Friendship Store was the only foreign-related store in Forty-Nine City after the founding of New China. It was once hailed as a "civilian diplomat" by the elders, having built a rainbow bridge connecting the world.
It is a "holy place" in the memory of many old Sijiucheng people and a window for ordinary citizens to peek into the world of commodities.
At present, there is a shortage of supplies in the market and a single variety. People have to buy various things with tickets, and the Friendship Store is a special existence.
The products sold are all kinds of fashionable and cutting-edge goods that are not seen in the market. Many of the products are special products, such as luncheon meat from Shanghai Merlin, double-sided embroidery from Suzhou, bicycles and watches that Chinese people are eager to buy, imported home appliances, whiskey, and Marlboro. There are even gold and silver jewelry and antique calligraphy and paintings.
There are tens of thousands of categories!
And there are no tickets required. As long as you have foreign currency and are foreign guests and relevant foreign affairs personnel, you can go in and shop.
"Tu tu tu tu!"
Chu Heng slowly stopped the car next to a white Ford sedan, and then the three of them got out of the car talking and laughing.
"Should we go straight to buy fabrics, or should we just stop by and do some shopping?"
Avima asked them as she walked towards the gate.
"Let's take a stroll. Speaking of which, this is my first time here." Chu Heng looked up at the elegant and solemn building in front of him, and took a few steps to the door.
As soon as he approached, the old man at the door raised his arm to stop him and said with a smile: "Comrade, please show me your ID."
Chu Heng frowned, took out the work permit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from his pocket and handed it to him with a bored look on his face, and said politely: "I'm tired."
The old man took it casually, glanced at it in a routine manner and returned it. It was not because he was not serious about his work, but because there were two foreigners following Chu Heng. Those who wanted to get through with fake certificates could not invite foreigners to follow them. He acts.
"Thank you for your hard work." Chu Heng nodded to him after taking back his ID, and stepped into the brown glass door. Avima and his wife naturally stayed by his side, with him taking the lead.
Arriving inside the building, Chu Heng stood at the door and glanced around.
The floor of the hall on the first floor is paved with yellow terrazzo, and gray curtains are hung on the windows, blocking the sunlight and many prying eyes.
Inside are counters one after another, filled with a dazzling array of products, all of which are rare nowadays, which is really dizzying.
There were not many customers at this time, only a dozen or so foreigners lingering between the counters, and from time to time they would consult the salesperson behind the counter who spoke a not very fluent foreign language.
After Chu Heng and the others walked around the first floor, they saw nothing worth paying attention to, so they turned around and followed the stairs to the second floor.
Now Chu Heng couldn't move his eyes anymore.
There are many antique calligraphy and paintings on some counters on the second floor, including some rare treasures.
So much so that he had to stop in front of every counter selling antiques for a while before leaving.
Anna and Ivyma walked with him for a while, but when they saw that Ya was still busy, they left him behind and ran to the jewelry counter.
This went on for a while.
Chu Heng hadn't even walked out of the antique counters yet.
At this time, he was looking at a picture of a beautiful lady by Wang Juzheng of the Song Dynasty, feeling a sense of regret and helplessness in his heart.
Such good things are actually put out for exchange for foreign exchange!
And it’s so cheap!
What's the difference between this and Ni Yinghong burning a kang with huanghuali? !
He really wants to find the person in charge at the top, discuss with him, and quickly take back these treasures, and he will take care of the foreign exchange matters!
It's a pity that he doesn't have the courage and can't reach such a high level.
Chu Heng sighed distressedly, pointed at the picture of a lady, and said to a young man with acne next to him: "Put this one on for me, and we will take it away together later."
"Oh, okay."
The young man looked at him with a strange look, and quickly put the scroll on the counter.
I have already bought more than ten items from this product, and apart from asking about the price of the first two items, I didn’t ask any questions about the other items after that. I just packaged them as soon as I saw them.
Like the silly son of a landlord.
But is Chu Heng stupid?
Obviously not stupid.
He didn't ask the price because it was pointless. Once he saw something and liked it, didn't he have to buy it no matter how much it cost?
What's the use of asking?
Ignoring the strange look from the young man, Chu Heng turned around and walked away, his waist aching from having been pouting for too long.
“Keun Suk!”
At this moment, a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes suddenly came to him. It was Adolf, the French counselor. He warmly extended his hand to Chu Heng: "Long time no see, my friend, I didn't expect to meet you here. What an amazing day.”
"Haha, long time no see, Adolf." Chu Heng was stunned for a moment, pretending to be surprised, shook hands with him vigorously, and then stood by the counter and started chatting.
After a while, Adolf's wife Camille came over from a short distance away, holding a porcelain plate in her hand, and asked him: "Dear, what do you think of this?"
While she was talking, she also noticed the handsome man next to her husband who seemed to have been sprayed with aphrodisiac, and then her blue eyes couldn't be moved away, staring straight at him.
Chu Heng didn't care about this. He glanced at the porcelain plate and saw at a glance that it was an official kiln from the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and then he began to feel distressed.
Adolf, on the other hand, was an idiot. He turned around and took a few glances at the plate, then shook his head and said, "This won't work. I don't like its pattern and color."
This is the first time I heard that when buying antiques, you should look at the color and pattern...
Chu Heng vomited in his heart and asked curiously: "Do you like our antiques very much? Adolf."
"I think you may have misunderstood. In fact, we don't like these things very much. We just buy them for friends." Camille answered first.
"Yes, I have a good friend named Ben Shaming. He loves Chinese porcelain. He entrusted us to buy some for him to take back." Adolf smiled and nodded.
"Benzamin?"
Chu Heng frowned when he heard the name, feeling that it sounded familiar. Then he recalled that it seemed that the list of foreign collectors Anna gave him had a Frenchman with this name, so he tentatively asked Said: "Is it the collector named Benshamin Rene Abel?"
"Oh? You actually know him?"
Adolf looked over in surprise.
"I've heard people talk about it." Chu Heng's eyes flickered and he smiled: "Oh, I told you, I also like to collect antiques, so I know some collectors quite well."
"That's great!" Adolf begged him with a face of surprise: "Gensuk, can you help me choose? You know, I really don't know much about these things."
"I'm happy to help." Chu Heng agreed happily.
"Adolf." Camille suddenly spoke. She stared greedily at Chu Heng's handsome face and slender and strong body and said to her husband: "I think you are very rude. You haven't introduced me to him yet. How about your friend."
"Look at me! I looked at this."
Adolf slapped his forehead and introduced them to each other apologetically.
(End of chapter)
