Lu Zhenping explained that he actually didn't spend any money on those things; his comrades from Hai City heard that he wanted to buy them and specially purchased them from the Friendship Store. When he went home to get the money from his wife, his comrades even teased him a bit.
Shen Meng couldn't relate to this camaraderie, but she was willing to offer more care.
When Uncle Guai came with the ox cart, he saw two sacks placed in front of them and shouted "Oh," but didn't say much. They had greeted Uncle Guai, so he made an extra trip in the afternoon to pick the three of them up.
Lu Zhenping handed Uncle Guai 50 cents and a lunchbox.
"What's this?"
"We had a gathering with comrades today, and one of the dishes, braised fish, was too salty and hardly anyone touched it, so I scooped it out. We'll share it between our two families."
