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

"Saleswoman, how much is this watch?"

Zhou Rui spoke to the saleswoman again, and she was very accommodating, quickly finishing her work and coming over.

"Young man, this watch just arrived a few days ago, and it's the only one we have left. If you need it, I'll give it to you for 30."

The saleswoman offered a price, and Zhou Rui nodded. He didn't say anything more, and then took out three more ten-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to the saleswoman.

Adding the forty-odd yuan I just spent, and the thirty yuan I'm spending now, it's only been about ten minutes.

In just ten minutes, Zhou Rui had already spent over seventy yuan!

At that time, a farmer's average annual income was only four or five hundred yuan, and seventy yuan was almost equivalent to two months' net income.

Upon hearing this, the saleswoman couldn't help but sigh:

"Young man, you need to be careful with your money; it's not easy to earn it."

Despite her words, the saleswoman still took the watch out of the glass case, wrapped it up, and handed it to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui smiled shyly and said:

"Our home is missing these items. If we don't buy them now, we won't feel the same way when we want to buy them later."

Zhou Rui honestly said that although the saleswoman was quite progressive, she didn't understand what he meant and just thought he was talking nonsense.

Frugality is advocated now, so it's no wonder she would say that.

But Zhou Rui was thinking about something else entirely.

In his previous life, Grandpa never owned a chess set until he passed away. It wasn't that chess sets were expensive, but rather that the old man simply couldn't bear to spend the money to buy one.

The old man always put his children and grandchildren first, and for himself, he would wear his clothes as long as they could be patched.

If the food is palatable, I will definitely give it to my children and grandchildren as something delicious and nutritious.

This is an old person's obsession; they always feel that children are everything, while their own hobbies are not worth mentioning at all.

But in this life, Zhou Rui doesn't want to leave any regrets.

Therefore, Zhou Rui kept these seemingly dispensable items in mind, and he didn't care about being frugal.

Money can be earned back, but if the elderly's wishes and the things their families cherish only exist in their minds...

What's the point of making money then? It becomes meaningless.

Zhou Rui has once again acquired a large "high-end" watch. Now, the Zhou family has two of the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a watch, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a radio), and only lacks a 28-inch bicycle and a sewing machine.

The saleswoman also took the three large bills.

Zhou Rui held the wrapped watch. The time had already been calibrated by the saleswoman, but it would still need to be calibrated periodically in the future.

Zhou Shiwei had wanted a watch for a long time because time is especially important for people who work away from home, especially when they go into the mountains.

If the four members of the Zhou family had had a watch when they went into the mountains last time, they probably wouldn't have been so anxious to guess the time.

That way, he could be more at ease. Zhou Rui still remembers the frown on his father's face when he was calculating the time.

So now that I've come across this, I'll buy it.

This time he brought a full 100 yuan with him, ten 10-yuan bills, and he still has more than 20 yuan in his hand, which is still a huge sum of money.

Zhou Rui held the watch, his eyes scanning the items under the glass display case.

Zhou Ming had already walked over to Zhou Rui with the packaged radio in his arms, and he was looking at the contents of the radio as well.

However, my gaze still couldn't help but drift towards the "comic books" at the entertainment counter.

It was actually a comic book. Zhou Ming's gaze fell on a brand-new comic book titled "Three Battles with the White Bone Demon," his eyes already drawn to the Monkey King on it.

Zhou Rui also came over at this time, because the chess pieces were also there.

However, Zhou Rui did not disturb Zhou Ming, nor did he show any desire to buy anything. He just glanced at Zhou Ming and then began searching the shelves inside.

He was looking for a chess set, and specifically a valuable, "brand name" chess set.

Zhou Rui vaguely remembered that there was a small chance of it being sold here in his previous life, but sales were very poor because it was a bit expensive.

Most people still prefer plastic ones because they are cheap, usually costing only a few dollars, but the feel is particularly poor.

Then there are the better chess sets made of hardwood, which are much more expensive, costing 3 to 4 yuan, which puts them out of reach for many people.

Old Xia's chess set was made of hardwood.

However, Zhou Rui wasn't looking for either of those two. Seeing that they weren't on the shelf, Zhou Rui simply asked directly:

"Sister, do you have any 'Yongzi' brand chess pieces?"

The "Yongzi" brand was originally made for Go (Weiqi) games, but Zhou Rui is unsure if it still exists here.

Upon hearing this term, the saleswoman was initially stumped. She frowned and pondered for a while, remaining silent for quite some time.

Finally, another elderly saleswoman spoke up in a loud voice:

"Young man, 'Yongzi' has stopped production. How do you know this brand? It's an old brand. I've only heard about it from my father. I heard it's very expensive."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui felt a pang of regret. This chess set was of very high quality and could definitely be considered a collectible.

It only gradually became popular in later generations, and now it has been discontinued.

"Moreover, I heard that Yongzi doesn't have chess at all, only Go."

The old woman continued speaking, and then went back to doing other things.

The young saleswoman then apologized, but Zhou Rui waved his hand to say it was alright, and then pointed to the top set of carved hardwood chess pieces and asked:

"Sister, how much is this?"

The saleswoman looked in the direction Zhou Rui was pointing to, and saw that it was the best chess set in the entire supply and marketing cooperative, even better than the one Old Xia had.

The saleswoman seemed used to this young man's generous spending, and replied in the same tone:

"4 yuan, no bargaining."

The saleswoman didn't lower the price again, but Zhou Rui shamelessly said:

"Sister, look how much stuff I've bought, can you give me a discount?"

Finally, Zhou Rui persisted and begged until his lips were almost worn out, and finally managed to get it for 3.8 yuan.

Having acquired another item, Zhou Rui didn't stop, continuing to focus his attention on the comic book.

Then, Zhou Rui chuckled:

"Hey, sister, give me ten of those comic books, different ones, so we can make a set."

Zhou Rui's repeated consumption of such entertainment items had already attracted the attention of those around him.

Upon seeing Zhou Rui buy so many comic books in one go, one of the children couldn't resist any longer.

He tugged at his mother's clothes, crying, "Mom, I want some too... I want some too..."

However, the mother left with her child, because nowadays even oil and fat are a luxury for most villagers, let alone money to buy such entertainment.

Zhou Rui ignored her and looked sincerely at the saleswoman, who already regarded him as some kind of "young master".

At this moment, Zhou Ming was the happiest. He was holding the wrapped radio and looking at Zhou Rui with disbelief in his eyes.

"Brother! You're the best brother in the world!"