Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 200 Chance Encounter
On Jianguomen Street.

On a red and white bus, Wang Li and a young man were chatting in the back.

The man wore black-rimmed glasses, had a middle-part hairstyle, and was dressed in a dark blue down jacket. This was Wang Li's husband, Ding Zhigang.

The couple had arranged to go shopping at Friendship Shopping Mall with Wang Weiguang and his family of three.

Ding Zhigang held Wang Li's hand: "Wife, what do you want to buy at Friendship Store?"

“Last time I went to my mom’s, Tingting left a bottle of perfume on the table. It smelled really good, and I really liked it. It’s a foreign brand called Dior. I heard that Tingting’s boyfriend bought it for her at the Friendship Store. I want to buy one too.”

At this point, she glanced up at her husband and asked, "Tingting said it's quite expensive. Are you willing to buy it?"

"If you're willing to spend, you're willing to spend. What's there to be reluctant about? It's not like we can't afford it. If you want to buy it, just buy it." At this point, Ding Zhigang asked curiously, "Have you met Tingting's boyfriend? What does he look like?"

"I heard she's alright looking, but I've never seen her. I only know she sells preserved vegetables and made a lot of money this year."

"That's true, otherwise how could a country guy like him have won Tingting over? But individual businesses can make or lose money, so it's not as stable as working for the government."

“Who says otherwise? That’s what I told my mom too.” Wang Li also felt that a stable job was better, and continued, “A couple of days ago, Li Zhe delivered groceries to our house, and my mom invited him to stay for dinner. My mom specially made him a plate of braised pork. Guess what?”

Ding Zhigang frowned slightly: "Is the braised pork too salty?"

"Hey! Otherwise, my husband wouldn't have been able to get into university. He's so smart!" Wang Li patted her husband's shoulder and said with a smile, "But they didn't give my mom any face at all. They said the braised pork my mom made was too salty and fishy, ​​and then they even taught my mom how to cook it on the spot! My mom was so angry."

Ding Zhigang shook his head: "That's why I keep saying that our children must go to university in the future. University not only allows you to learn knowledge, but also broadens your horizons, lets you meet more people, and learn more about different things."

Only by being well-informed and knowledgeable can one handle situations with composure.

Wang Li looked at her husband with a hint of admiration: "Honey, if it were you, how would you handle this?"

Ding Zhigang smiled and said, "Just eat two more steamed buns and it'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" Wang Li didn't understand.

Ding Zhigang pinched Wang Li's nose: "Silly girl, if the meat is too salty, eat a steamed bun instead."

"That meat is salty and fishy, ​​you're willing to eat it?"

"What does it matter if I have to suffer a little, as long as I can marry you!"

Wang Li was a little confused: "What does making you eat salty braised pork have to do with marrying me? It's not like I'll marry you just because you eat braised pork."

“If I eat the braised pork, you might not marry me. But if I don’t eat the braised pork and instead say that your mother’s braised pork is not good, your mother will definitely be unhappy, and she might really not let you marry me.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? My mom isn't that kind of person." Wang Li also understood the implication. "Besides, what can you possibly learn from eating a piece of braised pork?"

Ding Zhigang pushed up his black-rimmed glasses: "One of our coworkers had a similar experience. It was his first time visiting his future mother-in-law's house, and before he could even say a few words, his girlfriend's grandfather fainted. And guess what?"

"Going to buy medicine for the old man?" Wang Li guessed.

"Buying medicine is nothing! That guy just carried his girlfriend's grandfather on his back, ran two blocks, and took him to the hospital. The doctor did the tests and said it might be low blood sugar, so he carried him back home."

Not long after, my coworker and his girlfriend got married.

Wang Li seemed to have guessed something: "Is that old man faking illness? What's he after?"

"A son-in-law is like half a son. What they're testing is the man's attitude."

Wang Li shook her head: "Anyway, I can't understand it."

Ding Zhigang chuckled, finding his wife adorably silly: "If people could understand each other, there wouldn't be so many disputes."

He had eaten that salty and fishy braised pork before, but at that time the two were not yet married, and he was not sure if his wife knew, so he did not tell her.

To be honest, he wasn't too optimistic about that guy named Li Zhe. If he couldn't even please his future mother-in-law, how was he going to marry her daughter?

Ultimately, it was youthful arrogance that caused them to suffer from a lack of education.

Just then, the bus arrived at its stop, which was right next to the Friendship Store.

After the two got off the bus, they saw Wang Weiguang and his wife, along with Wang Ting, standing not far from the bus stop sign.

Ding Zhigang helped his wife out of the car and greeted her with a smile: "Mom and Dad, Tingting, when did you arrive?"

Wang Weiguang said, "We just arrived too. Let's go in now that everyone's here."

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone walked together toward the Friendship Store.

Chen Shufang lagged behind by two steps and glanced at her daughter's stomach: "Did you eat anything yesterday?"

"It's alright, I just want something sweet and sour."

"If you want something sour, go ahead." Chen Shufang handed her daughter a stack of foreign exchange certificates. "These are for you two. Buy as much as you want to eat. If you run out, Mom has some more." Wang Li took them and counted them; there were eighty foreign exchange certificates in total. "Thank you, Mom."

Wang Li put the foreign exchange certificates she was holding into her pocket: "Honey, how much do you want to spend?"

