I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 53 Jiangxia

"Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~"

Zhang Beichuan was startled awake by the vibration of his phone ringing. He opened his eyes blankly, paused for a couple of seconds, and then picked up his phone to take a look.

It was already 12:30, and the incoming call screen displayed the name "Jiang Xia".

This is Zhang Beichuan's college classmate. The two are both from Guocheng and are in the same major, so they naturally became good friends.

"What are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?" A woman's curious voice came from the other end of the line.

"Is there anything wrong? If not, I'm hanging up."

"You dare!" Jiang Xia's voice was crisp and clear, with a directness typical of acquaintances. "Why do you sound like you just woke up? Did you go out fooling around again last night?"

Zhang Beichuan rubbed his still throbbing temples and sat up in bed.

The fatigue from working at the Baijia Market for half the night hadn't completely subsided, but his mind was racing. While answering phone calls, he was also calculating the progress of the eel purchase.

"Bullshit, do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Tch~" Jiang Xia muttered softly on the phone, then asked, "The Qingming Festival holiday is coming soon, what are your plans? How about we go hiking?"

"Holiday..." Zhang Beichuan repeated subconsciously, quickly going over the tasks at hand in his mind.

In 1986, the purchase of eels was just getting on track, and it was a critical period for expanding the scale and stabilizing the supply. Beichuan Department Store also had to pay close attention at all times.

In 2026, Beichuan Fisheries had just opened for business. Although it was a success in its first battle, it still needed to maintain its customer base and replenish its inventory.

I have to go home this weekend, which is during the Qingming Festival holiday. Oh, and my mom has arranged a blind date for me.

"I need to go home, but I probably won't have much time."

Jiang Xia, on the other end of the phone, looked somewhat disappointed, but then she realized something was wrong.

"Zhang Beichuan, don't tell me you're going to stay home for three days when it's only a half-hour walk?"

"Hehehe..." Zhang Beichuan laughed awkwardly, making up an excuse to cover up what he was doing, "I'm getting old, and my family has arranged blind dates for me during my vacation."

When Jiang Xia heard the words "blind date" on the other end of the phone, her fingers unconsciously tightened.

She paused for two seconds before speaking in a relaxed and teasing tone.

"Oh? Our CEO Zhang is finally starting to reconsider his marriage prospects? Which girl is so lucky?"

She spoke with a smile, but she could feel that the curve of her lips was somewhat forced.

Zhang Beichuan didn't notice anything amiss, taking it as a joke from an old friend, and sighed helplessly.

"It was arranged by my mom, and I can't refuse. She said it's the daughter of some colleague or relative, and I have to meet her."

"Oh?" Jiang Xia followed up, his mind racing. "So...where are you planning to meet her? You can't exactly take her to People's Park for tea, can you?"

"I haven't decided yet, but People's Park isn't out of the question," Zhang Beichuan said, yawning again. "Anyway, it's just a formality to appease my mom."

Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat; she knew Zhang Beichuan all too well.

This person seems easygoing, but is actually very opinionated.

If he says it's just a formality, then he probably really has no interest in blind dates.

But what if?

What if that girl is exceptionally beautiful and catches his eye?

In addition, given his ridiculously good luck with women, what if things actually work out? Where would he go to cry then?

Just like last time...

Jiang Xia bit her lower lip, and an idea popped into her head.

"Hey, I'm telling you," her voice suddenly rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of a close friend's self-righteousness, "Why let the good stuff go to waste? You're going on blind dates anyway, you'll have to spend money, why not use my shop's money?"

Zhang Beichuan was taken aback. "Your shop?"

"Yeah, right! Given our relationship, it's been almost a year since the business opened, and all you did was send me a flower basket for the opening, without even thinking of helping me attract customers or anything. How can you be so shameless?"

Hearing the resentment in her words, Zhang Beichuan thought about it and realized it wasn't a bad idea.

He had been to Jiangxia's Summer Coffee Shop once. It was a young woman's first business venture, and the environment was impeccable. It was a good place for a blind date.

"You're quite the shrewd one. Fine, I'm too lazy to find a place anyway."

Jiang Xia felt relieved upon hearing his low laughter.

"Tch~ It's settled then! Bye! Bye!"

Zhang Beichuan looked at the phone that had been abruptly disconnected, smiled helplessly, and then looked at the several unread WeChat messages on his phone.

Upon opening it, I was surprised to find a message from my mother introducing a potential blind date, along with a WeChat contact.

After adding each other as friends, he sent the address of Summer's End Coffee and arranged to meet three days later, on the afternoon of April 6th.

Having done all this, with a thought, Zhang Beichuan returned to 1986.

In 1986, it happened to be a weekend, and early in the morning, the Beichuan Department Store was crowded with people who came to buy things and watch the excitement.

This made Zhou Jing, who owned a clothing store across the street, extremely envious. She thought to herself that if she could get some nylon stockings from Beichuan Department Store to sell, even if she only made a few cents per pair, it would still be a sure-fire way to make money.

With more people coming to buy socks, it's natural that some will also look at clothes, and who knows, someone might even buy one. It's a perfectly natural thing.

But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he suppressed it.

Why should Zhang Beichuan give it to him?

The entire county has only this one cheap and good product, and the business is booming. If it were her, she wouldn't want to share it with anyone else.

She absentmindedly straightened the clothes hanging on the wall, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the other side of the street.

"Sigh..." Zhou Jing sighed, just about to give up, when she suddenly remembered something she'd overheard from Zhao Xueming's group during their surveillance these past few days: "Perhaps... it could be used as a stepping stone?"

The thought made her heart beat a little faster. She wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, but she really coveted those nylon stockings.

If we can get in touch with Zhang Beichuan, maybe business will be better in the future.

Having figured this out, Zhou Jing no longer hesitated. After confirming that Haozi and his gang hadn't come to keep watch yet, she walked straight into Beichuan Department Store.

The store was quite busy with customers. Lan Baojun was introducing watches to an older man, while Baoqiang was promoting lighters and nylon stockings.

When Zhou Jing came in, Lan Baojun looked up and greeted her.

"Boss Zhou, want to come and take a look?"

Zhou Jing smiled broadly. "Brother Baojun, are you busy? Boss Zhang, are you there?"

"Xiao Chuan went out on something and probably won't be back until the afternoon," Lan Baojun replied, his hands still moving. "Do you need to see him?"

Zhou Jing took two steps closer and lowered her voice.

"I have something I'd like to talk to him about." She paused, glanced at the bustling customers in the store, and added, "When he gets back, please tell him I need to speak with him."

Upon hearing this, Lan Baojun paused in his work and looked at Zhou Jing intently.

Although Zhou Jing usually interacts with people, they are all just nodding acquaintances. Now that she suddenly came to the store to say that she wanted to chat with Xiao Chuan, he couldn't help but be more cautious.

"Okay, what exactly is it?" Lan Baojun nodded. "I'll definitely tell Xiao Chuan when he gets back and have him come find you."

"No, no, no... don't come. You'll find out soon enough." Zhou Jing was worried about getting into trouble if Haozi and the others saw her, so she quickly said, "When he comes back, just nod at me at the shop entrance, and I'll come in through the back door."

Her mysterious demeanor piqued Lan Baojun's curiosity, and he eventually nodded.

"Okay, I'll let you know when he gets back."

"Okay, then thank you for your help." Zhou Jing felt half relieved, and her smile became more natural. "You guys go ahead with your work, I won't bother you any longer."