The whole mountain is my hunting ground

At the entrance of the Second Department Store in the town, Zhao Jun stopped the car, and Wang Meilan pulled Zhao Chun out of the passenger car.

Zhao Chun couldn't help but feel a little stage fright when he looked at the crowds of people coming in and out of the department store.

Wang Meilan, who was carrying a bag, pulled her daughter inside with great dignity.

Zhao Jun followed the two of them with a sack roll between his legs. The roll in his sack today was not a gun. It was just two sacks rolled together to facilitate Wang Meilan's purchase.

There were many people in the department store, and they gathered in front of various counters.

"Son!" Wang Meilan didn't have stage fright, but after she came in, her eyesight was not enough. Wang Meilan, who was looking around, didn't see the cake anywhere, so she called Zhao Jun.

Unknowingly, Zhao Jun has grown into Wang Meilan's support.

"Mom!" Zhao Jun came up from behind and called him "Mom". Then he saw Wang Meilan pointing to the left and right and asking, "Where is the cake seller?"

Wang Meilan has eaten and seen it before, but the cake is not something she ate when she was a child. When she was a child, no matter how rich her family was, she couldn't buy cakes.

That cake was bought by Zhao Youcai for Wang Meilan four years ago.

Remember, that was the year Wang Meilan gave birth to Zhao Na. During her confinement period, Wang Meilan was depressed and didn't like to eat.

What should be said should not be said, Zhao Youcai has shortcomings and advantages.

In 1983, in order to make Wang Meilan happy, Zhao Youcai spent a huge sum of five yuan and asked someone to bring Wang Meilan a small cake from the mountain.

Cakes have been around in the Northeast since 1981. At that time, they were called agar-agar protein cakes, and the output was very small. It wasn't until 1983 that we caught up with the planned economy and mass-produced this. At that time, they were all packed in powder boxes with white lids, which were about the same size as the small helmets used by Zhao Jun's family for eating.

As for Wang Meilan, she has been with Zhao Youcai for more than 20 years, and she can survive no matter how hard the life is. But due to her background, she has a somewhat petty bourgeois sentiment.

It was such a cake that made Wang Meilan happy and all her ailments disappeared.

As for eating, Wang Meilan really didn't eat much. She gave the cake to Zhao Jun Ta Nai, Zhao Jun, Zhao Chun, Zhao Hong, as well as Li Baoyu, Li Ruhai, and Li Xiaoqiao. And what she ate in her own mouth was not even a tenth.

This kind of cake is not comparable to the cakes ten or twenty years later, but at that time, the feeling and psychological comfort it gave Wang Meilan were different.

In the past year, the Zhao family's life has changed dramatically compared to before. Wang Meilan now has money, so she no longer has to think about what she wants to eat or buy.

And Zhao Jun's words in the car brought back Wang Meilan's memories of the past.

"Mom, smell it." Zhao Jun said to Wang Meilan with a smile, and then the family of three walked westward following the scent.

The place that sells cakes not only sells cakes, but also bakes some pastries, such as trough cakes, large biscuits, oven fruits, twists and so on. These things are freshly made and have a strong aroma.

Just in the southwest corner of the first floor of the department store, there are flat woven baskets on the counter, and the baskets contain various pastries. There are not only trough cakes and large biscuits, but also steamed buns, flower rolls, sesame seed cakes, and twists.

There is a large space behind the counter, and there is a small door inside. From time to time, people wearing chef uniforms and hats come out carrying large plates. Various pastries are on the plate, replenishing the counter at the front.

On the innermost side of the counter, there are five pink plastic boxes stacked from bottom to top, from large to small, and they are all filled with cakes.

This cake is not the agar-agar protein cake that Wang Meilan has eaten before, but a cream cake. It's just that the cream on top includes vegetable butter and margarine. It's fine if you make it today, but it will be hard tomorrow. Moreover, these on the counter are just samples, and they may have been ready for a few days.

The three mothers walked over and stared at the cake with three pairs of eyes. Zhao Jun looked at the cream cake of this era with pure curiosity.

"Son!" Wang Meilan tugged on Zhao Jun's arm and pointed at the pile of cakes.

Wang Meilan didn't say anything. Zhao Jun knew what he was thinking and shouted to the counter: "Buy a cake!"

It's not that Zhao Jun is incompetent and insists on making a lot of noise in a public place. The key is that there are too many people here. The people buying noodles at the counter next to him are talking all over the place, and the three salespersons are all busy.

And there is no queue these days, so if you want to be humble, you won't be able to wait until the restaurant closes. When Zhao Jun shouted, even the salesperson and the buyers all looked at him.

Cream cakes are not cheap, and the pile of five cakes placed there looks just like that. When you pass by this counter in a department store, you will stop and take a look, just like the place where Internet celebrities check in twenty or thirty years later.

The salesperson closest to Zhao Jun was loading stove nuts for a woman in her thirties and asked Zhao Jun: "How big do you want it?"

