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

The restaurants were all closed, except for Bai Chengxiang, who still ran his braised meat shop.

He has a good business sense, so he specially purchased a batch of braised chicken and duck wrapped in oil paper.

This way, people can buy whole chickens when visiting relatives during the New Year.

Business has been good these past few days, and many regular customers have come to place orders with him. He plans to braise more chicken and duck tomorrow and close the shop on the afternoon of New Year's Eve to celebrate the New Year.

Bai Zhenzhu then drove the elderly couple, their children, and Liu Fang and Liu Huiying to go shopping.

Xu Yin wanted to go, but Bai Zhenzhu didn't dare to take her.

There are so many people on the street, what if I get squeezed in the stomach?

Bai Chenglei didn't go either; instead, he went to help out at the braised meat shop.

The car picked up Xia He at the intersection.

She rubbed her hands together as she got into the car, first greeting Old Man Bai, Li Xiufen, and the others.

He scooped Shuo Shuo into his arms and held him close, his face full of envy.

"Two-wheeled vehicles are indeed no match for four-wheeled ones. Your vehicle is really good; it's not cold inside in winter."

Bai Zhenzhu encouraged her:

"I'll teach you later. Once you get your driver's license and have the money, you can buy it."

In the early 1990s, there weren't many minivans, and they were quite expensive, but the price would come down in a few years.

By then, minivans will be everywhere and will be an important means of transportation.

Nowadays, what people call "shopping" in the county town mainly refers to the area around the department store.

Xia He asked Bai Zhenzhu to park the car in front of a shop. She knew the owner and asked him to watch the car for her.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the streets were filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year and were crowded with people.

The streets were lined with vendors selling clothes and food; even the air smelled of the New Year.

They came across a stall selling frying spoons, and the children couldn't resist the smell.

Before Bai Zhenzhu could even take out her money, Liu Fang preemptively bought one for each child.

Liu Fang smiled wryly:

“I used to be afraid to take my child shopping, and I would avoid any vendors selling oil ladles.”

She's used to being frugal, and she really can't bear to spend money if she doesn't have any extra cash.

Now that they have money, the couple has saved several thousand yuan in just a few months and are willing to spend it on their child.

There were also vendors selling cookies and rice candy, and Liu Fang bought some of both.

Liu Huiying also bought each child a string of candied fruit, which looked just like the candied hawthorns of northern China.

That's why the happiest people during the Lunar New Year are the children; their pockets are already full before they even enter the department store.

The department store was even more crowded, with several adults each holding a child, afraid of getting lost in the crowd.

Xia He was the most capable; she led Bai Zhenzhu and Liu Fang to squeeze in.

She hadn't wasted her time at the department store these past few months; she'd gotten to know many of the sales staff.

They helped Liu Fang manage to snag items like rice sticks, milk candy, and milk powder.

Liu Fang bought quite a lot, and she also bought some for Xu Yin.

Bai Zhenzhu also bought some snacks that she didn't usually buy, such as preserved plum candy, hawthorn candy, and some sandwich cookies from big cities.

After buying food, there's no need to look at clothes in the department store anymore.

I wandered around the street for a while and bought some red lanterns and the character "福" (fortune).

It was almost noon, and Xia He insisted on treating everyone to lunch.

"Uncle Bai and Auntie are here. I haven't invited them yet. I'm Shuo Shuo's godmother, which means I'm like a daughter to you. I should invite them."

Li Xiufen felt that this girl was cheerful and generous, and she was on good terms with her youngest son. She was also Shuo Shuo's godmother, so they should visit each other often.

We ate lunch at a state-run restaurant again.

After the meal, Xia He wanted to continue shopping, but Old Man Bai wanted to go home.

So Bai Zhenzhu drove her father and children back first, and Liu Huiying, not wanting to shop anymore, went back with them to see the children.

Li Xiufen also wanted to go back, but Bai Zhenzhu wouldn't allow it; she wanted to dress up her mother.

After dropping everyone off, Bai Zhenzhu parked the car in the same spot as before, and Xia He led everyone straight to the hair salon.

