1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 147 Bundling
The cities of Qi and Lu have always sought to be "complete";
Big cities pursue “big and complete”; small cities pursue “small and complete”.

Therefore, even though Linyi is now a small city with a permanent population of less than 200,000, and even though the "Statue of a Lying Cow Rising", which can be regarded as a city landmark, has not yet been built, the city has everything it should have.

Linyi Grand Theater, County Cinema, Liming Restaurant, State-owned Photo Studio, Agricultural Machinery Building, Cotton Textile Factory, Flour Mill, Winery, Brewery, Towel Factory...

The military green 212 was driving slowly in the county town at a speed of less than 30 yards. Looking out the car window at these names that some still exist in later generations or have disappeared in the long river of history, Yang Mo, who seldom left the drilling company's small business, once again felt a dreamlike sense of unreality.

squeak~
The car stopped somewhere.

Mu Liya gently pushed someone who seemed to be still in a daze: "Hey, Yang Mo, why are you still standing there? We are here, get off the car."

Yang Mo collected his thoughts, said "oh", and then with a little effort, he opened the car door.

The two-and-a-half-story building in front of you, which is slightly in the style of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of China, is the once famous county department store... Before the 1990s, this place, like the county cinema, was once known as the most famous high-end place in the county.

However, after decades of wind and rain, this building, which could barely be called a building, had become dilapidated. If Yang Mo's memory was correct, in a few years at most, this department store would gradually fade out of history like the county cinema; it would be replaced by the "Lulin Shopping Mall" which had been glorious for nearly a decade.

After explaining things to the driver, Miss Mu came over and glared at him unhappily: "Go in. It's sunny here, aren't you afraid of the sun?"

Obviously, the young lady, who had to find a bank and wasted nearly 20 minutes because of someone's reasons, still has not gotten rid of the resentment in her heart.

Yang Mo, who had successfully defeated a local tyrant, glanced with a smile at the shoulder bag on Miss Mu's shoulder that was slightly bulging, and suddenly walked forward. In the other party's somewhat stunned and dazed eyes, he stretched out his arms and moved the exquisite calfskin double-buckle bag from the back waist to the front.

After feeling safe, Yang Mo nodded with satisfaction: "Miss, I know you are wealthy and don't care about two or three thousand yuan, but this is related to my small color TV, right?... These days are not very stable, and the department store is not like those high-end places you often go in and out. It won't hurt to be careful!"

Perhaps it was because the weather was too hot, Miss Mu's enviably beautiful face turned red. After a proud snort, she fanned her nose in disdain: "You smell like sweat, I don't know how many days you haven't showered... I really don't know how you can stand it."

From beginning to end, she never mentioned the money in the bag, nor did she even glance at the double-buckle bag around her waist.

Yang Mo sniffed his clothes in confusion.

There is no sweat smell.

And I just took a shower the day before yesterday!
But he never argued with women about this issue, and just shrugged nonchalantly: "Stinky man, stinky man, if he doesn't stink, how can he be called a man... Just get used to it!"

Used to it?

For some reason, Mu Liya subconsciously felt guilty. She turned around and glanced at the driver who had got out of the car and was squatting smoking, then turned around and glared at the bastard hatefully.

"Let's go, it's so hot outside, let's go in quickly!"

Mu Liya put her hand in front of her forehead, blocking the sun that was beginning to shine, and also blocking the blush on her face...

........................

I have to admit that there is really not much to see in department stores these days.

Although there are a wide variety of goods on the shelves, most of them are clothes, washbasins, towels, soaps, cloths, candies, spittoons, thermoses and the like. At first glance, they all look the same. Except for slightly different patterns and names, there is really no difference in the rest.

What's even more petty is that these things are surrounded by a glass cabinet, with a menopausal salesperson in the middle, who looks like she's only for viewing and not touching. If it weren't for the price tags on the counter, one would almost think these things are priceless treasures.

Although there are indeed some objective historical factors to consider here, it is indeed a bit disappointing for a reborn person.

Fortunately, Yang Mo was not a person who liked shopping in malls. In addition, with the filter of the times, it was not boring to visit and appreciate the glass cabinets one by one like visiting a museum.

Glancing at the far fewer customers in the mall than usual, Miss Mu couldn't stand this guy's old-timer demeanor, so she grabbed Yang Mo's sleeve and pulled him from the daily necessities section to the food section.

"I really don't understand you. What's so good about a bunch of enamel basins and thermoses... And, do you know that it's weird for a grown man to stare at a spittoon with a smile on his face... It's only because of the reform and opening up now. If it were in the past, you would have been arrested as an enemy spy!"

