I don't know what it was like elsewhere, but back in those days, here in the Northeast, there was no such thing as lining up to buy something.
There was no first-come, first-served. Whoever squeezed to the front and got closest to the salesclerk got served first.
But the moment Sun Haizhu arrived, none of that mattered anymore. A salesclerk quickly looked up and asked Zhao Jun, "How much do you want?"
Zhao Jun asked, "How much a pound?"
"Nine cents!"
That was pretty expensive. The loose candy balls in the village only sold for one cent a pound.
But Zhao Jun had made money today. He copied Sun Haizhu's earlier gesture, waved his hand grandly, and said, "Give me ten yuan worth!"
"Ah... okay!" This gave the salesclerk quite a start. Anyone who knew what was going on would think he was buying candy for himself. Anyone who didn't would assume he was from some village convenience store, here to stock up.
