Chapter 9: Going to Town

Thinking of this, her heart began to ache again.

In her past life, her eldest daughter had suffered too much — now she was determined to love her well.

“Phew, this wind today sure is strong,” Zhang Xiulian said, using the excuse of the wind blowing into her eyes to discreetly wipe away her tears.

“Riding a bicycle isn’t that hard. I’ve been getting up early to practice these past few days — and now, I’ve finally learned.

Now that I can ride, going to town will be easy. No more begging people for rides or owing favors.”

Zhao Lili’s eyes widened with envy. She looked down and whispered softly, “I wish I could ride a bike too.”

“That’s easy to fix. One of these days, when I have time, I’ll teach you.
My daughter is so smart — I’m sure you’ll learn in no time.”

Her mother had already given her so many surprises today that Zhao Lili felt a little dazed.

Is this really a dream?
She secretly pinched the inside of her wrist.

“Ouch — that hurts. Not a dream.”

Zhao Lili cheered in her heart, afraid that if she woke up, everything would disappear.

She gripped the back seat of the bicycle with both hands, gently hopped up, and sat down firmly.

“Let’s go! Hold on tight, sweetie,”

Zhang Xiulian was already straddling the bicycle, one foot on the ground and the other lightly on the pedal.

As soon as Zhao Lili sat down, she pushed off with full force, and the bicycle started rolling.

Zhaojia Village wasn’t far from Jinniu Town — it only took about 20 minutes to get there by bike.

Zhao Lili sat on the back seat, looking at the blooming wildflowers along the roadside, her heart full of joy.

Her father, Zhao Debao, often took her brothers to town, but she and her younger sister were rarely allowed out.

“Girls shouldn’t show their faces in public too much. If they’re always running around, no decent family will want to marry them.”

“A girl should be quiet and well-behaved.”

At first, Zhao Lili had asked a few times if she could go to town and look around.

But her parents always found excuses to say no, and eventually, she stopped asking.

Mother and daughter chatted as they rode, and before they knew it, they had arrived in town.

The sun was already high in the sky — it was lunchtime.

Zhang Xiulian rode around town a couple of times and, relying on memories from her previous life, found a small snack shop that sold pan-fried buns.

It was a tiny room, no more than 10 square meters, with four tables and one large flat-bottomed pan.

The lady making the buns sat in front of the pan, deftly shaping dough balls the size of eggs with practiced hands.

Her fingers moved swiftly, and in just a few moments, a round, plump bun was formed. Once she had enough to fill a plate, she put them into the pan.

The sizzling sound of hot oil rang out, and in no time, a steaming plate of pan-fried buns was ready.

Zhang Xiulian held her daughter’s hand and walked into the shop, sat down, and smiled at the lady boss. “Boss, two plates of pan-fried buns with cabbage and pork filling, please.”

“Alright, coming right up. Just a moment.”

“Mom, one plate is enough. I’m not that hungry,” Zhao Lili tugged at her mother’s sleeve and said softly, lips pressed together.

Zhang Xiulian understood—her daughter wasn’t really not hungry. She just didn’t want to spend money.

Or rather, she didn’t want her mother to spend money on her.

For over twenty years, the family had drilled into her the mindset that girls should be frugal and hardworking, and as the eldest, she must set a good example for her younger siblings.

“Don’t worry, Mom’s got money.” Zhang Xiulian pointed at her bulging pocket and said firmly.

Zhao Lili quickly grabbed her mother’s hand and raised her eyebrows, silently warning her not to show off their money.

At that moment, the steaming hot pan-fried buns were served to their table.

Zhang Xiulian handed a pair of chopsticks to her daughter, and the two of them each had a plate and began to eat heartily.

The buns were crispy and fragrant on the outside, and with one bite, savory juices filled their mouths. The cabbage and pork filling was tender and delicious.

One bite, and it was hard to stop.

During a break to sip some water, Zhang Xiulian looked up and saw her daughter devouring the buns, her face radiating a blissful smile.

Her heart tightened—just a few buns could make her daughter this happy?

It showed just how much hardship this child had endured in the past.

After they were full, Zhang Xiulian wiped her mouth and said to the boss, “Please make me another plate. We’ll come pick it up after we finish shopping for clothes. How much in total?”

“Alright, three plates, that’ll be 3 yuan.”

“That’s too expensive!” Zhao Lili covered her mouth in shock.

“If Grandma and Dad find out we went to a restaurant, who knows what kind of scene they’d cause…”

Zhang Xiulian didn’t notice the subtle change in her daughter’s expression. She pulled her along onto the bicycle and rode toward a department store a few streets away.

As soon as they entered, Zhao Lili’s eyes were drawn to a white floral dress. The design was very fashionable, with an added ruffle detail around the collar—something she had only ever seen in movies.

Zhao Lili reached out, wanting to touch the fabric.

But before her fingers even made contact, a loud scolding came from a middle-aged female shop assistant nearby. “Hey girl, that dress is very expensive!”

“You—can you even afford it? If you can’t, don’t touch it! Who’s going to pay if you break it?”

From the moment Zhang Xiulian and Lili entered the store, the middle-aged saleswoman had been eyeing them up and down.

Seeing their shabby clothing, she deliberately made those snide remarks.

Zhao Lili recoiled as if electrocuted, her face flushing red from her brows all the way down to her neck. She grabbed her mother’s hand, intending to leave.

But Zhang Xiulian suddenly burned with rage.

She shook off her daughter’s hand, turned around, stormed up to the middle-aged saleswoman, raised her chin high, rolled her eyes and snapped, “Pah!”

“You really do look down on people, don’t you? How do you know we can’t afford it if you don’t even tell us the price?”

“And who said people can’t touch something if they’re not buying it? Which ‘master’ of yours made up that rule?”

“This is a new society now—everyone is equal! And you’re still here acting all high and mighty?”

“You better apologize to me right now, or I’ll report you to your manager!”

The more Zhang Xiulian spoke, the louder her voice became. She wasn’t satisfied just yelling inside—she turned and stepped out into the hallway and shouted even louder.

Passersby kept turning to look, pointing fingers at the store.

The store manager heard the commotion and quickly rushed over, pulling Zhang Xiulian back inside.

“Sis, let’s talk this out calmly,” the store manager said with a big smile.

“Xiao Wu, hurry up and apologize to this lady. Our customers have to touch the clothes to know if they’re good or not. What you just said was completely inappropriate. Don’t ever say something like that again, or you’re done here.”

The middle-aged saleswoman unwillingly lowered her head and muttered, “Sis, it’s my fault. Please don’t take it personally.”

Zhang Xiulian glanced at her and said impatiently, “It’s only because I’m in a good mood today that I’m not filing a complaint. But it’s not me you offended—it’s my daughter. You need to apologize to her too!”

The woman turned to Zhao Lili, “Miss, I’m sorry. I was a bit harsh just now. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Hearing the apology, Zhao Lili slowly raised her head, staring at her mother Zhang Xiulian in disbelief.

Zhang Xiulian nodded, silently signaling that she could respond however she wanted.

Zhao Lili straightened up and said calmly, “It’s fine.”

“Now, go find the right size for this outfit for my daughter—we’re buying it,” Zhang Xiulian said.

“That way, you won’t keep judging people by appearances and underestimating them!”

“And another thing—I want you to personally wrap it for us!” she added, pointing at the middle-aged saleswoman with a blank expression.

Seeing her still frozen, the store manager shot her a glance and barked sternly, “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up!”