Chapter 328 - 182: Who Could Resist This

Chapter 328: Chapter 182: Who Could Resist This

"Remember to give her water. Don’t buy her any snacks, or she won’t eat dinner tonight," Zhao Tieying reminded Zhou Yan again.

"Got it." Zhou Yan nodded, bent down, and lifted Zhou Momo onto the padded seat Comrade Zhou had fastened for her before pushing the bicycle out the door.

The moment they were out the door, Zhou Momo started chattering away nonstop:

"Brother, look at that boat! It’s so big!"

"Brother, look at that motorcycle going PUTT-PUTT-PUTT. It’s so funny."

"Brother, I love it when you take me out. Can we buy a popsicle?"

"No, you can’t," Zhou Yan refused flatly.

’This little one has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. We haven’t even left Suji, and she’s already scheming for popsicles.’

’She’s already bundled up in her little floral jacket for the cool mornings and evenings, and she’s still got popsicles on the brain.’

"Sigh." Zhou Momo let out a little sigh and said mournfully, "Even though Brother is a little stingy, I’ll still forgive you."

"Then should I be the one saying sorry?" Zhou Yan asked, holding back a laugh.

"It’s okay." The little girl tilted her head and leaned gently against his arm like a little piece of candy. "Because I love you."

’Buy them! Buy a hundred of them!’ Zhou Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and he nearly lost all reason.

’The little girl was just too cute, too heartwarming.’

’Who could possibly resist that!’

’Forget popsicles, he wanted to pluck the moon from the sky for her.’

"You can’t have a popsicle, but how about I buy you a small toy when we get into town?" Zhou Yan said gently.

"I don’t want a present. Can we buy a hat for Grandma instead?" Zhou Momo said, looking back at Zhou Yan. "A really pretty hat."

"Why do you want to buy a hat for Grandma?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at her with some surprise.

The little girl looked at him with a serious expression. "Grandma’s hat has been patched up so many times, but she can’t bear to throw it away. I want to buy her a pretty hat, so she’ll have a pretty new one for the winter, and her ears won’t be cold."

Seeing the look of anticipation on the little girl’s face, Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "Okay, you can pick one out for Grandma later."

"Mmm-hmm." Zhou Momo nodded, a happy smile spreading across her face.

’The little one was so much more thoughtful. A real sweetheart. No wonder the whole family doted on her.’

’Whenever he went to see Grandma, he always thought of bringing her a bottle of liquor and some braised meat or pig’s trotters to go with it.’

’Even after earning some money, it never occurred to him to buy her clothes or other practical things. He wasn’t even as thoughtful as Zhou Momo.’

’The little girl was willing to trade her own toy for a hat for their grandmother.’

Zhou Yan rode at a leisurely pace, avoiding all the potholes, big and small, to make the ride more comfortable for the little one.

Once they reached Jiazhou, he headed straight for a newsstand.

He had to visit four different newsstands before he managed to gather five copies of *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine.

The newsstand owner took the money from Zhou Yan and mumbled in confusion, "Strange. Why have so many people been buying this magazine the last couple of days?"

Zhou Yan put the magazines into the cloth bag on his back, then took out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Zhou Momo. "It’s selling that well?" he asked.

"You bet. It used to take a whole month to sell out. This time, I got fifteen copies, and they were gone in four days. Yesterday, a really pretty young woman came and bought ten copies all at once. I have no idea what she’s going to do with them," the owner said, clicking his tongue in amazement. "I think I’ll have to order more next month."

"I’d suggest you stick with your usual number," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

’That pretty young woman from yesterday must have been Duan Yu Yan.’

’This kind of sales trend isn’t sustainable. If the owner rashly increases his order, he’ll probably be stuck with the next issue, losing all the money he made from this one.’

With the magazines bought, Zhou Yan took Zhou Momo over to the department store to pick out a hat.

Perched on Zhou Yan’s shoulders, Zhou Momo carefully scanned the displays. Suddenly, she pointed ahead and exclaimed, "Brother, look! That hat with the flowers on it is so pretty!"

Zhou Yan followed the little girl’s finger and saw a taro-purple knitted hat hanging on a rack. A flower made of flannel was sewn onto the side. It was indeed quite pretty. ’If Grandma wore it, she’d look very elegant.’

Since it was a weekday, the department store wasn’t crowded.

Zhou Yan was handsome, and Zhou Momo was adorable. The saleswoman behind the counter smiled at her and asked, "Little sweetie, who are you picking a hat for?"

"Ma’am, I’m picking a hat for my grandma," Zhou Momo replied sweetly, pointing to the one she had her eye on. "Can we have a look at that one?"

"Of course you can." The saleswoman took a long hooked pole, plucked the hat from the display, and handed it to Zhou Momo with a smile. "You have great taste, sweetie. This is a new style. It’s machine-knit, so the weave is very tight—the winter wind can’t get through. It’s also lined with a layer of rabbit fur. It’s so fluffy, comfortable, and warm to wear. It’s perfect for middle-aged and elderly people."

Zhou Yan lifted Zhou Momo down from his shoulders and held her in his arms.

The little girl held the hat, examining it from all sides. She even knew to turn it inside out. Her eyes lit up as she said in pleasant surprise, "Brother, look! It really is bunny fur!"

The hat was indeed lined with fur. It felt quite smooth to the touch—pure rabbit fur.

’The saleswoman wasn’t exaggerating at all. The craftsmanship was excellent—you couldn’t knit something this well by hand—and the style was fashionable too.’

’Once Grandma put this hat on, she’d definitely be the most fashionable old lady in the village.’

"So we’ll buy this one for Grandma?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Mmm-hmm, let’s buy this one!" Zhou Momo nodded.

"Ma’am, how much is this hat?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"This one has the fur lining, so it’s eight yuan and twenty cents," the saleswoman said.

"That’s so expensive!" Zhou Momo exclaimed. She looked at the hat in her hands, then at Zhou Yan, her expression conflicted.

"Alright, we’ll take this one," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

In this era, manufactured goods were the most expensive because many products couldn’t be mass-produced yet. Scarcity made them valuable.