Lucy was being led by Samuel, obediently following him until they stopped in front of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
"What did you bring me here for?" Lucy said, trying to pull Samuel away from the store.
Being well aware of the Smithson family's financial struggles, she had planned on indulging just a little for their wedding, making a good meal for them and leaving the rest for when their life improved.
Despite her efforts, Samuel remained unmoved, and with just a little force, pulled her inside.
"You will meet my family in a few days," Samuel explained softly, noticing Lucy's reluctance.
Realizing his thoughtfulness, Lucy praised him in her heart.
Although their marriage could be simple, she couldn't go empty-handed when visiting his parents and family. She had merely forgotten about this detail in her excitement.
So she no longer resisted, and followed Samuel into the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
The store was almost like a modern supermarket, offering a wide variety of items, including groceries, daily necessities, and various other items, though they seemed somewhat nostalgic to Lucy.
The salesclerk saw the couple enter and greeted them with a smiling face, "You two must be newlyweds, enjoying your time together. What can I help you find in our store?"
Lucy didn't speak up, as she believed it was Samuel's responsibility to buy gifts for his family, given that she was unfamiliar with their preferences and characters.
Samuel didn't consult Lucy either, and directly asked the salesclerk to get some coarse grains, brown sugar, and peach crisp cookies.
Seeing how Samuel paid for everything without hesitation, Lucy felt bad for him and starting to wander around the store with the intention of ignoring their purchases.
As she inspected the items in the cooperative, she finally stopped in front of a section displaying various bottles, jars, and colorful sachets.
This area showcased skincare products from earlier times, such as vanishing cream, petroleum jelly, and hand cream; all of which she remembered from her previous life. Families with slightly better living conditions would buy these items for their daughters and wives because, after all, women's money has always been the easiest to earn.
That was precisely what Lucy had in mind. Her family used to own a cosmetics company, and she had studied biochemistry in college. After graduation, she had worked in research and development at her family's business.
Samuel's family was not well-off, and Lucy knew that there were four siblings, three brothers and one sister.
She couldn't recall the specifics but remembered that the Smithson family had suffered persecution, with most of their properties and land being confiscated. Samuel's grandfather, struck by illness, passed away early.
At that time, Samuel was still young. As he grew up, his older brothers had to get married, but no girl in the village wanted to marry into the Smithson family. This forced them to offer more dowries, only worsening their financial struggles.
Eventually, both sister-in-laws came into the family, and the eldest brother had children. However, there wasn't enough space in their small house for everyone, which led Samuel to live in an abandoned house at the foot of the mountain.
Hardworking and diligent, Samuel turned that dilapidated house into a clean and tidy home. He was the type of person who, when full, would ensure that the entire family would not have to worry.
Now that Lucy was married to him and would eventually have children together, she needed to find a way to make a living. Thus, she had her eyes set on skincare products, since she didn't know much about anything else.
Curiously inspecting the jars and bottles in front of her, Lucy found the prices reasonable: petroleum jelly cost 5 dimes, vanishing cream ranged from 3 to 7 dimes, and there were even retail-priced creams. The retail cream was significantly cheaper than the boxed ones, with a full box only costing 3 dimes.
Learning the prices, Lucy checked the soaps beside them. Handmade soap was something she was familiar with.
The soaps here were sold by the bar, with regular ones costing 1.4 cents, and scented soaps at 0.15 dollars at least, with the most expensive being 1.9 cents. This gave her some insights into what she could do.
However, due to various reasons, the villagers closely watched Samuel. If they discovered he was selling these items, who knew what would happen?
Lucy could only shake her head and set the idea aside for now.