Chapter 146: Immediate Use, Immediate Exchange
Su He chatted with Section Chief Wei a bit longer before saying, “Section Chief Wei, I won’t disturb you any further. You should go ahead and arrange the sample matter. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
She didn’t bring up transportation—there was no need. She was sure Section Chief Wei would continue to send a car for her.
Sure enough, Section Chief Wei said, “Alright, I’ll have Old Xu drive you. Also, arrange a time with him for tomorrow morning’s pickup.”
Su He didn’t decline. Refusing now would be unnecessarily polite.
After leaving the food factory, Su He said to Master Xu, “Master Xu, could you please take us to the department store on Jin Qiao Road?”
If she weren’t familiar with him, she might have had to talk him into it. But now? Even asking him to drive her all the way to An County wouldn’t be an issue.
Master Xu not only readily agreed, he even said, “Little Su, those cloth coupons in your hand—they’re local ones, right?
Although the department store has a window for exchanging coupons for out-of-town use, the line is always super long. I’ll take you to the exchange spot on Guihua Road first—there are fewer people there. Once you’ve exchanged them, I’ll take you to the department store.”
Su He quickly thanked him.
Sure enough, there were few people at the Guihua Road exchange site. Su He and Principal Chen exchanged their coupons quickly.
Principal Chen glanced at the thick stack of coupons in Su He’s hand and couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get so many cloth coupons?”
“Director Gao from the textile factory gave them to me. He insisted. I couldn’t say no—it was too much trouble.”
Principal Chen: “…”
In truth, Su He had told Director Gao this: “Director Gao, the department stores in the capital must have the most complete and high-end selection of fabrics! I’ll pick out some high-end or distinctive ones to bring back—they’ll definitely be valuable references…”
Director Gao found her argument convincing and ended up handing over a thick wad of coupons.
After a pause, Principal Chen said earnestly, “Even with coupons, you still need money to buy things. Earning isn’t easy—try to spend wisely.”
He meant well, worried the young girl might get dazzled by the city and impulsively overspend, only to regret it later.
Su He nodded. “You’re right.
Although I’m getting travel allowances from the food factory, the textile factory, the machinery factory, the county broadcast station, and the county night school, it’s still best to be frugal.”
Principal Chen: “…What did you say?”
Su He repeated herself, then added considerately, “Except for your unit being stingy, the others all gave me an advance on travel expenses.”
Principal Chen looked at her and fell silent.
Then he remembered the train fare he’d paid upfront—his heart ached!
A thought crossed his mind: should he call the provincial night school and say he’s conducting an inspection on their behalf, so they can reimburse his expenses?
Master Xu dropped them off at the department store. He initially planned to wait and drive them back to the Jinxiang Hotel after they finished shopping, but Su He politely declined.
Though Section Chief Wei was treating her generously, she knew she needed to maintain a sense of boundaries and not overstep.
Principal Chen had worried that Su He might get carried away, but seeing her act with such restraint, he felt relieved. Despite her youth, she was steady and sensible.
The department store was packed—every counter had long lines, with occasional shouting matches breaking out. It was more like a marketplace than a shopping center.
Forget buying anything—you couldn’t even see what was on display.
Principal Chen got jostled and nearly fell. Fortunately, Su He caught him in time and led him to a quieter corner.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he muttered, “This isn’t shopping—it’s fighting for goods. I’m too old for this!”
Su He, however, looked pleased. Clearly, the purchasing power of the capital’s residents was impressive!
If she could finalize the floral hair accessory deal, the sales volume would be huge.
Plus, anything that sold well in the capital would soon become trendy in smaller cities too…
But with this crowd, she couldn’t even get a glimpse of the products on display.
She blinked at Principal Chen and said, “Why don’t you rest here a bit? I’ll go see if I recognize anyone.”
Principal Chen: …Got it—immediate use, immediate exchange.
Su He scanned the room and finally focused on the quietest counter—the one selling porcelain tableware.
In this era, enamelware was more popular. Porcelain was fragile and heavy, so out-of-towners rarely bought it as gifts.
Besides, the porcelain here was high-end and pricey. As a result, very few people were gathered around.
Su He wandered over.
The saleswoman didn’t even look up—she continued knitting a sweater.
Back then, department store jobs were secure iron rice bowls. Even slacking off at work wasn’t questioned.
“Oh wow, sister, your knitting is amazing! I once hosted a foreign guest who wanted to buy a handmade sweater. If only I’d known you back then!”
Whether Su He’s story had holes didn’t matter. What mattered was she praised the clerk’s skills and casually mentioned entertaining foreign guests.
Sure enough, the saleswoman looked up, smiling. “You’ve got a sweet tongue. Foreigners really like hand-knit sweaters?”
Su He grinned. “Not just sweaters—take this porcelain, for example. Foreigners love it!
At the Foreign Friendship Store (where foreigners can shop and buy souvenirs), they buy it by the crate!
It’s a pity this department store isn’t open to foreigners—otherwise, you’d be busy non-stop!”
The clerk warmed up even more. “Girl, sounds like you deal with foreigners often? Are you from the foreign trade department?”
Su He pulled some foreign candy from her purse and placed it on the counter. “Not convenient to say. Here, try this candy.”
The clerk instantly filled in the blanks in her imagination, now convinced the girl before her had an unusual background—and grew even more welcoming.
“Here to shop today?”
“Mainly here to help the food factory with market research, and bring someone to shop a bit too. It’s just that the crowd’s insane! I’m so small, I can’t even squeeze to the front. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let Master Xu leave. He could’ve taken us straight back to Jinxiang Hotel afterward…”
The clerk’s eyes sparkled. She lowered her voice and said, “That’s easy. Our department store closes at 6:30 p.m., but we start clearing out and doing inventory at 5:30. You come at 5—during the clearing—you find me.”
Su He’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! Oh, by the way, I’m Su He. What should I call you?”
“Just call me Sister Zheng.”
…
After chatting with Sister Zheng a bit more, Su He went back to find Principal Chen.
“Principal, let’s go walk around elsewhere first. We’ll come back at 5.”
Principal Chen looked confused. “Why then?”
“We’ll have the place to ourselves.”
Principal Chen: “…”
