Chapter 94: This Is a Gift for You  

As soon as they entered the department store, Jiang Rou headed straight for the candy counter.  

She looked around but didn’t see any White Rabbit Creamy Candy. It seemed that this kind of candy wasn’t available in regular department stores—only in larger cities.  

However, the counter was still full of colorful candies wrapped in red and green paper.  

Jiang Rou took out the money and ration tickets she had prepared in advance.

“Comrade, hello, these loose candies are mixed together. I need ten catty in total.”  

The shop assistant was taken aback—ten jin!  

He couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Rou a few more times.  

Candy was still expensive. Most families would buy half a catty at most. Someone like Jiang Rou, who asked for ten catty in one go, was undoubtedly a big spender.  

After receiving the money, the shop assistant immediately started packing.  

Jiang Rou watched the weighing process while speaking to Zhou Zhongshan.  

“The sisters-in-law in the courtyard gave us so much food and daily necessities before. We haven’t returned the favor yet. Let’s buy more candies to distribute among the families.”  

“Half of it will go to the courtyard, and I’ll keep the other half. You can take some to the military camp. People like Song Yan should also get a share…”  

“Once we distribute these, they won’t pester you for wedding candies anymore.”  

Jiang Rou was generous with her spending, but she never spent money without a reason.  

Her careful calculations were laid out clearly.  

Zhou Zhongshan watched as Jiang Rou made her purchase, not even blinking.  

He didn’t mind at all.  

It was just candy—he could afford it even if it were for himself.  

What surprised him was that Jiang Rou still had the wedding candy matter in mind.  

Zhou Zhongshan asked, “Did you hear them talking about it?”  

“No, but I can imagine. You’re their leader, and this is your first marriage. We didn’t hold a wedding banquet, so we can’t skip giving out wedding candies. Otherwise, it wouldn’t sound good if word got out.”  

The young couple leaned in close, whispering to each other.  

While Jiang Rou was buying candy, the two children weren’t idle either.  

Zhou Xiaohua was being carried by Zhou Zhongshan, her small hands wrapped around his neck. Perched high up, she curiously looked around, her gaze sweeping over the many counters.  

There were so many strange and fascinating things she had never seen before.  

Everything was unfamiliar, yet full of wonder.  

Zhou Xiaochuan, on the other hand, stood beside them, holding hands with someone.  

He wasn’t very tall, just about the same height as the counter. To see things properly, he had to stand on his tiptoes.  

Zhou Xiaochuan strained to balance on his toes, stretching his neck as far as possible, his eyes fixed on the candy counter in front of him.

There were about a dozen types of candies—red, green, and all sorts of colors.  

But after scanning the selection, Zhou Xiaochuan couldn’t find the familiar blue-and-white candy wrapper. The White Rabbit Creamy Candy he had eaten before was nowhere to be seen.  

For some reason, he frowned slightly.  

…  

After buying the candies, Jiang Rou continued shopping, picking up various daily necessities like soap, toothbrushes, and towels.  

Everything she chose was practical, easy to carry, and affordable.  

Next, they headed toward the fabric counter.  

That side was even more crowded.  

A large counter was neatly stacked with different fabrics, arranged in batches. From a distance, the perfectly aligned stacks were a satisfying sight for anyone with a perfectionist streak.  

Since there were so many people, they had to queue.  

Jiang Rou waited for a while before it was finally their turn.  

She remembered Zhao Guifen’s request, so she first bought the fabric Zhao Guifen needed.  

Then, she moved on to her own selections.  

“This floral fabric is pretty. It would make a lovely dress for Xiaohua. Little girls look best in dresses. Our Xiaohua won’t have to wear dull, old clothes anymore. Two feet should be enough!”  

“This light blue one looks similar to the color of a military uniform. Xiaochuan, do you like it? We could make you a little shirt. You’d look so handsome in it! Let’s get three feet!”  

“This fabric seems to be pure cotton. It feels really soft. It would be perfect for pajamas… Let’s buy five feet!”  

Jiang Rou swiftly picked out everything she needed.  

After scanning the counter one last time, she noticed a light brown fabric that caught her eye.  

She asked the shop assistant to take it down so she could feel the texture.  

Then—  

She held the fabric up against Zhou Zhongshan, as if picturing how it would look on him.  

Her eyes lit up.  

“Zhongshan, you’d look good in this.”  

Zhou Zhongshan was momentarily stunned. “I get some too?”  

Then he quickly added, “I always wear my military uniform. I don’t need anything else.”

“Of course, you’ll need it. You’re not always in the military camp—you have rest days too, like this trip to the city. Next time you go out, you won’t have to wear your uniform all the time.”  

As Jiang Rou spoke, she waved over the shop assistant.  

She wasn’t sure how much fabric would be needed to make a full set of clothes for Zhou Zhongshan, so she asked the assistant for help in estimating the amount and bought a little extra, just in case.  

With all the selecting and measuring, they ended up spending more than half an hour at the fabric counter.  

Jiang Rou finally emerged from the crowd, arms full of fabric, a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead.  

She looked completely satisfied, though her smile carried a hint of shyness.  

Glancing at Zhou Zhongshan and the two children, she said, “Um… I’ve never made clothes before. Once we’re back at the courtyard, I’ll learn from the other sisters-in-law. If they don’t turn out well, you all can’t dislike them, okay?”  

“We won’t.”  

Zhou Zhongshan looked at Jiang Rou’s slightly flushed cheeks and couldn’t help but smile.  

What she was doing wasn’t just about making clothes—it was an act of care and devotion. How could anyone possibly dislike that?  

They continued shopping for another hour before finally leaving the crowded department store.  

As soon as they stepped outside, Jiang Rou took deep breaths of fresh air.  

She had been so used to online shopping in her past life that she wasn’t quite accustomed to this kind of in-person shopping rush.  

It had been exhausting, but at least she had bought everything she wanted.  

Feeling around in her pocket, Jiang Rou took out two small items.  

“Here. This is for Xiaochuan, and this is for Xiaohua.”  

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua froze, momentarily stunned.  

Jiang Rou had bought so many things earlier that neither of them had noticed when she had picked out something extra.  

“These are gifts for you.”  

The word “gift” instantly made the small items in her hands feel all the more special.

Zhou Chongshan put Zhou Xiaohua down from his arms.  

He took a pile of things from Jiang Rou’s hands.  

Jiang Rou, in turn, gently patted the heads of the two children and placed the gifts into their palms.  

For Zhou Xiaohua and Zhou Xiaochuan, receiving gifts was something unimaginable.

In their short lives, they had never truly owned anything of their own.  

But Jiang Rou’s gifts even came in beautiful boxes.  

They were… specially prepared for them.  

In Zhou Xiaochuan’s palm, a small paper box was placed.  

There were words written on the box, but he couldn’t read them.  

He lowered his head.  

The young boy’s delicate face was tense with unease.  

When his fingers lightly touched the paper box, his movements were careful and cautious.  

Slowly, he opened the box.  

What appeared before his eyes… were glass marbles.  

The marbles were transparent, with streaks of color running through them.  

There were red ones, green ones, blue ones, and yellow ones.  

All kinds of colors, with several of each type.  

They looked exactly like the glass marbles that the other children in the courtyard played with.