The canteen of the commune also had meat, but it was far from what they were eating now.

Everyone was enjoying their meal.

Even Yang Guangchun and Qian Hongying were not holding back, eating meat and rice heartily without any pretense.

This increased the good feelings among the group.

If a young lady had come, the group would have felt a bit restrained.

As they ate, they chatted.

Occasionally, people would greet Yang Guangchun and Qian Hongying.

Three jin of rice, one and a half jin per person on average, plus a few dishes. Everyone ate everything, even the meat soup was soaked up by the rice.

After the meal, Yang Guangzhi felt a bit embarrassed.

But when he saw Qian Hongying also soaking her rice in the soup, he felt better.

Seeing the expressions of the group, Qian Hongying smiled and said, "It's still better to be back in the country! When we were on the other side of the Yalu River, we ate fried noodles made of soybean and corn flour with a little salt. We couldn't even get full with that."

The group nodded in agreement at her words.

They had heard about the dire situation over there.

Some people arrived late, and while the group ate and chatted, they either smoked or drank.

Even after the group finished eating, these people were still eating.

After leaving the canteen, the group went to the factory area. Yang Guangchun said to the group, "Guangzhi, wait for me. I'm going to ask for leave and then take you to my house later. Hongying, you should ask for leave too!"

"Alright!"

Qian Hongying agreed with a smile.

Then the two of them went to their respective offices.

The group was left waiting there in confusion.

Occasionally, young girls would pass by, looking curiously at the group.

After waiting for over half an hour, Yang Guangchun and Qian Hongying finally arrived to join the group.

Yang Guangchun pushed a bicycle and greeted Yang Guangzhi with a smile.

"Let's go, I'll show you the way so you'll know how to get here in the future."

Qian Hongying walked and chatted with Wang Qiuju.

Yang Xiaole and his brother followed beside them, walking towards the outskirts of the factory.

Listening to Qian Hongying and her mother Wang Qiuju talking, Yang Xiaole learned that Qian Hongying had a brother and an elderly mother at home.

At the age of 13 in 1947, she followed the army from Henan all the way to the capital.

At the age of 18, she was among the last group to cross the Yalu River with the army, and she could be considered lucky to have survived.

As they walked and chatted, they arrived at Uncle's residence.

There was a "Double Happiness" character on the door.

This time, it was different from the last time they came. The furniture inside was mostly new.

There were obvious signs of a recent marriage, with the furniture and windows adorned with the "Double Happiness" character.

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"Have a seat!"

Yang Guangchun gestured to the group, then complained, "You should have come last night, then we could have had a meal together!"

Yang Guangzhi smiled and said, "When we met Xiaogang, it was already around ten o'clock at night, too late. Even if we had come, we wouldn't have made it in time."

Hearing this, Yang Guangchun nodded slightly, realizing it was true.

Transportation was inconvenient now.

Qian Hongying went to make tea for everyone.

Yang Xiaole glanced at the tea and thought to himself that she was indeed an official, as the tea leaves were not the low-quality ones with a lot of dregs. The cups were white porcelain.

Yang Guangzhi took the water cup and thanked her, then turned to Yang Guangchun and said, "Oh, by the way, Grandma asked me to pass on a message to you."

At the mention of Grandma, Yang Guangchun's smile faded a bit.

He handed a cigarette to Yang Guangzhi and asked, "What did she say?"

"She wants you to help Guangping's second son, Xiaohu, find a job in the city."

Hearing this, Yang Guangchun complained directly, "Why should I go and find a job for Guangping's second son? How did I join the army back then? Did she forget? When you all started new families, did she forget how we divided everything? She's even acting high and mighty now. I didn't use any connections to get a job for you all, so why should I do it for him? What is she thinking?"

After saying that, he lit a cigarette for Yang Guangzhi and then for himself.

Then he said, "I didn't argue with her when I went back out of respect for Dad. After all, the old couple have been together for over twenty years. I don't want to make things ugly."

Yang Guangzhi nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. Then he said, "Big brother, let me tell you the situation. When you go back in a few days, they will definitely ask you about it. You should have an idea in your mind."

Hearing this, Yang Guangchun thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I got it. I'll let them find me when I go back."

After that, he looked at the lighter in Yang Guangzhi's hand and handed it to him, saying, "Here, this is for you. I confiscated it from there before. There's another one, let me find it."

"Ah, I don't want it. I was just curious about what it was!"

Yang Guangzhi felt a bit embarrassed.

"Hey! Don't be polite with me! I have another one!"

