Chapter 16: Alright, alright, I’m so annoyed
“I told you, this outfit looks good on you! You look better than all the women on the street!” Lin Heng said, holding his wife’s hand and smiling. Especially her figure, it was a huge plus.
Chen Xiulan stared at herself in the mirror, still shocked. She didn’t realize that wearing beautiful clothes would make her look so much more attractive.
Lin Heng’s gaze made her feel like she was back before they got married.
After enjoying the view for a moment, she reached to change, but Lin Heng stopped her: “Why change? Just wear it back like this.”
“No, even though I bought it, I can’t wear it while walking on mountain paths.” Xiulan shook her head, insisting on changing.
Lin Heng couldn’t resist trying to reach for her twice. Her figure was so good; otherwise, he wouldn’t have noticed her so quickly back then.
Her hands swatted his away twice before she finally finished changing.
“The clothes are bought, but no need to buy the shoes,” Xiulan said, looking at Lin Heng.
It was black, with lace patterns, which he liked very much.
Chen Xiulan almost protested, but there were too many people around, and she felt embarrassed.
“Let’s buy a set for our daughter too,” Lin Heng suggested, asking Xiulan to choose. This time, Xiulan didn’t refuse.
“You should buy a set for yourself too, or I’ll return mine,” Xiulan said, looking at Lin Heng.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely buy one,” Lin Heng chuckled.
Lin Heng bought himself a pair of hiking boots, a short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of shorts.
Once he put them on, he looked a lot more handsome. He was already good-looking, or he wouldn’t have been able to marry such a great wife like Xiulan.
The so-called hiking boots here weren’t like the ones from later years. The soles were made of yellow rubber, and the high-top canvas was similar to a Liberation shoe, just more stylish.
“Honey, don’t I look handsome?” Lin Heng smiled, asking.
“Very good,” Xiulan nodded, reaching to tidy his clothes, her bright eyes showing her satisfaction.
“How much are the clothes here?” Lin Heng’s father, who had bought some small items, walked over and asked.
“The clothes are eighty cents each, and the shoes vary in price,” Lin Heng answered.
“Then buy a set for everyone at home. We’ll have to buy them sooner or later. These are cheap, and there are lots of styles. Buy a pair of Liberation shoes for each person too,” Lin Heng’s father thought for a moment and decided.
Since they had gotten so many things, it was natural to buy some gifts for the family.
“The clothes cost twelve yuan, the shoes are twenty yuan, so a total of thirty-two yuan,” the cashier said as they checked out.
They had bought 16 pieces of clothing and 10 pairs of shoes.
When Lin Heng’s father and Xiulan heard the total, they felt like returning the items. It was too expensive. In the summer, they sold herbs and mushrooms, but they wouldn’t make this much money in two months.
A city worker’s monthly salary was only 15 yuan.
There was nothing they could do; industrial goods were expensive in China at that time, while natural resources were cheap.
Afterward, Lin Heng bought a flashlight and two packs of hand cream.
There was no electricity at the time, so the flashlight would be useful at night.
Lin Heng really wanted to buy a watch because it was necessary to keep track of time in the forest. They only had one clock at home, so when they went out, they couldn’t check the time.
But watches were extremely expensive at that time in China. The cheapest ones cost over 100 yuan, which he simply couldn’t afford.
In the end, the total came to 131 yuan and 30 cents. Lin Heng’s father and Xiulan felt heartbroken when paying.
“Money is just paper. It’s worth more when you trade it for goods!” Lin Heng smiled, paid, and began walking out with the dog and the items.
Especially in recent years, with inflation rising one after another, money quickly became worthless. It was more cost-effective to exchange it for material goods.
Many people’s hard-earned savings had become worthless this way.
“Is there anything else we need to buy?”
Lin Heng asked his father, looking at the clock on the wall. It was already 3 PM.
“Nothing much, just buy some small things like baking powder, sweet wine yeast, and so on,” Lin Heng’s father shook his head.
