Chapter 10 Shopping

“In the morning, we’ll just buy a few things first. After we watch the movie in the afternoon, we can see if there’s anything else we want to pick up on the way back,” Lan Yuchu said.

Lin Qiyue, who had been expressionless until now, suddenly perked up, her eyes lighting up as she looked at him. “What movie are we watching?”

“It’s a new release. I haven’t seen it either,” he replied.

Lan Yuchu went to buy the tickets. The theater was only showing one film that afternoon.

“Great, let’s head out then,” Lin Qiyue said. She was genuinely curious—what were movies like in this era?

The two of them left the house together. Luckily, the department store wasn’t far, and they had brought enough money and ration coupons.

When they arrived, it was still early, so they started browsing around. Food-wise, in this era of scarce resources, most things weren’t very good. Lin Qiyue was more curious about what a department store looked like.

People here were very simple and honest. The first floor was a supply and marketing cooperative—selling food and household items. The second floor was for clothing, both men’s and women’s.

“Comrade, want to take a look at some fabrics? Buy some today and we’ll include a free sewing kit!” A plainly dressed middle-aged woman caught sight of Lin Qiyue’s curious expression.

Lin Qiyue paused at her sales pitch. The fabrics didn’t look that great, but when she touched them, they felt surprisingly soft and comfortable.

“Comrade, this fabric feels great. It’s one yuan and two jiao per meter. You’ll need ration tickets to buy it. Want two meters?” the saleswoman asked.

Lan Yuchu glanced at Lin Qiyue, then stepped forward and said, “Let’s get three meters. Also, check out some other colors—brighter ones would look nice on you.”

Lin Qiyue immediately blushed at his words.

“Exactly! Bright colors make you look more energetic and attractive—men love that!” the saleswoman chimed in enthusiastically. “You two must be newlyweds, right? This fabric is really soft. You could use it for pajamas or even undergarments!”

She handed the fabric to Lin Qiyue to feel. It was just like lace—cool and smooth to the touch—Lin Qiyue instantly felt awkward.

This saleswoman was really blunt.

She quickly pulled her hand back and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

Lan Yuchu, however, didn’t seem to think anything of it. “Shall we look at other fabrics too?” he asked.

Seeing that he didn’t react at all, Lin Qiyue realized her blushing was for nothing. She ended up picking a few nice colors and bought five meters of each.

As they walked, arms full of fabric, they passed a display of shoes—high heels—and some qipaos and dresses.

What girl could resist a beautiful qipao or a nice dress?

But she didn’t buy any.

Lan Yuchu noticed her gaze lingering and figured she wanted one. He gently tugged on her sleeve and said, “If you like it, let’s get it.”

Lin Qiyue paused and looked at him, then back at the clothes. Curious, she asked the saleswoman, “Comrade, how much are the qipao and the dresses?”

“The dresses are a new style. With fabric ration tickets, it’s thirty yuan. The qipao is a little cheaper—twenty-five,” the saleswoman replied.

Lin Qiyue said, “Forget it. I only make forty yuan a month, and I don’t wear this kind of thing to work. Let’s go.”

It wasn’t really the price that bothered her—she just didn’t like the design. The top was white, the bottom blue—not her taste. She’d only asked out of curiosity.

After all, her grandmother had been a seamstress, and she grew up learning from her. As a modern woman from the future, she figured she could easily make her own stylish outfit later.

“If you like it, we can buy it,” Lan Yuchu offered again, pulling out money.

Lin Qiyue quickly took the money back and said helplessly, “I don’t like it—I was just asking.”

Still, Lan Yuchu didn’t quite believe her. He thought she definitely liked it.

“Let’s get a watch. We didn’t get one when we got married. Let’s make up for that today,” he said—not as a suggestion, but a firm decision. He pulled out money and industrial ration tickets again.

Lin Qiyue saw him pulling out the money and didn’t stop him, but she asked the saleswoman curiously, “Comrade, how much is this watch?”

“Not expensive—ninety-eight yuan,” the saleswoman replied.

Lin Qiyue instinctively glanced at Lan Yuchu. It wasn’t that she absolutely needed a watch—she didn’t even like wearing them.

Although their relationship wasn’t deep, the watch was expensive—almost two and a half months’ salary for the original owner.

Without looking at her expression, Lan Yuchu took out the right amount of money and coupons, then asked, “If I buy a pair, can I get a discount?”

“Of course! If you’re buying a wedding pair, it’ll only be 160 yuan total,” the saleswoman said. She counted the money and tickets, then added, “That’s exactly enough for two watches. I’ll wrap them up for you.”

She handed them over and said, “Here you go, comrade. Congratulations on your wedding!”

“Thank you!” Lan Yuchu and Lin Qiyue replied together, forcing polite smiles. It was a little awkward—they had been married for three years already. But since they’d said it was a belated wedding gift, the saleswoman clearly thought they were newlyweds.

After shopping, they carried their things to the state-run restaurant. The restaurant’s signboard was painted red.

“Comrades, what would you like to eat?” the server came over after they sat down.

Lan Yuchu asked Lin Qiyue, “What do you feel like eating?”

Lin Qiyue didn’t hold back. She looked at the menu—it matched the era perfectly. Her stomach was already growling a bit.

“Let’s get stir-fried shredded pork with eggs, one plate of greens, and the braised beef. Two bowls of rice. Do you want to add anything else?” She looked up at Lan Yuchu.

Lan Yuchu looked up and said to the waiter, “Comrade, that’s enough, thank you.” After the waiter turned and left, Lan Yuchu poured Lin Qiyue a glass of water. He took a sip himself, glanced at her, and said, “Later, my younger sister will join us for the movie. After dinner, let’s take the stuff back home first. In a few days, we’ll go to the countryside together to pay respects to your parents?”

Reminded of this, Lin Qiyue suddenly realized— the original host had been here for six years and had never gone back to visit her parents’ graves.

“Alright.”
Since they were the original host’s parents, and she was now living under her identity, it was only right to go.
To comfort their spirits in heaven, to let them know their daughter was living well— that would be the best consolation for them.

The Lin parents only had one daughter. If things hadn’t gone wrong, maybe Lin Qiyue would’ve lived a very happy life.
Her father had been an elementary school teacher, her mother the village accountant— a decent family.

But her maternal grandparents had passed away early, and her uncle’s family refused to take her in.
Her paternal grandparents despised her for being a girl. In those resource-scarce years, who would willingly raise a granddaughter?

In fact, if Qian Xiuying hadn’t passed by and taken her away, her grandparents were planning to send her to someone else’s home to be raised as a child bride.
When Qian Xiuying picked her up, the family refused to let her go. In the end, they had to pay 200 yuan before they agreed to release her.

So, it wasn’t without reason that the original host had feared her sister-in-law so much.
The Lan family had allowed her to attend high school, provided her with food and shelter, and even had her marry their most accomplished son.
Who would be satisfied with a daughter-in-law so mismatched in social standing?

Different status bred different thoughts— and once the mindset changed, everything changed.