Chapter 91

The next day, Li Long habitually got up early. Seeing Liang Yuemei still cooking, he went out to the horse stable, found Old Luo to hitch the horse cart, and drove back.

Returning to the courtyard, Li Long pulled a small bundle of alfalfa from the haystack for the horse to eat, and he himself entered the house.

Li Juan and Li Qiang were already up, and the bedding had been tidied up. Today, the two children wanted to dress beautifully and spiritedly to go to the street.

Breakfast was cornmeal porridge, steamed white flour buns, and cornmeal cakes, stir-fried salted vegetable mutton, and a small bowl of salted chives mixed with sesame oil.

"Mom, why not toast bun slices?" Li Qiang asked.

"Eating too much of that causes internal heat," Liang Yuemei said while serving the bowl, "If you have internal heat, your teeth will ache."

Hearing this, Li Qiang obediently followed to hold the bowl, and Li Juan followed behind, just like a mother hen protecting her chicks, for fear that her younger brother would break the bowl.

If the bowl was broken today, making it impossible to go to the street, she would be able to beat Li Qiang up later!

After eating, Li Long took out two five-yuan notes from his pocket, one for Li Juan and one for Li Qiang:

"Take it, this is your budget for today, buy whatever you want."

"Too much, Little Long," Liang Yuemei immediately stopped him, "One yuan is already a lot..."

At this time, there was basically no habit of giving children pocket money in the countryside. Even if given, it was at most a few cents. Li Long taking out five yuan at once was indeed too much.

Even Li Jianguo said:

"Little Long, it's too much, one yuan per person is enough."

Li Long thought it was his carelessness. Li Juan sensibly handed the money back to Li Long, and Li Qiang also handed the money back.

"Alright, then one yuan today. I'll save this five yuan for you, and you can come to me later when you want to buy something."

After eating, Liang Yuemei went to the Lu family across the street and told Sister-in-law Lu to help look after their house.

Sister-in-law Lu asked Liang Yuemei:

"Sister, there's no one at your house? Where are you going, visiting relatives early?"

"No, Little Long said our whole family is going to the street, driving to buy some New Year goods before the New Year," Liang Yuemei said deliberately, complaining, "I insisted on not going, why spend that money, Little Long said earning money is for spending, he even gave the two children pocket money, letting the children buy things themselves."

"This Little Long is quite capable of messing around," Sister-in-law Lu's eyes flashed with envy, "But being able to earn and spend is a good thing, I just don't know which girl's family can catch his eye."

Sister-in-law Lu introduced two girls, but Li Long didn't agree to either, which was also a regret of hers.

Liang Yuemei didn't take this topic, and after giving instructions, she turned and returned to the Li family.

Li Jianguo pressed the stove, locked the door, let them all get on the cart, and he held the reins and drove the horse cart onto the main road.

"Brother, shall I drive?" Li Long said on the cart.

"You just sit well. Watch Juan and Qiangqiang, don't let them move around," Li Jianguo waved his hand, "Let's go!"

With light steps, more than an hour later, Number 76 brought the Li family to the county town.

"Go to the department store first, then the supply and marketing cooperative," Li Long had already thought of the plan for this trip, "Eat at the meat canteen at noon, my treat. If there's still time in the afternoon, see if Juan and Qiangqiang want to go to the Xinhua Bookstore. If they want to, buy a book; if not, we'll go around, and then go home.

Big Brother, Sister-in-law, how about it?"

"Alright." Liang Yuemei nodded. She didn't come to the county often, and her eyes turned to Li Jianguo, "His father, look..."

"Alright." Li Jianguo knew that there was really nothing to go around outside the county town now, so only the places where things were sold, like the department store and the supply and marketing cooperative, could be gone around.

The horse cart drove to the department store. At this time, there were quite a few people buying New Year goods, and one could see people coming and going outside.

Tying the horse cart, Li Long said to the four members of the Li family:

"Brother, Sister-in-law, you go in and go around first, I'll watch the horse cart outside. I'll go in after you come out in a while."

"Alright." Li Jianguo knew Li Long came often, so he didn't decline and gave the reins to Li Long. "You two, if there's anything you want to buy, if the money isn't enough, come out and find me," Li Long whispered to Li Juan and Li Qiang.

The family of four entered the department store, while Li Long was basking in the sun outside. Leaning against the wall of the department store, the sun shining on his face, thinking about the current days, compared to the previous life, Li Long smiled.

This, damn it, is called a happy life!

Seventy.

In a little while, Liang Yuemei walked out of the department store and said to Li Long:

"Little Long, you go in, I'll watch the horse cart."

"Sister-in-law, you won't go around anymore? It's only been a little while? The building has two floors, and there are clothes for sale upstairs, take a look?"

"What's there to go around, there are too many people, it makes my brain ache," Liang Yuemei waved her hand, "You go in, I'll watch outside."

"Alright." Li Long didn't force it. His sister-in-law was used to being frugal, feeling that clothes and shoes were better made by herself, and food was better at home, but she never treated her brother-in-law badly.

Entering the department store, one could hear noisy voices at every counter, and the sales clerks had to speak loudly for customers to hear their words.

!.

Just glancing at it, Li Long saw Li Jianguo talking about something with Li Qiang at the food side, while Li Juan was picking things out at the stationery counter by herself.

In this era, the awareness of preventing human traffickers was very weak, and of course, it was rare to see human traffickers in this northwest border area. So although ten-year-old Li Juan didn't come out often, she still dared to pick things out here alone when she saw stationery she liked.

Li Long came to Li Juan's side and saw her intently looking at the price tag on the pencil box.

Finally, she picked an ordinary tin pencil box, sixty cents.

There were fewer people here. Li Juan looked at the pencil box in the sales clerk's hand and was just about to pay the one yuan she was holding tightly when Li Long pointed to the new double-layer pencil box and said:

"Comrade, please take this one."

Hearing the voice, Li Juan turned around in surprise, saw Li Long, and called out "Little Uncle" softly. Li Long smiled at her and said:

"Uncle will buy the pencil box for you, use your own money to buy pencils."

"We have to use fountain pens," Li Juan said softly.

"Then buy a fountain pen—Comrade, please take that fountain pen."

The pencil box was one yuan eight, the fountain pen was ninety cents, and Li Juan was happy holding them in her hand.

She followed behind Li Long and came to Li Qiang's side.

Li Qiang had already exchanged his one yuan for shrimp-crisp candy here. Li Jianguo didn't object, just reminded him to eat less every day, otherwise he would get cavities.

Li Jianguo held Li Qiang's hand and led Li Juan out of the department store. Li Long started to buy things for himself. A pair of felt boots, a pair of wool socks, a leather jacket, a pair of new cotton pants.

He planned to go hunting in the mountains every few days after the New Year, and he couldn't do it without good equipment.

Coming out of the department store, they went to the supply and marketing cooperative. There wasn't much to buy there, and then the family went to the meat canteen.

Li Long went directly to the manager, Zhong Guoqiang, and asked for a simple "private room" separated by a screen, planning for the family to have a happy meal.

Thanks to book friends "Zoushentou", "Qiuxiaoluoyan", "Shuyiai Tuiwan", and "Bachong Yujing" for the tips, thank you all for your monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, thank you very much! Yesterday, a small loudspeaker recommendation was added, and the collection increased quite a bit in the afternoon, which made me very happy.

I hope the data will still be gratifying today.

Continue to ask for tickets, collections, and follow-up readings!

(End of chapter)