Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Before Chen Feng and the two little ones even entered the door, they smelled a sweet aroma unique to candy shops.

Behind the glass counter, there were colorful items: towels, enamel mugs, bottles of face cream, and a row of tin boxes printed with auspicious symbols such as magpies on plum blossoms and dragons and phoenixes.

Xiaoyue's eyes widened suddenly.

"Dad, is this the supply and marketing cooperative?" Xiaoshan asked in surprise upon seeing the scene before him.

Before Chen Feng returned, the family was struggling financially, relying solely on Lin Xiu to keep them afloat.

With not enough help at home, Lin Xiu always rushed home as soon as she finished her business in town, let alone take Xiao Shan and Xiao Yue out for a stroll.

Xiaoyue was also curious: "What is a supply and marketing cooperative?"

"Selling things."

Xiaoyue thought for a moment and asked, "Then it's the same as at the market?"

Chen Feng felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. He softly hummed in agreement and led the two inside for a stroll.

The supply and marketing cooperative is much bigger inside than it looks from the outside.

Xiaoyue's eyes froze.

On the wall behind the counter, there was a small cotton-padded jacket hanging.

The dress was bright red, with a band of fluffy white fur trim around the collar and cuffs. Flowers, pink and red, were embroidered on the front, one after another, with two butterflies perched among them. Their wings were outlined in gold thread and shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Xiaoyue stared motionless at the cotton-padded jacket, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Xiaoshan followed her gaze and was also stunned.

He had never seen such beautiful clothes before.

Xiaoyue looked at it for a long time, then slowly raised her hand, pointed, and asked in a small voice, "Dad, what's that?"

Chen Feng looked in the direction she was pointing.

The red cotton-padded jacket hung on the wall, and the sunlight shone directly on it, making the two butterflies look as if they were about to take flight.

Before Chen Feng could speak, a young woman with two braids stood up from behind the counter and walked over with a smile.

"Comrade, look at this cotton-padded coat! You have a sharp eye; this just arrived yesterday, from Shanghai."

The little girl gathered up the sunflower seed shells on the glass cabinet, very enthusiastically saying, "They're all hand-embroidered. Look at this butterfly, it's embroidered with gold thread, and it looks like it's alive when the sun shines on it."

Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled as she peered through the counter.

Seeing that she couldn't reach it, the girl simply went around to her side, squatted down, and let Xiaoyue see it clearly.

"Isn't it pretty, little girl?"

Xiaoyue nodded vigorously, then reached out to touch it, but pulled back halfway, rubbed it on her clothes, and only then dared to gently touch the butterfly.

"Dad, it's a butterfly!"

Chen Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked the girl, "Comrade, how much is this cotton-padded coat?"

"forty."

After quoting the price, the girl added, "The material is of high quality, well-stuffed with cotton, and can be worn for several years. You can see the embroidery here too; it's handmade. This price is not expensive."

Chen Feng nodded.

Forty yuan is not expensive.

He brought twenty yuan with him today. He spent twelve yuan and thirty cents on shoes and earned two yuan and thirty cents from selling eggs and hemp. Now he has ten yuan left in his pocket.

He reached into his pocket, felt for the few bills, but didn't take them out.

Xiaoyue was still looking at the butterfly. After a while, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Auntie, how much does this cotton-padded coat cost?"

The girl smiled: "Forty yuan."

Xiaoyue blinked, thought for a moment, and then asked, "How many pairs of shoes can we buy?"

The girl was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding.

Xiaoyue counted on her fingers: "My grandma's shoes cost two yuan and sixty cents; my mom's shoes cost two yuan and sixty cents; my brother's shoes cost one yuan and eighty cents; my shoes cost one yuan and thirty cents..."

She couldn't figure it out, so she turned to Chen Feng and asked, "Dad, how many pairs of shoes can you buy with forty yuan?"

Before Chen Feng could figure out how to answer, Xiao Shan muttered from the side, "That's enough to buy what we bought today, and even if we buy it three times, we'll still have some left over."

Xiaoyue looked down at her dusty cotton-padded jacket, the cuffs worn white and patched with two small patches.

She looked up again at the red one.

After watching for a while, she pulled her outstretched hand back and rubbed it on her clothes.

"Father, I don't want it anymore."

Chen Feng looked down at her.

Xiaoyue didn't cry or pout. She just looked at him earnestly and said, "Forty yuan can buy so many things. I don't want it."

The girl squatted there, looked at Xiaoyue, then at Chen Feng, her smile fading, and she didn't say anything.

Xiaoyue tugged at Chen Feng's sleeve: "Dad, let's go, I still want to see the windmills."

Chen Feng didn't move.

Xiaoyue tugged at it again.

Chen Feng bent down and picked her up.

Xiaoyue leaned on his shoulder, glanced back at the red cotton-padded jacket one last time, then turned her face away and looked away.

The girl stood up, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then didn't.

Chen Feng nodded to her: "Thank you for your help, comrade."

The girl waved her hand, her voice softer than before: "It's alright, come again when you have time."

Chen Feng carried Xiaoyue outside.

As they reached the door, Xiaoyue suddenly whispered in his ear, "Dad."

"Um?"

"When I grow up, I'll earn money for you to spend."

Chen Feng paused for a moment.

"Give me flowers?"

"Okay." Xiaoyue nodded seriously, "I'll buy you a cotton-padded coat, a big one, two of them."

Xiao Shan, standing beside him, muttered, "So your dad wears two cotton-padded coats?"

Xiaoyue hesitated, blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let's wear one and keep the other as a spare!"

Xiaoshan burst out laughing.

Chen Feng's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. He lifted Xiaoyue up and stepped out the door.

Outside the supply and marketing cooperative, the sun shone warmly on my skin.

Xiaoyue leaned on his shoulder, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Dad, how much are the candied hawthorns?"

"One cent."

Xiaoyue counted on her fingers for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. However, she nodded with satisfaction: "Then we can buy it."

Chen Feng turned to the stall selling candied hawthorns, took out a dime, and bought a skewer.

Bright red hawthorns are strung together and coated with glistening sugar.

Xiaoyue took the candied hawthorn, looked at it, and then held it up to Chen Feng's mouth: "Dad, you eat it."

Chen Feng shook his head.

Xiaoyue held it up to Xiaoshan's mouth again: "Brother, you eat it."

Xiaoshan also shook his head.

Xiaoyue took a bite herself, her cheeks puffed out, and as she chewed, her eyes curved into two crescent moons.

Chen Feng stopped in front of the stall selling windmills.

A row of windmills was stuck on the stall, their bamboo frames covered with colored paper. When the wind blew, they spun around in a flurry.

Xiaoyue's eyes lit up again. This time, she didn't say she wanted it, but just stared at it.

Chen Feng took out his money and bought two.

One red one, for Xiaoyue.

One green one, for Xiaoshan.

Xiaoyue held up the windmill, puffed out her cheeks, and blew hard, making the windmill spin and making her giggle.

Xiaoshan lifted the windmill high, facing the wind, and the windmill started to spin. He smiled for a moment, then quickly suppressed his laughter.

After walking a few steps, Chen Feng stopped in front of a lantern stall.

A row of lanterns hung on the stall, made of red paper. Some were painted with chubby babies, some had the character "福" (fortune) written on them, and the most expensive one had a big rooster painted on it.