Chapter 57: Crazy Shopping Spree

After receiving the money, Li Long did not let it go to his head. He still remembered one thing, so he earnestly asked the old man

"Old gentleman, I wanted to ask, what are the current prices for Hetian jade?"

"You want to know?" The old man smiled. "A kilogram of first-grade seed material is two hundred yuan. If you go to the jade farmers to collect it, it might even be cheaper than what you have here."

Li Long was startled!

He remembered that in the future, first-grade white jade seed material would sell for hundreds of thousands of yuan per kilogram, even more expensive than gold. That kind of top-tier seed material would cost tens of thousands per single gram!

Unfortunately, it was only a thought; asking him to go to Hetian to collect jade now was simply impossible. Firstly, he didn't know his way around, and secondly, he didn't know anyone. Even with two lifetimes of experience, Li Long wouldn't dare to make a reckless trip.

But to be honest, the temptation was immense!

If he truly made the trip and stockpiled some, he really wouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of his life. He had heard that seed material the size of a finger was only a few cents a piece back then!

Of course, it was just a fantasy.

He also understood that the two pieces of green jade he had just sold weren't something one could obtain easily. Most normal pieces had black sesame-like spots, which weren't worth much money now.

After all, resources were too abundant back then, much like the fish in a small pond.

"If you come across more good material like this in the future, just come over. We will buy whatever you have," the old man said with a smile.

Li Long said his goodbyes and left the jade factory.

Glancing back at the gate, which felt heavy with the weight of history, Li Long wondered if he would ever have the chance to enter again.

The sun had already set, and with nowhere else to go, he could only head to a guesthouse.

Accommodation in Wu City was very cheap; even in the late nineties, some unit guesthouses still had rooms for ten yuan.

Li Long arrived at the Bayi Guesthouse and requested a triple room for one yuan and eighty cents. Someone was already staying in the room. After entering, Li Long placed his empty urea sack under the bed and headed to the washroom with his shoulder bag.

After a simple wash, he used his military-green water bottle—the enamel of which was almost worn off—to fetch some hot water. He used it to melt the ice inside and mix it into lukewarm water. Returning to the room, he placed his bag on the nightstand, took off his coat, and sat down to eat dried meat with a cold steamed bun, occasionally taking a sip of the warm water.

He ate very slowly. The person opposite him was lying on the bed with eyes closed, resting, but upon smelling the food, the man opened his eyes and glanced at Li Long.

He was a middle-aged man around forty, lying there in an ill-fitting suit. Li Long actually wanted to remind him that the room was quite warm and there was no need to wear a jacket, as it would make the suit wrinkled.

But in the end, he said nothing. They were strangers, and there was no need to act overly friendly, especially since the other man was clearly wary of him.

Li Long had his money distributed in the inner pockets of his padded jacket—his sister-in-law had hastily sewn them in before he left. It was very secure and wouldn't be visible from the outside.

Li Long was indeed hungry; after the excitement of selling the jade wore off, his stomach felt empty. Only after finishing two buns, two pieces of dried meat, and a piece of pickles, along with half a bottle of water, did he feel full.

At that moment, he noticed the man was still watching him, so he pointed to the remaining bun and asked

"Want some?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Li Long didn't press further. He packed the remaining bun and pickles into his bag, tidied up the nightstand, and saw that it was dark outside.

Having used kerosene lamps in the village for so many days, the sudden use of electric lights felt like a long-lost luxury, and it took him a moment to adjust.

By the next day, only two people were staying in the room. Li Long got up, washed up simply, ate the remaining bun and pickles, and packed his things to leave. The other person was still sleeping.

Li Long went out to settle the bill; he had many things to do today.

First, he went to the station to inquire. The bus was still scheduled for twelve o'clock. He bought his ticket and then took the No. 2 bus heading north, intending to go to the Department Store to buy some things.

The Tianshan Department Store in Wu City was what many in the future would know as "Tianbai." Since it was close to the Lunar New Year, the store was crowded.

Seeing the array of goods, which were far more diverse than those in Ma County or Shicheng, Li Long began his "shopping spree."

With the New Year approaching, he needed to buy some firecrackers. They had electric crackers and small crackers at the time; he bought a thousand-shot pack of electric crackers and several strings of one hundred shots each to take apart for Qiangqiang to play with—they were small, so there was no fear of them exploding too loudly.

He also bought a few "double-bang" crackers and some "sky rockets." The purchasing power of money was truly strong back then; fifteen yuan bought him a huge bag of firecrackers.

Then, he bought new cotton-soled shoes for both Li Juan and Qiangqiang. He had measured their sizes beforehand and bought them one size larger so they could wear insoles now and still wear them next winter. He bought a new schoolbag for each of them. He bought a doll for Li Juan and a wind-up tin green frog for Li Qiang.

For his eldest brother, Li Jianguo, he bought a standard military cotton cap and a military green padded coat. Li Jianguo had wanted to join the army originally, but as the eldest son, he had to stay to take care of the family, which remained a regret.

For his sister-in-law, Liang Yuemei, he bought a wool scarf and a pair of cotton-soled shoes.

Next came the massive food shopping. Because of the New Year, the department store was releasing a batch of food items that didn't require coupons. Although they were slightly more expensive, Li Long didn't worry about that. He went on a shopping spree!

Canned luncheon meat, Jiang noodles, fruit candies, frozen persimmons, oranges, apples, pears... knowing the children might get chilblains while playing outside, he also bought some Baiquealing ointment and Vaseline.

By the time he was done, a urea sack was almost full.

And the total price of everything was only a little over a hundred yuan.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't fit anything else, Li Long wouldn't even have wanted to leave the building—supplies in the village were so scarce that now that he had money, he couldn't help but buy everything.

Carrying the large bag, he boarded the bus. This area wasn't far from the famous "Eight-Story Building" of the future, but Li Long was in no mood to look at it now. He had to hurry back to the Bayi Guesthouse to catch a bus from there.

Once back at the guesthouse, he boarded the bus to Shicheng. As he stuffed the urea sack onto the luggage rack and sat down, Li Long felt a bit of regret; he should have bought some hot food, as his stomach was feeling hungry again.

Forget it, he'd wait until he reached the county town.

The driver got on the bus. Before the conductor arrived, Li Long stepped forward to hand the driver a cigarette and said

"Sir, could you stop at Ma County when we get there? I need to get off there."

"Sure," the driver said readily after seeing it was a Da Qianmen brand cigarette.

Sorted.

Two hours later, Li Long got off the bus in Ma County with the urea sack on his back. It was midday, and the sun was bright and somewhat piercing, but Li Long had no time to worry about the weather. He had to hurry to the Darou Canteen to buy something to eat, otherwise, he truly wouldn't be able to carry the bag anymore.

Now Li Long was regretting it. Why did he buy so much? It wasn't like there were horse carriages, or even a sled. Carrying this back, ten kilometers would probably take at least three hours!

He first went to the Darou Canteen, bought four meat buns, ate them hurriedly, drank two cups of free tea, and rested at a table for a while before heading out with the bag.

Li Long had already thought of a solution.

He went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, bought two meters of thick plastic sheeting, and tied two of the corners together to form a makeshift pouch. He tied the mouth of the urea sack and placed it on the plastic, then grabbed the front of the plastic and began to drag it along.

Wasn't this just a simple sled? Since the roads were covered in thick ice and snow, there was little friction. Dragging it this way wasn't strenuous, and it was actually quite fun.

Time to go home!

(End of Chapter)