After that, he went inside and searched for a while, then came out with an old, worn-out lighter.

It was already a bit mottled and scratched.

There was also a small kerosene can next to it.

Yang Guangchun fiddled with it.

Yang Xiaole took a look and thought it was very similar to the Zippo lighters from later years, almost the same.Actually, Zippo's ordinary lighter is just an ordinary lighter used by ordinary people in the United States, but it has become a high-end product and luxury item in the mainland.

There's no way around it, foreign things are high-end.

But the main reason is still due to the level of productivity. In the future, a one yuan lighter will also be a rare item here.

"Swish, swish~"

With the addition of kerosene, it lit up in an instant.

Yang Guangchun tried a few times, then smiled and said, "Alright, you take that one, I'll use this one. If it doesn't light, it's not broken, it just needs more oil. You can add some kerosene."

Hearing this, Yang Guangzhi played with it for a while, then reluctantly put it away.

Who has ever seen such a thing!

Qian Hongying went into the house and came out shortly holding a bag.

She placed the items on the table and said with a smile, "Here, have some melon seeds and peanuts. There are also candies inside. Help yourselves, don't be polite! If you're polite, I'll be angry."

Wang Qiuju and the others looked at the items in the bag and happily took some.

The group sat there chatting, after all, the last time they left in a hurry.

Yang Xiaole sat there bored, the electric fan blowing on everyone, making it less stuffy.

Thinking about the house, he still had to ask for his mom.

Otherwise, his mom wouldn't be able to make a decision.

So he asked Yang Guangchun, "Uncle, my mom wants to wait until the conditions are right in the future, then let my brother come out and rent a house on his own. After all, he will get married in the future! Should she rent three rooms or two? She's still hesitating."

Seeing this, Yang Guangchun looked at Xiaogang and smiled, "Well, Xiaogang is not so young anymore, it's time for him to find someone. You guys decide how many rooms to rent. I suggest not to rush now, otherwise it's a waste of money to rent. When he's about to get married in the future, rent two rooms. When there are more children in the future, see if you can rent three rooms."

Yang Xiaole nodded and said, "So, if there are fewer people, rent two rooms, and if there are more people, rent three rooms, right?"

After speaking, he raised his eyebrows at his mother, Wang Qiuju.

Did you hear that?

Three rooms are suitable.

Yang Guangchun didn't know what was going on, but he nodded, "Well, but the rent is also too much. Let's take it slow in the future! Maybe we can get a unit to allocate housing!"

Yang Guangzhi and Wang Qiuju looked at each other, feeling hesitant.

But they didn't say anything.

After all, they had agreed not to say anything before.

Yang Guangzhi felt a little guilty, feeling like he had deceived his older brother.

As the group chatted, Yang Xiaole looked at Yang Guangzhi and asked, "By the way, Dad, when are we leaving?"

Yang Guangzhi thought for a moment and said, "Let's leave in the evening, and I'll go to the mine tomorrow morning."

Yang Xiaole nodded and looked at his older brother, saying, "Dad, since you're not in a hurry to leave, why don't my brother and I go to the city to have a look around? I've never played in the city before! My brother goes to work every day, so he probably hasn't played much either. Is that okay?"

Seeing this, Yang Guangchun also nodded, "Sure, let them go play, and we brothers can chat. We haven't had time to chat."

Yang Guangzhi thought for a moment, this kid knows the way, and finally agreed, "Alright, you guys go, but don't get into trouble. Remember to come back before dinner in the evening."

Upon receiving the answer, Yang Xiaole was overjoyed.

He pushed Xiaogang, "Brother, let's go, take me to play!"

Xiaogang stood up blankly, "I'm not familiar with this place yet! What am I supposed to take you to play?"

But he was also excited.

Then the two said goodbye and left the house.

Standing at the door, Yang Xiaole thought for a moment and shouted inside, "Dad, come out for a moment!"

Yang Guangzhi came out curiously.

"What's up?"

Yang Xiaole rolled his eyes, "Dad, give me some money and an ID! Otherwise, it will be troublesome if I get caught, right?"

Then he asked in a low voice, "Dad, do you want me to help Mom rent the house so it's not so troublesome?"

Yang Guangzhi thought for a moment and shook his head in the end, "Forget it, your mom will go back this time, and when the formalities are done, she can come back and rent a house. It can save a few days' worth of money!"

After that, he handed over the ID and 1 yuan to him.

He also reminded him, "Don't spend it recklessly, remember to give back what you don't use."