"Do you have one that is 24?" Zhao Jun casually reported this number without knowing why. He thought that since there were many people in his family, he would buy a bigger one.

The salesperson replied while wrapping the oven fruit: "Not that big."

"What about the 21-year-old?" Zhao Jun asked again.

The saleswoman tied the rope, handed the butter paper bag containing the stove fruit to the customer, and then walked towards Zhao Jun. As she walked, she asked: "Are you buying a color TV? You can get it for 24 or 21!"

"Huh?" Zhao Jun was startled, then smiled. He was also wondering why the two numbers he reported felt so familiar.

"How big is the largest one?" Wang Meilan asked from the side.

"That's it!" The salesperson pointed to the largest cake at the bottom and said, "The 20-inch one."

"20..." Wang Meilan looked at Zhao Jun, who smiled at her and nodded slightly.

After receiving her son's approval, Wang Meilan turned to the salesperson, stretched out her right hand and only retracted her thumb, and said to the salesperson: "Bring me four."

Salesperson: "..."

"Mom!" Zhao Jun pulled back Wang Meilan's extended hand and asked, "Do you want so many things like this?"

The salesperson also looked at Wang Meilan with a puzzled expression.

"Eat." Wang Meilan said: "You and your second sister will have birthdays next month, it's over..."

At this point, Wang Meilan paused for a moment and said, "Bring another one to your aunt. Her house will be running errands in two days. It would be very dignified to have this."

Zhao Jun twitched the corner of his mouth and tried to dissuade him: "Mom, if you really want to buy it, just buy two. One for our family and one for Baoyu."

As he said that, Zhao Jun raised his hand and pointed at the stacked cakes and said, "This thing won't last long. One or two months won't work at all."

"Isn't it okay to leave it outside to freeze?" Wang Meilan asked, "How about taking it back before eating?"

Wang Meilan thought this was like a cake or a big biscuit, so she took it back and put it outside to freeze. After eating a few, I took a few to the house and let them cool down. The taste was only slightly worse than the new ones.

"That won't work, Mom." Zhao Jun said, "This thing can't be frozen."

Not to mention freezing this cake, the cream will be hard the next day. It’s just a favor for the Li family, so I’d better not stock it.

"Okay." Wang Meilan was a little disappointed, but she believed in Zhao Jun the most, and immediately said to the salesperson: "Then give me two."

The saleswoman glanced at the three people. She was the best at reading people when she worked in a place like this. Although these three people were all wearing newly made cotton-padded jackets, the saleswoman looked at Zhao Chun as he looked around and his small eyes were not strong enough. I concluded that they were not city dwellers.

It wasn't that the saleswoman was looking down on people, but she had to say something first, so she said to Wang Meilan: "Thirty-five each. If you want two, you have to wait three hours for the payment."

"Waiting for so long?" Wang Meilan squinted her eyes and said, "Is this thing so troublesome?"

At this point, Wang Meilan turned to Zhao Jun and said, "Then your dad can't do it."

"My dad can't fix it." Zhao Jun smiled and said, "He can do it, but we don't have the materials."

"It takes a long time to bake the cake." At this time, the salesperson interrupted at the counter and said: "We only have one master to make cakes here. If you want one, you have to wait more than two hours."

These days, cake masters are all specially trained, which is quite rare.

"Then two." Zhao Jun agreed, took out the money from his pocket, counted seventy and slapped it on the counter. This small amount of money is not enough for Wang Meilan to pay.

Seeing the salesperson checking the money, Zhao Jun said: "Let's buy the next one first. When it's ready, we'll come over and pick it up (qiǔ)."

"That's okay!" The salesperson nodded and said, "I'll remember you. Just come and pick it up before I get off work."

As soon as the salesperson finished speaking, she heard someone over there wanted long white cake, which was not sold in Yong'an Village. Wang Meilan immediately slapped the counter and said, "Give me ten kilograms of that long white cake."

Hearing Wang Meilan's words, the salesperson looked up at her and asked what her colleague in Shulan County once asked Wang Meilan: "Do you have a store?"

Wang Meilan was stunned when asked, while Zhao Jun took out the money while laughing. After slapping the ten dollars on the counter, Zhao Jun said to the salesperson: "If you want something out of the pan, wrap it up for me with ten dollars. When you're done, I'll pile it up with the cake and come get it."

Salesperson: "..."

At the end of 1987, white flour cost 17.8 cents per pound and white sugar cost 68 cents per pound. As for the soybeans produced in the Northeast, soybean oil is generally consumed, which costs 50 cents per kilogram.

A pound of Changbai cake costs 43 cents, and a big dough stick can buy more than 20 pounds.

Seeing that the salesperson was silent, Wang Meilan waved her hand and said, "We'll come over and pick it up later."

"Ah!" The salesperson nodded subconsciously, and then heard Zhao Jun say to her: "Let me ask you, where can I sell ink?"

"Fountain pen water?" the salesperson asked, and Wang Meilan answered: "It's best for writing calligraphy."

