In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 703 Good Man Brother Li

"As long as you're satisfied."

Li Qiao smiled, finished all the yellow wine on the table, then got up to pay the bill and left Chencun Restaurant with Zhao Xiaoliang and the other two.

"Xiao Liang, I'm not going to stay with you guys."

After leaving the restaurant, Li Qiao bid farewell to Zhao Xiaoliang and the other two, and strolled leisurely towards his residence.

Zhao Shitou watched Li Qiao's disappearing figure and said, "Brother Li is really a good person."

"Yes!"

Zhao Xiaoliang and his companion nodded in agreement. Apart from their parents, Li Qiao was the only person willing to treat them to a meal, and the meal cost more than 400 coins.

"When I'm rich, I'll treat Brother Li to a meal too!"

Zhao Shitou said with a determined look on his face. He hadn't read many books, but he still understood the principle of reciprocity.

"Me too."

Zhao Xiaoliang clenched his fists and said, "Once I become a formal worker in Chenjia Village, I'll treat Brother Li to a meal at the best restaurant in Chencun!"

After saying that, Zhao Xiaoliang turned his head and said, "Shitou, Zhao Wan, let's go to the general store in Chenjia Village."

When Zhao Xiaoliang was working before, he had inquired and found out that they could buy everything they needed at the Chenjia Village General Store, and that the items at the Chenjia Village General Store were usually the cheapest in the village.

"okay!"

So the three of them set off together, traveling along Chencun Avenue.

Before long, they arrived at the intersection of the commercial and residential areas of Chenjia Village, where the Chenjia Village Grocery Store is located.

After receiving their wages, it has become a habit for the villagers and workers of Chenjia Village to come to the general store to buy some daily necessities. Therefore, when Zhao Xiaoliang and his two companions arrived, they saw a bustling scene.

The store was packed with people, and there were even many people queuing outside.

"There are so many people."

Zhao Shitou remarked unconsciously.

Zhao Xiaoliang stepped to the back of the queue, pondering what to buy while waiting for the line to move forward.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhao Xiaoliang and his two companions finally entered the store without incident, and Zhao Xiaoliang had already decided what he wanted to buy.

"Hey buddy, how much are the chickens and ducks here?"

Zhao Xiaoliang asked the grocery store clerk who was greeting him.

"Both yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks cost 150 coins each."

"Give me a duck."

"Okay, wait a minute."

The shop assistant went to the grocery store's warehouse to retrieve the goods.

Zhao Wan asked in surprise, "Xiao Liang, you want to buy ducks?"

Chickens and ducks in Chenjia Village are indeed relatively cheap, but only relatively.

In reality, even if it sold for 150 coins each, there were still not many people in Taiping County who could afford it or were willing to buy it, because the people were really too poor.

Take Zhao Wan as an example. His monthly wage is 500 wen, and he has to spend one-third of his wage on a duck. This is based on the wages Zhao Wan earned after becoming a temporary worker in Chenjia Village.

Or, in the past, his monthly salary might not have been enough to buy a white-feathered duck.

That's why Zhao Wan was so surprised when he heard that Zhao Xiaoliang wanted to buy ducks.

"Yes."

Zhao Xiaoliang scratched his head and said, "My younger siblings have always wanted to eat meat, so I thought I'd buy a duck to let them taste meat."

"But this is too expensive."

Zhao Wan clicked his tongue in astonishment: "One duck costs us 30% of our wages..."

"It's fine."

Zhao Xiaoliang laughed and said, "It's not like we can only receive our wages this time."

As they were talking, the waiter came over carrying a white-feathered duck and said with a smile, "Sir, this is your duck. I specially picked the fattest one for you."

"Okay, thanks buddy!"

Zhao Xiaoliang took out 150 copper coins and handed them to the shop assistant, then asked, "Shop assistant, I'd like to buy some clothes. Do you sell them?"

"Of course there are, come with me."

The shop assistant led the three to the clothing display area and introduced them, saying, "We only sell two types of clothing in our store: feather jackets and down jackets. Which one would you like?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoliang asked, "What's the difference between this chicken feather jacket and the duck down jacket?"

"Chicken feather jackets are filled with chicken feathers, which can be quite itchy to wear, while down jackets are filled with duck down, which is more comfortable to wear."

The man replied that down jackets and down jackets are both called down jackets, and their warmth is similar, but down jackets are undoubtedly more comfortable to wear.

Because duck down is softer and won't irritate the skin, while chicken feather clothing, due to the stiffness of chicken feathers, can feel itchy and scratchy when worn.

How much does this down jacket cost?

Zhao Xiaoliang touched it and found that, just as his colleague had said, the chicken feather jacket was a bit prickly and would definitely feel itchy when worn, whereas the down jacket did not have that feeling.

"Chicken feather coats are 20 coins each, and duck down coats are 50 coins each."

The man replied that as the garment factories in Chenjia Village grew larger, the cost of down jackets was further reduced. Down jackets that used to sell for 50 coins each have also dropped in price. Now, the cheapest chicken feather jackets only cost 20 coins each, while duck down jackets have maintained their original high price.

"50 coins per piece..."

Zhao Xiaoliang frowned, silently calculating in his mind. There were four people in his family. His younger brother and sister each had one set of clothes, and his parents each had their own room. That made a total of four sets of clothes, costing 200 copper coins...

"Hey buddy, can you give me a discount?"

Zhao Xiaoliang asked tentatively.

"No, no, no."

The shop assistant shook his head and said, "The prices of goods in this general store are fixed; I don't have the authority to lower them."

"All right!"

Upon hearing the shopkeeper's words, Zhao Xiaoliang had no choice but to give up his idea of ​​bargaining. After hesitating for a moment, he made a decision: "Sir, I want two down jackets for adults and two down jackets for children."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoliang counted out 200 coins and handed them to the shop assistant.

"okay."

The shop assistant accepted the money with a smile, then took four down jackets, stuffed them into a burlap sack, and handed them to Zhao Xiaoliang.

Following Zhao Xiaoliang, Zhao Shitou and Zhao Wan also took out their money and bought several down jackets for their families.

"This money comes quickly and goes quickly!"

As Zhao Wan walked out of the Chenjia Village general store, he sighed. He had bought three down jackets, which had cost him 30% of his wages.

"Isn't money meant to be spent?"

Zhao Shitou laughed and said that he bought more down jackets than Zhao Xiaoliang, a total of five, which cost him half of his wages. However, he did not feel any remorse because he knew that these clothes would keep him and his family warm.

"Too."

Zhao Wan nodded in agreement. Afterward, the three of them strolled along Chencun Avenue for a while until the sun was high in the sky before leaving Chenjia Village together and embarking on their journey home.