Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

When they left the watch counter, Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou each wore a Shanghai-brand watch on their wrist.

Their shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the shiny steel watchbands that drew stares wherever they went.

"This young man is so filial! He bought a watch for himself and one for his old man, too!"

"My son stole ten yuan from me yesterday! That little bastard, I’m gonna string him up and give him a good thrashing when I get home tonight!"

The other customers at the counter looked on with envy.

"Hey, Miss, let me have a look at that Shanghai watch, too," a balding man said.

The saleswoman rolled her eyes. "They’re seventy yuan apiece. Not cheap. If you’re not buying, don’t go trying them all on. I can’t be bothered to clean them if you get them dirty."

The man replied, "Hey? That’s not the attitude you had just a moment ago..."

"I was in a good mood earlier. Now, not so much. So this is the attitude you get."

"That’s no way to behave, young lady."

...

When his son was buying it, Comrade Zhou had been stubbornly against the idea, but now, with the watch on his wrist, he couldn’t stop turning his hand over to admire it. Though he was usually a stern, unsmiling man in public, he was now grinning from ear to ear, absolutely overjoyed.

"Look how happy your father is," Zhao Tieying whispered to Zhou Yan with a smile. "Every time we went to the co-op, he’d stop and stand in front of the watch counter. But if I offered to buy him one, he’d always say no. This watch... you bought him exactly what his heart desired. In all his years as a butcher, he’s never had many nights of peaceful sleep. He always feels uneasy not knowing the time, and he worries about being late for his clients."

"A tool of the trade ought to be a good one, keeps him from getting antsy even when he’s just sitting by the river," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. ’No wonder the normally frugal Mrs. Zhao didn’t say a thing earlier. Turns out she’d been wanting to buy a watch for her husband all along.’

"Mom, is there anything you want?" Zhou Yan asked, turning to her.

"I don’t need anything, I have everything I need." Zhao Tieying shook her head and smiled. "Let’s just buy some fabric and new cotton batting. We can take it to Tailor Jia and have him make winter coats for the three of you. The coats they sell here are so expensive! Twenty to thirty yuan a piece, and the styles aren’t even as nice as the ones Tailor Jia makes. The stitching is so loose, the cotton will start coming out. They wouldn’t last long."

"Good idea," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "Buy a little extra and have one made for yourself, too. We’ll all have new clothes for the winter."

Money was hard to come by in those days, and ready-made clothes were certainly not cheap. A single woolen overcoat could cost a hundred and twenty yuan—the equivalent of three months’ salary for an ordinary worker.

A machine-knit sweater hanging on the rack would be priced at ten yuan.

The people who bought clothes at the department store were either from wealthy families or they were fashionable young women. In pursuit of a few compliments from friends, a girl might grit her teeth and spend two or three months’ salary on a beautiful woolen coat. She would save it for holidays and special occasions, and it could last her for several years.

Most families just bought fabric and made their own clothes, or bought yarn and knit their own sweaters.

The sewing machine was one of the "three turns and a sound," the most coveted household items of the era, making it an indispensable tool for any family.

Mrs. Zhao knew how to knit sweaters, but she could never get the hang of the sewing machine. She tried learning from her mother-in-law for half a month before the old woman shooed her away, so disgusted with her lack of progress that she refused to speak to her for a week. That’s why their family never bought a sewing machine.

For a few years, her mother-in-law made all their clothes. Later, Mrs. Zhao started buying fabric and cotton and taking it to a tailor in town. It was better than buying off the rack, and she didn’t have to bother the old woman, just pay a small fee for the labor.

But you shouldn’t underestimate the town tailors; they kept up with the times.

They could copy the popular styles from the city, capturing eighty or ninety percent of the look for less than half the price you’d pay at the department store.

For a good tailor, you even had to get on a waiting list.

"Alright, I’ll go take a look." Zhao Tieying handed Zhou Momo to Zhou Yan and bustled toward the fabric counter, which was swarmed with women and was by far the loudest section of the store.

Sichuan women never let themselves be taken advantage of. Their attitude was, ’I don’t care if you’re a salesclerk. If you dare chew me out, I’ll chew you right back. I’m not afraid of you.’

Zhou Miao started to follow, but Zhou Yan pulled him back and whispered, "Dad, do you know what Mom wants more than anything?"

"What does she like?" Comrade Zhou scratched his head, his gaze falling to his leather shoes.

Zhou Yan laughed. "The leather shoes don’t count. Think. When she came to the department store with you before, what counter did she keep coming back to, looking at something but never bringing herself to buy it?"

Zhou Miao’s eyes lit up. "Gold earrings!"

’Gold earrings.’ Zhou Yan scanned the area and quickly spotted the Gold jewelry counter, which was surrounded by a crowd of women. Cradling Zhou Momo, he started pushing his way through. "Come on, let’s go take a look."

Hearing this, Zhou Miao quickly followed.

As expected, women loved Gold jewelry, no matter the era.

The price of Gold was 27.3 yuan per gram. Compared to the price of 800 yuan per gram in later times, it seemed quite cheap.

But with monthly wages at only thirty yuan, it was actually more expensive when compared to the future.

In this era, Gold jewelry was an absolute luxury.

Earrings were relatively light. Since Zhou Yan had bought a Shanghai watch for Comrade Zhou, he planned to buy a pair of similarly priced Gold earrings for Mrs. Zhao, budgeting for something within three grams.

The crowd in front of the counter was all women. Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou waited in line for a bit before finally making it to the front.

Behind the counter was a middle-aged saleswoman with a surprisingly pleasant demeanor. She looked at Zhou Yan, who was holding the child, and Zhou Miao, who was wearing patched clothes, and asked with a warm smile, "Comrade, what kind of jewelry are you looking for?"

"Sis, I’d like to pick out a pair of earrings for my mother, something around three grams. Could you recommend a few?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"You’re such a good son, buying Gold earrings for your mom." Most men just bluntly called for a "salesclerk," but here was this handsome young man in his early twenties calling her "Sis." The word went straight to her heart. "Take a look at these," she said with a grin. "The styles are simple and elegant, and the patterns are lovely."