Chapter 7

After arriving, I found the department store not only large, but its

However, Su Ruo now has money and doesn't care about these.

As she shopped along the way, Su Ruo bought three sets of change-of-clothes for herself, plus a few sets of underwear.

They are styles that fit the era well, comfortable to wear and not showy.

As for those Bulaji that look especially nice but aren't practical, Su Ruo didn't even glance at them—she was going to the countryside to work.

Wearing those clothes would only attract the attention of old men in the village, with no other benefit.

Afterwards, Su Ruo bought two batches of pure cotton cloth; although it's just the start of autumn, winter in Black Province comes fast, so she planned to make herself winter cotton clothing once she arrived.

As for the cotton-padded jacket she had worn for years, now lumpy, Su Ruo didn't intend to keep it.

Su Ruo also bought some hygiene and toiletry items; she felt she hadn't bought too much, but together they made a big bundle.

Su Ruo browsed a bit more, felt she had basically bought everything she needed, and prepared to leave.

Arriving at the counter, she saw a Meihua Brand watch, delicate and attractive, and Su Ruo instantly liked it.

Su Ruo thought that without a watch she couldn't tell time, which was indeed inconvenient, so she prepared to buy it and said:

"Comrade, let me have a look at this watch."

The salesperson, seated behind the counter knitting a sweater, heard this and, without looking up, said in an extremely contemptuous and arrogant tone, "The watch is 170 yuan, plus a watch coupon."

Su Ruo ignored the salesperson's nasty attitude, realized she indeed had no watch coupon, didn't insist on looking, and turned to leave.

That salesperson, watching her back, sneered, "Country bumpkin, you still want to look at a watch—don't even check whether you can afford it."

The remark wasn't soft; it immediately reached Su Ruo's ears.

She turned her head with an icy gaze: "Country bumpkin, who are you insulting?"

The salesperson hadn't expected the thin, poorly dressed Su Ruo to talk back; she was about to say more when a colleague beside her pulled her back, so she ended up saying nothing further.

She merely looked at Su Ruo's eyes, full of contempt, looking very unwilling to accept it.

Seeing the salesperson silent, Su Ruo didn't keep holding her; after leaving the department store, she found an alley and stored all her belongings in her space.

She thought the Cotton Spinning Factory wasn't far, so she decided to inquire about buying a job there.

When Su Ruo arrived at the city Cotton Spinning Factory, the sun was already high; she guessed it was about noon, and she didn't know whether Wang Changzhang was still there.

As someone who had come over later, Su Ruo instantly felt not having a watch was terribly inconvenient, so she thought to ask the job buyer later if they could issue a watch coupon; if they had one, she could even sell the job a bit cheaper.

When Su Ruo entered the factory director's office, there was not only Director Wang but also a middle-aged couple.

"Little Ruo, you've come at just the right time—I was about to look for you!" Director Wang greeted Su Ruo warmly upon seeing her and introduced the couple wanting to buy a job to her.

Nowadays, a job generally costs at least 300 yuan; since Su Ruo's position is relatively light logistics work, it naturally costs a bit more.

The other party was eager to buy, didn't haggle, and offered 500 yuan.

This price was neither high nor low, about what Su Ruo had expected, yet she didn't immediately agree.

Seeing Su Ruo hesitate, Director Wang asked, "Little Ruo, do you have any other requests?"

Su Ruo didn't hide it: "Director Wang, I'd like a watch coupon..."

Upon hearing this, the woman's face changed; without letting Su Ruo finish, she sharply interrupted, "Young lady, 500 yuan is already not low—don't be greedy."

Su Ruo had already prepared for the other side to bargain; after all, buying things is like that—you go back and forth until both sides are satisfied.

But the woman's unfriendly tone made Su Ruo's face sink at once: "If you think it's unsuitable, I won't sell this job!"

The woman's face grew even uglier; she wanted to say more, but the man beside her stopped her: "Five hundred yuan plus a watch coupon—we'll take this job."

"No, that watch coupon is I'm saving for my daughter's dowry," the woman protested sharply.

"If you can't buy the job, do you want your daughter to go to the countryside?" the man said, his tone somewhat stern.

The woman fell silent at once; she couldn't bear to send her daughter to the countryside, realized she'd made a mistake this time, feared she'd never find another suitable job, so even if unwilling, she could only grit her teeth and endure.

The man turned, smiling at Su Ruo: "Young lady, can we go through the formalities now?"

As the saying goes, don't strike a smiling face; since the other party's attitude was good, Su Ruo didn't make things difficult, and under Director Wang's witness, they completed the job transfer formalities.

After finishing everything and leaving, the woman gave Su Ruo a fierce glare; Su Ruo didn't mind, thanked Director Wang, and walked away happily.

Su Ruo, holding the money and coupon, returned to the department store, went to the counter, and this time straightened her back a bit: "Bring out this watch so I can have a look."

Seeing Su Ruo again, the salesperson immediately snapped impatiently, "Go on, go on—if you can't afford it, why look? If you break it, can you pay for it?"

Su Ruo's face darkened, and she said again, "Bring out the watch so I can look at it!"

The salesperson thought Su Ruo was just there to cause trouble, raising her voice a notch: "Where did you come from, little liar? I told you—if you can't afford it, don't look; get lost."

"Honestly, I don't know where you country bumpkin came from, you keep telling me to hand it over, but you don't even check your own weight—afraid that even if I sold it to you, you couldn't afford this watch."

"You don't even check what kind of place this is, daring to come here to cause trouble—believe it or not, I'll call security to throw you out."

The female salesperson, hands on hips, grew louder in her scolding, and soon a crowd gathered around.

An onlooker auntie nearby, seeing this, feared Su Ruo would suffer loss and hurriedly advised, "Young lady, forget it—if they won't let you look, then don't; you'd better leave quickly."

Nowadays, salespeople differ from those of later eras; most are high-and-mighty and like to judge people by their appearance; when ordinary folks suffer a grievance, they often choose to swallow their anger rather than cause trouble.

This only made their arrogance grow even more.

Seeing this, the salesperson gave Su Ruo a provocative look, her expression growing even more smug.

Su Ruo's gaze turned colder: "I really don't believe that this department store, open for business, would actually drive customers away—I want to see just how you intend to throw me out today."

The salesperson hadn't expected her to say all that and still have Su Ruo dare to stand up to her; in the past, whenever she acted this way, customers always slunk away in embarrassment.

At this moment she pointed at Su Ruo, her face flushed with anger, yet she couldn't utter a word—because if she really had to call security to remove someone, she truly lacked that authority.

At this time the department store manager walked over, saw the commotion, and asked, "What's going on?"

Before Su Ruo could speak, the salesperson cut in, saying, "She's not buying anything, just causing trouble here; I told her to leave, but she's refusing to go."

The manager looked Su Ruo up and down at her clothing, his brows instantly knitting; this is the watch counter, and he clearly didn't think she could afford a watch.

(End of chapter)