The old woman tugged at her granddaughter. "Come on, Yingzi, let's take a look."

Cheng Ying's scalp tightened, her brow imperceptibly furrowing. This wasn't about looking at goods; she could tell the old woman was looking for bargains.

Cheng Ying followed her grandmother into the small store. It was dim, with so many items crammed together that they blocked the light.

The old woman settled near the fabric section. She inquired about this and that, but never committed to buying anything.

Fortunately, the staff here had decent manners, answering every question politely.

Cheng Ying stayed close to her grandmother. To be honest, there wasn't a single item the old woman took a fancy to that Cheng Ying also liked.

A sales clerk spoke up. "Elderly lady, why don't you look at this? It's on clearance. It yellowed from the sun last summer. Original price was three mao per foot. If you like it, I'll let you have it for two mao per foot, and you won't need a fabric coupon. What do you think?"

Cheng Ying leaned closer, wondering what on earth she could make out of such a thing.

The old woman exclaimed, "Good stuff, twill blue fabric!"

The sales clerk beamed. "You have excellent eyes, ma'am. This fabric is really sturdy, wear-resistant. It's just been sun-bleached, otherwise, it wouldn't be this price."

In this era, most sales clerks worked on a fixed salary; finding one who could sell like this was rare.

Cheng Ying interjected, "Auntie, are you buying this on consignment?"

The clerk’s face instantly flushed. "Little girl, you mustn't speak nonsense!"

The old woman noticed the clerk's expression. "Comrade, look how faded this fabric is. You know yourself, things left out in the sun, if you soak them in water, they’ll be ruined—worthless. How about one mao per foot?"

The clerk’s expression soured. She glanced at the large piece of cloth. "Elderly lady, add two fen?"

It seemed it was genuinely a consignment item. In those times, such things happened often. Cheng Ying had read the situation perfectly.

Cheng Ying tugged at her grandmother, stopping her from speaking, and they moved to look elsewhere.

They were both shrewd customers, it seemed.

The sales clerk called out, "Elderly lady, tell me how many feet you need, and I'll measure it out for you."

The old woman brightened up, delighted by the low price. "Comrade, let's see how much you have left!"

The clerk hesitated slightly. This was a big purchase; she might have to take the whole lot.

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, what's the use of getting so much? Won't it just go bad?"

Cheng Ying’s grandmother let her triangular eyes droop slightly. "No big use, but later we can keep it for favors. Two feet per family; who knows what price we got it for?"

With that said, the two pretended not to notice the sales clerk.

The clerk’s face darkened; these two weren't good people.

She promptly measured out the cloth—eleven meters plus some change. They rounded it down to exactly eleven meters.

One meter is three feet, so three yuan and one mao. Buying ten meters of fabric—it was truly cheap.

The old woman even tried to haggle down another mao. "Comrade, I only have three yuan left, will that do?"

Cheng Ying thought to herself, is Grandma planning to wear it? How is she even slicker than I am?

The sales clerk said, "Elderly lady, please pay up. Not a single fen less."

Seeing the clerk's firm attitude, the old woman paid up cheerfully and took the cloth.

Then she asked the clerk, "Comrade, those patterned fabrics over there, they're all summer stock. Can they be cheaper too?"

The clerk's face was not as pleasant as before. "Those are two mao per foot. No sale without coupons. The price goes up after the New Year. No cuts, no haggling."

The old woman nodded. "Fine, give me three feet."

Cheng Ying was genuinely surprised by her grandmother’s generosity; she was willing to spend on herself.

The old woman beamed, holding the patterned fabric. "Three feet, enough to make you a flowery vest!"

Cheng Ying realized why her grandmother had been so generous—it was for her own use. She finally felt grateful.

But Cheng Ying truly disliked the patterned fabric.

She could never wear something so provincial and countrified. A chill ran down her spine. This, she thought, was the future direction for a girl stuck in the sticks.

The old woman proceeded to buy a full range of needles, thread, and small notions at the small store.

Cheng Ying realized her grandmother was also a master haggler.

The staff seemed reluctant to deal with them, yet they managed to shop to their heart's content. The sales clerk must have been thoroughly vexed by them.

When they finally left, the old woman sighed with regret. "Too bad there's no cotton; otherwise, we’d have winter clothes settled for the New Year. Things here are so cheap."

Cheng Ying couldn't say much, just followed her grandmother, her slender arms carrying the parcels.

The old woman said, "Yingzi, don't look down on the twill blue cloth. When I make you pants later, they’ll surely look good."

Cheng Ying countered, "Weren't we saving it for favors? Grandma, didn't you say it would be ruined if it was soaked?"

The old woman scoffed. "What fabric doesn't go bad if you just leave it soaking? I didn't say it would go bad immediately."

Cheng Ying felt like an absolute novice; she had actually taken her grandmother at her word.

The old woman shook her head and walked on. Cheng Ying quickly followed.

Was this really her own grandmother?

For Cheng Ying, being completely fooled by her own grandmother—a simple, conservative woman who seemed like she’d never left their village—left a distinctly unpleasant feeling.

As the old woman led her granddaughter across the street, they saw a green Jeep.

The old woman’s eyes filled with deep reverence. "Did you see that, girl? Study hard. Maybe one day we can be important officials too, and I might get to ride in a sedan car through your connections."

