Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 201 Too bad
Ding Zhigang saw through his wife's thoughts. He wanted her to buy whatever she wanted, but he only had eighty foreign exchange certificates, so he couldn't really be assertive.

The couple walked along the counter, and Ding Zhigang's eyes lit up when he saw a red and white cigarette with English writing on it: this was the Marlboro he wanted to buy.

He really liked this cigarette; it was a real status symbol.

The moment the cigarette pack is revealed, you don't even need to smoke it to become the center of attention.

His father-in-law only gave him one box last time, and now he can't bear to smoke it anymore.

He said in a flattering tone, "Wife, these are the cigarettes I want to buy."

Wang Li pointed to the Marlboro cigarettes on the shelf: "Comrade, how much is a carton of Marlboro cigarettes?"

"Seventy-six foreign exchange certificates."

"Ah! How much?" Wang Li thought she had misheard.

Ding Zhigang's face also looked rather grim. He knew these cigarettes weren't cheap, so he asked his wife for an extra ten foreign exchange certificates in the budget. He originally thought that even if they were more expensive, thirty foreign exchange certificates should be enough, but who would have thought that they would actually ask for seventy-six foreign exchange certificates.

The couple only had eighty foreign exchange certificates in total, which they spent in one pack of cigarettes.

Wang Li turned to her husband and asked, "How about I buy you two packs to smoke first?" Seeing that her husband didn't respond, Wang Li asked the clerk at the counter, "Excuse me, how much is a pack of Marlboro cigarettes?"

"Seven yuan and sixty cents in foreign exchange certificates."

"Two packs, please." Wang Li handed the other person fifteen yuan and twenty cents in foreign exchange certificates, took two packs of Marlboro cigarettes, and placed them in her husband's hand: "Here you go."

"Thanks, wife." Ding Zhigang looked at the cigarette in his hand and chuckled.

Is this a cigarette?

This is noodles!

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the side: "Give us four packs of Marlboro cigarettes."

Wang Li and Ding Zhigang turned their heads at the same time, and there was that same rural couple again.

The country woman said, "Is it four? You must be mistaken. I remember the second son asked me to buy six."

Li Weidong slapped his forehead: "Look at my memory! Six, buy six!"

Not only were Wang Li and her husband surprised, but the waiter, seeing Li Weidong and his wife's attire, also didn't expect them to be so "wealthy," and reminded them, "One carton of Marlboro cigarettes costs seventy-six foreign exchange certificates, and six cartons will cost a total of four hundred and fifty-six foreign exchange certificates."

Without saying a word, Li Weidong immediately took out his money.

The young man from Malay muttered to himself, "Damn, why are these cigarettes so expensive? Why did the second son buy so many?"

Li Weidong took the cigarette and said to his wife with a smile, "The second son said that if you give this cigarette as a gift, no one will dislike it. It's even more coveted than Moutai."

The Malaysian was a little confused: "Why? Isn't Moutai more expensive?"

“Wife, you don’t understand,” Li Weidong said with a smile. “The price of a bottle of Moutai is almost enough to buy two Marlboros. You can only drink a bottle of Moutai once, but two Marlboros can last you a year.”

Ding Zhigang watched as the waiter packed six packs of Marlboro cigarettes into an elegant bag and handed it to the country man. Then, looking at the two boxes in his own hand, he suddenly lost interest. "Honey, let's go buy some perfume."

Wang Li saw through Ding Zhigang's intentions, but what could she do? She thought to herself: God, please don't let me run into them again!

What a pity!
The couple asked for directions to the perfume counter, and Wang Li kept turning her head as she walked.

Ding Zhigang glanced back but didn't see anything unusual. "Wife, what are you looking at?"

"It's nothing," Wang Li replied dismissively. After wandering around for a while, she found the cosmetics counter and immediately spotted the Dior perfume that shimmered with an amber hue under the spotlight.

Wang Li stood by the counter, staring at the perfumes but not asking about the prices. After a while, seeing that the country couple hadn't followed her, she breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly asked, "Could you get me that bottle of perfume?"

The waiter asked, "Sir, is this the Dior perfume?"

Wang Li nodded: "Yes."

"Have you used it before? If not, we have samples available here so you can try the scent first."

"Okay, I'd like to try it out."

The waitress in the white uniform smiled, unscrewed the bottle cap, and sprayed it on Wang Li's wrist: "This is the new 'poison' series from France, and it's very popular."

Wang Li held it under her nose and smelled it. "This is the smell Tingting bought." She handed her arm to her husband: "Smell it."

Ding Zhigang leaned closer and sniffed it; it was indeed much more luxurious than the cologne from the department store. "Comrade, how much is this bottle of perfume?" he asked casually.

"One hundred and eighty-six foreign exchange certificates." The waiter's voice was soft, yet it sounded like a muffled thunderclap.

Wang Li's hand froze in mid-air—she thought she might have misheard and asked again, "How much did you just say?"

The waitress said, "It's 186 foreign exchange certificates. We've always sold it at this price. This perfume sells exceptionally well. We don't have much stock left, so if you like it, you should buy it as soon as possible."

"I'll think about it some more..." Wang Li forced a smile. This bottle of perfume was completely beyond their means. She couldn't help but glance around, her eyes catching sight of the country couple carrying large bags and small packages.