Yang Xiaole was speechless for a moment, took the things, and promised before leaving with his older brother.

Outside, his older brother looked at him and asked, "Xiaole, where do you want to go to play? I don't know anyone here."

"Hurry up, let's go and then decide."

Yang Xiaole urged him and quickly ran to the bus stop outside.

The two of them waited for a while and the bus arrived. They bought tickets and got on the bus, heading towards the city.

Walking on the road, Yang Xiaole asked, "Brother, how about going to see a movie? Have you ever watched a movie here?"

Xiaogang shook his head, "No! I don't have time, and I can't bear to go."

Yang Xiaole nodded, really, not even a few cents.

The bus entered the city and got off at the intersection near Wangfujing. According to what Su Ling said, the International Friends Service Department was nearby.

He was ready to go alone.

After getting off the bus, he walked towards the commercial street.

Although the scenery on this road seemed very run-down to him, it was already one of the most prosperous places in this era.Yang Xiaole didn't pay much attention to the century-old shop on the side of the road or the modernized shopping mall with a signboard.

His eyes were searching for the movie theater.

He wanted to see where his big brother was settled.

After buying two bottles of soda, the two of them strolled around the street.

"Xiaole, where do you want to go?"

Yang Xiaole shook his head, "I don't know! We can't afford anything inside, so we might as well just take a look!"

"Let's forget it then. If you're not buying anything, why bother coming?"

Hearing his big brother's restrained words, Yang Xiaole shook his head.

He still wasn't used to the big city.

Oh well, he'll get used to it after spending some time in the city.

As they walked, he saw a movie theater ahead and his eyes lit up.

He found the place.

"Let's go to the movie theater!"

After saying that, he quickly walked over.

When they arrived, they asked the ticket seller at the window.

The next showing was in half an hour, and the movie was "The Cuckoo Calls Again," which was 90 minutes long.

Yang Xiaole had seen this movie before and knew it was a love story.

Hmm, this would be suitable for his big brother.

He also had enough time to go out and have some fun while waiting.

He directly spent 1 yuan and 2 fen to buy a ticket.

Yang Xiaogang took the money and felt strange, "Why did you only buy one? Aren't you watching too?"

Yang Xiaole handed him 2 yuan and said, "Brother, I have something to do. You stay here and watch the movie. If I haven't come back by the time it's over, continue to watch the next showing, got it?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Ouch, don't worry about me. I have something to do. Don't tell anyone when I get back! Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. I'm leaving. You can use the money to buy something, maybe another bottle of soda."

After saying that, he left without waiting for a response.

Watching Yang Xiaole run off, Yang Xiaogang knew that this guy might be up to something.

He still felt a bit worried.

After looking at the movie theater, he finally decided to quietly wait for the movie to start.

After leaving the movie, Yang Xiaole walked towards the nearby area.

Because this was a commercial street, it was very bustling, and there were a lot of people on the road.

There were many people in the capital, and there were also many people who weren't working.

After inquiring about the location of the International Friends Service Department, which was less than two miles away, he walked for about ten minutes.

Following the location given by the other party, he quietly passed through the lane and arrived near Donghuamen.

After walking a distance, he arrived near Donghuamen.

He immediately saw a large building in front of him.

Hanging on it was a huge sign: International Friends Service Department.

It was a four-story cement building with walls that were still covered in rare tiles from that era, and the exterior walls were made up of small pieces of glass.

It looked very classy.

After looking around, he saw a man in his thirties with a backpack on his back across the street.

The man was squatting there smoking, but his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings. When he saw someone who looked like a foreigner, he immediately pretended to know them and went to greet them.

Yang Xiaole could tell at a glance that this person was not a decent person.

After thinking for a moment, he pushed his bike and walked over to him.

When the man saw his gaze, he smiled and nodded, but didn't pay any attention to him!

"Hello!"

No matter what, he had gone to high school in his previous life. Even if his grades were poor, he still knew some basic phrases.

When he heard this, the man's eyes lit up, and he threw away his cigarette.

After looking around, he walked over.

This was a child of overseas Chinese!

Yang Xiaole understood the broken English: "Money, exchange, RMB."

This was for exchanging foreign currency.

"How much is it to exchange one dollar for RMB?"

Yang Xiaole said in broken English.

"Oh, it's five, five!"

Yang Xiaole calculated that this exchange rate was double, which was quite shocking.

Because the current exchange rate for the US dollar was 2.49, which was almost double.

After thinking about it, he directly asked in Chinese, "What about Hong Kong dollars? What's the price now?"