"Go up to the second floor." The salesperson raised his hand and pointed to the opposite side and said, "Take the stairs from the east end. There is a store selling that upstairs."

Zhao Jun thanked him and left with Wang Meilan and Zhao Chun.

Looking at the dazzling array of products and the bustling crowd, Zhao Chun's eyes simply couldn't get enough.

Wang Meilan had gone down the mountain and seen the world a few times, and was much calmer than her daughter, but she wanted to buy everything she saw, and she wanted to buy more.

"Son!" Wang Meilan asked Zhao Jun, "How about taking back all the New Year stuff?"

"Mom, please pull me down." When Zhao Jun heard this, he hurriedly stopped him and said, "There are still two months until the Chinese New Year. I'll make a trip before then."

The Spring Festival of 1988 was in February, and February 17th was more than two months away. Even if there is a big refrigerator outside in the winter, the Zhao and Li families can’t put it in their backyard. The wild boars they shot back yesterday were all put in the backyard of Wang Qiang’s family.

Hearing what Zhao Jun said, Wang Meilan sighed softly and said, "Then buy less."

"Huh?" Suddenly, Zhao Jun saw the counter selling milk powder and malted milk. He pointed there and said to Zhao Chun: "Sister, buy some milk powder for my nephew later."

"Okay." Zhao Chun nodded. She kept her hand in her pocket, holding the money given to her by Hu Sanmei and Zhao Youcai. Her little one is over one year old and has started to wean one after another. The newly weaned child is not used to it and often cries at night. These days, Wang Meilan makes malted milk for her eldest grandson.

"They all say that milk powder is more nutritious than malted milk." Zhao Chun was still a little frightened and whispered to Zhao Jun: "I will buy him two cans later."

"You don't have to worry about it, sister." Zhao Jun said, "I'll buy it for my nephew. I'll buy ten cans and drink it first."

"I don't need you." Zhao Chun frowned and refused: "Why do you still have to spend money? Before I came here, I paid for the baby's milk."

"Okay!" At this time, Wang Meilan was advising Zhao Chun: "If your brother wants to buy it for his eldest nephew, just let him buy it."

If Zhao Jun didn't speak, Wang Meilan would not speak. Because most of the family's money was earned by Zhao Jun, and his son was filial to him and allowed him to be the head of the family. Wang Meilan did not want to cause discord between her siblings because of her excessive behavior.

But now that Zhao Jun has said it, Wang Meilan is also willing to see harmony between their siblings. I remember when Zhao Jun and his grandmother left, they told Wang Meilan and Wang Qiang that they were brothers and sisters, and they had to support each other in the future.

Wang Meilan agreed with her mother's words. She also hoped that if one day she was gone, Zhao Jun and Zhao Chun could help and support each other like she and Wang Qiang did.

Zhao Jun failed to achieve what Wang Meilan hoped for in his previous life, but Zhao Chun did.

Zhao Jun quit his job at a forestry farm to start a career, and finally returned to his hometown in despair. Since he resigned on his own, he had to pay for his pension insurance for the next ten years. But at that time, Zhao Jun was clean, so how could he have money?

Zhao Chun paid him the money at first, and later his two sisters also chipped in. Whenever it was time to pay the money, Zhao Chun would tell Zhao Hong and Zhao Na, and then the three sisters would give Zhao Jun more than 4,000 yuan a year.

The money is said to be a lot, but it is said to be a lot less. Especially for the three mountain village women, they do not have stable jobs and are usually reluctant to spend money. After Zhao Chun grew up, she started frying mahua and fried dough sticks and selling breakfast by herself in the village. It was a very hard job.

Zhao Hong and his wife opened a snack bar, while Zhao Na and his wife farmed. Neither of them were wealthy families. That is to say, my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law are very good, otherwise how can I raise money for Zhao Jun?

Zhao Jun didn't know whether his rebirth replaced the previous life or was parallel to the previous life. He only knew that he had to be good to his family. Especially Zhao Chun. In his previous life, Wang Meilan passed away early, Zhao Youcai married his daughter-in-law early, and he and Ma Ling divorced within a few years. It can be said that Zhao Chun was the one who cared about him the most and treated him best.

Zhao Chun didn't know these things, and she was a little embarrassed, but her brother's kindness to her made Zhao Chun feel very happy. She asked herself, if Zhao Jun was in trouble, she would do her best to help him.

But this thought only flashed through Zhao Chun's mind. She hoped that her brother would get better and better.

The three of them walked up to the second floor talking and laughing. Compared with the first floor, the things on the second floor were much more high-end, including household appliances and new small furniture.

Correspondingly, there were many fewer customers on the second floor.

Wang Meilan's eyes lit up as she looked at the color TV set full of snowflakes.

Zhao Jun left Wang Meilan and Zhao Chun to watch the snowflakes, while he asked the salesperson selling color TVs about the place where ink was sold, and then walked there alone.

When Zhao Jun was approaching the designated counter, he suddenly saw two acquaintances in front of the counter.

I saw Zheng Xuekun and Zheng Donghai, father and son, also buying ink there.