When they arrived in the county town, Xu Changqing was about to ask her dad which way to go when she suddenly heard him mention heading to the department store first. She didn't object, though her heart ached at the thought of the expense.
'What could we possibly be doing at the department store right after getting into town? It must be because of that person he mentioned last night we were going to see today. He probably wants to buy some gifts before visiting them.'
'See? I specifically mentioned it before we left. The fruits and vegetables in our little garden are growing so well, and city folk love that kind of stuff. We could have easily brought more.'
'But Dad was against it, which is exactly why I said we shouldn't have come with an empty basket. What kind of place is a department store anyway? It's a place where you spend money the moment you walk in, a place where an impulse buy leads to instant regret.'
