Chapter 22 : Department Store Shopping

Zhangye City, formerly known as Ganzhou, is a small northwestern city with a population of just over one million.

At seven o’clock in the morning, when it was just dawn, Zhuang Mingcheng and his companions drove a Jiefang truck to the city.

It took the group three or four hours to get there by car. They were cold and hungry, so they quickly found a state-owned restaurant and had a good meal.

After dinner, Zhuang Mingcheng withdrew money from his passbook and then went to the department store in the city center.

This is the most prosperous area in all of Zhangye City.

Only in the provincial capital, Lanzhou, is there a three-story department store with a wider variety of items than here.

However, Lanzhou is too far away, and it takes most of the day to get there by train. For people from nearby areas who want to make large purchases, this is still the first choice.

After parking the car, Zhuang Mingcheng called two soldiers and went into the department store to start shopping.

He first went to a furniture store and immediately took a liking to a large wardrobe.

This cabinet is beautiful. Its double doors are symmetrical, and there is a large mirror in the middle.

This is quite rare, not only in the family compound but also in the whole of Zhangye City.

The more Zhuang Mingcheng looked at it, the more he liked it, and he quickly called the salesperson over.

Seeing that he was wearing a military uniform, the salesperson was very friendly and said with a smile, “Comrade, you really have a good eye. This big wardrobe just arrived yesterday. It’s the only one. It must have come right when you opened the door. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come across it.”

“How much?”

“Ninety-seven.”

“Hiss~”

Upon hearing the price, the two soldiers who came with Zhuang Mingcheng took a deep breath.

Just a big wardrobe like this costs as much as their annual allowance, it’s really expensive.

Zhuang Mingcheng also frowned. This huge wardrobe cost him more than a month’s salary. It was really exaggerated.

“Comrade, can you make it cheaper?”

The salesperson was delighted.

But looking at Zhuang Mingcheng, she resisted the urge to complain, “Comrade, we don’t bargain here. If you think it’s too expensive, look at that big wardrobe. It’s only fifty-one. But you need a wardrobe ticket.”

In those days, materials were not abundant, and tickets were required for everything.

But sometimes, they sold things that didn’t require a ticket, but the prices were expensive, like this big wardrobe.

Zhuang Mingcheng turned his head to look.

The large wardrobe the salesperson pointed to had no mirror in the middle, was much smaller, and was a very old style.

Shaking his head, he pointed to the wardrobe worth ninety-seven yuan and said, “Let’s take this one.”

In addition to the large wardrobe, Zhuang Mingcheng also asked for a double bed worth forty-seven yuan.

He also bought a desk and a dining table, and also asked for two fashionable folding chairs and two ordinary chairs.

These furniture alone cost him nearly three hundred yuan.

The two soldiers looked on in amazement.

After buying the furniture, several people moved it from the department store to the military vehicle.

Everything else was fine, but the big wardrobe was the most troublesome. The ride back to the group was bumpy, and it had to be carefully handled to avoid breaking the large mirror in the middle.

Zhuang Mingcheng tied it tightly with a rope and asked the soldiers to find something soft to put underneath.

After finishing the work, Zhuang Mingcheng asked the driver to watch the things in the car and then led another soldier into the department store again.

The next things to buy were trivial, so he simply bought them while walking around.

Enamel basins, large water jars, bowls and chopsticks, pots and spoons, thermos bottles anything that could be used at home, he saw them all in the department store and bought them all.

When he had more things, Zhuang Mingcheng asked the soldiers to put them on the military vehicles.

Only when he had little money left did he go to the third floor.

Arriving at the watch counter, Zhuang Mingcheng took the watch roll given by the team leader and carefully selected it. Finally, he set his eyes on a Shanghai brand women’s watch.

Including the watch coupon, the price was one hundred and eighteen yuan.

Zhuang Mingcheng took out the money and bought it decisively.

This small watch was the most expensive item he purchased.

Finally, he bought a pack of matches and took a military vehicle to the grain store.

He didn’t know how long it would take to get to the new province, so he had to buy more food to make sure Fangfang could eat well.

Compared to industrial products, grains are much cheaper. A pound of flour costs only 20 cents, and coarse grains are even cheaper.

Of course, you need food coupons, otherwise you can’t buy food.

Zhuang Mingcheng took out all the food coupons he had, added those borrowed from the regiment commander and the political commissar, and bought a total of 20 kilograms of flour, 5 kilograms of rice, and 50 kilograms of coarse grains.

He also bought five kilograms of rapeseed oil.

Finally, he went to the market and bought two pounds of pork. With all his money and notes spent, he stopped his large purchases.

Zhuang Mingcheng smacked his lips, feeling relaxed all over. It was the first time he felt so happy spending money.

It’s crazy.

Shaking his head, he called two people, loaded the car with the items, and drove back toward the regiment.

In the military vehicle, Zhuang Mingcheng raised his wrist and looked at the time. It was just past ten o’clock, and they should be able to return to the regiment by noon.

“I wonder what Fangfang’s reaction will be when she sees all these things…” Zhuang Mingcheng murmured with a smile on his face.

It’s a pity that he has to go on a mission tomorrow, and he doesn’t know when he will be back.

Next to them, two soldiers looked at each other and tried hard to hold back their laughter. It was the first time they saw the battalion commander like this.

Looking back at the things in the car, they were both shocked.

They were purchasing a truckload of stuff all at once, and when they returned, it would surely shock the entire group.

—

Regiment headquarters.

After Lu Fangfang got up, washed up, and went to Zhuang Mingcheng’s dormitory, she looked around but couldn’t find him.

Just as she was wondering, a soldier came running in from outside, claiming to be the battalion commander’s communicator. He brought her two lunch boxes and said it was the battalion commander’s order.

Lu Fangfang curiously asked where Zhuang Mingcheng had gone.

The soldier shook his head and said he didn’t know but mentioned the battalion commander said he would be back soon.

Lu Fangfang became even more curious.

Turning to look outside, she saw that the entire battalion was busy, as if something big was about to happen.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Lu Fangfang pointed outside and asked, “Comrade Hao, is something going on in the camp?”

“Our battalion has a mission.”

After Hao Dazhuang spoke, he closed his mouth tightly.

“Any mission?”

Lu Fangfang’s heart trembled, and she hurriedly asked “Comrade Hao, does the battalion commander have to go too?”

Hao Dazhuang was a little unsure.

“But the wound on his arm hasn’t healed yet.”

Lu Fangfang became anxious and worried.

After spending these few days together, she also got to know what kind of person Zhuang Mingcheng was. According to her understanding, Zhuang Mingcheng would definitely not abandon the camp and would definitely participate in the mission.

But his arm wasn’t fully healed, and if something happened…

Lu Fangfang bit her lip and dared not think about it anymore.