Chapter 24: First Trip to the City

Wen Wan woke up refreshed after a hearty breakfast of fried dough sticks, sweet potato porridge, and a boiled egg.

“Dad, Mom, we’re leaving. Is there anything you need us to bring?” Wen Wan opened the passenger-side car door.

Wen Dafu waved his hand. “Go early and be careful on the road.”

“Xiaowan, we have everything at home. You and Haoting are not allowed to buy anything,” Cui Yulan specifically instructed, worried that the two would return with bags and bags of things.

Actually, she didn’t even want her daughter to buy a bicycle and a sewing machine, but Grandma Guo insisted, and she couldn’t argue with her.

Zhou Haoting waved his hand. “Uncle Wen, Aunt Cui, don’t worry, I’ll safely send Xiaowan home.”

After saying that, he got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Watching the car drive away, Wen Jianguo was envious and muttered to Tian Xiaochao, “Wife, I want to go to the city in a car too.”

Before Tian Xiaochao could speak, Cui Yulan slapped him. “Don’t even think about it! Go stack the firewood neatly and earn more money for your son!”

“Ouch… Mom, you hit too hard! You almost killed me!” Wen Jianguo winced, grumbling, “I think Zhou Haoting is your real son, and I’m just a foundling.”

During breakfast, his mother kept telling Zhou Haoting to eat more and eat his vegetables; she even practically fed him the egg.

“I wish he were my son! He’s much more sensible than you. You’re about to be a father, and you still act like a child!” Cui Yulan scolded him.

Wen Jianguo chuckled. “Mom, he’s your son, but my little sister doesn’t have a good husband.”

“Go work! If you keep nagging, I’ll get a stick!” Cui Yulan’s face darkened.

At the entrance of Erqiao Village.

“Is that Wen Dafu’s daughter?” Jing Shenshi, carrying a bamboo basket, squinted her eyes in disbelief.

“It should be. I saw her just now,” someone echoed.

“My god, that man is her partner, and they came in a car!” Jing Shenshi swallowed, feeling uneasy. She hoped she hadn’t said anything she shouldn’t have yesterday.

“I wonder, Wen Wan only finished high school. Why does she find such good partners?” Liu Min, holding a hoe, asked in confusion.

“Wen Wan didn’t just finish high school. My seventh aunt’s nephew said her grades were top-notch,” Liu Yu exclaimed.

“You’re exaggerating. Wen Wan took the college entrance exam twice and still didn’t get in. Good grades must be a lie,” Liu Min scoffed.

Wen Wei, who knew a little of the inside story, glanced around. “Don’t you think it’s strange? When Wen Wan took the college entrance exam the first time, there was a huge rainstorm, and the bridge was flooded. No one could cross.”

“Ah… Didn’t all the examinees go to the city then?” someone asked incredulously.

At that time, everyone had just heard the news of the resumption of the college entrance exam, and all the educated youth in the village had signed up to take the exam, and they all stayed in the city in groups.

“No, I heard that Wen Wan wasn’t familiar with those educated youth, so she stayed at home. She planned to leave early the next morning, but then the rainstorm came, and she arrived late and didn’t even get into the examination hall,” Wen Wei sighed.

Liu Min continued to ask, “What about the second time? Didn’t Wen Wan get into the examination hall either?”

“You’re right, Liu Min. She didn’t get into the examination hall the second time either.”

Wen Wei pulled out a cigarette, struck a match, and lit it.

“Wen Wei, don’t stop halfway. What happened the second time?” Liu Min urged anxiously.

Wen Wei lit his cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. “The second time, Wen Wan stayed at a guesthouse in advance. She ate steamed buns and porridge from the guesthouse for breakfast, and ended up hospitalized with food poisoning. No one else had any problems.”

They privately speculated that the feng shui of the Wen family’s ancestral graves might be bad, causing their children to perform poorly academically, and those who did well couldn’t even get into the examination hall.

More than an hour passed.

The car screeched to a halt beside the department store.

Wen Wan felt the movement and opened her sleepy eyes. “Are we here?”

“Just arrived,” Zhou Haoting whispered.

Wen Wan instantly regained her composure. “We have to go early; if we’re late, there won’t be any good stuff left.” She had learned that lesson at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Hearing this, Zhou Haoting swallowed the words he was about to say, touched his nose, and checked his watch: 9:30.

Looking at the three-story department store, Wen Wan was momentarily lost in thought.

“Xiaowan, should we go straight to buy the sewing machine and bicycle, or should we browse around?” Zhou Haoting asked with a smile.

He hadn’t been to the county department store in several years. He remembered when he was twelve or thirteen, he secretly caught fish in the river and sold them to people in the county town to buy food.

Wen Wan stroked her chin. “Let’s browse around first.” She didn’t even know how to sew; what did she need a sewing machine for?

As they looked at each counter, Wen Wan got a general idea of the material goods available at that time.

The most frustrating thing was that everything required coupons, not just money.

Zhou Haoting followed behind, casually reminding her, “Xiaowan, the sewing machines and bicycles are on the second floor. We can go take a look.”

“Zhou…” Wen Wan called out two words, then remembered her parents’ morning instructions to not be so informal and not call Zhou Haoting by his full name.

She changed her words. “Haogo, I don’t know how to sew, so I don’t need a sewing machine.”

Zhou Haoting paused. “Xiaowan, I respect your decision. I’ll give you the sewing machine coupons and money, and you can buy it later if you want.”

He wanted to say that he could buy it and give it to Wen’s mother, but he was afraid that it would be too forward and make Wen Wan uncomfortable.

Wen Wan nodded with a smile. “Okay, let’s go look at bicycles now.”

They went upstairs to the second floor, which was noticeably quieter than the first floor.

Saleswoman Wang Feng saw them come up, glanced at their clothes, and greeted them with a smile, “Comrades, are you looking at bicycles, radios, or watches? We have those too.”

A few days ago, the manager held a meeting and specifically warned the sales staff to pay attention to their service attitude. The black market was becoming rampant, and it was difficult to sell the goods on the second floor.

“Sister, we’re looking at bicycles,” Wen Wan stated directly.

Wang Feng’s eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically led the way. “Comrades, you’ve come to the right place! We have the best and most complete selection in the city.”

She turned around a large square pillar and showed them a row of ten bicycles in different colors.

“Comrade, I recommend this pink one for you. It’s the prettiest and suits your complexion best,” Wang Feng enthusiastically pointed to the most expensive bicycle.