Chapter 26

Liu Dayu took the small bottle and examined it in his hand. “This bottle looks really shiny and pretty. These letters on it—are they English?”

Zhang Yan snatched the bottle back and rolled her eyes. “English? No way. This is French. It’s an imported product, you know.”

“Alright, alright, French goods, French goods. How much does this thing cost?”

Zhang Yan gestured with her fingers.

Liu Dayu’s eyes widened. “Th—thirty yuan?! Is there gold in this thing? Such a tiny bottle, and it costs 30 yuan!”

Zhang Yan said, “It’s imported. Even if you have the money, you need foreign exchange certificates to buy it. Do you get that? And we only managed to get it after haggling with Hongni. The seller didn’t even want to sell it at first.”

They had only planned to browse around the clothing store when they unexpectedly witnessed a store clerk rush in with a package from overseas.

As soon as she entered, she excitedly told her mother that their uncle had sent something from abroad. Her mother initially wanted to keep it hidden, but after much persistence, Zhang Yan and Hongni saw that there were multiple bottles. Buying just one was already difficult—if they had brought more money, Zhang Yan would have bought a few more.

Judging from the way the mother and daughter were trying to hide it, Zhang Yan was sure they weren’t planning to use it themselves. They were probably going to give it away as gifts or secretly resell it. Like they would actually spend 30 yuan on skincare! Zhang Yan had only ever seen this brand before when visiting wealthy households with her mother.

Liu Dayu kept shaking his head in disbelief. “Thirty yuan for such a tiny bottle? That’s outrageous. Women really know how to spend money.”

Zhang Yan scoffed. “What do you know? This isn’t just any cream. It prevents sunburn, repairs freckle, makes skin smoother and more delicate, and is extremely moisturizing. I work in the fields all day under the sun—I have to take care of my skin.”

As she spoke, Zhang Yan opened the bottle and handed it to Wu Xiaoxiao. “Smell it. Doesn’t it have a lovely fragrance? I even tried a little from another bottle earlier. It felt so cool and refreshing on my face.”

Wu Xiaoxiao sniffed it—yep, it smelled like synthetic perfume. She smiled politely and said, “It does smell nice, but the price is outrageous. You’re really willing to spend that much?”

Zhang Yan sighed. “I have no choice! Look at me—I’m getting old from all this sun exposure.”

Wu Xiaoxiao took a closer look. Zhang Yan’s skin wasn’t as bad as she claimed. Sure, there was a little redness and slight peeling from sunburn, but she was only in her twenties. Her skin would heal quickly.

“No, your skin still looks smooth and good. And it’s quite fair, actually,” Wu Xiaoxiao added after some thought.

Although Zhang Yan usually looked down on the village girls, being praised by Wu Xiaoxiao—who was naturally beautiful with flawless skin—made her very happy. However, even with Wu Xiaoxiao’s compliments, Zhang Yan had no intention of sharing her expensive lotion. A tiny dab of this stuff cost several mao—might as well be smearing gold on her face!

She grinned smugly. “That’s because I always cover up when I’m outside. But I’m still not as fair as you. You have amazing skin.” Since Wu Xiaoxiao had praised her, Zhang Yan returned the favor, but she wasn’t expecting a response.

—-

Tonight, Zhang Yan was in high spirits, proudly showing off her purchase. She spent most of the meal talking about how difficult it had been to buy the lotion—how they had to beg and bargain with the mother and daughter to get it for 30 yuan.

Gu Zhenghong, who had been silent the whole time, recognized the brand immediately. His mother used to have plenty of it, so he could tell at a glance—it was fake.

But Zhang Yan had already spent so much money. If he told her, she would only get upset. Besides, once you buy something, it’s a done deal. There was no way to return it now. It was better to just let it go and focus on his noodles.

After finishing their meal, Wu Xiaoxiao and Uncle Changfa had to hurry back to the orchard to spray pesticides. Gu Zhenghong wanted to go with them, but Zhang Yan and the others wanted to hang around town a little longer. The town only had three or four stores, but that was still better than the boring village.

Gu Zhenghong had no choice but to stay behind with the other educated youths. He watched as Wu Xiaoxiao and Uncle Changfa rode their bicycles away, each carrying large sacks of pesticides.

“Hey, still watching? They’re already gone!” Liu Dayu elbowed Gu Zhenghong, snapping him out of it.

“If you like her, just tell her,” Liu Dayu teased. “What’s the point of just staring?”

Gu Zhenghong muttered, “Don’t talk nonsense. I just think of Xiaoxiao as a little sister. Come on, where else do you guys want to go? We can’t stay out too long—we still have dozens of miles to travel back.”

Liu Dayu smirked at Gu Zhenghong’s flustered expression. That’s not how a brother looks at a sister. But knowing Gu Zhenghong, who always put on a righteous act and dreamed of returning to the city, he probably wouldn’t dare make a move.

Still, Wu Xiaoxiao was truly beautiful. It seemed like she had gotten even prettier over the past month.

—–

On the way back, they had to ride slower because they were carrying supplies. By the time Wu Xiaoxiao and Uncle Changfa arrived at the orchard, it was already quite late.

Hearing the sound of bicycles, Wu Hua ran out excitedly. “Xiaoxiao-jie, you’re back!”

“Hey, don’t run! You’ll trip!” Wu Xiaoxiao called out while propping up her bike. She took down the two large sacks of pesticides and carried them toward the yard.

Auntie Wu, who had been about to help, stopped in surprise. This child was really strong—those sacks were heavy!

“Auntie let’s set the pesticides here for now. Where are the pesticide sprayers that Changxi and Changle cleaned? Let’s start mixing the pesticides now. The sooner we spray, the less damage the bugs will do.”

“Alright!” Auntie Wu responded and went to call Changxi and Changle from the backyard.

Wu Hua eagerly stepped forward. “Sis, I want to help too!”

Wu Xiaoxiao smiled. “Hold on. Your dad brought you something good. Go check inside first. You can help in a bit—I promise we’ll need you.”