Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Although Qian Sanduo had an eccentric temper and often looked down on the young men in the village, Zhou Shiwei was an exception.

Among the few people he would treat kindly, Zhou Shiwei was one, and Zhou Rui was half of them. Because of his affection for Zhou Rui, Zhou Rui also caught his eye.

This is because Zhou Shiwei has excellent weaving skills.

Zhou Rui parked the tricycle next to Old Master Qian's door, turned off the handbrake, and then left with Zhao Qingya and Zhou Ming.

Some people do ride tricycles into the town, but it's inconvenient to maneuver around them.

In addition, Zhou Rui and his friends are all young people who like to take advantage of any available space, so pushing a tricycle would be too much trouble.

The town was bustling with people, many of whom carried their own farm produce and handmade goods on shoulder poles and sat down on both sides of the road to sell their wares.

"Potatoes, potatoes, little brother, would you like some potatoes? Fresh yellow-fleshed potatoes, very fragrant."

As Zhou Rui and his two companions walked along the road, a villager called out to them. Zhou Rui waved his hand and said:

"No, Mom just bought a whole bagful."

After taking two more steps, a middle-aged man first glanced at Zhou Rui, then at Zhao Qingya beside him, and suddenly sat up from the ground.

"Zhou family boy! And Zhao family's prodigy girl, what are you two doing together?"

In the village, some people call Zhao Qingya a "prodigy" because she is so good at studying.

Generally, junior high school graduates would try to find a way to enter a vocational school. At this time, graduating from a vocational school means you're guaranteed a job!

However, Zhao Qingya went to high school, and she started school at a younger age.

There happens to be a high school in the area, located in the county, but it has very few students.

In this day and age, most people with the means and those who are academically strong will choose to attend vocational school and eventually secure a stable job.

Zhao Qingya was a little shy, but not intimidated; her face just turned slightly red.

Zhou Rui picked up the conversation.

"Uncle, that's not true. Uncle Zhao and my dad have a very good relationship too."

"Isn't it normal for me to bring my little sister out to play?"

Zhou Ming, who was being ignored, rolled his eyes.

The man who struck up the conversation was from the same village and was named Sun Qizhu. He had an eldest son who was 26 or 7 years old and still unmarried.

Occasionally, people in the village would point and whisper about him.

Because people in the village have a strong concept of starting a family, this age is still okay.

If you're in your thirties or forties and still unmarried, you'll be talked about behind your back, and it's common for you to be stigmatized.

Sun Qizhu looked the two of them up and down again, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes.

He felt that his son was useless.

"Brother Zhou is so lucky. His two children are all grown up, and his eldest son is about to get married."

Sun Qizhu took one last look at Zhou Ming and said these words with a sour voice.

Zhou Rui smiled slightly:

"Uncle, don't think like that. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. These days, people say that early marriage and early childbirth bring immense pressure."

"Don't worry."

Zhou Rui's words seemed to have a magical power, and Sun Qizhu nodded as if he understood but not quite.

Just as Zhou Rui was about to turn and leave, Sun Qizhu called out to the three of them.

"Here, have an apple."

Sun Qizhu took three rosy apples from the basket on the ground and handed them to the three people.

None of the three declined, and each expressed their gratitude.

After the three left, Zhou Rui vaguely heard Sun Qizhu still praising him.

"The Zhou family and that Zhao family kid are both good kids..."

……

Zhou Rui and his two companions strolled around the town but didn't buy anything, as the free market outside mostly sold necessities like rice, flour, and cooking oil.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, numerous goods were displayed under the gleaming glass cabinets, and the shelves behind them were still overflowing with a dazzling array of products.

There were three sales clerks, one of whom was a young woman in her early thirties. At that time, being a sales clerk in a supply and marketing cooperative was a very lucrative job and a secure job.

Zhou Rui led the two into the supply and marketing cooperative, because it had the most goods, the most affordable prices, and the widest selection.

Zhou Rui didn't come specifically to buy rice; he had already used up his quota of low-priced rice for the month, and although Zhou Ming still had some, it was clearly not enough.

Zhou Rui came to pick out a small gift for Zhao Qingya.

However, he didn't tell Zhao Qingya, but instead started picking things out from the display case on his own.

Zhao Qingya looked around with great curiosity, as did Zhou Ming.

Although it wasn't their first time visiting the supply and marketing cooperative, the two still enjoyed seeing new and interesting things.

Soon, Zhou Rui spotted something he thought Zhao Qingya would like.

"Big sister, how much is this?"

Zhou Rui had a sweet tongue and called out to the young sales clerk.

Generally speaking, older sales clerks in supply and marketing cooperatives are difficult to get along with.

They usually reserve the best deals and lowest prices for acquaintances.

Even worse, when others come to buy eggs, they are treated differently. If someone is an acquaintance, the eggs will be examined under a light to make sure there are no bad eggs before they are sold to that acquaintance.

If they come to buy from someone they don't know well or someone they have a grudge against, they won't obediently take out the light.

Zhou Rui understood this principle, so he greeted the young lady.

Hearing such a polite address, the saleswoman in her early thirties was in a good mood, and she asked with a smile:

"Young comrade, what would you like?"

Zhou Rui pointed to a very exquisite notebook with a small lock under the glass display case.

"Big sister, this is the notebook."

The saleswoman looked in the direction he was pointing and was somewhat surprised when she saw the item.

"Young man, this notebook is a bit expensive. Would you like to take another look?"

The saleswoman phrased it tactfully, but Zhou Rui persisted:

"Big sister, how much is it? I think I can afford it."

Seeing Zhou Rui's insistence, the saleswoman stopped trying to persuade her and quoted a price without hesitation.

"Young man, if you want it, it's 2 yuan. This is the last velvet diary I have, and it's from the county."

Two yuan is really expensive; it's enough to buy more than a pound of pork and about ten pounds of rice!

Ordinary families in the village wouldn't dare to buy it.

But Zhou Rui did know that the other party hadn't asked for the price. This kind of thing was rarely seen in rural supply and marketing cooperatives; it was usually only available in department stores in the county.

It truly belongs to the category of "high-end luxury goods" in this era.

However, Zhou Rui did not hesitate and nodded very firmly to the saleswoman.

"I want this one, it costs two dollars."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he counted out two one-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to the saleswoman.

The saleswoman was surprised that this teenager, who looked to be under 20, actually wanted to buy it.

However, she didn't say much, and took the exquisite locked diary out of the glass display case and placed it in Zhou Rui's hand.

Zhou Rui smiled and said thank you, then walked towards Zhao Qingya on the other side.

"Xiaoya, here, this is a gift for you."