this is my attitude."
"You little girl, you shouldn't be like this."
...
Comrade Old Zhou was completely resistant when buying it, refusing to budge. Now, with the watch on his wrist, he couldn't help but check it. The usually stern man was now grinning from ear to ear, showing eight teeth.
"Look how happy your dad is. Every time we went to the supply and marketing cooperative before, he would stand in front of the watch counter for a while. I offered to buy him one, but he said no. This watch of yours has really won him over." Zhao Tieying said to Zhou Yan in a low voice with a smile on her face. "In all these years of slaughtering cattle, he has hardly had a good night's sleep. He always feels uneasy when he doesn't know the time, and he is afraid of making his employer's time too late."
"He's one of the restaurant's most important revenue generators, so he should be well taken care of, lest he feel anxious sitting by the river." Zhou Yan said with a smile. No wonder the usually frugal Aunt Zhao hadn't said a word earlier, she'd been thinking about buying her husband a watch all along.
"Mom, is there anything you want?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at her again.
"I don't want anything, I have everything." Zhao Tieying shook her head, smiling. "Buy two pieces of fabric, and buy some new cotton wadding. Go back and find Jia the tailor to make cotton-padded clothes for the three of you. I think the cotton-padded clothes they sell here are much more expensive. One piece costs twenty or thirty yuan, and the styles aren't as nice as those made by Jia the tailor. The stitches are also sparse, and the cotton will leak out. They won't last long."
"Okay, then buy a few more, and get one for you too, so we'll have new clothes for winter." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
Money wasn't easy to earn these days, but ready-made clothes were indeed expensive. A woolen overcoat cost 120 yuan, equivalent to three months' wages for an average worker.
Machine-knitted sweaters hanging at the counter and priced at ten yuan.
Those who came to the department store to buy clothes were either from well-off families or fashionable young women. For a compliment from their friends, they would grit their teeth and spend two or three months' wages on a beautiful woolen overcoat, which they could wear for holidays and festivals for years to come.
Most families bought fabric and then made new clothes themselves, or bought yarn and knitted sweaters.
The sewing machine held a prominent place among the "three turns and one sound"[1] and was undoubtedly an important household production tool.
Aunt Zhao could knit sweaters, but she couldn't operate a sewing machine. She learned from the old lady for half a month, but the old lady kicked her out, refusing to speak to her for a week. So, their family never bought a sewing machine.
For those few years, the old lady made all their clothes. Later, Aunt Zhao started buying fabric and cotton and finding a tailor in town to make clothes for her. She only needed to pay a small fee, it was better than buying ready-made clothes and she didn't have to bother the old lady.
Don't underestimate the tailors in town, they keep up with the times.
They can copy the patterns from the popular city clothes and recreate them to a high degree, but the price is cheaper than those clothes in department store which is more than half of the price in department store.
If you want to have clothes made by a good tailor, you'll have to wait in line.
"Okay, I'll go take a look." Zhao Tieying handed Zhou Momo to Zhou Yan and rushed towards the fabric counter, which was crowded with women and the noisiest place.
Sichuan women never suffer losses, no matter what kind of salesperson you are. If you dare to curse me, I will curse you back. I'm not afraid of you.
Zhou Miao was about to follow when Zhou Yan stopped him and whispered, "Dad, do you know what my mother usually wants most?"
"What does she like?" Comrade Old Zhou scratched his head and glanced down at his leather shoes.
Zhou Yan chuckled, "Leather shoes don't count. Before, when she came to the department store with you, which counter did she stop at and look at repeatedly, but just couldn't bring herself to buy anything?"
Zhou Miao's eyes lit up: "Gold earrings!"
"Gold earrings." Zhou Yan looked around upon hearing this and quickly found the gold jewelry counter surrounded by a group of women. He picked up Zhou Momo and squeezed his way over. "Come on, let's take a look."
Zhou Miao quickly followed.
Sure enough, women love gold jewelry regardless of the era.
The price of gold was 27.3 yuan per gram, which seemed much cheaper than the 800 yuan per gram in later generations.
But with a current salary of only 30 yuan, it was actually more expensive compared to later generations.
Gold jewelry was definitely a luxury item in this era.