He knew about Hong Kong dollars. 100 Hong Kong dollars could be exchanged for 42.7 RMB, which was less than half.

When the man heard him speak Chinese, he was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly smiled, "So you can speak Chinese, huh? You're teasing me!"

But he didn't say much.

He thought Yang Xiaole was a child of overseas Chinese!

He then said, "As for Hong Kong dollars, one dollar can be exchanged for 90 cents."

Yang Xiaole nodded when he heard this price, which was also about double.

"What about Overseas Exchange Coupons?"

"Overseas Exchange Coupons are cheaper, with a price of 1 to 1.2. Besides, you don't need that thing anyway!"The man carefully surveyed his surroundings while patiently explaining.

Yang Xiaole nodded slightly. Overseas Exchange Coupons were different from the later Foreign Exchange Coupons. The Overseas Exchange Coupons were like Food Coupons; you needed them to make purchases, and you had to pay additional money.

The later Foreign Exchange Coupons were essentially money, with "Foreign Exchange Coupon" printed on them.

They could be used directly as a combination of money and Ticket. You could use them to buy things.

After explaining for a while, the man politely asked, "Young friend, does your family have any foreign exchange to exchange with us? We guarantee a fair price."

Yang Xiaole thought for a moment and then shook his head: "I don't have foreign exchange. I just want to ask how to get into the Foreigners' Service Department?"

Hearing this, the man's expression soured.

"No foreign exchange? You can't get in either? Then why did you bother me for so long? Bad luck."

He had thought Yang Xiaole was a child of overseas Chinese!

Turns out he was just another mainlander who couldn't get in.

However, adhering to the principle that harmony brings wealth, he didn't say anything too harsh and returned to squat by the roadside.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and started smoking.

He didn't bother with him anymore.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole approached with a smile: "Big brother, may I ask how to get in? Can you find someone to help me get in?"

The man glanced at him and said irritably, "Can't you speak English? Can't you find someone to take you in?"

Yang Xiaole shrugged.

Damn it, my rudimentary English is only good for arm-wrestling with you. It's useless against real foreigners.

But you still need Foreign Exchange Coupons to get in.

Thinking of this, he took out 24 yuan and handed it over: "Then give me 20 yuan's worth of Foreign Exchange Coupons, do you have them?"

Seeing the money, the man's smile returned.

"Ah, I have that, but it's 1.5 per unit."

After seeing Yang Xiaole frown, he quickly added, "1.2 is the price we buy at. You can't expect us to work for nothing!"

Yang Xiaole calculated the money he had left, which wasn't much.

But the items inside weren't expensive, so he decided to buy less to try.

"Alright, give me ten yuan's worth."

He pulled back a few bills, leaving 15 yuan with him.

The man happily took the money and handed over ten yuan's worth of Overseas Exchange Coupons to him.

Yang Xiaole took the items and left immediately.

He went to a tree diagonally opposite the entrance, out of sight of the doorman, and began to look for his prey.

Soon, a woman in a long dress, accompanied by a three- or four-year-old boy, came by.

She was dressed in embroidered clothing.

She gave off the vibe of a wealthy Shanghai lady.

"Hey, sister!"

Yang Xiaole hurriedly approached her because she was looking at the Service Department while talking to the child, presumably intending to enter.

Hearing him, the woman turned her head and asked in surprise, "You... are you calling me?"

"Yes, sister, I'm calling you!"

Hearing this address, the woman covered her mouth and chuckled, "Shouldn't you be calling me 'auntie'? Why do you call me 'sister'?"

"You look about the same age as my sister."

Yang Xiaole said innocently.

But indeed, the woman wasn't old, probably around twenty-six or twenty-seven.

Anyone would be pleased to be addressed that way, so she laughed and said, "Hehe, then what do you want from me?"

"Sister, I want to enter the Foreigners' Service Department. Can you take me in?"

After Yang Xiaole finished speaking, he added, "Oh, right, I have Overseas Exchange Coupons."

The woman glanced around and asked, "Where are your family members?"

"My family has gone to work. I just want to go in and buy some things."

Hearing this, the woman looked at the Overseas Exchange Coupons in his hand, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Alright, come with me."

After all, she was just taking him in.

She wasn't buying anything for him.

"Ah, thank you, sister."

Yang Xiaole was overjoyed.

Then they walked towards the department store.

At the entrance, a man in a suit was checking.

The woman handed him a document, which he glanced at and gestured with one hand, "Please..."

He then returned the document to her.

