Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Before he knew it, Zhou Rui had brought his younger brother back to the supply and marketing cooperative. As always, it was crowded with people, and many people shopped there.

Although there are free markets outside, prices are often higher, and some items can only be bought at supply and marketing cooperatives.

This results in a large daily flow of people to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The glass display cases of the supply and marketing cooperative were still polished to a shine, and the shelves behind them were filled with all sorts of items. Three sales clerks were busy in the corridor inside.

Zhou Rui approached the glass display case and looked down. Inside, a small box-sized "Red Star" brand radio was neatly placed.

This was Zhou Rui's target, but soon his gaze was drawn to another, slightly larger object.

When Zhou Ming saw his older brother watching the radio, he finally knew what he was going to buy. His mouth opened slightly, and his voice was full of joy.

"Brother, we need to buy a radio! I haven't heard storytelling in my house in ages."

"Grandpa and Grandma like it very much too."

Zhou Rui smiled but didn't say anything. Just then, a young female sales clerk walked over and recognized Zhou Rui.

The saleswoman was significantly better than the other two; she was all smiles.

"Young man, would you like to buy one? This 'Red Star 2J1' is loud and popular with the elderly; two batteries can last for almost half a month!"

"So, do you want to take it with you today? There aren't many left."

The saleswoman remembered Zhou Rui and enthusiastically promoted her product.

However, Zhou Rui's gaze was no longer on the radio he had started with, but on a slightly larger radio placed next to him, which was also a "Red Star" brand radio.

Zhou Rui pointed to this machine and asked:

"Sister, how much is this one?"

The saleswoman quickly noticed what Zhou Rui was pointing to, and said in a unchanged tone:

"Young man, you have good taste, but this one is much more expensive, though it's also more durable, has more radii, and is more robust."

"This is a 'Red Star 502' mini radio, a real 'high-end' product. It was just brought down from the county town yesterday. There's only one left. If you want it, I'll give you the lowest price of 40."

When the saleswoman said the price, her voice became noticeably softer, as if she was afraid that the people next to her would hear her. She quoted the price in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

This price is absolutely reasonable. The saleswoman didn't say it was expensive. These kinds of popular machines are usually priced around 42 yuan, and you can only get a low price of 40 yuan if you know someone.

Alternatively, you could secretly slip a pack of cigarettes to those difficult salespeople, and they would sell it at a slightly lower price.

However, at 40 yuan, it was still expensive, and most families couldn't afford it. Only those with a secure job like Uncle Zhou Shiping could afford it.

Moreover, most of the time, the cost of batteries for a radio is also a significant expense.

Many families buy a portable radio, but they are reluctant to leave it on for long each day, turning it off after a maximum of 30 minutes.

Because a single size 2 battery costs about 23 cents, while a portable radio, such as the Red Star 2J1, requires two size 2 batteries and can only last for about 10 days if you listen to 40 minutes of news every day.

This also shows that Old Man Xia really had the means to be extravagant, because when he played chess, his radio would play for half an hour to an hour every day.

This is one of the reasons why other old men envy him.

Small radios use two size D batteries, although size D batteries are a bit more expensive—each size D battery costs 30 cents.

However, listening to half an hour of storytelling and half an hour of weather forecast every day can last for more than half a month, 18 to 20 days.

Therefore, although small "high-end" radios are expensive, they have a lower failure rate and are slightly more cost-effective in terms of subsequent expenses.

Zhou Rui originally wanted to buy a portable one, but since there was a better one available, he naturally didn't hesitate.

After considering it for only three to five seconds, Zhou Rui looked up, smiled, and said:

"Sister, I need this 'Red Star 502' and eight D batteries. Could you please install them for me?"

After saying that, Zhou Rui solemnly took out a handful of ten-yuan notes, the largest denomination, from his pocket.

After counting out four large bills, he took two one-yuan bills and four one-jiao coins.

He bought several extra batteries, which was a deliberate decision, because batteries are among the best-selling items and are often out of stock.

If you buy a lot on weekdays, the salesperson will usually try to sell you other things as a bundle, such as expired Tiger Balm or inferior rat poison.

This had almost become an unspoken understanding, which is why Zhou Rui decided to buy more at once.

When you buy a radio for the first time, the salesperson will usually include two batteries. If you buy more batteries, they generally won't give you any trouble.

The saleswoman was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected that this young man, who wasn't very old, would actually buy it, and that he would pull out a huge sum of more than forty yuan.

This made her feel somewhat dazed; in most village households, the people in charge of money were adults in their thirties or forties.

Zhou Rui, however, directly took out such a huge sum of money.

The saleswoman had excellent professional skills. She only hesitated for a moment before quickly collecting the money and taking out the "Red Star 502" mini radio, which was unique in the entire supply and marketing cooperative.

After carefully packaging it, the saleswoman took out eight No. 1 batteries, packaged them, and then handed them to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui took it in his hand; it was heavy, and the weight of it indicated that it was of exceptional quality.

Those around gasped in surprise when they saw someone spend forty or fifty yuan at once.

"Young Master Zhou, I recognize you. You're really something."

A fellow villager recognized Zhou Rui and said with great envy.

Zhou Rui simply smiled politely at the man, then handed the wrapped radio to his younger brother Zhou Ming behind him.

Zhou Ming was so happy he couldn't stop grinning. He didn't participate in selling the venison; instead, he went to buy wine to make venison blood wine.

So he didn't actually know how much his family's deer had sold for. He initially thought his brother was going to buy that portable radio.

While that one was also good, it's clear that the higher price is justified. The "502" model is louder, has more channels, and saves on battery costs...

After buying the radio, Zhou Rui didn't leave but continued looking at other items in front of the counter.

The saleswoman was temporarily serving other customers and did not wait for Zhou Rui to choose items.

Zhou Rui's gaze shifted slightly, and he was immediately struck by another interesting item: a "Zhongshan" brand metal mechanical watch.

In rural areas, most families would only buy wall clocks, not luxury watches, which are considered high-end "luxury items".

Zhou Rui clearly remembered that his father had always wanted a mechanical watch, but he had never said it.