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

Zhou Rui agreed, and he had no reason not to. So, after discussing it, the sales clerk, Zhou Jian, said he would go after he finished work in the afternoon.

Then, Zhou Rui looked at the cigarettes in the glass display case and said:

"Uncle Zhou, I'd like a carton of ten packs of Hongmei cigarettes, a carton of Daqianmen cigarettes, and five packs of Hongtashan cigarettes."

Zhou Rui's purchase of so many cigarettes at once was actually not in accordance with regulations, and most people wouldn't buy them like that, especially high-end cigarettes, which usually require cigarette coupons for limited supply.

However, Zhou Rui now has acquaintances.

The male sales clerk, Zhou Jian, simply said "no problem," and then deftly took out two completely unopened brand-new cigarettes and five packs of high-quality "Hongtashan" cigarettes.

These cigarettes weren't cheap, and this scene made even the older men stare in disbelief.

They actually bought "Daqianmen" and "Hongmei" cigarettes, and they bought whole cartons of them!

There were even five packs of high-end luxury "Hongtashan" cigarettes.

At some point, Zhou Rui and his brother encountered Zhang Chengyun and the Taoist priest Zhang Sheng on the road, who also came to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Chengyun's eyes widened in disbelief.

He was so heartbroken when he gave away half a pack of Hongmei plums as a favor.

So you bought them one by one?

Zhang Chengyun was filled with sourness, his lips trembled slightly, and he didn't say anything. Zhang Sheng, who was next to him, silently stuffed the half-pack of Hongmei cigarettes that he had been tricked into buying even tighter.

A murmur of conversation arose from the crowd.

"Hey, is this family hosting a banquet? They've bought so many high-end cigarettes, including Tashan!"

"They're rich. When will we be able to eat this as our staple food...?"

"What are you thinking? You think you can afford to eat Daqianmen and Hongtashan cigarettes as your staple food? You're dreaming."

"Just buy some cigarettes and satisfy your craving, okay?"

The commotion in the crowd reached Zhou Rui's ears, but he simply smiled and did not respond.

The male sales clerk, Zhou Jian, took out two brand-new packs of cigarettes and five packs of "Hongtashan" cigarettes and then exclaimed:

"You're quite filial, but this will cost a lot of money. Your grandfather will probably scold you. The old sergeant was very frugal back in the day. In the army, he wouldn't even eat a single extra bite of fried noodles."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui simply scratched his head and said:

"Let Grandpa say it. Anyway, he likes to smoke these things. He earns money so that his family can live a better life."

"Besides, the old man has worked hard for most of his life, and it's time for us children and grandchildren to show our filial piety."

Zhou Rui didn't want to buy those cheap cigarettes for his father and grandfather anymore; even the cheapest old-fashioned dry tobacco would burn their throats.

The male sales clerk didn't say anything more, just smiled and quoted a price:

"Hongmei and Daqianmen are about 38 cents each when bought individually, with little difference between them. If you buy a whole pack, I'll charge you 3.5 yuan per pack, and Hongtashan will be 70 cents per pack."

Without hesitation, Zhou Rui quickly took out the money from his pocket.

At that time, the price of cigarettes was not uniform in each supply and marketing cooperative; it often varied from place to place.

However, the overall range will not change.

The price quoted by the sales clerk Zhou Jian was actually very favorable, and the issue of cigarette coupons had also been resolved.

So Zhou Rui took out the last ten-yuan note and a fifty-cent note from the remaining stack of money and handed them to the other party.

At this point, the money in his hand had decreased sharply from the initial one hundred yuan to 10 yuan and 86 fen.

Spending money like this is among the highest in the entire town.

However, Zhou Rui didn't feel bad at all. He enjoyed spending money on his family, and it was worth it! That's the meaning of everything.

Then, he still didn't forget the "top luxury" White Rabbit milk candy. This time, he bought 30 pieces at once, spending another 2.7 yuan.

However, Zhou Rui did not stop purchasing. He asked the sales clerk, Zhou Jian, another question:

"Uncle Zhou, how much are those salt-roasted melon seeds?"

Zhou Jian responded:

"These are freshly roasted salted melon seeds from yesterday. They smell amazing. I'll give you 66 cents a pound."

"Isn't this price auspicious? I hope we can all have good luck, hahaha."

Zhou Jian has a cheerful personality, and when the price was mentioned, he immediately thought of a jingle.

Zhou Rui smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

"Yes, we can both have good luck, Uncle Zhou, could you weigh out three jin for me?"

Zhou Rui bought so many White Rabbit milk candies, as well as the melon seeds he just bought, all to prepare for tonight.

His younger cousin and his sister also really like milk candy, and since there are many people at home in the evening, it's always good to buy some melon seeds to have on hand.

This is absolutely the highest level of hospitality, with brand-name cigarettes and snacks like sunflower seeds and milk candy.

However, Zhou Rui did not buy any wine, not because he forgot, but because he had better deer blood wine at home.

Because the people who come tonight are absolutely worthy of being treated to deer blood wine.

One was my grandfather's old comrade-in-arms, and the other was my uncle.

At this moment, Zhou Jian, who was weighing sunflower seeds, seemed to understand. He stopped what he was doing, frowned, and asked:

"Young man, you didn't buy all this to entertain me, did you? It may sound arrogant, but if it's because of me, then it's really a waste of money. In that case, I'd rather not go."

But soon, he continued shoveling sunflower seeds.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui shook his head in response:

"No, it's just that my uncle is coming over tonight, and we haven't had this for a while, so we bought some to try."

Zhou Jian ignored Zhou Rui's explanation and continued shoveling the sunflower seeds. He then placed the shoveled seeds on the scale.

It weighs a full five pounds!

Just as Zhou Rui said he didn't want so much and continued counting the money to pay, the sales clerk, Zhou Jian, stopped him.

"Young man, this is just a small token of my appreciation. You don't need to pay, you must accept it. See you tonight."

Zhou Jian's attitude was very tough, giving Zhou Rui almost no chance to speak.

He didn't go to weigh himself to show Zhou Rui; he was doing it because he needed to enter the tent.

He wanted to deposit his own money into the account.

Zhou Rui felt extremely embarrassed at this moment.

For ordinary families and ordinary relationships, it's impossible to give away something worth three or four dollars at once.

This is already quite a generous gift.

Just as Zhou Rui was pondering how to refuse, the saleswoman Zhou Jian had already stuffed the packaged melon seeds into his arms.

By this time, Zhou Rui had already carried quite a few bags and packages.

Seeing this, Zhou Ming wisely took a portion of the money, which allowed Zhou Ruiteng to pay.

However, the sales clerk pretended to be angry and said:

"If you do this, your uncle will get angry. This little thing is nothing compared to how your grandfather took care of me back then. Just accept it."

He first spoke angrily, then softened his tone, and Zhou Rui finally stopped insisting and thanked him.

Zhou Ming also expressed his gratitude.

Afterwards, Zhou Jian, the sales clerk, asked the two men their names and where they lived before Zhou Ruicai left the supply and marketing cooperative with his younger brother.