Yang Peijun's wedding had already been agreed upon, even if his pockets were tight, he was determined to hold a respectable ceremony.
Previously, the household items needed for the wedding had been purchased after discussions with Li Hong. Now, Zhang Minghua needed to buy items like sweets, liquor, and cigarettes for the guests.
Da'an Town was a large one; its population and the number of villages could match a county. There were a few textile and printing factories, so the local Cooperative Society was comparable to a county store.
The three female shop assistants at the counter were knitting and chatting, only glancing briefly at the arrival of Yang PeiMin and the other two, before continuing their lively conversation.
Yang Peijun smiled and called out, "Comrade!"
No response.
He raised his voice and shouted louder, "Comrade!"
Yang PeiMin massaged her ears, wondering if a louder voice conveyed more respect?
But that notion was quickly dispelled.
One of the shop assistants turned her head, her pretty face instantly darkening like the bottom of a pot, and with a mouth wide open let out a roar like a lion, "What do you want?" It echoed powerfully.
It nearly blew her out the door.
Even the people coming in to shop were startled, shivering momentarily.
Zhang Minghua forced a smile and said, "Comrade, I'd like to get some white spirits, Qín Jiǎn cigarettes, brown sugar..." she listed the items she wanted to buy.
The shop assistant became impatient, "Are you putting on a play? Just going on and on, who can remember all that?"
"Alright then, comrade, could you weigh out five pounds of white spirits for me first?"
But the shop assistant was visibly annoyed with the back-and-forth fetching of items, her face darkening again, "Do you have a list written down? This is such a hassle!" she said, throwing the items down with a bang.
Zhang Minghua shook her head and received another fierce glare from the shop assistant.
Yang PeiMin had wanted to ask for some assistance with some towels, but given the service, she also became angry, "Comrade, isn't it written on the wall outside the Cooperative Society 'Serve the People'? Is this how you serve?"
Zhang Minghua pulled her back, telling her not to speak.
The shop assistant turned and sized her up from head to toe with a dismissive twist of her lips, "What if I am? If you don't like it, don't come in. Those with muddy legs trying to lecture about service—ha! Hear this, everyone? Isn't it hilarious?" The other two assistants also burst into laughter, leaning back and forth.
Yang PeiMin waited for them to finish laughing before speaking up, "I wonder if your leader shares the same view? Let's call your leader and ask if the slogan outside only applies to certain people and whether we peasants are excluded."
"Listen to her, how self-important she is, wanting to see our leader. She should take a good look at herself in the mirror first. Get out now; we're not selling to you people. The county has better service; go there!"
The shop assistant waved them away with a look of disgust.
Zhang Minghua panicked. If they couldn't buy here, other Cooperative Societies didn't have such a complete selection, and going to the county would mean travel costs; it wouldn't make sense financially, "Comrade, don't be angry, my daughter is young and simply spoke out of turn, please be generous..."
"No need to beg them, Mom. We should report this to the commune. Let's see if this store really wants to keep us out. If the commune doesn't deal with it, we'll go to the township or city committee. Witnesses will back us up." Inside the store, there weren't only the three of them as customers; others outside had gathered around upon hearing the commotion. So she looked toward the onlookers and gently explained the situation to them once more.
The attitude of the salespeople in this Cooperative Society had always been known; no one ever thought they should be treated with courtesy. Some shook their heads in disapproval of Yang PeiMin's actions, while others seemed to have an awakening, realizing that this was indeed a possibility. Recalling the disrespect they had suffered, they were supportive.
"What's going on here?"
Just then, a young man walked in from outside.
The salespeople all called out in unison, "Director Huang!"
The sales assistant that had been serving Yang PeiMin's group started rattling off about their atrocious behavior.
Yang Peijun couldn't stand hearing his family described as rude, arrogant, and contemptuous, so he quickly interjected, "That's not true, Director, it's because their attitude was bad and we just got a little upset..."
Director Huang's stern gaze swept over the three of them, pausing on the calm, porcelain-skinned face of Yang PeiMin, and his tone softened slightly as he asked, "Are you here to make a purchase?"
Zhang Minghua hurriedly replied, "Yes, my youngest son is getting married in a few days, and we've come to buy some wedding supplies. It was just my daughter speaking impulsively..."
"Mom..." Yang PeiMin couldn't bear to see Zhang Minghua like this. She was so spirited in Xiahe Village, but here in town, like most women who hadn't left their village, she seemed timid and self-conscious. Yang PeiMin grabbed her hand, still rough and warm from hard work. Why should such a diligent and honest woman be looked down upon?
"Director Huang, the situation is like this: because we're buying quite a few things, it's been a bit of an inconvenience for this comrade, and she didn't let us say everything at once. She also complained that we didn't bring a written list; my mother was so upset she started sweating, feeling anxious and troubling this comrade. My mother hasn't been to town many times and lacks confidence."
"As her children, we are also pained for her and hoped that the sales assistant comrade could be more courteous to my mother. But before we knew it, the assistant said she wouldn't do business with us and told us to go to the county. We have money and food coupons in hand, and to be denied service like this is distressing. We were just saying we'd check with the commune to see if they could help."
"Director Huang, may I know if we are still able to purchase our items?"
The young girl's voice was as sweet as a mountain stream, her demeanor poised and serene. Director Huang's gaze lingered on her face, captivated by how she recounted their grievance so eloquently. A hint of a smile crossed his eyes.
"Of course you can. Our Cooperative Society opens wide its doors to serve the people."
"Director Huang, well spoken! With a leader like you, your subordinates can't tarnish the reputation of this establishment. If everyone prefers to travel to the county for their shopping, it would negatively impact our Cooperative Society."
"Don't listen to her nonsense, Director..."
"If this comrade just apologizes to my mother, we won't pursue this any further."
"Me, apologize? You sure have some..."
"Xiao Ma, is this the service attitude we have? Apologize to this lady right away and get her everything she needs," Director Huang ordered.
"I, Director..." Facing the stern look of her superior, the sales assistant ultimately said sorry to Zhang Minghua.
Yang PeiMin thought it was best to leave well enough alone and thanked Director Huang, piling praise upon him.
Director Huang watched her with a beaming smile.