Red Flag Supply and Sales Building is the largest commodity distribution center in A City, with food on the first floor, fabric on the second, ready-to-wear clothing on the third, and hardware and electrical appliances on the fourth.
While there were plenty of goods, there weren’t many custors; when Chuxia and Zhou Mikang stepped inside, there were only a few scattered clients, with the number of sales assistants being twice that of the custors.
Though there were many employees, they weren’t as enthusiastic in greeting the custors as one might expect in later years. Each ti soone ca in, their eyes would dart over for a quick glance before returning to stare blankly at their own counters.
Having decided what to buy on their way over, the two of them headed straight to the fourth floor to purchase two radios and two watches, and then descended to the third floor to each pick out a set of clothing for Chuxia’s parents, grandparents, and eldest maternal uncle and aunt. After so thought, Chuxia also chose a set each for Fat Auntie and Uncle Gangshun.
Zhou Mikang wanted to pick out a few sets for Chuxia, but she firmly refused. She’d rather not wear such old-fashioned clothes; she’d prefer to wear a military uniform instead.
In this era, the main colors for fabric were blue, black, and gray, with red and patterned materials taking up a small portion. Hence, they each took several ters of fabric in various colors before heading to the first floor to buy food.
"Ten pounds of White Sugar, twenty pounds of Peach Crisp, twenty cans, ten pounds of shrimp crisps..." Zhou Mikang took responsibility for delivering the previously purchased items to the car, while Chuxia, holding the list, approached the main counter and read out the food items she wanted to buy. The salesperson stared at her blankly without any reaction, and even after she finished reading, there was still no response.
"Comrade, why don’t you just follow this list and get the items for ?" Chuxia had no choice but to hand over the list to the round-faced, woodenly-staring salesperson standing before her.
A few custors nearby who were also shopping had overheard Chuxia reading the list earlier. They had seen people buy a lot before, but this was their first ti witnessing such a large purchase. They couldn’t help feeling that it was a bit too much..., awkward~
Having experienced enthusiastic custor service in her previous life, Chuxia was truly struggling to adapt to the service attitudes of this era. Even after more than a year, she was still sowhat incapable of accepting it, and thus, although her tone was kind, her face clearly showed a hint of displeasure.
The round-faced salesperson glanced at the list in her hand, rolled her eyes, and walked away...
Staring after the employee who had just disappeared behind the counter’s door, Chuxia was dumbfounded. What was the aning of this? Was she going to the restroom, taking a break, off work, or what? Could she at least give so sort of explanation?
After so thought, she took the list to another counter. This one was staffed by a gaunt woman in her forties with sharp, triangular eyes that swept across Chuxia’s face with a clear hint of disdain. "Without the group leader’s approval, I don’t have the authority to sell anything," she stated.
What did that an? Was she saying that despite having money and food coupons, they wouldn’t sell her anything? But why? Chuxia walked out confused. She decided to go consult Squad Leader Tongzi for advice.
She was a smart kid and knew that in this era, arguing with people wasn’t her forte. A wrong move could easily backfire on her, so it was better to let Squad Leader Tongzi handle it.
Just as she was leaving, she happened to run into Zhou Mikang coming back. He sized her up and asked, "What’s wrong?"
"They won’t sell to ," Chuxia replied, looking at him with innocent, wide eyes, as if asking ’Why not?’"The problem is, I don’t understand why they won’t sell to ."
Zhou Mikang: "... What would you do without ?"
"Let’s go inside and see," Zhou Mikang led the way back in.
The woman at the main counter had returned.
"Follow this list," Zhou Mikang handed her the list.
Chuxia keenly watched the salesperson, waiting for Zhou Mikang to be humbled, but to her surprise, the round-faced woman smiled like a blooming flower, nodded, and began writing tickets for the different departnts...
"Why didn’t you sell to my wife earlier?" Zhou Mikang asked.
The smile on the round-faced salesperson’s face faded little by little, and she glanced at Zhou Mikang without expression, saying, "Although we are in a position to serve the people, we also require a minimum level of respect. This comrade didn’t even offer a basic form of address before demanding our service. She can be rude; does that an I can be rude, too?"
Zhou Mikang tapped his fingers on the counter: "Did I use a formal address just now?"
"Chichi..." The round-faced salesperson shredded the ticket in her hand, threw it into a damaged barrel next to her, and turned her attention towards a middle-aged woman approaching, who quickly said with a smile, "Comrade, I’d like two pounds of White Sugar, please."
The round-faced salesperson wrote out a ticket and handed it over: "Counter number three."
"Yes, thank you," the middle-aged woman said, taking the ticket with both hands and heading over to the counter marked with a large "3." There, she smiled broadly at the salesperson with triangular eyes and said, "Comrade, here is my ticket."
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