Lu's father had become a regular at the old market recently, he was very generous, spending quite a lot, and thus was quite popular. He used the excuse of needing to furnish his home due to a recent move to the Capital to buy second-hand goods, like jewelry and toys for his grandchildren, not to mention the dishes and bowls, which naturally didn't need justifying.
Why visit the old market? Because he didn't have the tickets to shop at department stores- this was an easy assumption to make.
A decent piece of furniture in a department store could easily cost tens to hundreds of yuan.
"Comrade Lu, you should come see what I have, don't worry about the dishes and bowls, I've taken them out for sale."
"Bring Xibao to see mine, doesn't matter if they're wood carvings or calabashes, they are all old crafts. You won't regret buying any of these, kids love playing with these things, look at how delicate this pellet drum is!"