Cheng Ying watched the car speed past, then looked at the humble spot where they stood.

It was lucky that most vehicles on this road were bicycles; crossing the road like that would have been truly dangerous otherwise.

Only then did she have the presence of mind to reply to her grandmother. "Grandma, just wait. When your granddaughter grows up, you’ll enjoy the good life with me. Whether I become an official or not, I promise I’ll make sure you ride in a sedan."

The old woman was delighted; her granddaughter was promising. "My granddaughter is truly promising. To ride in my granddaughter's sedan—even if it meant I had to wake up in the middle of the night just to take a city bus to get there, it would be worth it."

Cheng Ying felt a deep resonance with her grandmother’s simple truth. Given their circumstances, simply affording a car wasn't the issue; if she wanted to ride in one, she’d first have to take a long, overnight horse cart ride to a place that had transportation access. What a situation.

Cheng Ying saw that her grandmother was struggling with a profound conflict.

To get rich, one must first build roads—a principle that applied not just to economic construction but also to family progress.

When Cheng Ying returned with her grandmother to the County Committee compound,

Team Leader Cheng Shan emerged from the old County Committee Commune, beaming.

Old Man Sun got off the mule cart, preparing to leave. "It's nearly noon. We should hurry back, or we won't get home until well past midnight. It looks like tonight won't have the same bright moon as last night."

Cheng Ying looked up at the wind-chilled sky; she genuinely couldn't tell any difference from yesterday. Could Old Man Sun be more accurate than the weather forecast?

Cheng Ying’s grandmother said, "Big Brother, what's up? Is it overcast? Just pray it doesn't snow."

Old Man Sun slapped his left knee. "Close enough. My leg—whenever it acts up, the weather is sure to change. It's more reliable than the broadcast in the box."

Cheng Ying knew the "box" meant the radio. And the main reason her grandmother enjoyed visiting the Team Leader’s house was because they owned such a box.

Furthermore, electricity lines had only just reached the brigade headquarters in their village; they didn't even have a television in the village. News was still heard through the radio's broadcasts.

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, let's buy a radio."

This was truly necessary. Information flow couldn't be interrupted.

Chi Yong looked at Cheng Ying. To be honest, Chi Wu would have loved that.

Unfortunately, for the old woman, such a thing was a major purchase.

It required careful deliberation—it wasn't something you just decided to buy on a whim.

The old woman looked at her granddaughter earnestly. "Girl, that's not how life is lived; you can’t just buy things whenever you want."

Cheng Ying truly felt their village was too backward. She had seen televisions and tape recorders in the department store. Was an outdated radio really something that required such careful consideration about her being frivolous with money?

Team Leader Cheng Shan chimed in, "That’s right, girl. If you have money, save it. Our village will have electricity connected after the New Year. Wait until then to buy a television."

That was something promising, genuinely promising.

The old woman asked, "Big Brother, is that true? They’ve been saying that for years; it’s not just another empty promise, is it?"

Cheng Shan replied, "This time it's real, the electricity is coming. The power lines will reach the township in a few days. If we contribute labor ourselves, every household will have lights soon."

Chi Yong added, "That’s great news. The villages near the township already have power; ours was too remote, so the lines never reached. This is wonderful."

Cheng Ying was happy too. Even if there weren't many entertainment programs to watch now, it was better than having no nighttime entertainment facilities at all. At least they wouldn't have to rely on kerosene lamps.

Her own grandmother exclaimed, "That would be fantastic! I was just thinking of buying a can of kerosene when we passed through the township. Now, we'll have direct electricity."

Old Man Sun said, "If there’s nothing else, we should get moving early."

Cheng Shan urged, "Hurry up and leave so we can organize the manpower to prepare for stringing the lines and connecting the power."

With that, the group boarded the horse cart and began their journey back.

Cheng Ying watched the county seat shrink in the distance, thinking that next time she came, the roads should be fixed. Otherwise, she truly didn't want to endure such an ordeal again. It was too disheartening.

Until the roads were improved, Cheng Ying decided she didn't want to come to the city.

Her grandmother, however, seemed quite spirited. Cheng Ying suggested, "Grandma, let's find a place to eat some dry rations later."

The old woman nodded. "Yes, is my Yingzi hungry?"

Cheng Ying wasn't exactly hungry; she just felt it was time to eat.

The old woman said, "Big Brother, let's eat something. It’s been almost half a day."

Old Man Sun replied, "Sister-in-law, no rush. There’s a large inn up ahead where we can stop for a rest, and at least get a cup of hot water."

Cheng Ying thought people who grew up here truly had foresight.

The old woman patted her granddaughter’s hair. "Indeed, those who travel often have better planning; they are better than women in that regard." Then she turned to her granddaughter, "Yingzi, why don't you eat something first?"

Cheng Ying shook her head. "No need, I'll eat with everyone. Grandma, why are you acting different?"

Cheng Ying spoke while wrapping her arms around her grandmother, examining her closely. The same triangular eyes were there, but her sharp, chiseled cheeks seemed fuller, looking much gentler.

Cheng Ying wondered why her grandmother’s customarily severe features looked so changed.

The old woman was slightly bewildered by her granddaughter's scrutiny. "You silly child, what’s wrong?"