Chapter 175 Eat a lot
After much persuasion, the female comrades were finally coaxed away. Wang Deming wiped off his non-existent cold sweat and said unhappily to Zhang Shouchun, who had been watching the fun: "Just watch, you only know how to watch!"

"Comrade Shouchun, I want to criticize you very harshly!"

"You are a very incompetent person in charge of this branch factory. How can you ignore the voices of the workers? You must patiently understand, educate, and persuade them!"

Zhang Shouchun raised his eyebrows and retorted in a crisp voice: "I'm not a member of the group, so my awareness is not that high."

Wang Deming threatened: "Next year when the workers elect leading cadres, if you are voted out, don't cry."

"Humph, I don't care about this person in charge, and I don't get any more money. Why should I worry about extra things all day? Today I'm distributing women's products, and tomorrow I'm counting the cabbages. The cabbages should be here by now, right?"

Wang Deming slapped his forehead. He had just been surrounded by female comrades and had forgotten everything.

"It's here. It's on the side of Chongwenmen Inner Street. It can't be transported in. Hurry up and call out the comrades to get the cabbages in batches. Each person gets 400 kilograms. Our male comrades are waiting on the side of the road to push the carts."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of small red, yellow, and green cards, each one an inch long, printed with different kinds of pickles, and handed them to Zhang Shouchun. "These are the pickles that our factory ordered from Tianyuan Pickle Factory. This is for this month, and we'll have them every month in the future."

"Send them out later."

"I got it!" Zhang Shouchun rolled his eyes reluctantly.

"Let me do it." Zhang Shouying took over the assigned task and then went to inform each workshop, "Comrades, the cabbages purchased by the factory have been delivered, as well as this month's pickle coupons."

Jin Yuqing delivered the employee list in time, Zhang Shouying issued invoices one by one, and the female workers signed one by one, all of them with smiles on their faces.

"Oh, my husband is most proud of the 'Superior Sugar-cooked Mustard' from Tianyuan Soy Sauce Garden. He said that this is what the old Buddha liked to eat back then."

"Well, you should teach him a lesson when you get home. It's already this late, and you're still obsessed with the feudal dregs?"

"Yes, yes!"

The female worker with short hair, a round face, and wrinkles on her face who had just spoken became anxious and shouted, "It's just a mouthful of food, why is it so serious? Which of us is not a feudal dregs?"

Someone nearby said sarcastically, "Yes. That's why they raised all these useless people who don't even have time to do anything. Now they just lie at home all day, and they need their wives to work and support the family."

Another tough female worker laughed and said, "Haha, that shows that the man is a good person and makes her feel comfortable every day, so she is willing to support him."

"Haha, no wonder. Tell me, how long does it take for your family to do it each time?"

Wang Deming, who was standing in the courtyard, was sweating profusely when he heard this. This old woman was really too bold, wasn't she? Could she say this in public?
He glanced at Zhang Shouchun secretly, and their eyes met. Zhang Shouchun winked at him, threw him a coquettish look, and whispered with his eyes rolling: "I can also support you."

Pooh!
Do you think I'm a gigolo?

I am a man of eight feet tall, with a strong character and a strong sword.
Just as he was about to retort, the female workers who had received the pickle tickets came out of the workshop and prepared to go to Chongwenmennei Street to take the cabbages home.

After greeting Wang Deming enthusiastically, we left Suzhou Hutong. From afar, we could still hear the female workers joking, "Hey, do you think Comrade Deming's work is amazing?"

"It's hard to tell. What if it's a silver-pewter spear head?"

"Haha." Zhang Shouchun laughed so hard that he almost cried. Jin Yuqing also laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.

Well, if you can’t afford to offend, can’t you just hide away?

Wang Deming rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not going back to Xiaojingchang for dinner tonight. A friend of mine is coming from Shanghai. We're meeting at Donglaishun in Dong'an Market. We'll also go to the Jixiang Theater to watch a play in the evening."

Zhang Shouchun still bent over and covered his stomach, laughing breathlessly and said: "You, you go." Alas, my pure red rose, how could it be influenced to be like this? Or was she like this from the beginning? Woman, you are a mystery
Wang Deming shook his head helplessly and left Suzhou Hutong.

