"Understood, Mom. I'll just have two, and save the rest for tomorrow," Rui Rui replied, then went outside to get the candied hawthorn.
Chen Lishu turned to her mother. "Mom, ever since you came, I haven't taken you out for a proper shopping trip. Since little sister is here too, why don't we go out for a stroll later?"
Li Xiulan waved her hand. "I don't lack anything, and besides, the two little ones at home can't be left alone."
Since moving to the city, Li Xiulan had discovered that money flowed like water here; every little thing cost money. Therefore, apart from buying groceries, she basically didn't go anywhere.
Chen Lishu said, "The two little ones will be due for their nap soon. We can go out after they're asleep."
"Mom, please go, please go. We don't have to buy anything, we can just stroll around. Think of it as spending time with me and sister-in-law," Gu Xingping said, pulling Li Xiulan's arm and acting spoiled.
"You're about to get married, and you're still like this. Alright, alright, I'm almost being shaken apart by you. I'm really impressed with you, child. Fine, I'll go."
Hearing Li Xiulan agree, Gu Xingping immediately gave Chen Lishu a triumphant wink.
Soon, Chen Lishu finished feeding and putting the two children to sleep. After informing Zhao Qiuyue, she, along with Li Xiulan and Gu Xingping, headed to the commercial street.
"Mom, try on any piece of clothing you like from our own store. I see your padded jacket is quite thin; you should pick out a thicker coat," Chen Lishu said, taking out a padded jacket with a fur collar and handing it to Li Xiulan to try on.
Upon seeing the coat she was offered, Li Xiulan repeatedly waved her hands. "This looks expensive. You keep it to sell. Such a nice coat would be wasted on me."
"Auntie, that's not right," Wang Aixiang chimed in with a smile. "Lishu and your son-in-law are very capable. It must be because you taught them well. Since you taught them well, how could wearing their clothes be a waste? Besides, people nowadays are snobbish. It's not about simple beauty anymore; you have to keep up with the times, right?"
Wang Aixiang's words quickly amused Li Xiulan. "You're such a sweet talker, child. It's not that I taught them well; it's that the children are ambitious themselves."
Wang Aixiang replied, "That's still because you gave birth to them, which is why they can be ambitious."
Having never encountered such flattery, Li Xiulan was beaming. She turned to Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping and said, "How about I try it on then?"
Watching her take the clothes to the fitting room, Chen Lishu smiled at Wang Aixiang. "Aixiang sister, you're getting more and more impressive. You're even using idioms now to keep up with the times."
Wang Aixiang wasn't embarrassed by the teasing; instead, she said proudly, "Did you underestimate your sister? Ever since you enrolled me in that accounting training class, I've realized how important education is. I recently signed up for night school too, to attend classes after work. What do you think? I've made a lot of progress, haven't I?"
Gu Xingping praised, "It's more than just a lot. I think Aixiang sister, you've become much more beautiful. If I saw you on the street, I wouldn't recognize you at all."
Wang Aixiang wasn't unattractive to begin with; on the contrary, her features were quite striking. However, perhaps due to her past experiences, although her personality was feisty, this feistiness was subconsciously a way to mask her inner vulnerability, making her seem tough on the outside but weak on the inside.
But now, she was undergoing a transformation. The inner fulfillment was making her more confident, naturally making her even more captivating.
Wang Aixiang blushed slightly and tapped her forehead. "You little rascal, are you teasing me too?"
Wang Dazhu complained, "Sister-in-law, not only did Wang Aixiang enroll in classes herself, but she also forced me to attend. But I'm just a brute. I'm good with my hands, but reading is a real headache for me."
Wang Aixiang said unhappily, "I signed you up for classes for your own good. Your one arm isn't good; moreover, you're always following sister Lishu. If you open your mouth and sound like a brute, it's embarrassing for her."
Wang Dazhu stubbornly said, "Then I'll just pretend to be mute and not speak."
Wang Aixiang was so angry she grit her teeth.
Seeing the two bicker, Chen Lishu smiled and asked, "What class did you sign up for?"
Wang Aixiang replied, "Accounting."
Looking at Wang Dazhu's almost scrunched-up brow, she asked uncertainly, "You didn't happen to sign him up for accounting too, did you?"
Wang Aixiang said matter-of-factly, "Having them together makes it easier to have a companion. If he doesn't get it, I can guide him."
Chen Lishu was speechless.
Wang Dazhu scratched his head. "My math grades were never good in school. Reading math books is like looking at celestial scriptures for me. Sister-in-law, I really can't do it."
Wang Aixiang glared. "How can you say you can't do it, you big man?"
"Alright, Aixiang sister," Chen Lishu finally found the root of the problem. "Your intentions are good, but learning is something that varies from person to person. Dazhu was never good at math, and you're asking him to learn accounting. That's a bit unsuitable."
Hearing her speak up for him, Wang Dazhu immediately perked up and nodded heavily beside her. "Did you hear that? Sister-in-law said so herself. Hurry up and get the enrollment fee refunded."
Wang Aixiang exclaimed, "Refund? They've already taken the money; how can they refund it?"
Wang Dazhu was stunned. "Then what should we do?"
Chen Lishu offered a suggestion. "The school should have other courses, right? Pick one that Dazhu is relatively willing to learn, so he can stick with it."
His attempt to complain didn't shield him from studying, and Wang Dazhu's shoulders slumped. Although he was unwilling, it seemed there was no other choice.
"Am I too old to wear this?" Li Xiulan emerged from the fitting room, looking at herself in the mirror from side to side. She was genuinely pleased, but she felt she didn't quite match the outfit.
Chen Lishu walked over, examined her from head to toe, and then genuinely praised, "Mom, you look especially good in this. It makes you look ten years younger. When we get home, I'll make you some face masks to whiten your skin a bit more. When you return home in a while, your dad probably won't recognize you."
Li Xiulan was so delighted she couldn't stop smiling. "You child, no matter how much I doll myself up at this age, I'll still be me."
Though she said that, she didn't refuse anymore.
Wu Chunmei had a similar figure to Li Xiulan, but her skin tone was relatively fairer. Besides Li Xiulan's piece, Chen Lishu also picked out a blue one.
Gu Xingping fancied a cashmere sweater, and in the end, everything was put on Chen Lishu's tab.
After the three of them left the store, Chen Lishu made another trip to the department store.
She planned to order a batch of spring clothes before the Lunar New Year, so they could be sold in advance during the Spring Festival, capturing market share.
Although she wasn't a design major, many of the styles popular in her past life could be made into a few models and likely sell well.
Although getting goods from Li Yuanchao was cheap, the shipping costs were substantial, and the quantity wasn't large. She had collaborated with the State Cotton Mill a few times, and their quality and reputation were quite reliable.
After buying what she needed, she glanced at the time. Nearly three hours had passed. The three of them bought some groceries and then headed home.