After an hour of browsing, Jiang Si ended up spending over a hundred yuan plus more than twenty industrial coupons here before heading over to the stationery counter.
Some time ago, she had received another parcel from Qiongzhou Island. Compared to last year's, this year's parcel was noticeably heavier.
It was only after asking Sister-in-law Xu that Jiang Si learned that the school had replaced several teachers at the beginning of the year.
To motivate the children's enthusiasm for learning, the Fourth Division had used the funds she donated earlier to establish a scholarship.
Children with outstanding grades could also have their tuition and miscellaneous fees waived.
The children's drive to study was incredibly strong now.
Hearing this news, Jiang Si felt quite happy in her heart.
Similarly, she once again purchased a batch of stationery to send back.
Seeing her buy so much, the salesclerk specifically reminded her that the counter offered a storage service; she could pick up the goods within three days by bringing the payment receipt.
Jiang Si decisively chose to store the items. Carrying so many things around would surely kill any desire to continue shopping.
Watching their mother rush excitedly downstairs before their father had even finished paying, the two little ones wondered, "Isn't Mom tired?"
Even being carried by their dad felt tiring to them.
In this regard, Huo Tingzhou was more experienced. For his wife, this was probably not even an appetizer, considering she used to shop for an entire day in the past.
Having accompanied her so many times, he could even guess where his wife would head next.
Sure enough, after the father and his two sons went downstairs, they found Jiang Si right in the middle of the dense crowd at the textiles, shoes, and hats counter.
At this moment, the usefulness of the list was fully demonstrated.
When it was Jiang Si's turn, she directly pulled the list from her pocket.
"Comrade, please get these items according to this list!"
The salesclerk was a woman in her early thirties. She took the list, glanced at it, and asked, "You... you want all of these?"
Really, who shops like this? Even stocking inventory isn't this exaggerated!
Jiang Si nodded, "Yes, thank you for your trouble, comrade."
Not all the items on the list were for her alone; some were for several of her sisters-in-law and Sister-in-law Hu.
Before she left, each of her sisters-in-law had pressed two hundred yuan into her hand, asking her to help bring some things back.
Don't ask why—the answer is simply that you can't buy them in Beijing!
The prosperity and material supply of Shanghai are such that even people from the capital can only look on with envy when they visit.
You should know that, for any well-known brand, eight or nine out of ten are produced in Shanghai.
Even the "Self-Study Series for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry" is published and printed by Shanghai publishers.
The full set consists of seventeen volumes. During the 1977 college entrance exams, it was comparable to "life-saving study material"!
However, in the early days of the Cultural Revolution, most of the inventory in other provinces across the country was confiscated and destroyed. Currently, only two bookstores in Shanghai might have the original edition for sale.
Speaking of this, Jiang Si remembered something. When she had time another day, she needed to go to Xinhua Bookstore to see if she could buy a few sets to mail to the children as well.
Seeing her confirm the purchase so definitely, the salesclerk looked them up and down.
Those who worked here, while often looking down their noses at people, still had a good eye for judging others.
This family of four was dressed well and had an air of refinement, especially the female comrade's coat—the fabric was clearly high-end.
Besides, in these times, it was normal to help relatives and friends buy a few things.
Working here, which month didn't they have to help some aunt or cousin buy some scarce item?
"Alright, just a moment, I'll get it for you."
The salesclerk signaled to her colleague beside her. One of them started gathering the items according to the list, while the other was responsible for writing out the invoice.
"Three Guns brand pure cotton underwear, 7.2 yuan per set. Knitted vest, 6.5 yuan each."
"Double Sisters brand corduroy overblouse, 8.8 yuan."
"Gabardine fabric, 31.8 per meter."
"Lady's Dacron shirt, 9.2 yuan. Men's khaki work clothes, 10.5 yuan."
"Little Girl brand fine cotton shirt, 5.3 yuan."
"Children's wool sweater, 15.8 yuan. Children's corduroy overalls, 7.6 yuan."
"Conch brand mercerized cotton shirt, 8.3 yuan."
"Warrior brand men's sports sneakers, 7.2 yuan. Children's shoes, 4.8 yuan. Ladies' leather shoes, 18.5 yuan."
...
Besides these, there were also Heng Yuan Xiang wool yarn, Phoenix brand wool blankets, Min Guang brand peony bedsheets, Dong Wu brand silk quilt covers...
Because she was buying for different people, the quantities varied.
Eight pieces of this, six pieces of that...
Just recording all this, plus the time spent finding the goods, took the salesclerk nearly half an hour.
Even though supplies were plentiful during the New Year period, waiting this long all at once made the people queuing behind somewhat unhappy.
Someone urged, "Comrade, could you hurry up a bit? I'm in a hurry!"
The salesclerk had just finished checking all the items and was picking up the abacus to calculate the total.
Hearing this, she snapped back, "What's the rush? Can't you see I'm getting ready to tally it up? If you don't like waiting, just step aside."
"Hey, how can you talk like that?" The person who had urged her felt embarrassed.
"This is just how I am, so what?" The salesclerk didn't even look up, shaking the receipts open with a rustle. "If you have the guts, don't come here to buy."
"You're just a shop assistant, what's so great about you?"
"I am great, so what?"
"Alright, alright, enough arguing."
Someone nearby quickly pulled at the man's sleeve. "It's the New Year, no need to argue over such a small thing. She's already calculating the bill, it'll be your turn soon."
The man complained, "Big brother, you heard her too. I just asked casually, what kind of attitude is that?"
The salesclerk kept her head down. "This is my attitude, take it or leave it."
With that, she was just about to start moving the abacus beads.
Zhaozhao glanced at Jiang Si. "Mom, it's 1,132 yuan and 6 mao in total."
Jiang Si looked down at her in surprise. "You've already calculated it?"
Zhaozhao nodded. "Yes, I checked it several times. That's the amount."
Hearing this, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou exchanged a look.
Surprised as they were, Huo Tingzhou was the first to get the money and coupons ready.
The mother and daughter hadn't lowered their voices when speaking, so the salesclerk naturally heard them, but she simply ignored the matter.
After about ten more minutes, the salesclerk handed over several payment slips.
"Turn right up ahead to settle the payment. Bring the receipt stub back later to collect the goods."
Jiang Si took them, glanced at them, and then handed the payment slips back.
"Comrade, please calculate it again."