Mu Liya let go of her hand and whispered with a teasing look on her face.

It would not be necessary to arrest Yang Mo as an enemy spy, but more than ten years ago, it was very likely that a guy who looked sly and laughed at a spittoon would be sent to a mental hospital.

Yang Mo naturally wouldn't tell her that he had just imagined in his mind the scene of Westerners treating Chinese enamel spittoons as high-end utensils and pouring beer into them to enjoy a feast. Hearing this, he just chuckled and said, "Don't you think the patterns on those washbasins and spittoons are well done?"

Enamel products these days are still classified into different levels. Although most of the patterns on second- and third-grade enamel products are printed, many of the patterns on first- and special-grade products are hand-drawn by painters. Therefore, they have great collection value... Just like the famous "Butterfly Brand" in the enamel world, any set of special-grade enamel tea sets produced in the 1970s and 1980s can be sold for five figures in later generations.

Although the overall enamel painting and coloring techniques in Qilu are indeed inferior to those in Shanghai, there are also many fine products... You know, places like Zibo, Zibochuan, and Boshan are important bases of ceramics and colored glaze in China!
Take the "A Thousand Colors" enamel washbasin and "Gold-Painted Rich Peony" enamel spittoon that Yang Mo appreciated just now. If they were kept in good condition, they could be sold for at least a small to medium-sized amount in the future.

Yang Mo just made up a lie, but Mu Liya believed it. After all, it was he who proposed the plan of the Three Kingdoms cultural IP product for the island country. Although about 1/3 of the preliminary preparations for this project have been completed and there is no need to find additional high-level painters, everyone who has worked on the project knows that before the project is fully implemented, it is normal to compare it with related content out of excitement.

Miss Mu rolled her eyes at Yang Mo and said, "You're always telling Sister Yingying that my mind is full of work and calculations. Aren't you the same?!"

As she spoke, Mu Liya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bent down to look at the cakes and candies in the glass cabinet. "It's a rare weekend to go out for a walk, so don't just think about work all day... Hurry up and help me pick out some cakes. Although Yingying is not picky, I still have to help her choose some that she really likes... You and her are childhood friends, so you should know her well in this regard."

After saying that, he suddenly remembered something and turned his head to warn me: "Let me make it clear first, you are not allowed to mention peach cakes, red bean buns and other pastries to me!"

Yang Mo rolled his eyes: "I know, I know, you are a Hui, so I know the taboos... It's not in vain that the country girl recognizes you as her sister. She thinks about that girl wherever she goes. I can't tell whether you are her sister or her mother!"

Hearing Yang Mo's words, which were unclear whether they were praise or complaints, Miss Mu glared at him and made a threatening gesture with her hand.

Seeing this, Yang Mo quickly pointed to a corner of the cabinet and said, "This is it! That girl will definitely be happy when she sees it!"

Mu Liya glanced at the pile of golden things and looked at him in surprise: "Sugar melon? Isn't this thing everywhere? It's not something precious. Is it appropriate to bring this thing to Yingying... Or, how about we change it to Qingzhou honey three knives, or glutinous rice sticks?... If it really doesn't work, two catties of sorghum candy is better than this thing, right?"

The so-called "sugar melon" is a kind of sugar made from yellow rice and malt. It gets its name because it is often pulled into a flat round shape and looks like a small pumpkin at first glance.

Since it is often made with more yellow rice and less malt, this thing is not very sweet. In the past, when sugar desserts were not abundant, this thing was used to deal with children to satisfy their cravings. Therefore, it is much cheaper than other kinds of sweets, and it has disappeared in later generations... Just from the corner where this thing was placed on the foot of the glass cabinet, you can see the current status of sugar melon. Seeing Miss Mu's face full of doubt, Yang Mo curled his lips: "Believe me, I know that girl better than you... Although she is a greedy little cat who can roll on the ground happily with a little sweetness on her tongue, but the girl is also a very nostalgic person... Although this sugar melon is cheap and doesn't taste very sweet, it has a special meaning to the girl."

At this point, Yang Mo shrugged his shoulders and said, "Anyway, you just need to know that if you bring her other candies, the girl might be happy, but that's all; but if you give her a bunch of rotten and cheap candies, she will definitely squint her eyes... In fact, if you can find someone to cut a bunch of tender corn stalks for her to chew, she will definitely hug you and act like a spoiled sister!"