Earrings are relatively lightweight. Zhou Yan bought a Shanghai watch for Comrade Old Zhou and planned to buy a pair of gold earrings of similar price for Aunt Zhao, with a budget of under 3 grams.
The counter was full of women. Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou waited in line for a while before finally reaching the counter.
Behind the counter was a middle-aged female sales clerk, quite kind in nature. Looking at Zhou Yan, who was holding a child, and Zhou Miao, who was wearing patched clothes, she smiled and asked, "Comrade, what kind of jewelry would you like to buy?"
"Sister, I'd like to choose a pair of earrings for my mother, about three grams. Could you please recommend one?" Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"You're so filial, buying gold earrings for your mother." Men usually address sales clerks, but Zhou Yan, a handsome young man in his early twenties, touched the sales clerk's heart with his address of "sister." She smiled and said, "Take a look at these. The styles are simple and elegant, and the patterns are beautiful."
With the three pairs of earrings laid out together, Zhou Yan couldn't tell the difference, so he turned to Comrade Old Zhou and asked, "Dad, which one do you think you should choose?"
"Well, when your mother came last time, she stared at that one and this one looked very similar." Comrade Old Zhou said, pointing to the one in the middle.
"Sister, how much does this cost?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
The sales clerk picked up the tag hanging on the middle pair of earrings, glanced at it, and said, "These are Lao Feng Xiang earrings, weighing three grams, with a processing fee of 15 yuan, for a total of 96 yuan."
"Okay, I'll take this pair." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and decisively bought them.
"Alright, I'll put them on for you." The sales clerk nodded with a smile, took a jewelry box, put the earrings in, and then gave him the receipt.
"Isn't it a bit expensive?" Comrade Old Zhou said softly.
"Not expensive at all. That's the price of gold. This stuff even holds its value." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
Comrade Old Zhou patted his pocket, glanced around, and then slipped something into Zhou Yan's hand.
Zhou Yan looked down and saw two large ten yuan bills wrapped around a stack of smaller denomination banknotes.
Before Zhou Yan could speak, Comrade Old Zhou explained, "Here's twenty three yuan and eighty cents. I'll make up the rest for you next month when I get my salary. Consider these earrings my purchase. I haven't bought your mother any gold jewelry in all these years, so I can't let you snatch them first."
"Okay, then I won't argue with you." Zhou Yan accepted the two ten yuan bills and handed the remaining change back to Comrade Old Zhou. "Keep the change, I'm too lazy to keep track."
Zhou Yan went to queue up, paid, and successfully got the gold earrings. He put the receipt into the brocade box and handed it to Comrade Old Zhou. "There are a lot of people. Give it to my mom after we leave the department store. She'll definitely be happy."
"Okay." Comrade Old Zhou put the box in his inner pocket, his expression a mixture of happiness and nervousness.
"Guo Guo, do I have a gift?" Zhou Momo looked at Zhou Yan expectantly.
"Come on, let me take you for a walk and pick out a toy you want." Zhou Yan smiled and pinched the little one's cheek as they walked towards the children's toy section.
"He's so generous! He bought his mother gold earrings!"
"Absolutely! My husband wouldn't buy it for me. I saved up for half a year before I could afford a small pendant."
Watching the three of them leave, the women in front of the counter cast envious glances.
After looking around, Zhou Momo was overwhelmed by the choices, and finally chose a tin frog for thirty cents.
"Croak, croak~~" The little one held the little frog, overjoyed, and gave Zhou Yan a big kiss on the cheek: "Guo Guo, I will always be loyal to you!"
Zhou Yan chuckled.
Hmm, little girls are so easy to please.
A thirty cents toy, and she's pledged her loyalty.
Zhou Yan and his group went to the fabric section. Aunt Zhao had already packed up the fabric and cotton she wanted and was about to pay.
"I'll do it." Zhou Yan quickly stepped forward, shoved Zhou Momo into her hands, and took out his money to pay.
Comrade Old Zhou, on the other hand, stepped forward and carried the two large bags tied with rope.
Aunt Zhao asked with a smile, "Where did you all go? Why didn't you come back for so long?"
"Uh… well…" Comrade Old Zhou's eyes darted away.
"We went to buy Momo a little frog. We couldn't walk past the toy section." Zhou Yan paid and then took over the conversation with a smile.
