Xu Xiangdong had been waiting at the supply and marketing cooperative for ages, growing restless because Chen Yanran hadn’t shown up. He was just about to leave when he heard his name.
“Xu Xiangdong!” Chen Yanran called out, panting as she rushed towards him.
He turned, surprised, then a smile spread across his face as he saw her. “Yanran, you’re finally here! I thought you weren’t coming. They just got a new shipment of fabric, and there’s this kind called ‘Chenliang.’ Everyone in the big cities is wearing it now. Come on, I’ll take you to look, maybe buy you some to make clothes.”
Chen Yanran’s eyes lit up instantly at the mention of “Chenliang” fabric. She remembered Xu Ying having a dress made from it. It was imported. While regular cotton cost only a few cents, “Chenliang” fabric cost several yuan. But that didn’t stop people from wanting the newest things. When word got around about “Chenliang,” everyone rushed to get it. Clothes made from it felt nicer and made people feel a bit fancy. Chen Yanran was no different; she’d always wanted a dress like that.
“Then let’s go take a look.” Chen Yanran, forgetting her usual dislike for Xu Xiangdong, rushed into the cooperative with a wide smile. Xu Xiangdong followed, happy just to see her smiling face. He thought his mother had been wrong. If he was just sincere with Chen Yanran, she would definitely want to marry him.
Inside the cooperative, the fabric section was packed. Everyone was pushing and shoving, trying to get to the counter. “Give me a meter or two of floral material, I’ll make a skirt!” someone yelled. Older fabrics were always in plain, dark colors like blue or army green. But “Chenliang” fabrics were different, with many colors and patterns. Whenever they arrived, people fought to buy them. Chen Yanran stood outside the crowd, anxious. At this rate, all the fabric would be gone before she could even get close.
Seeing her worry, Xu Xiangdong, a grown man, bravely plunged into the mass of women, not caring how he looked. After a short wait, he fought his way back out, holding a piece of light blue “Chenliang” fabric. He offered it to Chen Yanran. “Yanran, see if you like this. You could make a skirt. You’d look amazing in a skirt!”
Xu Xiangdong was disheveled, smelling of sweat from the crowd. Chen Yanran frowned, feeling a wave of disgust. But looking at the beautiful cloth in his hand, she swallowed her displeasure and put on a grateful smile. “Thank you, Xiangdong. How much is this? I’ll pay you.”
Xu Xiangdong didn’t want her money and quickly shook his head. “It’s fine, Yanran, I’m giving this to you.”
A blush spread across Chen Yanran’s face, and she said, looking embarrassed, “How can I take your things for free? That’s too much.”
A flush appeared on Xu Xiangdong’s honest face. “It’s really fine, just take it.” As he lowered his head, a flash of disgust crossed Chen Yanran’s eyes, and she calmly put the fabric away.
Xu Xiangdong thought she had accepted his feelings by taking his gift, and he grew even more nervous. Looking at Chen Yanran, he stammered, “Yanran, when are you free? Please come to my house for a meal.”
Chen Yanran frowned at the thought of Xu Xiangdong’s mother. “Your mother doesn’t like me, so I’d better not go.”
Xu Xiangdong quickly became anxious. “My mother was just influenced by others. You’re not like what they say. I’ll go back and talk to her; she won’t hate you.”
Chen Yanran widened her bright eyes, looking up at Xu Xiangdong. “Thank you for trusting me.” Seeing her gaze, Xu Xiangdong was completely charmed, so happy he couldn’t think straight. “Yanran, can you make this dress? If you don’t know how, I’ll take it back and ask my sister to make it for you.”
Chen Yanran quickly shook her head. If the fabric went back to the Xu family, Sun Dacao, his mother, would definitely take it. Even though she didn’t know how to sew, she could ask the educated young women at the youth center for help. She smiled and said, “I can do it, no need to bother your sister.”
Xu Xiangdong chuckled, scratching his head. “Are you hungry? Let’s go eat. Xu Ying is quite powerful now; she works at the state-owned restaurant. Let’s go see her, and she might be able to give us extra food.” The younger generation in Xujiacun generally got along well, so he didn’t think twice about mentioning it.
Chen Yanran’s face turned pale at his suggestion, and she quickly shook her head. “No, it’s too expensive to eat at a state-owned restaurant. It’s better to go home and eat!”
Xu Xiangdong thought Chen Yanran was just being careful with his money, and he felt even happier. His mother had told him that Chen Zhiqing, being from the city, spent money carelessly and that their family couldn’t afford her. But now it seemed she could live a simpler life!
“Okay, I’ll take you to buy some vegetables. When you get back, you can go to the educated youth center to cook.”
As they passed a state-owned restaurant, Xu Ying happened to step outside to buy something and saw the two of them.
“Xu Ying, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!” Xiao Zhang, the procurement officer, urged. He wanted to finish his work quickly and go back to rest. Perhaps it was because Xu Ying’s cooking was so good, or maybe more people were eating out, but the restaurant’s business was booming. They didn’t have enough vegetables each day, so Xiao Zhang had to work extra hours to order more. Xu Ying had offered to go with him to pick out fresher, better produce.
Xiao Zhang was a man in his thirties. Because Chef Ge and then Gao Guihua called him “Xiao Zhang,” everyone in the restaurant did too. Xu Ying just followed along. Xiao Zhang wasn’t angry about the name. But he wasn’t happy about Xu Ying coming with him to buy supplies. Purchasing was a good job; he didn’t dare do anything big, but he could accept small thank-you gifts. If Xu Ying came along, he’d have to share some of that.
Seeing how freely Xiao Zhang bought groceries, Xu Ying immediately thought of a way to make money. Xiao Zhang wasn’t just in charge of buying for their restaurant. All the restaurants in the county were split into two areas, east and west, with the county center as the dividing line. Xiao Zhang was in charge of the east side.
“Xiao Zhang, the prices you usually pay are too expensive.”
“Then what price do you think is fair?” Xiao Zhang said, a little annoyed. He felt Xu Ying was questioning him. Was his hard work easy?
Xu Ying didn’t seem to notice his irritation and said with a smile, “I just can’t stand these people lying to you. We buy so much, we should be getting wholesale prices. Like these cabbages, we should only pay five cents for two kilograms, and radishes should be one penny per kilogram…”
Xu Ying went on, discussing the prices of everything from eggs to vegetables and various wild mountain products.