It is very close to Dong'an Market from Suzhou Hutong. When you see the East Chang'an Street archway, Wangfujing Street is to the north of the intersection. Dong'an Market is to the east of Shuaifu Hutong.

However, Wang Deming did not go directly to Dong'an Market, but went to the Dahua Department Store nearby first.

There are many department stores around Wangfujing Street, including Zhonghua, Wangfu, Lido, Tianyou, Shanghai Department Store and Dongshengyu, Shengxing, Lixin and more than a dozen others in Dong'an Market. Otherwise, why would literati in the Republic of China call it the Champs Elysees of the East?

Dahua Department Store was the last to open among these department stores, having only opened in 46. It has the most Western-style decoration. The upper half of the entire facade is clad in light yellow tiles, matched with tall glass windows; the lower half is clad in dark green tiles, which looks solemn and is a combination of Chinese and Western styles.

The goods sold here are also high-end. For example, there are elastic nylon socks, high-top socks, dance socks, etc.; plastic raincoats, belts, powder boxes, even though these things were common in the past, they are truly high-end products in this era.

There are also many imported luxury goods, such as French "Sanhua" powder, perfume, eyebrow pencil; English "Lux" soap; Shanghai "Star", "Butterfly", "Sincere", Guangzhou "Shuangmei" and other cosmetics, vanishing cream, floral water, rouge, lipstick, etc.; various sheepskin baked flower bags: ladies' handbags, wallets, glasses cases, clutches, etc.
The above products are all for women, while Dahua Department Store’s main product for men is shirts.

Just like the supermarket’s own products in the previous life, Dahua Department Store commissioned a special factory to produce the required fabrics. The styles were imitated from foreign newspapers, such as "Vienna" and "Michelin", and were very popular. Of course, they were more in line with Wang Deming’s aesthetic.

I bought a few shirts with ease. When I checked out, Wang Deming considerately took out a few sets of elastic high nylon socks. Which man can resist black stockings? Of course, the key is that Zhang Shouchun and Qin Huairu's socks were torn.
Wang Deming put the goods into a canvas bag printed with the name and sign of Dahua Store, hung it on the front of the car, drove to Jinyu Hutong, entered Dong'an Market from the north gate, and turned left to the end.

After locking the carriage, he walked leisurely into Donglaishun.

"Comrade Wang, you are here! I haven't seen you for a while!"

The receptionist had a good memory and greeted us warmly, but there was no white towel on his shoulders and his clothes were all khaki Zhongshan suits with white top and black bottom.

"How many people are you here today?"

"You two, please help me find a quieter room."

"Okay, please go to the second floor!"

When I opened the cotton door curtain, a wave of hot steam with the smell of mutton hit me. The first floor was open for seating, and although it wasn't full, it was almost as busy.

The second floor is slightly better. One side is divided into many small rooms with curtains, and the other side is a large private room.

Not long after Wang Deming sat in the private room, the receptionist brought Zhao Shouyan in, "Brother Shouyan!"

"Haha, Deming!"

Zhao Shouyan hung his hat, scarf, and gloves on the hook by the door and said with a hearty smile, "In this weather, it's perfect to eat shabu-shabu when I return to the capital!"

Wang Deming smiled and said, "That's right. After we have our shabu-shabu, we'll go to Tsinghua Garden to take a bath, and then go to the Jixiang Theater to watch an opera in the evening. There's Mr. Mei Lanfang's opera today, and I bought the official seats specially for him."

"Oh, Mr. Mei is an old friend of our family. Maybe he has sent the tickets to our house. My two mothers may also come to listen to the opera tonight."

"Haha, it's just right for me to meet my aunt!"

After a while, the mutton was served: top, big and small mutton, cucumber strips; pickled garlic, cabbage, vermicelli, sesame paste, chili oil were all served, and a pot of hot Shaoxing rice wine.

Zhao Shouyan poured all the mutton into the copper hot pot and stirred it, saying, "Deming, I got a response to the question you asked me to ask your foreign friends."

(End of this chapter)