Chapter 106: Exclusive Sales Zone

Yan Rushan smiled and said to the sales clerk, "Wrap it up for us."

Zhong Yuxiu handed over the garment in her hands. The clerk folded it into a paper box bag and packed it away. "This piece is forty-eight. No cloth coupon needed."

"So expensive?"

"Not at all. The fabric alone is worth it. Everything used in it is imported." When the clerk finished speaking, she gave them a peculiar look. "You two aren't planning to say you can't afford it, are you?"

Yan Rushan took the bag, paid, and then turned to lead Zhong Yuxiu away.

The clerk froze. By the time she looked up, they were already far off. She shrugged and let it go. Her attitude in this line of work had always been the same: buy it or don't, and if you don't, get lost. The two of them had the bearing of people of good standing, so they were clearly not ordinary. Since they had not taken offense, she did not take it to heart either.

Years of monopoly and marketing had made sales clerks believe themselves superior, looking down on everyone else.

"Yuxiu, one day I'll open you a whole department store." Then let's see who dares give you a hard time.

There is no absolute fairness in this world, and not everyone is qualified to speak of fairness. Only when one is strong enough does one have the right to demand it. Reality was cruel in exactly that way.

He would not go asking for fairness. He would only keep adding weight to his own hand.

Warmth flooded Zhong Yuxiu's heart. She lifted her eyes to look at him and smiled slyly. "Then I'll be waiting. By then, I'll buy whatever I want."

"All right, and you won't even have to pay." Yan Rushan nodded firmly, already resolved to make plans as soon as he got back.

The girl deserved the very best of everything. She was already not short of money now, though not a single cent of it had come from him.

Zhong Yuxiu laughed softly and took the initiative to hold his hand back.

"Wait a little longer." Just a little longer would do.

"Mm." Yan Rushan nodded. The two of them put aside their unpleasantness and strolled through the department store hand in hand. After wandering around for a while, they only bought a few small odds and ends and nothing else.

When they reached the dedicated section for small electric scooters, the entire area was spacious and bright, lined with row upon row of scooters. Their colors differed, but their performance was the same. People came and went in an endless stream, and many were stopping to look.

Zhong Yuxiu stepped forward to inspect the price tags and found that the prices varied. The difference lay in the fact that some scooters did not use chips or the lithium batteries she had developed, but only the kind of batteries currently available. Those cost just five hundred eighty. The kind she had made, using chips, lithium batteries, and sensors, sold for five thousand. The price was so high it was startling.

"So expensive!"

Yan Rushan smiled behind her. "Not really. These are your own achievements. Chip, lithium battery, and sensor technology are all far ahead of their time. Their intrinsic value is worth that price. Those who can't afford this version can buy the other one. There's no need to insist on this particular model."

"Fair enough." Zhong Yuxiu nodded. "I never expected them to be this expensive. If they're this pricey at home, what about abroad?"

"Abroad, they're the same price, only converted into foreign currency." In other words, if sold in America, each one would cost five thousand dollars.

"So how many people in our country can afford them?"

Yan Rushan carried the bag in one hand and clasped the other behind his back. "Some can. And if you have connections, you can get the internal price. Look at the one next to it. Without an industrial voucher, that's the price. With a voucher, it's only a little over three thousand. That's very cheap already."

There were no such discounts overseas.

"I see. Then I can ride my scooter to school." No more rushing for the bus or walking every day.

Their minds were clearly not on the same track, and Yan Rushan could only smile helplessly. "Yes. It's just a pity that the weather is cold now. Riding a scooter to school will be freezing."

"It's fine. When I get back, I'll have Doggan make me a windshield blanket for riding."

There was nothing special about the scooter section, and Zhong Yuxiu lost interest after a couple of glances. She took Yan Rushan by the hand and rode the bus home.

When evening fell, Zhong Yuxiu personally drew a design for a windshield blanket, covering everything from the hands and upper body down to the knees. If her skill had been up to it, she would even have had Doggan make a little canopy to cover the scooter, so that no wind could leak through.

"Doggan, make this as soon as possible. I need it."

Doggan took the drawing, went to the storeroom to find a roll of dark, flawed fabric, and then carried the cloth and the sketch upstairs.

Hao Nan and Tian Shanguo set the meal on the table and called them to eat. After dinner, Zhong Yuxiu and Yan Rushan had nothing else to do. Zhong Yuxiu picked up the medical books she had not yet finished, while Yan Rushan sat quietly beside her company.

Night fell, and the little building glowed with light.

"Yuxiu, I should head back."

Zhong Yuxiu looked out the window. "It's already dark."

"It's getting dark." Yan Rushan gazed at her quietly. "I'll come for you tomorrow and take you to see the Great Wall."

"It's too cold. The Great Wall is too cold." She did not want to go.

Yan Rushan pondered for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Then I'll take you out for a walk. There are plenty of sights in the capital. We can also go to the square."

"All right."

"It's settled then." Yan Rushan's eyes and brows were full of smiles. His joy had come too suddenly, and he could not hide it. "I'll go back first and come pick you up tomorrow."

After seeing Yan Rushan off, Zhong Yuxiu sat back on the sofa and finished the last few pages before stopping.

Hao Nan brought over a cup of hot water. "Comrade Zhong, have some hot water to warm yourself."

"Thank you." Taking it with both hands, Zhong Yuxiu smiled. "There's nothing much tomorrow. I'm going out with Comrade Yan to have some fun, so I'm giving you two the day off as well. Why don't you go out and walk around too?"

Tian Shanguo came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit and placed it before her, shaking his head in refusal.

"Thank you for your kindness, Comrade Zhong. Our duty is to protect you. We don't need time off."

"Your hometown isn't in the capital. You could use the day off to call home and talk for a while." Soldiers miss home too. They were flesh and blood like anyone else.

Tian Shanguo shook his head solemnly. "Comrade Zhong, protecting you is not hard work. If we want to call home, we can do so every night. There is no need to use our time off to contact them. Besides, our orders are to protect you. When you go out, we must stay alert at all times, and it is best if we remain by your side."

Although once Zhong Yuxiu went to school, they could not follow her inside and protect her at close range, they still waited outside the school every day, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

"Comrade Hao Nan, what about you?" Since she could not persuade Tian Shanguo, Zhong Yuxiu could only turn to the other man.

Hao Nan smiled. "Comrade Tian has already said everything I wanted to say."

Very well.

Zhong Yuxiu took a sip of the warm water, set down the cup, and stood up, bending to pick up the medical book.

"In that case, we'll all go out tomorrow. Wash up and go to bed early."

"All right." Hao Nan and Tian Shanguo nodded. After seeing Zhong Yuxiu upstairs, they followed. They went to their rooms to get a change of clothes, then came downstairs to wash up.

The two of them exercised often and worked up a sweat every day. Going even one day without washing left them sour and stale.

Yuxiu took another medical text in her room to read. As she read, she let her spiritual power out to listen for any movement. Only after they had gone upstairs and entered their rooms did she take her clothes downstairs, bathe, and return to lie down.