Chapter 23

After leaving Hong Dajun's Chinese herbal medicine acquisition station, Xiaoyang strongly insisted on going home immediately. He had always been a well-behaved child, always listening to whatever his mother said.

The two brothers had over 3,000 yuan on them. Xiaoyang now looked at anyone passing by with a wary eye, almost to the point of being on edge at the slightest sound.

"Brother, relax, there aren't that many bad people in the world," Xiaofei patted his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

Xiaofei had the money on him. Suddenly turning from a penniless pauper to a small-time rich man with several thousand yuan, he was quite excited, but not as nervous as Xiaoyang. After all, he had seen the world in his previous life, and this amount of money didn't impress him much.

"Fei, let's just go home. What's there to look around for? We should give the money to our parents and put our minds at ease," Xiaoyang said, glancing nervously at everyone passing by.

"Brother, listen to me. Let's go to the market on North Street and buy some clothes. Look, our family hasn't bought new clothes for years. We look shabby and ragged, even worse than beggars. Haven't you had enough of this life?" Xiaofei persuaded him.

"But, spending money without our parents' consent will make them unhappy," Xiaoyang said.

"How is this spending money recklessly? This is a legitimate expense. In life, we need to eat, wear, live, and travel. With money, buying a few pieces of clothing is only natural, isn't it?"

After much persuasion, Xiaoyang reluctantly agreed.

The two brothers rode their bikes to the market on North Street in the county town. This was the largest farmers' market in the county, with the county department store and many clothing stalls.

Upon arriving, Xiaoyang pursed his lips, said nothing, and closely followed behind Xiaofei.

Xiaofei casually pushed his bike through the crowd, stopping to inquire about prices when he saw clothes he liked.

Clothing from roadside stalls in 1996 was really cheap. A pair of pants cost less than ten yuan, a short-sleeved polyester shirt about seven or eight yuan, and a pair of sandals around six or seven yuan.

There were even cheaper options, but the quality was too poor for Xiaofei's taste.

The purchasing power of the renminbi was really strong back then!

Xiaofei sighed, knowing that this was due to the strong price increases since 1993. Before 1993, 3,000 yuan would be equivalent to 100,000 yuan in the future!

Of course, there were also expensive items. In the Heyang County Department Store, there were branded counters where a pair of Li Ning shorts cost fifty to sixty yuan, a set of sportswear one or two hundred yuan, and a pair of sports shoes over a hundred yuan.

While browsing the stalls, Xiaoyang kept muttering about how expensive everything was. "Why is it so expensive? It only costs about ten yuan to buy fabric and make a set of clothes at home. Fei, let's not waste money. We can go home and have Mom buy some fabric at the market. Yan can make clothes, and it won't cost much for our whole family to have new clothes."

Xiaofei said, "Brother, homemade clothes are too old-fashioned. You're looking for a wife. If you don't dress up nicely, how will the girls look at you?"

Hearing this, Xiaoyang fell silent, just touching his head and smiling foolishly.

Xiaofei took the initiative, buying Xiaoyang a pair of thin trousers, a striped short-sleeved polyester shirt, and a pair of beach shoes.

When it came to trying on the clothes, there was a problem.

The female vendor, seeing Xiaoyang's ragged and dirty appearance, looked at him with disdain and said, "If you want to buy, pay up. No trying on. You'll dirty my clothes, and who will buy them then?"

The woman was tall and thin, about forty years old, and dressed fashionably. However, her high cheekbones, thin lips, and triangular eyes revealed her mean nature.

She had been watching the two brothers like they were thieves since they stopped at her stall, not even greeting them. Clearly, she didn't take the two country boys seriously.

She thought they were just looking and not her target customers.

"Fei, let's go, we won't buy," Xiaoyang tugged at Xiaofei's arm, uneasy.

"Brother, don't worry."

Xiaofei comforted his brother, sighed, and thought that this was the shallow nature of most people. His brother's current appearance was barely better than a beggar's. He guessed that even a friendly vendor wouldn't be willing to let his brother try on clothes.

Without saying much, he took out a hundred yuan and placed it on the stall.

"Is this fake money?" the woman said sharply, checking the bill with a currency detector. The money was genuine.

Her attitude immediately changed.

"Then let him try it on, but be careful not to dirty it."

A hundred yuan could make a mean woman friendly.

This was the power of money. When you are questioned, you don't need to say much; showing your financial strength is more convincing than a thousand words.

Xiaoyang went to the fitting room to try on the new clothes. When he came out, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

Xiaofei's eyes lit up. The saying "clothes make the man" was true. Xiaoyang looked quite handsome in the new clothes, though his messy hair and dirty face detracted from his appearance.

"Brother, you look good in this. Don't take it off; wear it," Xiaofei smiled, pulling him to the mirror to see himself.

"Exactly, exactly! The clothes fit you perfectly, and you look charming in them!" the woman chimed in, "But you should get a haircut. A stylish haircut will make the girls swoon."

Xiaoyang looked at himself in the mirror for a while. He thought he looked good in the new clothes, but he still shook his head, rejecting Xiaofei's suggestion: "New clothes can't be worn every day; they'll wear out quickly. We should keep them for special occasions."

"Brother, clothes are meant to be worn, not cherished. In the future, you'll have many new clothes. This set isn't expensive; it's for everyday wear," Xiaofei smiled, "The lady reminded me. Let's go to a barbershop and get you a haircut to make you look even better."

"No, no!" Xiaoyang waved his hands, "Back in the village, Old Wang can give me a haircut for just a few cents. In the city, it costs several yuan."

"But you don't have a choice," Xiaofei chuckled, dragging him into the barbershop and seating him. When a girl in a short skirt came to wash his hair, he became as docile as a cat.

Old Wang in the village would also wash customers' hair when giving them a haircut, but it wasn't as comfortable as having a young girl's soft hands on your head.

---

Xiaofei then bought another set of clothes for Xiaoyang and went on a shopping spree, buying two sets of summer clothes for their parents and sister.

In total, they spent only a little over 200 yuan.

Then, he took Xiaoyang to get a haircut.

He practically dragged him there.

Xiaoyang didn't want to go to a city barbershop, saying it cost only a few cents in the village but several yuan in the city.

But when Xiaofei dragged him into the barbershop, sat him down, and a girl in a short skirt came to wash his hair, he became as docile as a cat.