Chapter 28 : Buying a Watch

After leaving the commune, seeing that it was still early, Lu Changzheng asked, “Wife, do you want to go to the county town for a stroll? Let’s take some more photos.”

“Let’s go tomorrow, it’s a good time to get the photos.” The photos would be developed tomorrow.

“If we go today, we can go tomorrow as well.”

He had to go and check if there were any bicycles, watches, and sewing machines available, and if not, he would have to go to the city.

Su Mo thought about it and decided it was fine. She would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if there was a suitable watch. If not, she would go to the black market to look for one.

The Lu family had given so much as a betrothal gift, so she couldn’t just say nothing. She happened to have a watch coupon, so she would buy a watch for Lu Changzheng.

Lu Changzheng’s watch looked a little old and wasn’t a good brand, so she planned to buy him a Haishi brand.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

The newly-married couple got on their bicycles and hurried to the county town.

As soon as they arrived in the county town, the two went straight to the photo studio to take a few more photos.

When the studio master saw the two of them, he said, “The photos haven’t been developed yet. Come back tomorrow afternoon.”

It was rare to see such a well-matched couple, and the photographer was quite impressed.

“Master, we are not here to pick up photos, we are here to take pictures,” Lu Changzheng said.

“Ah? Still taking pictures?” The photographer was a little surprised. What kind of family were they? Taking pictures seemed like a normal thing for them.

But they were good-looking and looked good in photos, so it was okay to take more. If they had been ugly, he would have advised them not to waste their money.

“Yes, let’s do it the same way as last time.”

The photographer took two group photos of the two of them, just like last time, and took one photo of Su Mo alone.

However, at Su Mo’s request, Lu Changzheng also took a separate photo this time.

They took 4 photos in total, developed 4 more, and enlarged the 2 group photos. The total cost was 4.92 yuan.

After taking the photos, the two went to the supply and marketing cooperative again.

As soon as they entered the supply and marketing cooperative, the older sister who had greeted Su Mo last time noticed them and immediately smiled, calling out, “Sister, are you here to buy things again?”

“Yes, big sister.” Su Mo smiled and walked toward the counter where the older sister was.

“The first time is strange, the second time is familiar. My surname is Liu, what is your name?” Sister Liu asked with a smile.

“My last name is Su.”

“Sister Su, what do you want to buy this time?”

“Do you have Haishi brand watches? Men’s.”

“Oh, Miss Su, you came here by chance. Haishi brand items are not often available. We just received two pieces today, one for men and one for women. If you had come yesterday, there were only the Qianjin brand items.” Sister Liu was also surprised. What a coincidence.

“If you really want it, you have to act quickly, otherwise it might be gone in a few days.”

The Haishi brand was a scarce commodity. Originally, there were three pieces, and someone from their supply and marketing cooperative had already asked for one.

“Okay, I want a men’s one.”

When Lu Changzheng heard Su Mo say she wanted to buy a men’s watch, he knew she was buying it for him, but he didn’t refuse. His watch had broken during his last mission, and after it was repaired, he felt that it wasn’t very accurate, so he had been planning to change it.

There just happened to be a women’s model here, so they could buy them together and make a matching pair.

“I want the women’s version too,” Lu Changzheng said.

“Is it bought for me?” Su Mo asked.

“Yeah!” Lu Changzheng nodded.

“I already have a watch, no need to buy one.” Su Mo showed him her wrist.

The original owner had bought this watch last year, and it was still in very good condition.

The original owner had originally owned a Rolex, but it was too conspicuous to wear to work, so she had swapped it for a Shanghai brand watch.

However, Su Mo did not find the Rolex in the original owner’s luggage. It was probably still at Haishi’s house, though she didn’t know if it had been taken. She had spent more than 500 yuan when she bought it.

“No. Nowadays, the three big things are popular in marriage. You have to have what others have,” Lu Changzheng said.

Su Mo was amused by his straightforward thinking and glared at him, saying, “I’ve already married you, why do you still care about these things? Since I already have a watch, there’s no need to buy another. Don’t waste the money.”

Sister Liu, who had been listening the whole time, smiled and added, “Sister Su is right. If you already have it, you don’t need to buy more. It’s better to be more careful with money these days. You could save it and buy other things in the future.”

Seeing that both of them were saying the same thing, Lu Changzheng didn’t insist anymore, but he did feel a little regretful that he hadn’t given enough of a betrothal gift to his wife.

At this moment, Sister Liu’s colleague brought over the watch.

“Sister Su, this one is made of steel with 19 diamonds and costs 125 yuan plus a watch coupon,” Sister Liu said.

Lu Changzheng was about to take out the money when Su Mo stopped him. She pulled out the money she had prepared earlier from her bag and handed it over.

“I bought this for you. I’ll pay for it.”

Sister Liu took the money and counted the bills to make sure they were correct, then handed the watch to Su Mo.

Su Mo immediately put it on Lu Changzheng’s wrist, took a look, and smiled, “It looks really good and suits you well.”

Although the man’s hands were rough, they were slender, well-proportioned, and had distinct joints. The all-steel watch looked great on them.

Being praised by his wife, Lu Changzheng’s ears turned red, which was rare. He coughed lightly and said, “Yours looks good too.”

Sister Liu watched the affectionate newlywed couple in front of her and sighed to herself, thinking that it was good to be young.

She and her husband had been like this when they first got married…

“Comrade soldier, do you want to buy two more big items?” Sister Liu took the opportunity to make a sale for the supply and marketing cooperative.

“Yes. Do you have bicycles and sewing machines?” Lu Changzheng asked.

“We have Fei Ge brand bicycles, but no sewing machines. You’d need to check the city supply and marketing cooperative for those,” Sister Liu replied.

“Aren’t there any Forever brand bicycles?” Lu Changzheng frowned. It would be better to buy a Forever brand bicycle for the wedding.

“Oh, comrade soldier, these things from the sea market are rarely found in our county. But if you want to buy a sewing machine, try your luck in the city supply and marketing cooperative, maybe you can find one there,” Sister Liu suggested.

“Okay,” Lu Changzheng nodded.

If that doesn’t work, they could go to the black market and ask. It would be better to get a Forever brand.

The bicycle and sewing machine were things Su Mo needed, so she didn’t mention that she didn’t need to buy them.

“Sister Su, do you need anything else?”

Su Mo thought about needing to sew a quilt cover later, so she asked for 50 cents of cotton thread a large bundle, which should be enough for ten times of sewing.

Industrial coupons were also required to buy cotton thread. 0.1 coupon was needed to buy 50 cents’ worth of cotton thread.