Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Daddy

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The department store was located in the city center of Kapok City, which was quite far from their guesthouse, so they took a tricycle directly there.

"Let's go to the clothing section first." She Hongmei had been here before, and she knew the way well, leading She Ning and the others to the clothing section.

Recently, they've grown taller like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and their old clothes are now too short.

She's been so busy with business lately, leaving early and returning late, that she's completely neglected this matter.

She didn't have the means before, so she patched and mended clothes for three years. Now that she's earning money, she wants to give her daughter the best.

"Hello, could you please get that floral dress for me?" Standing in front of the counter, She Hongmei pointed to the dress hanging on the wall and said.

She spotted it at a glance, even before she got there.

She Ning would definitely look good in it.

The sales clerks, dressed in neat uniforms, stood in front of the counter. When they saw She Ning and her group arrive, they greeted them warmly with smiles on their faces.

"Comrade, you have excellent taste! This dress is the most popular style in Taipei right now, and it just arrived today." Hearing She Hongmei's words, the saleswoman deftly picked up a clothes rack from the side and skillfully took down the floral dress.

After the skirt was taken off, the saleswoman gently shook it out and displayed it to the three people.

On the light beige background, there are small flowers, which are fresh and lively, and are indeed very suitable for a girl like She Ning.

She Hongmei held the dress up against She Ning's figure and found that the size and length were just right, even better than if it had been tailored.

"So beautiful!" She Ning reached out and pressed down on the clothes, while She Hongmei took a step back and examined them closely. She exclaimed sincerely.

She Ni held onto She Hongmei's arm and leaned against her. Hearing this, she nodded repeatedly. "The clothes are nice, but you're even more beautiful, sister. You're the most beautiful person."

The saleswoman next to her smiled and chimed in, "The little girl is so pretty. Wearing this dress, she looks like she stepped out of a painting."

"This is it." After checking the wiring and the ends and finding no problems, She Hongmei readily decided, "Let's take that small troublesome one down and check it too."

Since the reform and opening up, many vendors selling clothes have sprung up in the city like mushrooms after rain. The styles are all from the port city, the designs are novel, the prices are affordable, and no coupons are required.

The clothing business at the department store has been severely impacted, and business has been much worse. She hadn't made a sale for several days, and now that she had finally gotten one, the saleswoman was all smiles. She quickly took down a slightly smaller tulle skirt that was hanging next to her.

"Nini, come here." She Hongmei took the dress and compared it to She Ni next to her. The size was just right.

...

"We'll take all of these, please wrap them up for us." After trying on a few more, she bought two more batches of cotton fabric and said to the sales clerk with a smile.

The sales clerk's face lit up with delight. She quickly wrapped up everything she wanted and efficiently completed the checkout process.

"Welcome to visit again." The sales clerk handed the packaged items to She Hongmei and warmly saw them off.

She Hongmei carried large and small bags, while She Ning and She Ni each carried a piece of cloth. They continued shopping at the department store.

"Mom, what else do you want to buy?" She Ning asked, looking at She Hongmei's enthusiastic expression.

“Look at your shoes. You’re all growing taller now, so your old shoes are definitely too small for you,” She Hongmei said.

So the three of them went to the shoe section and started carefully selecting shoes.

While looking at the shoes, She Hongmei discussed them with She Ning and She Ni, occasionally picking up a pair for them to try on.

"She Hongmei?" An uncertain voice suddenly rang out, followed by a question tinged with annoyance, "What are you doing here?"

She Ning and the others looked in the direction of the sound. The man was standing not far away, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a blue work uniform. He looked quite refined, but his face and eyes showed obvious disdain for them.

Ugh, what bad luck.

I didn't check the almanac before going out and ended up running into this jerk. I can't let this jerk ruin my happy moment!

Pretending not to have heard anything, She Ning and the other two simultaneously looked away and lowered their heads to discuss the shoes in their hands again.

