Chen Lishu left thirteen items for Gu Xingping and the remaining thirty for Zhou Bin.
After seeing Zhou Bin off, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping went to the department store. Chen Lishu didn't go directly to the second floor to look at bicycles but first looked at yarn on the first floor.
Gu Xingdong wore a military uniform year-round in the army and had no opportunity to wear other outerwear. Chen Lishu thought she could knit him a sweater, so he could wear it inside when the weather turned cold.
“Comrade, looking for yarn? We have quite a full range of products, including blended yarn, nylon thread, and acrylic yarn. The prices are also quite affordable. Two liang only costs one industrial coupon.”
The salesclerk, seeing the two standing at the counter, began to enthusiastically promote their products.
Although blended yarn and acrylic yarn were cheap, their quality was not very good. Chen Lishu's gaze fell on the pure wool yarn on the other side.
“Comrade, how much is that one?”
The salesclerk followed her finger and said with a smile, “This is pure wool yarn from Shanghai, one yuan per liang.”
Chen Lishu happened to have some industrial coupons on hand. After a rough estimation, she finally chose four jin of beige yarn. It was enough for her and Gu Xingdong to knit a sweater each, making them a matching couple’s outfit.
After buying the yarn, she and Gu Xingping went to the second floor. There were quite a few bicycle brands, such as Phoenix, Forever, and Flying Pigeon.
After asking the salesclerk about the prices, the "two-eight big bar" bicycles ranged from 150 to 180 yuan. The "kun che" was cheaper, but still cost between 120 and 150 yuan.
“If you want accessories like a bike cover, it will be another two or three yuan,” the salesclerk added at the end.
Without a bike cover, mud would splash everywhere on rainy days. In the end, Chen Lishu chose a Forever brand women's bicycle. Including the cover, the total cost was 152.5 yuan plus a bicycle coupon.
The sisters-in-law pushed the bicycle out of the department store, and immediately felt that everyone around was casting envious glances.
“Third sister-in-law, can you ride it?” Gu Xingping touched the brand new bicycle, clearly reluctant to part with it.
Chen Lishu smiled and shook her head, “No.” In her previous life, due to poor conditions, she had no contact with them. Later, after moving to the city, the Lu family had one, but the whole family treasured it so much that they were unwilling to let her touch it easily. Later, as buses became more numerous, she naturally never had the chance to learn.
Gu Xingping looked worried, “I can’t either.”
Chen Lishu smiled, “It’s perfect, we can learn together.”
The two pushed the bicycle all the way towards the small courtyard. As soon as they turned the corner of the alley, they saw Ding Chen standing at the entrance of their yard.
“Why are you here? Is something wrong?” Gu Xingping quickened her pace and asked.
Ding Chen’s eyes lit up when he saw her return, “I came to find you yesterday and you weren’t here.”
“We went back to the village these past two days,” Chen Lishu said as she took out the key to open the door.
“My parents want to invite both of you over for dinner to thank you for the dumplings you sent.”
Actually, it was Ding Chen who suggested inviting them to dinner. The Ding couple felt that what their son said was reasonable and agreed.
“A bowl of dumplings isn’t worth much. You city people are so polite.”
Gu Xingping said with a smile, then patted the newly bought bicycle and asked Ding Chen, “Isn’t my third sister-in-law’s new bicycle very beautiful?”
Ding Chen immediately nodded, “It’s a Forever brand, it’s quite nice.”
Gu Xingping couldn’t help but grin widely when she heard his compliment.
Ding Chen watched the two enter the courtyard, then stood by the door and asked again, “Are you coming over tonight then?”
Gu Xingping was unsure and turned to ask Chen Lishu, “Third sister-in-law, should we go?”
Chen Lishu thought for a moment and nodded, “Let’s go then.”
“I’ll go back and tell them right away.” Ding Chen, having received a clear answer, happily turned and went home to prepare.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to go to someone’s house for dinner empty-handed for the first time. Chen Lishu took the opportunity to buy two packs of pastries at the supply and marketing cooperative at the street corner. She brought them to the Ding family along with Gu Xingping when they went for dinner.
Based on what Gu Xingping had said, Chen Lishu had expected Mr. and Mrs. Ding to be very serious people. To her surprise, both of them were very amiable.
“Xingping and Xiao Chen are here,” Mrs. Ding, Sun Shuzhen, greeted them with a smile as they entered.
Having heard from her son that they were military dependents, she already had a good impression of them. Seeing Chen Lishu, who was also pretty with clear eyes, she knew she was a good child, and her impression improved even further.
“Hello, Uncle and Aunt,” Chen Lishu said with a smile, placing the items in her hands on the table.
“I heard from our Ding Chen that Xingping didn’t test very well this year and is preparing to repeat a year?” Ding Yongfeng gestured for them to sit down before asking.
Chen Lishu clearly felt Gu Xingping beside her stiffen slightly, her back straightening as if she were answering a teacher’s question in class. She stammered, “Yes, yes, my grades aren’t very good.”
Ding Yongfeng smiled and motioned for her to relax, “This is home, not school. We’re just chatting casually, don’t be nervous.”
“It’s a conditioned reflex, I can’t control it myself,” Gu Xingping said in a low voice, a little embarrassed.
Seeing her so honest and straightforward, the others couldn’t help but laugh.
“If the child is nervous, don’t bring up school matters. It’s rare for you to visit, why don’t we sit down and eat? We can chat while we eat, which might help you relax a bit.”
Sun Shuzhen said, then got up to invite everyone to be seated, and then gestured for Ding Chen to help bring out the dishes.
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping got up to help, but Sun Shuzhen stopped them. They had no choice but to sit back down.
There were a total of four dishes. Sun Shuzhen was a very good cook, and all the dishes were delicious.
After the meal, the sisters-in-law became much more familiar with the Ding family. Chen Lishu also learned that Ding Yongfeng taught mathematics in high school, and Sun Shuzhen taught Chinese.
“My mother used to teach English, but our middle school here studies Russian, so she had to switch to teaching Chinese,” Ding Chen interjected with some regret.
When China had good relations with the Soviet Union, there was a wave of Russian learning. Especially in the Northeast where they were located, all middle schools taught Russian as a foreign language. Only in larger cities like the provincial capital were English classes offered.
Chen Lishu was quite surprised to hear Ding Chen’s words, and then felt a surge of excitement.
Although foreign languages were not mandatory in next year’s college entrance examination, there would be an additional test for those who wished to major in foreign languages. She had no contact with chemistry or physics, and it was too late to study them now. Therefore, from the beginning, she had decided to only study liberal arts subjects. However, her education was limited, and English happened to be her only strength so far.
But without a legitimate reason, it would be difficult to explain to others. Originally, Chen Lishu had intended to use Xu Ning as an excuse, but it turned out she also studied Russian.
“Aunt Sun, can I learn English with you? You don’t need to teach me specially, just give me some guidance occasionally. It absolutely won’t take up too much of your time.”
After cautiously asking this question, Chen Lishu held her breath and looked at Sun Shuzhen, feeling extremely nervous, fearing that she would simply refuse her out of inconvenience.