"Hey, Guo Guo bought me a toad." Zhou Momo said, grinning as she proudly held up the little frog.
"Your Guo Guo is so good to you." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, playfully pinching her nose. She glanced at Zhou Yan's canvas shoes and said, "I'll buy you a new pair, the soles of these are almost worn through."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded. He definitely needed new shoes, he ran everyday, and they wore out quickly.
Aunt Zhao wanted to buy him a pair of leather shoes, but he refused and instead bought two pairs of rubber-soled liberation shoes for eight yuan, which were cheap and durable.
The Warrior sneakers in the counter cost ten yuan a pair, more fashionable than the Liberation Shoes, but also significantly more expensive.
"He only know how to spend money on us. Young people should dress more presentably." Zhao Tieying shook her head as she watched Zhou Yan pay. She glanced at the black leather jacket hanging in the counter, priced at over a hundred yuan, and muttered to herself, "Get him a leather jacket for the Chinese New Year. I think he'll look much more dashing than that young man at noon."
Zhou Yan brought over the shoes and said with a smile, "There's nothing else we need to buy, so shall we head out? There are too many people, it's making us feel uneasy."
Everyone came out of the department store, a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads.
Just then, a breeze blew by, and they immediately felt cool.
"Too many people. City people are really willing to spend, scrambling to buy such expensive things." Zhao Tieying remarked with a smile.
"Not all of them are city people, there are also people like us with bent legs who come to the city to shop." Zhou Miao added.
Zhou Yan and Zhao Tieying both laughed upon hearing this, the bent-legged posture was a self-deprecating joke among farmers.
Zhou Momo didn't understand what they were laughing at, but as the ever enthusiastic one, she immediately joined in the laughter.
Today, they went shopping in town. Zhou Yan hadn't taken down the two back baskets hanging on the back of his seat. Inside were clean urea bags lined with them, he stuffed cotton wadding and fabric inside and they were almost full.
This fabric was enough to make four sets of cotton-padded clothes and four pairs of trousers, costing a total of 26.6 yuan. That wasn't even enough to buy a decent Zhongshan suit at the department store.
When it comes to daily life, they still have to rely on Aunt Zhao.
Zhou Yan calculated that this trip to the department store cost 270.9 yuan.
That was quite a big purchase.
The weather is getting colder everyday, and having a tailor make clothes means waiting for the production time, which is a necessary expense.
Over there, Comrade Old Zhou had already taken the jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to Aunt Zhao.
"What?" Aunt Zhao took it without hesitation, paused for a moment when she saw the three characters "Lao Feng Xiang" on it, then opened it. Her eyes lit up at the glittering gold, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Gold earrings!"
She looked at the earrings in the box, then at the father and son, still somewhat incredulous: "Bought them?"
"The receipt is here, it can't be stolen." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "My dad used an advance of his salary to buy it for you. He said you always stop to look at it every time you come here. He haven't bought you any gold jewelry all these years, so he had to arrange it for you today."
"Yes!" Comrade Old Zhou nodded, smiling somewhat shyly.
"So expensive, why buy it..." Aunt Zhao muttered, reaching out to pick up the earrings and examining them in her palm, her eyes sparkling. "They're beautiful! Even more beautiful than the pair I saw last year."
"Well, my dad's taste is still spot on. He said you'd definitely like these." Zhou Yan said.
"Sanshui…" Aunt Zhao looked up at Comrade Old Zhou, her eyes already a little moist.
"They're a bit small. I'll buy you a bigger pair next time." Comrade Old Zhou said with a slightly awkward smile, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"That's big enough!" Aunt Zhao laughed, gently punching Comrade Old Zhou's chest. "One pair is enough. Do I have two pairs of ears? Why buy so many?"
"Hehe." Comrade Old Zhou chuckled sheepishly.
"You take it. I'll put it on, so it doesn't fall off." Aunt Zhao handed the box to Comrade Old Zhou, walked to the window of the department store, and put on the gold earrings while looking out the window.
She then re-tied her hair, which had been covering her ears, revealing both ears and the glittering earrings.
"Does it look good?" Aunt Zhao returned and asked Comrade Old Zhou.
"It looks good!" Comrade Old Zhou nodded. "The earrings are beautiful, but you look even better."
