Chapter 33: Going to the City

“What do you think of this place?” Qin Zheng didn’t answer Tang Wan’s question, but instead asked for her opinion about the courtyard.

“It should be quite convenient,” Tang Wan said, looking at the electric wires in the yard.

Since this place already had electricity, it was definitely more convenient than the village.

“Indeed.” Qin Zheng skillfully opened the door to the main room and placed Tang Wan’s package on the table.

Tang Wan didn’t follow him inside but stood in the courtyard waiting.

“You can look around freely,” Qin Zheng said as he came out of the house and went straight outside to push in a bicycle.

“Will the bike stay here too?”

“Yes, it’s very close to the bus station; you can just walk there.”

By the time the two got on the bus, it was almost about to leave, but there were not many people on board.

The ticket cost was one mao (0.1 yuan).

This price was indeed not cheap anymore.

When boarding, the ticket seller glanced at Tang Wan’s shoulder bag and warned, “Watch your belongings carefully.”

Tang Wan understood immediately and covered her bag. Since she planned to buy things today, it might be inconvenient to take money out of her space stash, so she had already taken out some money and tickets and placed them in her bag.

Qin Zheng, walking behind, noticed her action and scanned the bus around.

Then he let Tang Wan sit on the inside seat, and he sat on the outer side.

“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Qin Zheng said without looking at her, but Tang Wan knew he was speaking to her.

With Qin Zheng sitting outside, Tang Wan felt much more at ease.

The bus ride from the town to the city was not short. The bus carried many strange smells, and after a while, Tang Wan began to feel uncomfortable.

Qin Zheng noticed her condition immediately.

“Car sick?”

“A little uncomfortable,” she replied.

Qin Zheng reached over Tang Wan and opened the nearby window wider.

After the window was opened, Tang Wan felt a bit better but was still somewhat uneasy.

Tang Wan had never experienced motion sickness before, but because this kind of bus stopped often for people to hail and the mix of various smells, it made her feel queasy.

“If it’s too uncomfortable, just rest your eyes for a bit; we’ll be there soon.”

“Okay, I’ll sleep for a while.” Tang Wan felt she could bear it; there was no other option on the bus.

Throughout the trip, Tang Wan felt drowsy. The bus’s shaking and the noisy environment made her rest uneasy, but she treated it as closing her eyes to relax.

At first, Tang Wan leaned toward the window, but every time the bus jolted, she bumped her head against the window frame.

Seeing this, Qin Zheng gently turned her head toward his side and let her rest on his shoulder.

Time passed without them noticing, and finally, they arrived in the city.

Qin Zheng, who seemed more familiar with the city, didn’t wait for the final stop but woke Tang Wan halfway there.

They got off directly at the department store.

After getting off, Tang Wan rested for quite a while on the roadside before her complexion improved.

The department store in the city was indeed much larger than the supply and marketing cooperative in the town, with a wider variety of goods.

Tang Wan asked Qin Zheng to first go to his aunt’s house to deliver some things, and they would meet again at the store entrance.

Qin Zheng initially didn’t want to, but he couldn’t refuse Tang Wan’s strong request, so they parted ways.

Tang Wan also wanted to buy some things first and store them in her space before Qin Zheng returned.

She felt that in such times, having more supplies stored was more practical than just having money.

City people’s clothing was much better than in the countryside, not only with more colors but also richer styles.

Tang Wan wore a skirt brought from the capital city, small leather shoes bought from the overseas Chinese store on her feet, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail behind her head—gentle and elegant.

Walking among the crowd, she often caught people’s eyes.

Tang Wan was used to attention from others since modern times, so she felt nothing special.

After entering the store, she first went to the lingerie section. Although she had some from the capital, more was never too much. The town didn’t sell these, and she didn’t know when she would next come to the city.

The lingerie sales were not very busy; while other sections had many people, here there were only a few.

From the moment Tang Wan entered, some people had been watching her. When she went straight to the lingerie section, a few exchanged glances in the crowd.

Tang Wan didn’t notice them and looked at the lingerie behind the saleswoman. The sizes weren’t very precise back then—only three sizes: large, medium, and small.

When Tang Wan approached, the saleswoman seemed somewhat indifferent.

“Can I take a look?” Tang Wan asked since the lingerie was all behind the counter and she couldn’t clearly see the sizes.

“How can you just look at this? Tell me what size you want.”

“Can you bring the large and medium sizes for me to see?” Tang Wan looked the saleswoman in the eye and repeated her request.

Perhaps because Tang Wan’s attitude was firm yet straightforward, the saleswoman’s arrogance disappeared, and she briskly grabbed some items in her hands.

Tang Wan glanced and felt the large size should fit her.

“Large size, get me two of the same style,” Tang Wan decided quickly after checking the sizes.

At that time, lingerie was not popular, and there were no very large or very small sizes. The large size was about the same as a modern 36D.

The saleswoman obviously didn’t expect Tang Wan to buy so many at once. Although lingerie sales were few, there were plenty of styles.

Two pieces together had more than a dozen patterns. Though small, the cloth tickets spent were not cheaper than for a single piece of clothing.

“Oh, also bring me two medium and two small,” Tang Wan remembered Luo Ying and Cuicui. The village girls still wore homemade bellybands, so these could be gifts for them.

Seeing Tang Wan so straightforward, the saleswoman’s hands moved faster, and she worked more efficiently.

At that time, panties were not sold with lingerie, so Tang Wan also bought more than a dozen pairs.

After buying all these, some people who had been watching Tang Wan’s face changed, not expecting her to buy so many.

Tang Wan then boldly asked the saleswoman where the sanitary napkin counter was and went straight there without hesitation.

She bought quite a lot of sanitary napkins, clearing out the entire counter.

Tang Wan’s big spending had already made her look like prey in others’ eyes, though she herself was unaware.

With one hand full, she walked along the counters, buying some miscellaneous small things until she could carry no more, then left the department store.

Tang Wan wanted to find a place to put the things into her space first.