Li Xiufen glared at Bai Zhenzhu:

"I'm so old, why would I want to get a haircut? It's not worth the money."

Liu Fang felt embarrassed looking at the posters displayed at the hair salon.

"I'm not cutting it either. It wasn't easy for me to grow my hair this long, so I'm not cutting it."

Liu Fang's hair was black and shiny, and very thick, hanging down to below her waist.

White Pearl couldn't bear to see her cut it off, so she said:

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to cut too much. Just have the stylist trim it for you, just a trim of your bangs will do."

Liu Fang nodded. Her hair was split at the ends; it could be trimmed.

As for Li Xiufen, she was directly forced into a chair by Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He.

Xia Hechong said to the barber in the shop:

"Make my aunt look nicer, give her a perm."

She often gets her hair done here, and the owner knows her well.

"Okay, I guarantee it will make Auntie look twenty years younger."

So Li Xiufen was forced to get a perm and cut her hair short, which made her look much more energetic.

Liu Fang praised it highly:

"Mom, Dad won't even recognize you when you go back like this, you look so beautiful."

Li Xiufen's face flushed slightly, but she was also happy to see herself in the mirror.

After a lifetime of hard work, there's actually a time when I want to look pretty.

Bai Zhenzhu had a perm with big waves, which, combined with her beige wool coat, made her look absolutely stunning, as Xia He would say.

It was quite late when I left the barbershop, and there were fewer people on the street.

Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He then pulled Li Xiufen and Liu Fang into the department store, this time heading straight for the Jixiang Trading Company next to the department store.

Inside, they sell gold jewelry; the glittering necklaces and rings are so tempting.

Xia He addressed the crowd:

"The gold jewelry here is supervised by the bank and is all genuine gold; there are no fakes."

As she spoke, she asked the sales clerk to bring her a gold ring, which she then tried on.

The smooth gold ring, without any extra patterns, is very beautiful.

The sales clerk introduced with a smile:

"Comrade, you can try these styles here. They're new and trendy, more youthful and fashionable."

Xia He looked at it, nodded, and asked the other person to take it out and try it out.

I'm satisfied with both.

How much per gram?

"106 per gram".

Xia He thought for a moment and said, "I'll take both. Do you want a discount?"

The salesperson's face lit up with joy:

"We don't offer discounts here."

Xia He stopped haggling, as she had heard before that Jixiang Trading Company did not negotiate prices.

"I'll take both of them, give me the bill."

White Pearl also took a liking to the smooth ring and asked another waiter to bring it out.

Seeing Bai Zhenzhu approaching her with the ring, Li Xiufen quickly hid her hand behind her back:

"I don't want it. What would I do with my claws that look like mulberry bark? Don't waste your money. Buy one for yourself."

Without a word, Bai Zhenzhu grabbed her hand:

"I'd be happy to buy it for you."

Liu Fang also laughed from the side:

"Mom, please wear the pearls as a gift to you. They look beautiful."

Bai Zhenzhu put the gold ring on Li Xiufen's finger. It was a little small, so she asked the sales clerk to adjust it, and it fit perfectly.

Li Xiufen felt a little embarrassed, but she couldn't help but tear up.

He murmured:

"At my age, isn't it a waste to wear such an expensive gold ring?"

Bai Zhenzhu disagreed with her statement:

“How is it a waste? When I was little, I grew very fast, and we didn’t have much fabric at home, but you still made me new clothes.”

“People told me to wear my brothers’ hand-me-downs, but you said I’m a little girl and it doesn’t look good in boys’ clothes.”

“There are also people who say that it’s a waste of money for me to go to school as a girl, but you and Dad insisted on sending me to school regardless of what others thought.”

This other person is Feng Cui.

Although I ultimately failed to live up to expectations, I will never forget my parents' kindness.

Li Xiufen knew that her daughter was now wealthy and wanted to be filial to them, so she didn't stop her.

Anyway, these gold jewelry pieces won't break, so they can be left to whoever buys them in the future.

She then instructed:

"Buy one for yourself too."