Chapter 589: Wang Meilan's Shopping Spree

It was the same Halal restaurant where Du Chunjiang had treated them last time.

But they were tight on time today, so they kept things simple. They didn’t order any stir-fried dishes or shumai.

Zhao Jun and the others, five in total, started by ordering twenty beef pancakes and five bowls of lamb soup. When that wasn’t enough, they added another six pancakes.

After eating and drinking their fill, the five of them took a vehicle to the front of the Lingnan Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Wang Meilan looked up at the sign of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, then said to Zhao Jun beside her, “Son, you three go sell the ginseng. Your aunt and I will just wander around in here.”

Zhao Jun tilted his head slightly and whispered in Wang Meilan’s ear, “Ma, watch your money and stuff. We’ll be out in a little bit.”

“It’s fine.” Wang Meilan lifted her chin calmly and said, “You don’t need to worry about me.”

It was Sunday, so the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was packed. Most of the people were probably taking advantage of their day off to do some shopping.

Seeing how it was packed shoulder to shoulder, Zhao Jun stopped and said to Li Baoyu, “Baoyu, Jie Chen and I will go find Brother-in-law Sun. You stay with them and make sure nothing happens.”

Hearing this, Li Baoyu instantly recalled the time he and Zhao Jun were robbed on their way home after selling some furs.

At that thought, Li Baoyu nodded and replied, “Alright, Brother, I’m on it.” With that, he turned and left.

Zhao Jun and Jie Chen, knowing the way, headed for Sun Haizhu’s office, while Li Baoyu went to stand behind Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei.

The two mothers were on their tiptoes, looking all around. After a glance left and right, Wang Meilan tapped Jin Xiaomei’s arm twice and said excitedly, “Even our New Year’s market back home isn’t this lively!”

“You can say that again!” Jin Xiaomei said, equally excited. “My eyes can’t even take it all in! Sister, what should we buy first?”

Just then, a middle-aged woman of about fifty, her hair in a tight bun, walked past them leading a little boy of six or seven. Hearing Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei’s conversation, the woman glanced back, looked them up and down, and thought to herself, ‘Where did these villagers come from? Acting like such country bumpkins.’

With that thought, she bent down and said to the little boy, “Come on, Grandma’s gonna buy you some Naughty Kids candy!”

Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei overheard her. Jin Xiaomei then said to Wang Meilan, “Sister, why don’t we go buy some candy first? That candy Zhao Jun brought back last time was really good.”

“Yeah,” Wang Meilan readily agreed. She and Jin Xiaomei were both mothers. No matter how well-off they were, they couldn’t bring themselves to splurge on Jianlibao soda, but they wouldn’t deny themselves a couple of pieces of candy.

Besides, they both thought this Naughty Kids candy was much tastier than the fifteen-cent-a-jin candy balls sold at their village’s little store.

Wang Meilan pointed at the woman with the child, signaling for Jin Xiaomei to follow her so they could find the candy counter.

As they walked, Wang Meilan said to Jin Xiaomei, “After we buy the candy, I’m eating a piece right away. My mouth still tastes gamey from that lamb soup.”

“I know, right?” Jin Xiaomei agreed. “The three boys just had to have it. With the money we spent on those pancakes, we could’ve bought meat and made several big batches ourselves at home.”

Hearing his mother’s words, Li Baoyu, who was trailing behind them, couldn’t help but purse his lips. He thought, ‘Why didn’t you two say that while you were eating? You each ate five pancakes and even asked the owner for three soup refills.’

The woman with her grandson had a stout, thick-waisted figure. With her clearing a path through the crowd, Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei easily followed the pair to the front of the counter.

The woman took fifty cents out of her pocket and yelled, “Weigh me out half a jin of Naughty Kids candy!”

“Half a jin of Naughty Kids!” the salesclerk shouted as she took the money. Behind her, another worker got a scale to weigh the candy.

The salesclerk took a five-fen coin from the cash box and gave it to the woman. Then she looked up, saw Wang Meilan, and asked curtly, “What do you want?”

“I…” It was Wang Meilan’s first time seeing a scene like this, and she was quite nervous. She stammered a little, “I… I want Naughty Kids candy, too.”

“How much?” the salesclerk’s tone was brusque and impatient, but that was normal and to be expected.

The foot traffic in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was immense. She had to serve countless customers a day. If she spoke softly and slowly to every single one, she wouldn’t sell much by the end of it.

Being rushed, however, seemed to calm Wang Meilan down. She raised a hand and held it up to the salesclerk, declaring, “Fifty jin!”

“How much?” Now it was the salesclerk’s turn to be nervous. She looked at Wang Meilan and confirmed again, “Naughty Kids candy is ninety cents a jin.”

“Yep.” Wang Meilan leaned one hand on the counter and reached into her pocket with the other to pull out her money. Looking at the salesclerk, she said, “I know. Have them weigh it out for me.”

As she spoke, Wang Meilan counted out forty-five yuan and handed it to the salesclerk.

At this, everyone nearby stared at Wang Meilan in utter shock. The person closest to her, the woman with the grandson, was so busy gawking at Wang Meilan that she didn’t even notice the butter paper packet the salesclerk was handing her.

“Hey, son, what are you doing here?” Suddenly, Jin Xiaomei saw Li Baoyu standing behind them and smiled. “Perfect. In a bit, you can go to the car and watch our things while your aunt and I shop in here.”

The fifty jin of Naughty Kids candy Wang Meilan ordered was for both their families.

After the New Year, both Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were getting married. Before then, their families had to meet with their future in-laws and host guests, so cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea were all essential.

Furthermore, Wang Meilan had said she wanted to throw a big celebration, and Jin Xiaomei wholeheartedly agreed.

Just then, a commotion arose from the salesclerks behind the counter who were packing the order. One of them was heard saying, “Just get a burlap sack for her. We can tare the weight, and it’ll be fine.”