Chapter 22: A Visit to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative

The round-faced girl felt a bit conflicted. She really liked this loungewear; it felt practical, with its long sleeves and trousers, perfect for wearing all year round. Gathering her courage, she asked about the price, "Big... Auntie, how much is a set of this loungewear?"

Seeing the girl’s cautious and endearingly innocent expression, Su Qiao named a price she considered quite low: "Nine yuan and ninety cents, no fabric coupons required."

"Really?"

Seeing the girl’s eyes light up, Su Qiao nodded with a smile.

"Auntie, could you ask your relative for me? I’d like to buy a set."

"Certainly. But I’ll have to take my daughter back to her hospital room before I can ask for you."

"That works. Auntie, we’ll come find you in the ward after we finish our showers. Could you tell us which room you’re in?"

"I’m in 301."

"Got it, thank you, Big Sister." Once she finished speaking, the girl dashed off toward the bathhouse as if charging into battle.

Her companion, who had come with her, stared in confusion at her friend, who had just blown past like a gust of wind. "Zhang Xiaoyu, do you even have the money? You just promised to buy those clothes!"

"I do. I’ve been saving all the red envelope money my grandparents and maternal grandparents have given me since I was little."

"Your mom is so nice, never confiscating your red envelope money."

"Your mom?"

"My mom doesn't even let a single penny slip by."

Thinking of the stingy ways of Gao Shufen’s mother, Zhang Xiaoyu felt nothing but sympathy for her.

...

Su Qiao helped Fang Xiaoying put on her shoes before steadying her as she stood up. "Let’s go, back to the ward."

"Mom, are these shoes really comfortable?" Fang Xiaoying asked, looking down at the black suede flat cloth shoes on her feet as she walked.

Su Qiao hadn't expected that a simple, inexpensive pair of traditional Beijing cloth shoes would make Fang Xiaoying so happy.

"Mom, this outfit and these shoes must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Not much. At most, it just means we won't be buying vegetables for the rest of the summer."

"If we don't buy vegetables, what will we eat?" Fang Xiaoying suddenly remembered the small vegetable patch at home and chuckled. "Mom, you’re just teasing me."

"Mom is telling the truth. We planted all those vegetables at home precisely to save on grocery money. And the money we save goes straight to buying our Xiaoying pretty clothes."

"Mom, you’re the best."

"Of course I am."

The mother and daughter returned to the ward, chatting and laughing. Several women in the room took a keen interest in Fang Xiaoying’s outfit, which scared Su Qiao into secretly putting the other set of clothes back into her supermarket space, not daring to bring it out again.

"Mom—" Fang Xiaoying signaled to her mother, not forgetting the promise she had made to the girl.

"Mm. I’ll go now and be back soon."

"Mom, where are you going?" Fang Xiaofeng asked, chasing after his mother as she picked up her bag.

"I’ll be back in a little while. Stay here with your sister, and you can head home once I return."

"Okay. Take your time, Mom, I’m not in a hurry."

"Mm." Once Su Qiao left the hospital, she headed toward the nearest supply and marketing cooperative. She wanted to see for herself what kind of goods were being sold in the cooperatives of this era.

After walking for about five or six minutes, she arrived at the largest supply and marketing cooperative in Tiexi.

Despite it being working hours, there was quite a line of old men and women waiting to buy goods. She saw a sea of heads the moment she walked through the door, especially at the counter selling non-staple foods.

It really is a different time, Su Qiao mused again. Among all those heads, not a single one was balding, and none looked particularly bloated.

Regardless of the era, these old men and women were always the primary force of shoppers. Considering their "combat effectiveness," she weighed the situation for a few minutes and decided to give up. She knew she couldn't squeeze past them, so she might as well look at other things.

Su Qiao browsed through the cooperative, lingering a bit longer at the fabric and ready-to-wear counters. This drew several cold glares from the salesclerk, whose meaning was clear: "If you can't afford it, move aside and don't block my sales. And honestly, why dress like that at your age—who are you trying to seduce?"

Su Qiao: She truly wasn't impressed by the ready-to-wear of this era. Even the most popular "dacron" fabric was so non-absorbent she wouldn't even use it to wipe her feet.

Su Qiao gave her a dismissive look, used her ration coupons to buy a jar of canned peaches and some wrapping paper, and left the store.

Walking slowly on her way back, she scouted out a corner where no one was passing by. When she emerged, she had several new items in her hands: a set of loungewear in a plastic bag, a pound of pork belly, a pound of eggs, and two packs of mung bean cakes.

When Su Qiao returned to the ward, the girl was already waiting. Seeing the loungewear Su Qiao handed her, the girl couldn't put it down. She hurriedly handed a thick stack of small-denomination bills to Su Qiao. "Auntie, could you count this?"

Su Qiao smiled and split the money with Fang Xiaofeng, asking him to help. The mother and son finished counting quickly—it was exactly nine yuan and ninety cents.

"It’s perfect! I’m going now!" The girl hugged the loungewear and ran off, fearing that if she moved too slowly, the other person might change their mind.

Watching the girl run off into the distance, Su Qiao handed the pork belly, eggs, and a pack of mung bean cakes to her son to take home. "Your grandmother said they’re making dumplings today. Take these back with you."

"Okay!" Knowing they were having dumplings at home, Fang Xiaofeng was thrilled.

"Tell your uncle and aunt to come over for dumplings, too."

"I know, don't you worry."

Fang Xiaoying had only felt safe enough to fall asleep once she saw her mother return. Su Qiao hadn't understood why at first, but she later realized her daughter was afraid that their belongings might be snatched by others.

People from the ward next door had come over to gawk at the new shoes her mother had bought her. There was even one shameless woman who had actually asked to borrow the shoes for her daughter, who was going on a blind date the next day.

Asking to borrow shoes for a blind date—she couldn't imagine what that woman was thinking.

Su Qiao hadn't known about this incident. Seeing her daughter asleep, she wanted to take her soiled clothes to the washroom. The older woman next to her quickly stopped her. "The child is asleep, you shouldn't leave."

Su Qiao: "...?"

"That woman from the next ward really has her eyes on your daughter's shoes. She’s been pestering your daughter for ages, trying to borrow them for her girl’s date."

"You’re kidding!" Su Qiao hadn't expected to encounter such a ridiculous situation. "We don't even know that person. Why would she try to borrow shoes from our Xiaoying? Is she trying to be a comedian?"

"Who knows what she’s thinking? I reckon she’s just thick-skinned and looking to take advantage."

"Exactly," added Sister Zhou from the side. "She’s definitely trying to trick the child into lending them, and then she’d never give them back."

"People like that actually exist!"

"It takes all kinds to make a world."

"It’s all because of poverty. As the old saying goes, 'poverty breeds petty schemes.'"

"I wouldn't say that. There’s another saying: 'Though one may be poor, one’s spirit remains unyielding.'"

"Hey, I agree with that one."