Xia Qingqing advised her, "Actually, it's not that expensive. Although there are similar styles online, the materials are different. You get what you pay for."

"Sister, you're going to be a rich woman someday, so stand up straight. You can't buy what I like."

Zhou Wei suddenly realized something. It made sense. She already had a cheat system, and her transactions with Xia Qingqing had made her quite a bit of money. She even had several small gold coins in her system warehouse. How come she couldn't even bear to buy clothes worth a few hundred yuan?

"Qingqing, you're right," Zhou Wei turned around and went back into the store to buy the clothes she had just worn.

Zhou Wei didn't forget to try to bargain; she wanted to save money wherever possible. What was rare was that all the clothes in this store were clearly priced, and there were no promotions right now, so she could only buy them at the original price.

As Zhou Wei left the clothing store, she felt particularly good, not only because of the joy of buying new clothes, but also because of a huge change in her mindset.

The two then visited many shops, including jewelry stores, bag stores, cosmetics stores, and so on. Zhou Wei not only spent all the 1,000 yuan her mother had given her, but also used her own savings to buy gifts for her mother.

Although she spent a lot of money today, Zhou Wei, unusually, didn't feel any heartache; she just felt very happy.

Zhou Wei went to the mall's restroom to send Xia Qingqing her belongings, and then returned to the grain and oil store after hanging up the video call.

"Mom, I'm home!" Zhou Wei shouted before even entering the store.

Hearing her daughter's voice, Zhou's mother immediately came out to greet her. Seeing her daughter carrying large and small bags, she nodded with satisfaction: "Weiwei is back. What did you buy?"

"I bought a lot of things, and I even bought you a gift," Zhou Wei said, placing all the items on the checkout counter and shaking her hands, which had become red from carrying the bags for so long.

When Zhou's mother heard that her daughter had spent money to buy her a gift, she instinctively frowned: "Why buy me a gift when it's not a holiday? I can buy my own. Keep your money for yourself."

“How can that be the same? Does that mean I can’t give my mom a gift even if it’s not a holiday? Who made that rule?” Zhou Wei retorted in disagreement.

Then, he picked out the gift he bought for his mother from the bags of various sizes: "Mom, take a look. This is a set of skincare products and a lipstick for you. You should take good care of yourself from now on."

"Oh dear, why did you buy me these things? I'm so old," Zhou's mother said with a hint of disdain, but her hands obediently picked up the skincare set and started looking at it.

Zhou Wei didn't like hearing her mother say this, and pouted, "How old can you be? You're only in your early forties. Look at the celebrities on TV, they're about your age but they dress younger than me."

Zhou's mother is reluctant to spend money on herself, and she still uses children's cream that costs only a few yuan a pack. However, she was happy to see the beautifully packaged skincare set that her daughter bought for her.

Looking at her daughter, she said, "How much is this set? Is it very expensive? The money I gave you today isn't enough, is it? I'll give you another 1,000 yuan later."

Zhou Wei hugged her mother's shoulders: "You don't need to worry about money. I've been doing part-time jobs, so I can afford to buy these things. I'll get a summer job during the summer vacation and buy you a gold necklace."

It's time to put those little gold coins in her system's inventory to good use. First, she'll get her mother a necklace, and later she'll arrange for bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings.

Zhou Wei's words made her mother beam with joy: "Haha, then I'll be in for a treat!" After saying that, she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, almost uncontrollably.

Zhou Wei noticed her mother was crying and said anxiously, "Mom, what's wrong? Don't cry, it breaks my heart to see you crying."

"It's alright, it's alright, Mom is just happy. You've grown up and know how to care for your mother," Zhou's mother said, her eyes still filled with tears, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Over the years, she has raised her daughter alone, from a tiny little girl to now being admitted to university. Her daughter has begun to learn how to protect her mother.

Hearing her mother cry tears of joy, Zhou Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Mom, we all need to be well. Your good days are yet to come."

Zhou's mother held her daughter's hand and said, "You don't need to buy these things for me next time. We'll save the money to pay back your friend. The sooner we pay it off, the easier it will be for me to feel at ease."

She still remembers how her daughter borrowed over 100,000 yuan from friends when she was sick. This matter has always weighed on her mind. Even though the shop earns a decent amount each month, she is reluctant to spend it and still lives frugally. She is only willing to spend money on her daughter.

Zhou Wei was taken aback. She had almost forgotten about this. She couldn't think of any other reason before, so she could only say that she borrowed it from someone. But that was a transaction between her and Xia Qingqing. Xia Qingqing gave her a commission, and she helped Xia Qingqing buy things.

But once a lie is told, you have to find a way to cover it up yourself.

"Mom, don't worry too much about that money. My friend said it's okay if I pay her back after I graduate. I'll work hard to pay it back myself. You should spend your money as you like and focus on taking care of your health."

“Hey, Mom’s not in a hurry. Weiwei, don’t overwork yourself. Focus on your studies.” Zhou’s mother didn’t really approve of Zhou Wei doing part-time work. She was worried that her daughter would fall behind in her studies because of it.

Zhou Wei gave her mother a series of assurances, saying that doing part-time work now would give her more experience and make it easier to find a job in the future.

Zhou's mother didn't understand these things, but she felt that her daughter wouldn't lie to her about such a thing, so she could only let her be.

——

Xia Qingqing took out the items that Zhou Wei had sent her from the system warehouse, and noticed out of the corner of her eye the plate left over from the last time she ate mung bean cake.

She had previously thought that she would have someone appraise it to see if it was an antique later, but now she sees that there's no need to wait until later; it's the same as having Zhou Wei appraise it directly.

Xia Qingqing sent two discs directly to Zhou Wei and also sent her a message:

[Weiwei, could you please have someone appraise these two plates to see if they are antiques and how much they are worth?]

After sending the message, Xia Qingqing took out all three pairs of shoes from the system warehouse and tried them on.

All three pairs of shoes were bought in her size, and they fit her quite well. As for whether they hurt her feet, we'll have to wait and see after she wears them out.

She kept the black pair and put the remaining two pairs back into the system warehouse, planning to take them out slowly next time she had the chance. Buying so many new shoes at once was too high-profile.

After she finished packing, she lay on the bed and watched TV for a while before she heard the door open.

"Qingqing, are you up yet? It's time to go to the cafeteria for lunch. Xiuxiu and Sister Qiu, go ahead and save some seats. I'll come back and call you," Liu Huimin called out to Xia Qingqing's bed.