This……

Mu Liya was stunned for a while after hearing this, but her expression gradually became one of pity.

After sighing, he didn't say anything, but turned around and gave a reserved smile to the wooden-faced saleswoman at the counter: "Comrade, please help us choose two whole sugar melons... No need to break them!"

………………

Twenty minutes later, Yang Mo, carrying four or five bags, weakly followed Miss Mu to the second floor where all kinds of large items were sold.

Huh?
Seeing the rather deserted hardware and electrical appliance area, Yang Mo first wandered around the counters selling sewing machines and tape recorders, then admired the row of green refrigerators displayed in the corner, and finally found the color TV counter.

Glancing at the black-and-white TVs piled high with goods next door, and then at the color TV counter with only one sample on the counter, Yang Mo frowned.

Mitsubishi?
Could it be that... there is no stock today?
Looking at the color TV ticket in his hand with the words "one 18-inch Camellia color TV" written on it, Yang Mo cast a puzzled look at Mu Liya.

Mu Liya was not surprised. She took the color TV ticket from Yang Mo, walked to the salesperson who was knitting a sweater, and knocked on the cabinet: "Hello, comrade."

When the salesperson heard that a customer was coming, he didn't even bother to raise his head: "Are you buying a color TV? Do you have a color TV ticket? If you don't have a ticket, turn left when you exit the store."

Mu Liya seemed accustomed to this attitude and nodded: "Yes."

The salesperson still didn't look up, but just counted the needles carefully. After more than ten seconds, the bamboo needles in his hand continued to move: "Now only Mitsubishi color TVs and Camellia color TVs are in stock, and only 18-inch ones... Tickets that are not for these two types of color TVs cannot be used today; tickets for smaller than 18 inches cannot be used either."

Seeing that the old lady never raised her head to look at the two of them, Mu Liya couldn't help but frowned: "Comrade, the color TV ticket in my hand is for the 18-inch Camellia color TV."

The salesperson sighed impatiently, found a piece of branch and wrote down the number of stitches on the sweater. Then he stretched out his free left hand and said in a muffled voice, "Give me the ticket!"

Upon hearing this, Miss Mu gently pushed the color TV ticket to the inside of the counter, but did not hand it directly to the aunt.

The salesperson who had noted down the number of stitches on the sweater looked up with some displeasure when he found that nothing was put into his hands.

When I looked up, I saw a face in front of me that was so beautiful that it made me feel uncomfortable.

After glancing at the color TV ticket lying quietly on the counter, the salesperson slapped and dragged it on the counter in a way that seemed to vent his anger, took it in his hand and looked at it, then said coldly: "An 18-inch Camellia color TV, 1420.5 yuan;"

"A box of Panhe brand toilet paper costs 0.7 yuan;"

"A Fenyong brand thermos bottle, 1.6 yuan;"

"Two Baihua brand second-grade mandarin duck enamel washbasins, 2.8 yuan;"

"A high-end sponge pencil case, 3.5 yuan;"

"One pair of plastic slippers for men and women, 6.4 yuan each;"

"Ten pairs of high-end nylon socks for men and women, 8.4 yuan each;"

"A high-foot washbasin stand, 7.4 yuan;"

"A Red Wave brand oil towel blanket, 14 yuan;"

"Honglang brand 80-count cotton four-piece bedding set, 27 yuan;"

"One Wuyue brand high-level official document submission costs 40 yuan;"

"A Feiyan brand bicycle, 140 yuan..."

I watched the middle-aged woman skillfully reading out numbers while scribbling quickly on the receipt.

Mu Liya glanced at the bags of candy in Yang Mo's hand, and looked at the aunt in front of her with some confusion: "No, wait a minute... Comrade, may I ask what you are doing? Those things you are talking about... don't seem to be ours, right?"

The salesman looked up when he heard this and looked at the two of them like they were fools: "Aren't you going to buy a color TV?"

Mu Liya nodded: "Yes."

The aunt lowered her head and continued writing: "Isn't that the end?"

Mu Liya was confused: "No, comrade, I don't understand what you said."

The salesman raised his head again and looked at her impatiently: "You don't understand this? ... Let me ask you one question, do you want to take the TV back today?"

Mu Liya nodded: "Since I'm here, I'll definitely buy it back!"

Seeing this pretty girl who made him jealous so innocent, the salesperson sneered with satisfaction: "That's it, isn't it? Do you think you can take this TV home with just the TV ticket if you don't buy something else?"

!!!

Mu Liya finally understood what the other party meant...

(End of this chapter)