He completely ignored him.

Seeing the way they looked at him like he was trash, Liu Jianguo became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

He had never been treated like this in the She family before. Although She Hongmei was not a gentle and submissive person who relied on him wholeheartedly, she still put him first and obeyed him in everything.

When has there ever been a time when we were so ignored?

He strode forward and reached out to grab She Hongmei's arm, but She Hongmei nimbly dodged him.

"What are you doing?" She Hongmei stared at him with wide eyes, protecting She Ning and She Ni behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Liu Jianguo didn't expect She Hongmei to dodge, and his outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Their commotion was quite loud, and the eyes of the people watching around them all turned to look.

"She Hongmei, are you pretending not to know me?" Liu Jianguo frowned and said in a low voice.

The trick of feigning indifference won't work on him.

"This is not a place for you. Don't embarrass yourself. Get out of here." Liu Jianguo looked She Hongmei up and down, then looked at her with a condemning gaze that suggested she was greedy and vain.

The cheapest items in the department store cost only a few dollars, not to mention the little leather shoes she was holding.

He knew the She family's situation best; he hoped they weren't just putting on a show and then trying to take advantage of him in the end.

“I’m not going to pay you,” he said coldly.

He is living a happy and fulfilling life now. If he were to get involved with them and his father-in-law, elder brother, and wife found out, it would be disastrous.

To prevent them from disrupting his current life, he must send them back to the countryside, where they will be confined for the rest of their lives and unable to leave.

"A person should have self-awareness and know his place. He should stay where he is and not try to get ahead by resorting to crooked means."

"This is not a place for you." Liu Jianguo repeated this sentence again, seemingly blind to the things that She Ning and the others had bought.

Blocked behind by She Hongmei, She Ning couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard his smug speech. What gave him such confidence that he thought he was a hot commodity and everyone would cling to him?

They were happily shopping here, so who was the shameless one who came up to them?

He won't help them pay? That's hilarious. Has he ever paid them?

They should have some self-awareness. This is not a place for them. What kind of disgusting class speech is this?

They're talking as if they own this department store.

Seeing She Ning roll her eyes, Liu Jianguo's disgust for She Hongmei and the others intensified. He glared fiercely at She Ning, then turned to She Hongmei and scolded, "Is this the daughter you raised? She has no manners at all!"

Upon hearing this, She Hongmei frowned and retorted without backing down, "My daughter's well-being is none of your concern. You should mind your own business."

"Also, we're already divorced. Please have some self-awareness. If you run into me, pretend you don't know me. But if you keep pestering me like this, I won't be polite." She raised her fist and shook it at him.

Liu Jianguo was about the same height as She Hongmei, but he was not as strong as She Hongmei, who had worked hard for many years. Suddenly facing her fists the size of sandbags and her fierce eyes, he was instinctively frightened and took a step back.

He has always been concerned about his image. Even when he was sent to the countryside as an educated youth, he always had a book in his hand and looked like a scholar. Later, after he married into the She family, he had even less work to do, and his aloofness only intensified.

Now that She Hongmei had humiliated him so much, and he was met with the three of them's mocking gazes, plus the curious looks from the people around him, the blush that had faded on his face instantly returned.

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, but his tone still betrayed a hint of exasperation: "She Hongmei, look at you! You're not a woman at all! Divorcing you was definitely the right decision!"

"Marrying you was the biggest disgrace of my life!"

When She Hongmei heard him recount the past, a trace of pain flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

She looked coldly at Liu Jianguo and said, word by word, "Liu Jianguo, don't forget, you were the one who begged to marry into our family."

"You're the kind of person who eats with the bowl in his hand and then curses his mother when he puts it down."

"Xiao Ni, Aning, let's go."

Not wanting to get entangled with such a scoundrel any longer, she tried to leave with She Ning and She Ni, but Liu Jianguo wouldn't give up and reached out to pull her away again.