She jumped up like a mouse seeing a cat: "We don't want it anymore." She grabbed her husband's hand and turned to leave.

Not far away, the Malaysian boy sniffed and asked, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"

"It must be perfume, honey. Do you want me to buy you a bottle too?"

The Malay boy retorted, "You think I smell bad?"

Li Weidong quickly explained, "No, that's not what I meant."

“Isn’t buying this a waste of money? We’d be better off saving it to buy food for our daughter.” The young woman, having walked along the street seeing others dressed fashionably, felt her own outfit was somewhat 'inappropriate' and said to her husband:
"My second brother said that if we want to buy clothes, we can go to the department store or Dongsi Street. They have a wider variety of styles and the prices are cheaper there. Shall we go shopping there later?"

"Okay, we'll go in a bit." Li Weidong also wanted to buy his wife some city clothes and dress her up nicely.

……

Ding Zhigang chuckled dryly: "Honey, didn't you want to eat butter cookies? Let's go buy some."

"I'm not buying anymore." Wang Li was discouraged and had lost all interest in shopping.

The couple walked forward in silence. Suddenly, a voice rang out from ahead: "Lily, we're here!"

Wang Li looked up and saw her mother waving at her. She forced herself to walk over and asked instinctively, "Mom, what did you buy?"

Chen Shufang shook the bag in her hand: "Tingting bought a bottle of shampoo a couple of days ago, and it's pretty good. That brat said she wanted to take it to school. So I bought another bottle, it's so expensive, it hurt my wallet."

What did my dad buy?

“Your dad wanted to buy a foreign lighter, but it was too expensive, so I didn’t let him. Tingting wants to buy a briefcase for her boyfriend, and she’s asking your dad to help her choose one.” Chen Shufang pointed to the bag section not far away, “Isn’t that right there?”

Wang Li laughed and said, "I didn't realize that Tingting is so attentive to her boyfriend. She even picked out things for him at the Friendship Store."

As they approached, they saw Wang Weiguang posing as a model, holding a black briefcase. Wang Ting stood by, directing him: "Dad, lift it up a bit. Yes, walk forward a little. Be more natural, don't swing your arms so much. How does it feel? Is it comfortable carrying it like that?"

Wang Weiguang patted the briefcase lightly: "It feels quite comfortable to hold. And the leather is thick, and the style and workmanship are not bad either."

Chen Shufang teased from the side, "What do you like to do? It's not like I bought it for you."

"Mom, why are you saying such strange things again?" Wang Ting coughed lightly and turned to Wang Li and Ding Zhigang beside her, asking, "Sister, brother-in-law, do you think this briefcase is nice?"

Ding Zhigang walked over and took a look: "It looks nice, quite stylish." He subconsciously asked the salesperson, "How much is this briefcase?"

The waitress said, "This briefcase is made of the finest cowhide, and it comes with a matching wallet inside. The two bags together cost only 132 foreign exchange certificates, which is a great deal. Moreover, this style is the most popular in Europe; it's not only practical but also makes you look good."

During this period, Li Zhe frequently bought gifts for Wang Ting. A couple of days ago, Wang Ting saw the artificial leather briefcase that Li Zhe was using. The edges were worn, and the quality and style were just average, so she wanted to give him a new briefcase.

She carefully selected one and finally chose this one. Not only was the design novel and the workmanship exquisite, but it was also quite durable, and it even came with a matching wallet. Li Zhe didn't have a wallet, so this completed his purchase.

Wang Ting inspected the briefcase and wallet thoroughly; there were no flaws or loose seams. She said, "Comrade, please wrap them up for me; I'll take them."

"Okay." The waiter quickly put the briefcase in a plastic bag and put it in the bag. "Here you are, it's a total of one hundred and thirty-two foreign exchange certificates."

Seeing her younger sister pay right away, Wang Li's eyes widened in disbelief. She tugged at her mother's arm and said, "Mom, you're so biased! Wasn't it supposed to be forty foreign exchange certificates per person? Why did Tingting get so many?"

Chen Shufang explained, "Isn't she working part-time at her boyfriend's vegetable shop? Although she doesn't get paid, she performed well at the vegetable shop, and they gave her a 100-yuan foreign exchange certificate bonus."

"Being late or leaving early counts as good behavior?" Wang Li was both amused and exasperated, and somewhat exasperated.

Chen Shufang remembered something and asked Wang Li, "Didn't you say you wanted to buy some Dior perfume? Did you buy it?"

Wang Li said pitifully, "I'd like to buy it, but I can't afford it. Mom, could you lend me some money?"

Chen Shufang hoped that her eldest daughter could have what her younger daughter had, so she took out a white handkerchief and said, "How much do you lack? Mom will give it to you."

Seeing the few dozen foreign exchange certificates clutched in her mother's hand, Wang Li felt a little discouraged: "Forget it, Mom, I won't buy them."

"Why are you acting like a child? Come on, Mom will take you shopping."

Hearing her mother say this, Wang Li felt even more upset and whispered, "Mom, that bottle of perfume costs more than 180 foreign exchange certificates!"

"What? So expensive!" Chen Shufang's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the shampoo bag she was holding.

(End of this chapter)