"You have excellent taste." Aunt Zhao's smile grew even brighter.
"Mommy's new earrings, they look so pretty!" Zhou Momo clapped her hands as she sat on the front bar.
Zhou Yan's lips also curved into a slight smile, the love of his parents' generation was simple yet sweet.
In the bustling shopping mall, one subconsciously loses track of time. He glanced at his watch and saw it was already four o'clock. They had been shopping in the mall for more than two hours.
"Come on, let's go. It's a rare treat to be here, let's look around the city." Aunt Zhao said with a smile, sitting on the back of the bicycle and putting her arm around Comrade Old Zhou's waist.
Zhou Yan replied, "Let's take a walk around, have dinner, and then go back. There's nothing at home."
Aunt Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go to Jiazhou Port later. It used to be called Ying Chun Men Wharf. It's very lively there. Dong Da Street, Jiao Chang Ba Street, and Ban Chang Street are all very bustling. There are food stalls everywhere. There are many restaurants and many vendors. Speaking of which, I want to eat Ermei tofu pudding."
"Tofu pudding!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "I want to eat sweet tofu pudding too!"
"Let's go then, let's go to Dong Da Street, we can eat and stroll around." Zhou Yan nodded. He knew that place well too. It was lively now, and it would be even more lively forty years from now.
Comrade Old Zhou led the way, and Zhou Yan followed behind.
On the way, they passed the Jiazhou People's Cinema. Zhou Momo tilted her head and looked at it for a while, then asked curiously, "Guo Guo, who is that pretty lady in the photo? She's so beautiful!"
"That's..." Zhou Yan looked at the somewhat blurry poster on the wall, unable to recall the name for a moment.
"Those are celebrities. The pretty one on the left is Gong Xue, and the handsome guy next to her with thick eyebrows and big eyes is Zhu Shimao." Aunt Zhao chimed in with a smile.
Zhou Yan immediately remembered.
Oh, it's Old Xu!
It's obvious Aunt Zhao is a fan of Old Xu's looks.
"Next time we have time, our family will come to see a movie." Zhou Yan said.
Aunt Zhao shook her head: "Movies at the cinema cost money. The town shows movies in the open every month. We can just bring our own stools and go. It's free and lively."
The family chatted and laughed as they arrived at Dong Da Street.
Sure enough, it was crowded. Many tricycles were parked along the roadside, all occupied by vendors.
The noodle vendor had a large pot set up, the sweet-skinned duck vendor had a row of bright red ducks hanging from a pole, and there were also vendors selling candied hawthorns (tanghulu), fried skewers, bo bo chicken, and shumai...
Riding along, he was overwhelmed by the sights, unable to take it all in.
Zhou Yan glanced down at the water droplets on his legs, gently lifting Zhou Momo's chin to close her mouth: "Stop drooling, you're getting it all over my legs."
"Slurp..." Zhou Momo swallowed, turning back to him in a childish, pleading voice: "Guo Guo, I'm hungry."
"This place!" Aunt Zhao tugged at Comrade Old Zhou's clothes, and the bicycle stopped in front of a stall with a sign that read "Gan Ji Ermei Tofu Pudding."
The owners are a middle-aged couple. When they saw customers coming in, the boss's wife immediately put on a smile and said, "Want some tofu pudding? Sit here."
Zhou Yan also stopped his bicycle, put Zhou Momo down, but his gaze drifted to the "Zhao Ji Niu Hua Tofu Pudding" stall next door.
The tofu pudding stall had a large pot of thickened gravy, and next to it were three rows of small steamers filled with steamed pork intestines and beef, which served as toppings for the tofu pudding.
Toppings, tofu pudding—what an unusual combination!
Tofu pudding, in other places, the sweet and savory factions are usually locked in a fierce battle.
But Jiazhou is different.
Here, they don't participate in the sweet vs. savory debate, but there are distinct factions: the Ermei Faction, the Niu Hua Faction, the Jia Jiang Faction, the Qian Wei Faction…
They fought fiercely for the title of the best in the world.
Of course, if you say you only like tofu pudding with white sugar, you'd easily be besieged by the six major sects.
Jiazhou's tofu pudding is somewhat different from other places. A more accurate description is a thickened tofu pudding paste.