This time, She Hongmei didn't dodge, but Liu Jianguo couldn't touch her at all.

She Ning stood in front of She Hongmei, stopping Liu Jianguo's hand. Her eyes were dark and her face was expressionless.

"What do you want to do?" She Ning said coldly.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, let go." The slender hand looked delicate and weak, but only Liu Jianguo knew how much pain his wrist was being squeezed.

He grimaced in pain, his face contorted in agony.

As the commotion grew louder, the surrounding customers gathered around, forming a large circle and curiously scrutinizing them. Some recognized She Ning and her group as the ones who had just bought a lot of things in the clothing section, and they began to whisper among themselves.

"A-Ning, let him go, let's go." Seeing that more and more people were gathering, She Hongmei patted her arm and said softly.

She Ning nodded to She Hongmei, then turned and looked coldly at Liu Jianguo. She applied slight pressure to his hand, causing him to howl in pain again, and warned him.

"If you keep bothering us, I won't be polite." With that, she released her grip and took a step back.

Clutching his throbbing wrist, Liu Jianguo took a few steps back, positioning himself a safe distance from her. Only after confirming she couldn't hurt him did he speak, his anger and embarrassment palpable. "She Hongmei, look what kind of daughter you've raised! She Ning, don't forget, I'm your father! Treating me like this is utterly unfilial!"

Unable to win the fight and lacking any justification, he attempted to morally blackmail She Ning.

"Filial piety? Do you deserve it?" She Ning sneered, her tone full of sarcasm. "You know how you treated us back then."

"Sister, he looks like a cooked crab," She Ni whispered, tugging at She Ning's sleeve and getting close to her ear.

His face turned red, he was furious and impotent, like a clown.

When Liu Jianguo abandoned his wife and daughter and left the She family, She Ni was already five years old. Naturally, she recognized him as the one who had angered her grandfather to death and caused her mother's hair to turn white overnight.

In her heart, Liu Jianguo was not her father at all, but a bad person, and She Ni had no good feelings towards him at all.

“Exactly,” She Ning sneered, looking at Liu Jianguo with disdain. “He’s not born to be domineering, yet he insists on acting like that. He’s just like a boiled crab, completely dead.”

"What a sharp-tongued girl! Just like her mother, she's just like that shrew." Upon hearing this, Liu Jianguo's face turned ashen. He laughed angrily and said through gritted teeth.

"Liu Jianguo, if you keep talking nonsense, I won't be polite," She Hongmei warned him as he started spouting nonsense again.

She didn't want to get entangled with this scumbag in front of her daughters, and she didn't want them to be influenced by him.

Liu Jianguo was unconcerned upon hearing this. What power could a country bumpkin have that he could be afraid of?

As more and more people gathered around, fearing he might run into someone he knew, he gave them a cold look and said, "She Hongmei, you just wait, I won't let you get away with this."

After saying that, he turned around and quickly left the department store.

Watching his retreating figure, She Ning scoffed disdainfully. This kind of person only knows how to make empty threats.

"Mom, let's ignore him and continue shopping," She Ning said, holding She Hongmei's hand.

She Hongmei nodded and led them to continue shopping in the department store.

The department store was filled with a dazzling array of goods, which quickly attracted their attention, and they soon forgot about the little incident that had just happened.

Not far from the shoe section, Lin Meiyu stood by a pillar with her daughter in her arms, quietly watching a good show unfold. She looked thoughtfully at her husband, who had said he was going on a business trip to do market research before leaving the department store that morning.

"Eeya~" The little one in my arms stirred, yawned, and then looked at Lin Meiyu with her big, curious eyes. She then gave her a toothless smile.

Lin Meiyu lowered her head and gently touched her forehead, then straightened up and looked out of the department store.

Not far from the entrance, Liu Jianguo rode away on the bicycle she had bought for him. Lin Meiyu glanced back at She Ning and the others who were still shopping in the department store, then turned away and left as well.