Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 40 - 040 Jinquan Shopping Mall

Chapter 40: 040 Jinquan Shopping Mall

The thick and soft quilt exuded the scent of the sun, which helped Li Xianglu overcome the discomfort of changing beds and quickly fall asleep.

In a daze, Li Xianglu felt she was on a shaky little boat, which scared her into alertness; her vision was dark, with the sound of howling wind and rushing water.

She felt her feet icy cold to the bone, and couldn’t help but retract them upward, only to hear a deep voice saying, "Don’t move, be careful not to fall into the water!"

Li Xianglu was startled; the voice sounded very familiar, as if she had heard it before.

Soon, the light in front of her eyes gradually became clearer, and she saw herself and a man sitting on a raft drifting in the sea, the raft bobbing with the waves while the man in front worked hard to paddle forward.

Li Xianglu looked around in fear, feeling an uncanny sense of familiarity, and just as she tried to speak, a big wave rolled over, lifting their raft high and she plummeted into the water with a splash.

Li Xianglu suddenly struggled to get up when she heard a voice calling out, "Xiang, hurry up and get up; after eating, we need to go to the county."

Li Xianglu abruptly opened her eyes, and the sensation of being submerged vanished, leaving her whole body icy cold, her hand touching the hot bed stove, which was still warm, yet her own body was cold throughout.

The dream was too real, so real that she felt as though those events had actually happened.

Quickly dressing up, Li Xianglu climbed down from the bed, put on her shoes, and went outside.

She stepped out only to hear Mr. Li’s incredulous voice: "You, how could you cut your hair, girl?"

Li Xianglu blinked with wide eyes, a hint of embarrassment lifting the corners of her mouth, "Yes, grandpa, my hair was too yellow, I wanted to cut it shorter to let it grow back darker."

Mr. Li nodded and said, "Yes, indeed, when you get back, you should shave your head and stay at home, apply some ginger when you’re free, and the next time it grows back, your hair will be black."

Li Xianglu nodded in agreement, and Mr. Li prepared millet porridge, thick with added dates, three big bowls of porridge, and a peeled chicken egg in each bowl, white and tender, looking scrumptiously sweet.

Feeling somewhat unworthy, Li Xianglu swallowed her saliva, and at that moment, Qin Xi also came in, seeing Li Xianglu and softly smiling with a nod in her direction.

Li Xianglu’s cheeks flushed and she hurried to wash her face.

Her yellowish short hair, which was originally soft, had become disobedient after a night’s sleep, standing up like a bird’s nest, and under her flushed face, Li Xianglu had breakfast with her grandfather and Qin Xi.

After eating, Mr. Li asked Li Xianglu to soak the bowls in the pot and then quickly prompted them to hit the road.

It was the brigade’s mule, not led by Li Erfu but by another old man who took care of the livestock.

An hour later, they arrived at the commune and the three of them stood waiting at the commune’s health care station.

Just as Li Xianglu was about to ask why they were waiting there, she saw a familiar truck driving up.

As the car came to a stop, a familiar middle-aged man alighted from the passenger side and approached Li Huai Ren with a beaming smile, "Uncle Huai Ren, sorry to keep you waiting."

Li Huai Ren shook his head with a smile, "Not at all, I just got here." Turning to Li Xianglu, he said, "This is your Uncle He, from the County Armed Forces Department."

Then, addressing He Chongguang, he said, "Chong Guang, this is my newly recognized granddaughter, Li Xianglu. You’ll have to help me look after her from now on."

He Chongguang looked at Li Xianglu. Wasn’t this girl the one who was abducted by Wang Xiwang’s family to become their daughter-in-law at the Wei River production brigade? How did she become Li Huai Ren’s granddaughter?

Yet, with a laugh, he said, "Of course, definitely."

Li Xianglu called out "Uncle He" and then quietly stood to the side.

Everyone got into the vehicle. The front passenger seat could fit two people, but Li Xianglu insisted on sitting in the back. Mr. Li didn’t insist, and he took the front passenger seat next to He Chongguang.

Li Xianglu tried to climb up from the side steps, but as she couldn’t quite lift her leg high enough, she suddenly felt a forceful smack on her behind giving her a push.

Li Xianglu, without the luxury of feeling embarrassed, quickly took advantage of the push to get up, only to see Qin Xi nimbly climbing up from below, seemingly oblivious to his recent uncouth behavior.

Li Xianglu blushed. After all, she was a 22-year-old modern young woman on the inside. Although she hadn’t fought any real battles, she had seen plenty of action in movies, and now this brat had taken advantage of her.

There were already seven or eight people in the back of the truck, all heading to the county. Seeing the two climb aboard and noting their friendly greeting to Minister He, it was clear they were acquainted. With that, everyone promptly thought to make room and treat them with a bit of courtesy.

After a bumpy half-hour ride, they arrived at the county. The last time Li Xianglu came to the county, she was dozing in the truck both coming and going, and didn’t get to see what the county town looked like. This time, from the back of the truck, she could see it clearly.

There were far more people here, more streets, and more buildings—she could see about seven or eight five-story buildings in the distance. People’s clothing here seemed much more fashionable too.

On the street, she even noticed someone with slightly curled bangs, clearly not natural curls. It seemed even in the tensest times, there were still people who valued beauty, albeit subtly.

They got off at the entrance to the County Government courtyard. After some cordial exchange with He Chongguang, Mr. Li, along with Li Xianglu and Qin Xi, headed to Jinquan Department Store first.

Jinquan Department Store was the only department store in the county. Calling it a department store was a bit of a stretch, as it was actually a three-story, standalone building.

The first floor sold groceries, the second floor was all clothing, fabrics, and some industrial products. The third floor was much more upscale, with items such as bicycles and sewing machines—quite the luxury items.

Mr. Li intended to start on the second floor, wanting to buy some clothes for Li Xianglu first. The girl’s cotton-padded jacket was stiff and hardly warm. She needed a padded jacket, a couple of cardigans to wear over it, and as for trousers, they decided to buy some fabric so a tailor could make her several pairs to change into.

The department store in the county was much larger than the one in Jigu Commune, with a dazzling array of goods displayed behind the counters. Inside, the store was also quite crowded with people, likely due to the weekend. However, many were just looking and not buying, while the sales assistants, each with a ball of yarn in their hands, knitted away, or held a measuring tape and kept a watchful eye on the crowd. Li Xianglu’s lips curved into a smile – in this era, being a sales assistant was a coveted job; naturally, some would adopt a condescending attitude, acting as if they were high-ranking officials.

The entire floor was filled with counters, clearly divided for selling fabric, yarn, readymade clothes, and cotton. Each category had three counters with one employee each.

These sales assistants wore neat and uniform attire – a blue work coat with a small black round collar, black trousers, black shoes, and their hair neatly done up behind their heads, looking exceptionally tidy and clean.

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