Chen Liyuan’s face instantly turned red upon hearing her words. She lowered her head to look at the patch on the tip of her shoe and instinctively drew her foot back.
She was definitely embarrassing her elder sister.
Chen Lishu saw everything. She reached out and patted Chen Liyuan’s arm. “Don’t listen to someone gossiping about nonsense. Lift your head. There’s no shame in wearing patched clothes; the poverty of the spirit is the most tragic thing.”
“Elder Sister?” Chen Liyuan looked up and met Chen Lishu’s clear eyes, unable to help but purse her lips and smile at her.
Lin Xiaohui saw that her words had no effect and were instead met with sarcasm. She was so unwilling that her pretty face was almost contorted.
The Chen surname clearly wasn't as good-looking as hers, and her clothes weren't as stylish, yet she’d somehow struck gold by finding such an excellent man as Gu Xingdong. Even the men her elder sister and brother-in-law introduced her to were worlds away from Gu Xingdong.
All of this was bearable. But ever since Chen Lishu’s sister came and everyone knew she was also coming to the provincial city to study, the military dependents' area had been showering praise on the sisters. Lin Xiaohui’s ears were practically calloused from hearing people chatter about them every single day.
Why should someone who was inferior to her in every way be able to suppress her?!
Chen Lishu pretended not to see her heaving chest and envious glare. She turned to the salesclerk and said, “I’ll take this one. Please ring it up.”
“Comrade, please wait a moment.” Chen Liyuan hurriedly stopped the salesclerk as she was about to process the payment.
“Elder Sister, this dress is too expensive. I still want to go look at the fabric section next door.” This time, there was no timidity in Chen Liyuan’s eyes. She genuinely didn’t want Chen Lishu to spend more money on her. Moreover, her elder sister was right: poverty wasn’t shameful, but spiritual poverty was the most terrifying thing.
Hearing Chen Liyuan’s words, Lin Xiaohui immediately stepped forward two paces and sneered, “Yes, a dress this expensive is nice to look at, but that’s all. Besides, you don’t earn money, and you’re still spending my Brother Gu’s money. You don’t need to put on a brave face and pretend to be generous in front of me. You should act within your means.”
Her monthly salary of nearly thirty yuan was more than enough for her expenses.
“I’m putting on a brave face for you?” Chen Lishu was shocked by her peculiar train of thought.
Lin Xiaohui tilted her chin up slightly and said contemptuously, “Isn’t it?”
Chen Lishu chuckled. “Lin Xiaohui, I originally thought you were just simple-minded, but now I see I’ve truly underestimated you. Why is it that during a normal shopping trip, I have to be so unlucky as to run into such an annoying pest like you? Do you know what you look like right now? You’re not even a clown. To tell you the truth, I’ve never even paid attention to you.”
Lin Xiaohui was so infuriated by her that she glared at her and said resentfully, “How could Brother Gu like a shrew like you?”
Chen Lishu smiled. “He knew what kind of person I am a long time ago, yet he still likes me. What can you do about it?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiaohui felt extremely choked up. She didn’t know how to deal with Chen Lishu. Her gaze fell on the dress on the counter. With a sudden impulse, she said to the salesclerk, “I’ll take this dress.”
The moment she spoke, she regretted it. Earlier, downstairs, she had spent all her money on sandals. Now, she only had fifty cents left in her pocket, and she still needed to save some for the bus fare home.
However, she then remembered her companions who had come with her, and she immediately felt much more at ease.
The salesclerk looked at Chen Lishu. “Comrade, what about this dress?”
Before Chen Lishu could speak, Lin Xiaohui interjected, “Why are you asking her? Didn’t you just hear her say she found it too expensive? If she could afford it, she would have bought it already. Why is she still hesitating and not paying?”
“I…”
Just as Chen Lishu was about to speak, Chen Liyuan tugged at her arm. The latter gave the salesclerk an apologetic smile. “Comrade, we won’t be buying this dress. If she likes it, please let her have it.”
It didn’t matter who bought it. The salesclerk quickly scribbled on the paper, then tore off the completed slip. She looked at Lin Xiaohui. “Comrade, that will be seventeen yuan.”
Lin Xiaohui smiled at her and then whispered to her companion, “Yinfeng, do you have seventeen yuan? Lend it to me for now, and I’ll pay you back next month when I get paid.”
The young woman called Yinfeng heard her and shook her head with a troubled expression. “I only brought twenty yuan with me today, and I spent it all on sandals downstairs.”
Lin Xiaohui froze on the spot.
…
“Brother Ming, please teach your brother some tricks. Tell me quickly, how did you get the belle of the workshop?”
Lu Chengming shrugged with a hint of smugness. “I didn’t feel like it was much effort at all. I just treated her to meals and bought her things she liked, and she naturally agreed.”
“That’s the belle of the workshop. Is it really that simple? You’re being stingy, man. With our relationship, you’re still hiding this from me?” The other person clearly didn’t believe Lu Chengming’s story.
“Didn’t I bring you to the department store? There are many considerations when giving gifts to girls. If you mess up, you might waste money and even backfire.”
As they spoke, the two of them walked towards the third floor. As soon as they reached the stairs, Lu Chengming caught sight of Chen Lishu.
She had changed quite a bit in the year since he last saw her. This change wasn’t just external; it was from the inside out, making it even harder to look away.
…
“Lin Xiaohui, are you pretending to be rich when you’re not?”
Sensing her expression, Chen Lishu immediately guessed the reason and said with a smile, “After all, a dress costs seventeen yuan, and your monthly salary is only just over twenty. It’s normal that you can’t afford it. However, the salesclerk has already processed the payment. If you really don’t have the money, you can return it. I promise I’ll just watch the fun.”
Lin Xiaohui’s face turned from red to white and then to ashen. She glared at Chen Lishu as if spitting fire and said through gritted teeth, “Chen Lishu, don’t push it too far. I just forgot to bring money today. At worst, I can return it. There’s no need for you to be so aggressive!”
The salesclerk nearby, hearing that she wanted to return the item, immediately became anxious. “Comrade, we have to account for the number of slips we issue every day. I’ve already written out the slip for you; why are you going back on your word?”
“How much is this dress? I’ll pay for this comrade.”
Just as Lin Xiaohui was blushing furiously and unsure how to resolve the situation, a tall, handsome man appeared beside her. He glanced in her direction, and Lin Xiaohui’s face turned even redder.
Seeing Lu Chengming, Chen Lishu instinctively frowned. In the next second, she saw him take out a thick wad of cash from his shirt pocket.
The salesclerk, seeing someone offering to pay, quickly said, “Comrade, that will be seventeen yuan.”
Lu Chengming nodded, counted out seventeen yuan from the wad of cash, and slapped it onto the counter.
Chen Lishu glanced at him, then turned and pulled Chen Liyuan away.
Seeing this, Lu Chengming stepped forward and blocked her path. “Chen Lishu, we’ve known each other for a while. What do you mean by leaving as soon as you see me?”