After receiving the money, Chen Yang said goodbye to Wang Jianguo and hurried towards the state-run department store in Liuhe County with the baby and the donkey cart.
Last time he came, his pockets were empty, but this time with money, he naturally wanted to do some serious shopping.
Especially since Shen Xue had fainted from anemia, he naturally had to find a way to supplement his wife's nutrition.
"Daddy, Yanyan is good, not bothering Daddy."
The baby's small hands hooked around Chen Yang's neck, and her little head burrowed into his embrace, clearly trying to take credit.
"My little wine jar is the best. Daddy will buy you delicious food later."
Chen Yang kissed the baby's fair and tender little face and laughed heartily, ignoring the little one's disgusted wiping of his saliva.
"Selling candied hawthorns! Sweet and refreshing candied hawthorns, only two mao a skewer."
Just then, as a middle-aged man carrying a straw stick with candied hawthorns stuck all over it passed by Chen Yang's donkey cart at the alley entrance, he quietly called out.
As expected, upon hearing the man's words, the baby's small eyes stared at the bright red candied hawthorns on the straw without blinking, and her little mouth involuntarily swallowed.
"Little glutton, Daddy will buy you some."
Chen Yang flicked the baby's little nose and waved his hand. The candied hawthorn seller immediately stopped, clearly accustomed to this routine.
Normally, he walked silently, only calling out softly when he saw an adult with a child.
"Give me three skewers, and wrap one for me with some kraft paper."
Chen Yang handed over sixty cents. Seeing his generosity, the candied hawthorn seller immediately took the three largest skewers from the straw stick.
In those days, buying three skewers of candied hawthorns at once was considered a major customer.
"Here, little glutton, eat slowly, be careful of the stick."
Chen Yang put the skewer wrapped in kraft paper into his cloth bag, saving this one for his beloved wife. Then he carefully helped the baby eat the candied hawthorn.
The sharp end of the wooden stick was dangerous, and Chen Yang dared not let the two-year-old eat it alone.
"Daddy, it's sweet and sour."
"Yanyan loves Daddy very much."
The little one took a bite, her eyes sparkling, clearly enjoying it. To be honest, this was her first time eating candied hawthorns.
"Daddy loves Yanyan very much too. In the future, Daddy will take Yanyan to eat the most delicious things in the world. As long as you want to eat them, whether they fly in the sky or swim in the sea, Daddy will get them for you."
Chen Yang looked at his happy daughter, filled with boundless affection. He had let his daughter down too much in his previous life. In this life, he would make up for it tenfold.
He wanted to make his little one the happiest little princess in the world!
"Love Daddy!"
The little one pecked Chen Yang's face. The old man's heart swelled with pride, and he felt incredibly pleased.
After carefully feeding the baby until she finished her candied hawthorns, Chen Yang also tasted a few. Honestly, the ingredients in those days were all natural and genuine, incomparable to later times.
The hawthorns inside the sugar coating were delicious, not sour enough to make your teeth ache, and carried a hint of the hawthorn's natural fragrance.
"Hello, you have to trouble you again today, I need to buy some things."
Soon, Chen Yang arrived at the department store with the donkey cart. He tied the donkey cart to a nearby tree and, holding the little one, just stepped inside when he saw the saleswoman from yesterday.
"Auntie, have some candied hawthorn."
The baby in Chen Yang's arms held out her candied hawthorn. Chen Yang only tasted a couple of bites, and there were ten on the skewer, with the rest saved for the little one.
"If you don't mind, please take one and try it. This candied hawthorn tastes pretty good."
Chen Yang helped the baby extend the skewer of candied hawthorns. He was gratified that his child knew how to share and also felt it was good to get acquainted with the saleswoman at the state-run department store, which would make future purchases more convenient.
"Your daughter is really well-raised. Not only does she look like a little fairy from heaven, but her heart is also as kind as a fairy's. Other children would snatch it, but she's reluctant to give such delicious candied hawthorns to others."
Wang Xiue looked at the little one and genuinely liked her. Which woman wouldn't like such an adorable child? Without being pretentious, she plucked a candied hawthorn and ate it.
With her job at the state-run department store, she could afford a skewer of candied hawthorns, and she wouldn't bother eating them if others treated her, but she saw the child's cuteness and was giving her face.
"What do you need to buy today?"
Wang Xiue teased the baby for a moment and then turned to Chen Yang.
"Two jin of brown sugar, five jin of red dates, and if you have dried grapes, then another two jin of dried grapes."
"Also, do you have any large plastic buckets? And fishing nets, I need some of those too."
Chen Yang quickly listed the items he needed. The food items were all for supplementing Shen Xue's nutrition. Anemia requires more blood-tonifying foods. Red dates are great for making porridge and replenishing blood.
As for the dried grapes, they were naturally for the little one as a snack, but they would also improve the taste if added to the porridge.
"We have red dates, brown sugar, and dried grapes."
"We have fishing nets. For large plastic buckets, we'll have to check the warehouse. How big do you need?"
Wang Xiue glanced at Chen Yang. She was a little curious about this young man. In just two days, he had spent quite a bit of money, more than even city people would typically spend.
"The bigger the better, preferably ones that can hold hundreds of jin."
Chen Yang smiled faintly. In the future, he would be catching more and more fish and transporting them to the county town, so a large plastic bucket that could hold water was essential.
"Alright, you wait here. I'll go get them for you."
"Hey, Zhao Dagang, you kid, go help me move some things."
Wang Xiue got up to go to the warehouse, and a young man she called out to quickly ran over. Seeing his eagerness, Chen Yang couldn't help but suspect that he had feelings for Wang Xiue.
"Yes, Xiue, you command, and I'll be right there."
"Hey, I haven't even gotten my things yet, and the person is gone."
A man buying something at Zhao Dagang's counter saw him leave and immediately started complaining. But Zhao Dagang didn't even look back.
"If you want to buy, wait patiently here. If you don't want to buy, scram."
After speaking, Zhao Dagang followed Wang Xiue into the warehouse without looking back. Seeing that the man didn't dare to say another word after being yelled at by Zhao Dagang, Chen Yang couldn't help but pat the baby's little head.
If it weren't for his little wine jar being so likable, he might have been in the same situation as this man. She was truly his thoughtful treasure, awesome.
Not long after, Zhao Dagang came out carrying six large water buckets, each over a meter tall and with a diameter of over a meter. Two fishing nets were also packed inside.
"Red dates are four mao a jin, five jin for two yuan. Brown sugar is nine mao a jin, two jin for one yuan and eight mao. Dried grapes are more expensive. We don't have these here. They are one yuan two mao a jin, two jin for two yuan and four mao."
"The large plastic buckets can hold several hundred jin, no problem. The price is five yuan each, these are special orders, priced by our director. Two fishing nets are five yuan. The total is forty-one yuan and two mao."
Wang Xiue quickly tallied up all the items Chen Yang needed. Chen Yang was not careless and immediately took out four large unity bills and twelve mao in change. While no one was paying attention, he secretly put a yuan bill into Wang Xiue's hand.
"Miss Xiue, it's so hot today, thank you and brother Zhao for carrying things around and getting all sweaty. Consider it me treating you to an ice pop to cool off."
Chen Yang grinned. Wang Xiue was a little surprised. In this era, it was truly rare to find someone like Chen Yang who bought things and gave a tip.
"Alright, just for the cleverness of you and your daughter, when you come here in the future, just mention my name."
Wang Xiue was not pretentious. She had many customers who tried to curry favor with her. Seeing that Chen Yang knew how to behave, she was happy to make a friend of him.