I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 141: Becoming a Purchasing Agent in the 70s
"Comrade York, thank you so much. You’ve been a huge help. I’ll have to treat you to a meal when you have time," Grace Winslow said, holding the property deed. The smile on her face was impossible to hide.
’Next, all I need to do is figure out how to renovate the storefront, then find people to help with the work. Once the renovations are done, we can open for business.’
Irene Lynch had been feeling anxious. They had been here for over half a month without earning a single cent, but they had spent quite a bit.
Buying a house, buying all sorts of supplies... everything cost money.
A monthly salary of thirty or forty yuan was nowhere near enough to cover their expenses.
She was completely overwhelmed with anxiety, and she’d even found several more white hairs.
Now that the storefront was finally secured, she would have plenty to keep her busy and no time for anxiety.
Grace Winslow returned home, deed in hand.
Seeing her return so late, Irene Lynch glanced toward the door. "Why didn’t you invite Sean over for dinner? How did looking at properties go today? Did you find any shops with a good price and location?"
Grace Winslow nodded with a smile, pulled the property deed from her bag, and handed it to Irene Lynch. "Here." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Irene Lynch took it, and her face instantly lit up with joy. "You bought it already?"
"Yes. The owner was very straightforward, and there were no issues. We bought it, paid the money, and got the deed right away," Grace Winslow said with a smiling nod. "Mom, the address is on there. You can go take a look tomorrow. Here are the keys."
"Since this is going to be your own shop, you should come up with some ideas for how you want to renovate it. If you can’t decide, you can discuss it with me when I come back next week."
She handed the keys and other items to Irene Lynch.
Irene Lynch held the keys, her hands trembling slightly with excitement. "Grace, I really feel like I’m dreaming. I used to just look after the family, thinking life was all about simple meals and quiet days. As long as my son and daughter were doing well, I had nothing to worry about."
"Only now do I realize that a person can live a completely different kind of life."
"To have my own business, to fulfill a dream I once had... it really, really feels so unreal."
"Grace, pinch me. I want to see if it hurts."
Grace Winslow chuckled and pinched Irene Lynch’s arm. "Does it hurt?"
With tears welling in her eyes, Irene Lynch replied, "Yes, it hurts."
The mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled.
Gregory Winslow had only been in Coronet for a few days before he had to go to work.
His workplace was far away, and at first, he commuted back and forth every day.
Later, seeing how exhausted he was, Irene Lynch had him stay in the company dormitory instead.
He would just take the bus back on his days off.
After several decades of marriage, it was the first time the couple had lived apart.
Sometimes, Irene Lynch would subconsciously call out for Gregory Winslow, only to remember a moment later that he wasn’t living at home for the time being.
Today was the weekend, and Gregory Winslow happened to be back on his day off. The family of three sat down for a meal together.
Because their funds were limited, and buying a television also required ration tickets, the family hadn’t yet purchased any large appliances.
It wouldn’t be too late to buy them once they started earning money.
Grace Winslow spent a day at home, then on Sunday, she ran all over the city looking for some original English-language cassette tapes.
She finally found a batch after visiting several bookstores. She bought them all, stuffed them into her schoolbag, and rushed back to campus.
’The most important things when learning a foreign language are immersing yourself in the sounds and practicing speaking diligently.’
Grace Winslow spoke English whenever she had the chance, constantly muttering to herself in the dorm room every day.
Her accent had originally been very heavy, but after forcing herself to study for a month, she had finally managed to correct it.
Although she wasn’t fluent yet, she was much better than before.
Occasionally, when the teacher called on her in class, they would even praise her for her accurate pronunciation.
A month in Coronet passed in the blink of an eye.
Grace Winslow could only sigh. ’Busy days really do fly by.’
February passed and March arrived, and the weather gradually started to warm up.
Heavy overcoats were swapped for light jackets.
It hadn’t been long since the country had opened up, so everyone’s clothing was still very plain. You didn’t see any eye-catching outfits.
In contrast, Grace Winslow’s khaki trench coat and plaid skirt were particularly striking.
"Grace Winslow, wait for me a moment."
After class on Saturday afternoon, Grace Winslow packed her things and prepared to leave.
She was going home today.
Irene Lynch should have made some headway on the shop’s renovation plans.
She would go back, discuss it further, finalize the details, and then they could contact workers to help with the renovations.
She had just stepped out of the classroom when a classmate stopped her.
"Hello, Grace Winslow. I’m Wendy Quinn. Our names are a bit fated, don’t you think? They both have a ’graceful’ quality to them." Wendy Quinn stood before Grace Winslow, revealing two small dimples when she smiled, which made her look exceptionally pretty.
Grace Winslow knew of Wendy Quinn. She was said to be from one of the big military compounds, with a very wealthy family and parents who were both military officers.
She gave a polite nod. "Is there something I can help you with, Wendy?"
"Well, it’s like this... I think your clothes are all so beautiful, but I’ve looked all over the department stores and haven’t seen them for sale anywhere. Can you tell me where you buy them? I’d like to buy a few outfits, too," Wendy Quinn said, looking a little embarrassed.
Grace Winslow paused for a moment, surprised that this was what she wanted to ask.
’In a later era, you could just have things delivered by courier,’ she thought. ’But it’s not that convenient now. There are no cell phones or anything like that, so it’s really difficult to buy things from out of town.’
In this era, transportation was too slow. Shipping clothes from the south would take at least a full day and night.
There weren’t any clothes shipped up from the south for sale in Coronet yet, so it was no wonder Wendy Quinn couldn’t find them.
Grace Winslow thought for a moment before replying, "I bought these at a clothing store back in my hometown. Their styles are all quite good. If you want, I can write a letter and ask my family to help buy some for you. But their clothes aren’t exactly cheap. Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I want them! I’ll have to trouble you, Grace. I’ll give you three hundred yuan first, and you can just pick out whatever you think is best for me. If they turn out well, I’ll ask for your help again in the future," Wendy Quinn said, nodding eagerly.
She had long been envious of Grace Winslow’s sense of style.
Plus, the person she liked had recently returned from his military post, and she wanted to look her best when she went to see him.
The little princess of the Quinn family, who was clearly not short on cash, took a wallet out of her schoolbag, counted out three hundred yuan, and handed it to Grace Winslow.
Grace Winslow accepted the money, marveling inwardly.
’The princesses of Coronet really are rich.’
’Spending three hundred yuan on clothes without even blinking.’
’That’s more than half a year’s salary for an ordinary worker.’
"Alright, I’ll write a letter home then. If you trust my taste, I’ll have my family pick out a few outfits for you." Grace Winslow took the money, tucked it into her bag, and her attitude toward Wendy Quinn warmed up considerably.
’She had no reason to dislike a little walking ATM who could make her money.’
’Who would have thought she’d end up becoming a personal shopper in the 1970s.’
