Go back to the past to plant trees

The driver was right. It only took two hours for the two of them to reach the area. The driver was very easy to talk to. He took Feng Cheng to the bus station and let him go in first to buy his bus ticket for tomorrow. Then he took him to the forestry bureau's guesthouse.

Feng Cheng booked a single room at the guesthouse for 1.2 yuan a night, which was quite expensive. The dormitory-style room was only 4 mao a night, but considering the poor hygiene conditions of guesthouses in those days, he paid extra for a single room.

Feng Cheng originally planned to pay for his own trip home, but Yu Zheng assigned him a task, which turned it into a business trip. There was funding and subsidies, and part of his food, lodging and transportation expenses could be reimbursed. Feng Cheng was too concerned about spending a little more money.

After putting his things away at the hotel, Feng Cheng went out for a stroll. He had never been to this area before, and he wanted to see what he could buy here so he could stop by and buy some things before returning from Beijing.

Feng Cheng had never been to this area before, so he could only remember the location of the guesthouse and the street. He then asked a passerby for directions to the department store and went there.

The Forestry Bureau's guesthouse was located in the center of the area, as was the department store, so the distance wasn't far. Feng Cheng walked there in about ten minutes.

The No. 1 Department Store was bustling and eye-catching. Feng Cheng could guess from a distance that the four-story building in the distance was the department store.

Upon reaching the building entrance, Feng Cheng glanced around at the bustling crowd before stepping inside.

Even though it's a difficult time, the department store is still packed with people. Of course, many people are just there to browse around, just like how people in later generations always stop by the supermarket when they go shopping. No matter if they have anything to buy, they've already come out, so they always want to take a stroll around.

As a landmark in the area and a shopping center for local residents, department stores are undoubtedly the places with the highest foot traffic in the region.

When Feng Cheng walked in, he was also surprised by the crowd. There were so many people, just like when he went shopping during the Chinese New Year in his previous life. All he could see were heads.

Feng Cheng squeezed in sideways, looking around. The first floor mainly sold food and daily necessities, such as candy, rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, soap, toothpaste, kettles, as well as various high-end foods, cigarettes, and tea.

Feng Cheng looked inside and saw industrial products such as televisions, radios, and bicycles displayed on the shelves.

However, Feng Cheng only glanced at it. He couldn't afford that thing; he didn't have the ticket. Even if he could afford it, he wouldn't need it. Who knows when electricity would be available in that place, Bashang?

Feng Cheng looked around on the first floor and found some things he wanted to buy, such as spices for food, various yeasts, and gypsum powder for making tofu. He couldn't find these in the county town, not that they weren't available, but that restocking wasn't timely. He didn't see them when he went there.

Fortunately, they have some here, so Feng Cheng can buy them and take them back with him, so he doesn't have to wait for them to be restocked in the county town.

After browsing the first floor, Feng Cheng went up to the second floor, which mainly sold fabrics, ready-made clothes, shoes, scarves, and some stationery and sporting goods.

Feng Cheng didn't look at the stationery and sports goods section, as he could buy everything there at Xinhua Bookstore. He planned to buy a batch of books from Xinhua Bookstore after returning to Beijing, and the selection here certainly wouldn't be as comprehensive as at Xinhua Bookstore, so there was no need for him to go there.

In other words, he didn't want to carry so much stuff; otherwise, Feng Cheng would have bought it all back in Beijing. Of course, the fact that Feng Cheng's receipts couldn't be used in Beijing was also a reason.

Feng Cheng came here today just to see what was going on. Since he'd come all this way, how could he not go shopping at the department store?

After browsing in the department store for about an hour, Feng Cheng felt like he had entered a physical Taobao shop. There was everything imaginable, and the variety was incredible. Feng Cheng was amazed by the managers of these shopping malls. With so many kinds of products and so many prices, they managed to run the business so well, even while calculating by hand and using an abacus.

However, from Feng Cheng's perspective in the future, it was indeed somewhat unnecessary. Many of the things here were not profitable at all, and if operating costs were taken into account, they were even losing money.

Of course, that's from a business perspective. But from a systemic perspective, isn't this a way of benefiting the people?

After leaving the department store, Feng Cheng went to a nearby state-run restaurant for a meal. Now that he had food coupons, he didn't have to worry about not having enough to eat.

Although the portions were generous, the taste of the restaurant was just so-so, probably due to a lack of seasonings, or perhaps the chef was lazy and didn't want to make it as elaborate as possible.

But it doesn't matter. These days, it's good enough to have something to eat; it's hard to be picky.

After finishing his meal, feeling that he still had some time, he happened to see a barbershop nearby. Feng Cheng thought about how he had been cutting his own hair with scissors for the past few months, doing it very casually, with a stubble beard. It wasn't as exaggerated as the original owner's, but the area was the same.

In Bashang, Feng Cheng didn't care much because the hair would grow back soon after being cut. But since he was going to Beijing, Feng Cheng would have to trim it. He couldn't go to Beijing looking like a wild man!

Feng Cheng thought he needed to get a razor and two pairs of barber scissors, since he would be stationed in Bashang for a long time and couldn't keep using large scissors to cut his hair!

Zhao Jinquan happened to be there too, so the two of them took turns cutting and shaving each other's beards, which made them look presentable without having to spend money to come downstairs to get it done.

With his mind racing, Feng Cheng walked into the barbershop without stopping. He asked around and found out that a haircut cost two cents. If he knew a barber, he could choose one; otherwise, he could just go up to whoever was available.

After paying for the ticket, a driver happened to be free and was about to drink some water from his kettle.

"Master, could you please help me tidy up?"

Feng Cheng handed over the ticket, and the old man took it and gestured for him to sit down.

"Young man, which hairstyle do you want? Here are some pictures you can take a look at."

After Feng Cheng sat down, the old master casually asked a question.

Feng Cheng said, "A buzz cut is fine. I mainly want to fix my face."

"Okay, that makes things simple."

The experienced hairdresser picked up the clippers and started shaving Feng Cheng's hair. In no time, his hair was short. Then he picked up the razor and started shaving Feng Cheng's face.

They cleaned Feng Cheng's beard, face, nose hair, and even cleaned his ears; the comfort was indescribable.

The master craftsman was very skilled; after the procedure, Feng Cheng felt much better.

"Young man, you smell bad. You must have just come back from working out of town. Walk a hundred meters ahead, there's a bathhouse there. Go in for a bath and ask a masseur to scrub you. You'll feel much better."

"Thank you, Master. That's exactly what I was planning to do."

After thanking his master, Feng Cheng immediately headed towards the place he had been told to go.

Feng Cheng had originally planned to take a bath. Although he had bathed frequently during his long stay in Bashang, he found it difficult to clean himself properly and his body was always covered in mud. After this trip, Feng Cheng wanted to find a professional to scrub him clean.

After entering the bathhouse, Feng Cheng found an experienced masseur to scrub his body. Once the mud was removed, Feng Cheng felt refreshed. He thought he should go to the dam more often to get a scrub when he had time. There were bathhouses in the county town, but Feng Cheng had never been before.