The woman took the document and led him inside.

Once inside, the woman looked at Yang Xiaole and smiled, "Alright, no one will bother you once you're out. Look around yourself. I'm going to leave now!"

"Okay, thank you, sister. By the way, what's your name?"

"Hehe, no need to be so polite. It's just a small favor. I'm off!"

With that, she cheerfully went to browse the store.

She didn't mention her name.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole didn't insist and started to explore the shop on his own.

The interior decoration was high-end, mostly using ceramic tiles, with the floor paved with white marble. The counters inside were mostly made of glass and marble.

Everyone inside was dressed in suits.

They looked like they worked in a bank.

He didn't bother with them and wandered around.

There were four floors in total, and the items here were rare in other stores.

Watches, bicycles, as long as you had enough Overseas Exchange Coupons, you could buy them without a Ticket.

As for the meat, oil, sugar, and cloth coupons that came with the Overseas Exchange Coupons, these items could be bought in the Grocery Store, so there was no need to come here.

Besides these four items, everything else didn't require a Ticket.

The Overseas Exchange Coupons were equivalent to a Ticket.Imported food, musical instruments, watches—you name it, they had it all.

Gold, silver, and jewelry, which were not allowed to be traded openly in the market, could be freely purchased here without anyone batting an eye.

It wasn't just daily necessities.

There were also various handicrafts.

High-end calligraphy and paintings, blue and white porcelain, famille rose—Yang Xiaole had some knowledge of these from his future studies.

Drooling over these items, he thought:

So many exquisite, even top-notch treasures...

These were not your ordinary bowls and dishes; they were all finely crafted standalone pieces.

Some were made after the Founding of the Nation.

But that didn't mean those made post-Founding were any less precious. Many were unique, with extremely difficult crafting techniques, and were worth more than some antiques.

Among these items, calligraphy and paintings were the most expensive, ranging from a few dozen to several thousand Yuan.

Porcelain was much cheaper, with the most expensive pieces only costing a few dozen Yuan.

Only the exceptionally large ones could fetch over a hundred.

Glancing at the carvings section,

A whole ivory carving priced at over 300 Yuan—such an item would be expensive not just in the future, but even now, the price of ivory abroad was not low.

Unfortunately, they were all out of reach.

After looking around, Yang Xiaole headed to his intended area.

Seeing the bracelet priced at 1300 Yuan behind the counter, he sighed at how many wealthy people there were at this time.

He didn't know the type, but he recognized it as jadeite.

He couldn't tell the quality, but it sure looked beautiful.

A translucent green, it really resembled the imperial green mentioned on TV.

Looking around, he pointed to a silver necklace and said, "Could you show me that one, please?"

It was just over 8 Yuan, mainly because the gemstone was large!

A light green gemstone, its material unknown.

The young female attendant, probably in her mid-twenties, glanced at him and asked, "Where are your parents?"

Yang Xiaole placed 10 Yuan on the counter: "I'm buying it myself, no need for adults. Can't I take a look?"

Seeing this, the attendant didn't say anything more.

She carefully took out the item.

Yang Xiaole took it and felt it in his hand.

No reaction.

The necklace was made of silver, delicate and pretty, but not very heavy—probably about the weight of two silver coins, including the coin-sized gemstone.

It was clearly imitating a foreign style.

Yang Xiaole was puzzled, wondering what kind of item would trigger a reaction.

Then he looked up and asked, "Sister, what is this made of? Jade?"

"No, this is turquoise!"

Yang Xiaole uttered a light "Oh," and handed it back: "Thank you, I'll look at some other things."

The attendant patiently took it back.

Yang Xiaole picked a few more items to examine.

Eventually, he confirmed one thing: ordinary jade was useless.

Only colored gemstones like jadeite, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, aquamarines, tanzanites, and tourmalines were of use.

By now, the attendant was getting impatient.

He kept picking things up but didn't buy anything.

However, due to international relations, she couldn't lose her temper and had to endure.

Yang Xiaole felt a bit embarrassed.

"Sister, may I look at some other items? I'll come back to buy something in a bit."

The attendant nodded slightly and ignored him further.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole moved to a nearby spot, especially where the carved ornaments were displayed.

There were ordinary jade Buddha statues.

Big and small.

And they were placed on the table, covered with a red carpet, with the items displayed on top.

It gave off the vibe of street market goods.

Just like a pile of items casually placed outside an antique shop.

Yang Xiaole looked around.

"Huh!"

His hand had just touched an item, prompting a soft exclamation.