The tofu pudding itself makes up less than half the bowl, serving as a garnish.
Different factions of cooking use different toppings, each with its own strengths, leading to factional debates.
The Ermei faction is famous for its egg-infused tofu pudding.
The Niu Hua faction prefers a base of sweet potato starch, topped with the thickened tofu pudding paste, then ladled with a large spoonful of braised beef broth and beef, resulting in a richer and more fragrant flavor.
The Jia Jiang faction simplifies things, using the thickened tofu pudding paste as a base, topped with fried peanuts, crispy fried dough twists, steamed beef, and pork intestines. The ingredients are plentiful and varied, ensuring that every bite is packed with flavor.
Zhou Yan, when he was a food blogger, visited Jiazhou countless times. Besides Rongcheng, it was the place he knew best in Sichuan, and he could speak eloquently about its food.
Being a food blogger isn't easy. Just having appealing eating habits isn't enough, the field is too competitive.
Although Zhou Yan's success was 30% due to his expertise, 70 % due to luck, and 90% due to his looks, he still put in considerable effort to achieve that 30% expertise.
Next door to the next door, there was a "Liu Ji Jia Jiang Tofu Pudding" stall.
That's it!
The strongest members of various sects never fear competition, they always want to gather together and vie for supremacy.
Clearly, Aunt Zhao was a staunch supporter of the Ermei Sect.
However, she was unaware that in this family, her eldest son had already developed disloyal intentions and joined the Niu Hua Sect next door.
"I'd like a bowl of egg-infused tofu pudding, with steamed beef." Aunt Zhao ordered first, then looked at the three of them and asked, "What toppings do you want?"
"I want to eat the Niu Hua Tofu Pudding next door." Zhou Yan said, pointing to the stall without sitting down.
"Hmm?" Aunt Zhao was somewhat surprised.
The owner of Gan Ji's sharp gaze immediately pierced over, carrying a hint of menacing murderous intent.
The boss's wife of Zhao Ji next door, however, beamed with smiles and greeted him warmly, "Handsome guy, would you like some tofu pudding? What toppings?"
"One serving of steamed pork intestines and one serving of steamed beef, a little spicy." Zhou Yan ordered decisively, then sat down contentedly diagonally opposite Aunt Zhao.
This was the furthest distance between them at the table, factional disputes were always like this.
"And you? Could it be that you also have ulterior motives?" Aunt Zhao raised an eyebrow, looking at Comrade Old Zhou who hadn't sat down yet.
Comrade Old Zhou hesitated, then said, "I want to try Jia Jiang tofu pudding. I haven't had it in a long time. The last time was three years ago."
Zhou Yan's eyebrows twitched. Good heavens, one family, three factions, won't they start fighting while they're eating?
"Go ahead." Aunt Zhao waved her hand without saying anything, the gold earrings were still warm.
Comrade Old Zhou happily went next door and ordered a bowl of Jia Jiang tofu pudding, then carefully sat down opposite Aunt Zhao.
"And you? What do you want to eat?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Momo.
"I want sweet tofu pudding." Zhou Momo said.
The boss's wife shook her head. "Then go buy it next door. We don't have sweet tofu pudding here."
"We don't have it either." the boss's wife next door echoed, shaking her head.
Zhou Momo pouted, her big eyes immediately welling up with tears as she stared at the boss and his wife.
The boss couldn't take it anymore and quickly waved his hands, saying, "Okay, okay, okay! Don't cry, sweetie. I'll add sugar for you, and I'll add extra tofu pudding. It'll be delicious. My granddaughter loves sweet tofu pudding too."
The boss's wife was amused and tacitly approved of her husband's unconventional way of making tofu pudding.
What could she do? This little darling was just so adorable.
Zhou Momo smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Auntie!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome." the boss's smile widened, and he added an extra spoonful of sugar.
Zhou Yan silently turned his face away, thinking through all the saddest things in his life, and barely managed to suppress the corners of his mouth.
Good heavens! This seemingly harmonious family couldn't even share a bowl of tofu pudding!
Aunt Zhao's Ermei style egg-infused tofu pudding was served first.
[1] Notes: "Three turns and one sound" also known as "four major items" refers to four household items: radio, bicycle, sewing machine, and watch.