Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

At that time, Yuanxian Railway Station was still very underdeveloped. Trains traveling south and north had to stop here for water and repairs.

The train station is small, and the waiting hall is also small. With the increasing frequency of population movement, this small train station can obviously no longer bear the growing transportation capacity, and reconstruction is imminent.

The area that Bai Zhenzhu wanted to explore was not the train station itself, but rather the area around it.

The new train station was built next to the old one. The area is still a shantytown, full of businesses, mainly selling low- to mid-range clothing, daily necessities, and food.

At that time, there were no urban management officers. The shops on both sides of the street had set up sheds outside, and the street was almost completely filled, leaving only a narrow passage for two or three people to walk side by side.

Bai Chengxiang's eyes were dazzled by the sight:

"Pearl, can you help me take a look? I'm planning to buy a couple of outfits for Mom and your sister-in-law. We can't go back empty-handed after all this trip to the city."

White Pearl: "Okay."

It's only mid-August now, and although it's already the beginning of autumn, the weather is still very hot. All the shops are still selling summer clothes, and very few have autumn clothes on display.

When Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Chengxiang passed by, the shopkeeper sitting at the door greeted them warmly:

"Little sister, come in and take a look. These are the newest styles we just brought back from Lotus Pond."

"Hey girl, all my goods are sourced from Guangzhou; TV celebrities are wearing them."

Bai Chengxiang took a fancy to a red shirt, but when he asked the price, the seller asked for 128 yuan.

"So expensive!" Bai Chengxiang was shocked. "I only spend fifty yuan on a cotton coat in winter."

He put it down as soon as he finished speaking.

The proprietress, wearing lipstick, grabbed him:

"Brother, what you're saying is true. You ask for the price, I quote the price, and you can even bargain."

Bai Chengxiang is usually quite bold, and he wasn't intimidated at all this time, immediately bargaining:

"I'll take it at 28."

Upon hearing this, the proprietress's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets:

"How much? 28? Look at this material, and this style, this is popular in big cities. If you're asking this price, I can't even cover my costs. If you're really interested in buying, you can add a little more."

Bai Chengxiang: "Women's clothes can't use up much fabric, just 28, not a penny more."

The shop owner got angry: "Are you even serious about buying? How can you haggle like this? It's a fixed price of 88 yuan. If you're not serious about buying, I won't serve you."

Bai Chengxiang then said to Bai Zhenzhu:

"Pearls are too expensive, let's go."

"Second brother, wait a minute."

While Bai Chengxiang was haggling with the proprietress, Bai Zhenzhu had already quickly scanned the shop.

She entered the shop and pointed to a light yellow shirt and a gray shirt with purple flowers hanging on the wall, saying to the shop owner:

"Boss lady, I'll take the red one and these two for a total of 120."

The proprietress rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Three items for 120? Go ask around and see if anyone haggles like this. I'd lose so much money I wouldn't even have pants to wear. I won't ask for more, you can give me 180 for these three items."

As she spoke, she deftly stuffed the two shirts on the wall, along with the red one Bai Chengxiang had his eye on, into a plastic bag, then shoved it into Bai Zhenzhu's arms, and snorted:

"180, I'll sell it to you cheap."

White Pearl took a step back:

"It's 120. If you don't want to sell it, then forget it. Second brother, let's go."

Seeing this, the proprietress took the clothes back.

"I'm not selling, you can leave."

Bai Zhenzhu left with Bai Chengxiang.

Bai Chengxiang clicked his tongue: "The clothes in the city are much more expensive than in our town, but the styles are indeed nicer. Your sister-in-law will definitely like them."

Bai Zhenzhu smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, Second Brother, she'll sell it."

Just as the two were about to enter the shop next door, the proprietress called out from behind:

"Sister, come back, come back, I'm selling you."

Bai Zhenzhu turned back, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and counted out 120 yuan for her without changing her expression. Bai Chengxiang wanted to pay, but she stopped him.

The landlady grumbled and cursed:

"I'm so unlucky to have met you. If it weren't for your sincerity in buying, I definitely wouldn't have sold to you. I guess I'm just unlucky."

After buying the clothes, the brother and sister continued shopping.

Bai Chengxiang was quite embarrassed:

"Pearl, I'm going to buy clothes for your sister-in-law. Look at you, you're even going to buy a shop. Don't waste your money."

As Bai Zhenzhu scanned the shops on both sides, she said:

"My two sisters-in-law are good to me, so I'm happy to buy them some clothes."

Bai Chengxiang grinned.

Later, while shopping, Bai Zhenzhu bought white sneakers for the children, a pair of cotton shoes for her brother, sister-in-law, and parents for winter, and a pair of leather shoes for Bai Jingsi and Zhang Minmin.

Bai Chengxiang felt a pang of heartache seeing her spend money so fast, but he couldn't stop her.

Shops aren't something you can just stumble upon when you want to buy one. I've walked all the streets that sell clothes, but I haven't seen any shops for sale, not even those for rent.

Bai Chengxiang was getting a little anxious; they needed to get back that afternoon.

"Pearl, what kind of business are you planning to start?"

White Pearl shook her head:

"I haven't decided yet. Right now, the most important thing is to buy a shop."

Bai Chengxiang was a little confused. Shouldn't you decide what kind of business you want to do before buying a shop?

However, he didn't understand, and seeing that Bai Zhenzhu seemed to have her own plans, he didn't ask any more questions.

The two wandered around the street that specialized in selling daily necessities again, but still found nothing.

It was almost noon, and since they had eaten breakfast early, they were hungry. Luckily, there was a restaurant right in front of them, so the brother and sister went inside.

When the proprietress saw a customer enter, she forced a smile onto her mournful face.

"Hey girl, what would you like to eat?"

A menu handwritten on red paper was posted on the wall. Bai Zhenzhu glanced at it:

"Ten meat buns, two bowls of porridge, and a stir-fried pork with green peppers."

Bai Chengxiang quickly stopped him:

"No need for twice-cooked pork, steamed buns and porridge will do."

"Second Brother!" Bai Zhenzhu smiled at the proprietress, "Proprietress, listen to me."

The proprietress seemed to suddenly wake up: "Oh, okay, please have a seat."

Then he hurriedly grabbed a plate to pick up the steamed buns and served two large bowls of thick mung bean and pumpkin porridge.

When the twice-cooked pork was served, Bai Chengxiang took a bite and swallowed it with difficulty.

"Madam, are you out of salt?"

The proprietress, who had been sitting in the back in a daze, jumped up in surprise:

"Sorry, buddy, I think I forgot to add salt. I'll cook it again for you."

After saying that, he hurriedly took the twice-cooked pork and left.

Bai Chengxiang lowered his voice:

"No wonder this business is bad. They even forget to add salt when cooking. Your second sister-in-law is so strict with salt that she'd want to beat the salt seller to death. Compared to that, a little saltiness is better than no flavor at all."

Bai Zhenzhu glanced towards the kitchen and sensed that something was off about the proprietress.

The twice-cooked pork arrived again, and the portion looked even larger than before. The proprietress looked apologetic.

"Excuse me, brothers and sisters, I've added some meat for you. Please enjoy."

Seeing that there was significantly more meat, Bai Chengxiang laughed:

"The proprietress is a very honest person."

The proprietress forced a wry smile and was about to answer when someone shouted from the doorway:

"Cao Jian's wife, answer the phone."

The proprietress rushed out like a gust of wind.

About a minute later, the person returned crying, looking utterly dejected.

"Where am I supposed to raise the money in such a short time?"