A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 75

“A-choo!” Shen Sisi sneezed. She rubbed her nose and pointed to a pair of men’s leather shoes in the display cabinet. “Hello, I’d like to see those shoes.”

The salesclerk glanced at Sisi. Dressed in dusty work clothes with a patch sewn onto the sleeve, she looked like a pauper who couldn’t afford a single stitch. Don’t go scuffing my leather shoes, the clerk thought.

“Be careful when you touch them. Don’t get my shoes dirty.” The clerk brought the shoes over reluctantly, her eyes tracking Sisi’s hands like she was guarding against a thief.

Seeing Feng Yanzhou beside her, and knowing these shoes were meant as an apology to him, Sisi bit her tongue and endured it. “I won’t touch them with my hands, but can he try them on?”

“Try them on?” The clerk laughed as if she’d heard the world’s biggest joke. “Don’t even dream about it. These are our newest arrivals—top-grain cowhide, extremely soft. If you stretch them out, how am I supposed to sell them? Go on, move along. Go find somewhere else to hang out.”

The clerk gave the shoes a quick flash for display before turning around to put them back.

Shen Sisi’s brow furrowed, the smile on her lips cooling. “Is this how you treat your customers?”

“What’s wrong with my attitude?” the clerk snapped impatiently. “People like you come in here by the dozens every day. Hardly any can actually pay. If I let everyone touch and poke, and my shoes get ruined, who do I go to?”

Sisi was fuming, but she kept her voice level. “Buying things requires looking and touching. How can we know if they fit without trying—”

“Fine… I’m not looking at these shoes anymore,” she forced the words through gritted teeth. These people who “worshiped the high and trampled the low” were truly infuriating!

“Buy them or don’t, it’s all the same to me…” The clerk muttered. In this era of shortages, goods at the supply and marketing cooperative were “hot buns”; they never lacked for buyers.

Feng Yanzhou was also officially provoked. His usually gentle eyes turned cold, inch by inch. Shen Sisi might swallow this insult, but he, Feng Yanzhou, would not!

“Where is your Director Zhou?” he asked, his voice sharp. A sudden, commanding aura radiated from him.

At the mention of her leader, the clerk visibly panicked. “You… you know her?”

Feng Yanzhou didn’t deign to answer her. He raised his voice, demanding to see Director Zhou Ying.

Soon, a fair-skinned, slightly plump middle-aged woman limped out of a small side door. “Who’s looking for me?”

Upon seeing Feng Yanzhou, she froze for a second before letting out a hearty laugh. “Political Commissar Feng! What wind blew you here today?”

Feng Yanzhou let out a cold snort. “Director Zhou, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes today, I wouldn’t have known your threshold was so high. Customers are ranked into nine grades? Apparently, a ‘pauper’ like me isn’t even allowed to touch a leather shoe.”

Zhou Ying’s face turned ashen instantly. She looked at the guilty, dodging gaze of the salesclerk and felt a massive headache coming on. “You again! How many complaints have I had about you this month? And today you poke such a huge hole in the sky? Apologize to Commissar Feng right now, or pack your things and get out!”

The clerk was terrified. Who could have guessed this clean-cut young man was a Political Commissar? She had thought he was a fresh recruit and the woman in work clothes was his country wife.

“I’m sorry! I was blind, I was wrong…” she stammered, bowing to them. “You want to try the shoes? I’ll let you try them…”

She held the shoe box out to Feng Yanzhou, but he took a massive step back. “No, no. These shoes are so precious—top-grain cowhide, soft leather. What if I stretch them out?”

The clerk nearly choked. “Leather products are elastic; they’ll recover in a moment. It’s no problem…” She tried to crouch down to touch Feng Yanzhou’s shoes, but he dodged her again.

“No, no. I certainly can’t afford that honor. Let’s find someone else…”

Zhou Ying gave a fawning smile, shoved the clerk aside, and took the box herself. “Commissar Feng, don’t lower yourself to the level of these young girls. I’ll attend to you personally…”

“How could I let you do that, Director Zhou?”

“What Director? Just call me Zhou Ying or Sister Zhou.” Zhou Ying tried to squat down, but she clutched her lower back, trembling with pain. She couldn’t bend down at all.

Seeing this, Feng Yanzhou quickly supported her. “Director Zhou, what’s wrong?”

“Back pain,” she said weakly. “An old ailment. It flares up whenever the weather gets cold. I can’t bend and I can’t stand straight. It’s pure misery.”

Seeing her in such pain, Feng Yanzhou didn’t want to make things difficult for her anymore. He took the shoes. “Fine, go rest. We’ll look ourselves.”

Zhou Ying sat down, her hands curled into fists as she lightly pounded her lower back.

Shen Sisi watched her for a moment before pulling a small bottle of medicinal oil from her bag. “Director Zhou, why don’t you try this? It promotes blood circulation, removes stasis, and relieves swelling and pain.”

Zhou Ying looked at Sisi blankly. “How much does it cost?”

“I’ll let you try it for free. A light massage on your lower back—no charge.”

Hearing it was free, Zhou Ying lowered her guard immediately. “Alright then!”

“Is it convenient now? I’d like to rub it in for you.”

Zhou Ying was hesitant at first, but the pain was so sharp she wavered. This woman came with Commissar Feng; she couldn’t be a bad person. Besides, with so many eyes watching, she wouldn’t dare do anything suspicious. “Let’s go to my office!”

Shen Sisi told Feng Yanzhou to keep trying the shoes while she helped Director Zhou. She’d be back in a few minutes. Feng Yanzhou just smiled. This Shen Sisi really is a genius; she never misses a chance to market her product. He wondered if the oil was really as miraculous as she claimed.

Meanwhile, the salesclerk asked him softly, “Are you satisfied with these shoes, sir?” Her attitude had done a total 180-degree flip.

Feng Yanzhou kept a long face. “Not satisfied. I’ll keep trying. Let’s try every pair in that cabinet…”

He didn’t realize Sisi was buying these as a gift for him. He assumed she was picking shoes for Gu Chengfeng, and since he shared the same shoe size as his buddy, he was patiently test-driving them for his “brother.”

In less than five minutes, Sisi and Zhou Ying emerged from the side door. Previously, Zhou Ying couldn’t even stand straight; now, her back was ramrod straight, and she walked with a spirited, energetic stride. Everyone in the shop looked on in amazement.

“Sister Sisi, thank you so much! This oil is truly powerful. It felt cool the moment you applied it, and the pain vanished instantly. After you massaged it, my back feels so much better.”

“Which pharmacy sells this? I need to go get some.”

Sisi smiled. “This one isn’t in stores yet; it’s my own secret recipe. If you want some, I’ll bring a few bottles for you tomorrow.”

“Great!”

The two were chatting happily, completely unaware that a tall, upright figure had just appeared outside the supply and marketing cooperative.