"I'll just buy a carton of cigarettes, the rest is yours."

"Are you stupid? Go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy cigarettes. Foreign exchange certificates are so precious. It would be a waste to use them to buy cigarettes."

"The supply and marketing cooperative does not sell Marlboro cigarettes at all."

"Last time, Dad gave me a pack of Marlboro cigarettes, and I took it to the factory. Guess what happened?" Before Wang Li could answer, Ding Zhigang raised an eyebrow and said smugly.
“None of my coworkers had ever seen one before. It was our factory manager, Huang, who was much more knowledgeable. He recognized it as a Marlboro at a glance and asked me for one. In the past, if I offered him a cigarette, he wouldn’t even look at it.”

In Ding Zhigang's view, what he was smoking wasn't cigarettes, but face.

How much does a pack of Marlboro cigarettes cost?

Ding Zhigang stroked his chin. He had never smoked foreign cigarettes before, so how would he know how much they cost? He guessed, "I'd estimate it's around twenty or thirty foreign exchange certificates."

Wang Li raised her chin slightly: "Okay, I'll buy it for you!"

Ding Zhigang chuckled, "Hehe, thanks, wife! I'll just buy one pack of cigarettes. With the rest of the money, you can buy whatever you want to eat. We can't let the baby in our belly go hungry."

During the conversation, the group of five entered the Friendship Store.

Standing in the lobby, Wang Li was immediately attracted by the dazzling array of foreign goods. She felt that she couldn't take it all in and didn't know where to go next.

Just then, an exclamation came from the revolving door behind them: "My goodness, this place is huge!"

Wang Li turned her head and saw a couple of similar age enter the Friendship Store. The man was wearing a military overcoat and a beanie; the woman had a square scarf wrapped around her head, a red floral cotton-padded jacket, and blue cotton-padded trousers. Their attire clearly indicated that they were from the countryside.

Those who can shop at the Friendship Store are either foreigners, overseas Chinese, or people from the elite class or those with status and position. It is not a place for ordinary people.

Wang Li had carefully selected her outfit, choosing what she considered her most expensive and appropriate attire. Even so, she felt a little guilty, but upon seeing the couple, her anxiety vanished.

However, although the couple's clothes were rustic, they were washed very clean, so they weren't offensive.

Wang Li put her arm around Ding Zhigang's shoulder and said, "Honey, let me go buy you some cigarettes first."

Ding Zhigang looked at his wife's belly and said gently, "I'm not in a hurry. Let's go buy some food first. You haven't had much of an appetite these past few days, so buy whatever you want to eat."

Wang Li nodded, greeted her parents, and the two went to the food counter.

Wang Li immediately spotted the butter cookies on the counter. She had eaten them once at her mother's house before. They were rich in milk flavor, crispy in texture, and the cookie box was also very exquisite. After eating the cookies, you could use the box to store other things.

She pointed to the butter cookies and asked, "Comrade, how much is that box of cookies?"

The waiter said, "It's a 6 yuan foreign exchange coupon. This cookie is very popular, especially during the Chinese New Year period; it's almost sold out."

Wang Li felt it was a bit pricey. She had a total of eighty foreign exchange certificates, her husband wanted to buy cigarettes and budgeted thirty foreign exchange certificates, leaving her with fifty foreign exchange certificates. What she really wanted to buy was that bottle of perfume, but she was worried that if she spent too much, she wouldn't have enough money left to buy it.

Ding Zhigang noticed his wife's hesitation and said, "Lily, if you like it, we'll buy it."

Wang Li nodded: "Let's wait a bit, buy the other things first, and then buy the food on the way back."

Just as the two were about to leave, they saw the country couple also approaching.

The woman had already taken off her headscarf and pointed to the butter cookies on the counter, saying, "Weidong, those are the cookies. Xiaona gave them to me, they're so delicious."

"Comrade, give us three boxes," Li Weidong said with a smile. "If you like them, we'll buy them. You, Daya, and Xiaona can each have one box."

Malaysian Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Three boxes aren't enough, waiter, bring me four boxes."

Xiao Na is very generous. She never keeps the snacks Li Zhe buys for her to herself and lets everyone have some.

Recently, Zhu Yimin's daughter, Zhu Wen, has also been eating at the greenhouse. The two girls are about the same age and play together all day long. She has also eaten Xiao Na's snacks.

Yesterday, Zhu Yimin knew they were coming to Beijing, so he specifically asked her to buy some snacks for her daughter Zhu Wen and give her the money when they got back.

The waiter took four boxes of butter cookies from the shelf, put them in a bag, and handed them to Li Weidong, who was standing next to him: "Comrade, this will cost twenty-four foreign exchange certificates in total."

Li Weidong quickly paid the bill.

This morning, he took three hundred yuan to Li Zhe to exchange for foreign exchange certificates. He originally thought he would be lucky to get two hundred foreign exchange certificates, but to his surprise, Li Zhe gave him three hundred foreign exchange certificates directly.

Li Weidong hesitated for a moment, then accepted the gift, knowing that his younger brother was helping him out.

They're brothers, so he didn't stand on ceremony. He just told his brother to be more attentive when he works and to help him out more.

Wang Li glanced at the cookies she had been reluctant to buy, and realized that two unassuming country folk had bought four boxes at once. Feeling a little resentful, she whispered to her husband, "Let's buy something else first."

(End of this chapter)