“Looks like we can get ready to head home,” Xiulan said, carrying the things they had bought.
“Alright, I’ll go buy a bow, and then we’ll head back,” Lin Heng nodded, seeking his father’s opinion.
“Go ahead and buy it, as long as you really know how to use it,” Lin Heng’s father thought for a moment, since they had already bought so many things, he didn’t mind adding one more.
There were many people selling hunting tools in this era, so Lin Heng bought a hunting bow, 30 sharpened iron arrowheads, and five complete arrows.
After finishing the shopping, they started walking back. When they passed a recycling station, Lin Heng suddenly remembered something and said to his wife and father, “Wait for me, I need to buy something.”
He handed the dog to Xiulan and walked inside.
“What are you doing?” The shop owner picked up a steel pipe from the ground when he saw Lin Heng coming in without carrying anything.
“I’m here to buy something. Do you have any old books?” Lin Heng quickly explained.
Upon hearing this, the shop owner dropped the pipe and pointed to a pile of scrap paper on the left. “They’re all there, you pick.”
“Thanks,” Lin Heng nodded and walked over.
Most of the items were waste paper, but after some searching, Lin Heng found a few good old books: Red Crag, How the Steel Was Tempered, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Jane Eyre, and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
“How much for these five books?” Lin Heng asked, holding them up.
“Two dimes for all of them,” the shopkeeper said after glancing at Lin Heng.
“Can I take that inner tube for free?” Lin Heng asked, pointing to a worn-out motorcycle inner tube nearby.
“A yuan, you can take it,” the shopkeeper waved his hand.
After paying, Lin Heng happily walked out with the books. He planned to give them as a gift to his sister, Lin Caiyun. He believed these books would be even more precious to her than clothes.
“Why are you buying these?” Lin Heng’s father asked, looking at him.
“To read, to broaden my horizons,” Lin Heng smiled. “Some are for my sister.”
Lin Heng’s father fell silent for a moment, then continued walking with the things on his back. They bought some dry food, and the three of them walked back.
They had bought so many things that they were walking even slower than when they came.
Lin Heng had planned to see if there were any rides back, but when they reached Shuangqiao Town, there was no one offering a ride. They could only take the small mountain path.
They walked 10 kilometers into the mountain, and by dusk, it was already past 6 PM. It would be dark in about an hour.
“Wuwu~”
The dog, Xiongba, couldn’t walk anymore and lay in the backpack.
“Let’s rest a bit, have some dry food, and then continue. We’ll die from exhaustion.”
Lin Heng plopped down on a small slope, too tired to walk.
“Give me some of your things. I’m really tired of eating rice,” Lin Heng’s father said, walking over and taking some of the items from Lin Heng.
Lin Heng didn’t stop him. He couldn’t carry any more himself.
“Let me help you a bit, honey,” Lin Heng said, turning around and taking some of the things from Xiulan’s backpack.
“Alright, alright!”
Lin Heng’s father laughed angrily. “This unfilial son, you’re really going to do this? I won’t help anymore,” and dropped the items back.
“Dad, don’t be angry. You’re in better shape, how can we compare?” Lin Heng grinned, shamelessly putting the items back into his father’s backpack.
“I’m not tired, Dad, give me some too,” Xiulan said dutifully.
“No need, if anyone’s going to carry it, let that good-for-nothing carry it,” Lin Heng’s father glared at Lin Heng but still helped out a bit.
After eating the bread, Lin Heng drank some water from a nearby creek, then picked a white flower and walked over to place it in Xiulan’s hair.
“It’s really beautiful!” Lin Heng chuckled happily.
Xiulan’s face turned slightly red, and she glared at him, meaning to say that her father was still there.
“Dad, you don’t mind, do you?” Lin Heng smiled.
“You better always behave like this. If you mess up, I’ll break your dog legs!” Lin Heng’s father angrily stormed off, clearly displeased with the public display of affection.
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End of Chapter