The two of them took a bus to Dongda Street, and the Huaqiao Store was just a dozen meters away.

The three-story Soviet-style building has rippled stone on the exterior, and its top is decorated with various relief patterns.

This was once the very famous Friendship Store, which was renamed Huaqiao Store after the reform and opening up.

As the two entered the mall, Jiang Xiaoli noticed a complex circular pattern on the ground in front of the stairs, with brass strips embedded within it. Several different colored patterns were combined, creating a very attractive design.

The two of them were mainly there to buy clothes, and Xiao Muyu pulled her directly up to the second floor.

Jiang Xiaoli, however, acted like a "country bumpkin," constantly looking around the mall.

In her past life, when she was a child, her family couldn't afford for her to buy clothes in such a large shopping mall. By the time she had her accident, the building had already been demolished.

She noticed that the stairs here were very elaborate, with the first step protruding nearly 50 centimeters at both ends and rounded at both ends.

Looking up, the mall's ceiling is also made of plaster in a circular pattern, with a beautiful ceiling light in the center.

Seeing her staring blankly at the overhead light, Xiao Muyu called out to her from a slightly higher step, "What are you daydreaming about? Come on!"

She then came to her senses, "They're here, they're here!"

Upon arriving at the women's clothing section, Xiao Muyu pointed to a babydoll dress with a grin, "Xiao Li, you'll definitely look great in this dress."

Jiang Xiaoli followed her hand and looked over, her face instantly showing three black lines. It was an adorable short-sleeved tutu dress, so big that you could play hide-and-seek under the hem.

She clenched her little fist and threatened Xiao Muyu, "Don't even think about it!"

Xiao Muyu persisted, "Xiao Li, my mom said she wants to dress you up like a doll!"

Jiang Xiaoli hugged herself tightly, "No way! Dream on!"

She went to the side and picked out an outfit for Xiao Muyu: a white blouse with light pink strawberry patterns and ruffles, and an A-line denim skirt.

"Do you like these two pieces?" She showed them to her, pairing them together.

Xiao Muyu's eyes lit up for a moment, "Beautiful! How does Xiaoli have such a good sense of style!"

"No problem at all!" She turned to the sales clerk. "Can I try on the clothes?"

The sales clerk glanced at the two of them and said, "There's no fitting room, but there's a curtain in the back where you can try it on while covering each other."

She shoved the clothes into Xiao Muyu's hands, then chose a loose-fitting light blue cotton shirt and a pair of dark cargo pants for herself.

Xiao Muyu looked at the clothes she had picked out with disdain, "Xiao Li, what are these clothes you chose? They're so loose and unfashionable."

Jiang Xiaoli ignored her complaints and said, "Let's go, let's give it a try."

Xiao Muyu changed the curtain first and then covered her with it. When she lowered the curtain, she opened her mouth in surprise.

Jiang Xiaoli hadn't taken off her pure white short-sleeved shirt; she had casually rolled up the sleeves a few times and was wearing it as an outer jacket. The cuffs of her loose cargo pants were also rolled up a few times, revealing a small section of her ankles.

"Xiao Li, you look so cool dressed like that!" Xiao Muyu exclaimed.

This was the outfit Jiang Xiaoli had planned before coming to buy clothes today. She's still young, and a mature, sophisticated style doesn't suit her. To get rid of the Lolita look, she had to try a neutral style.

She looked in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and then looked back at Xiao Muyu.

The outfit she chose looked very appropriate on her, making her appear serene and beautiful.

"So, these two sets?"

The two changed out of their clothes and went to the sales clerk to get a receipt and pay. The four pieces of clothing cost a total of 225 yuan.

Jiang Xiaoli clicked her tongue in surprise. Given that her mother used to earn less than 300 yuan a month, they really couldn't afford it.

Xiao Muyu wanted to see the receipt before paying.

Jiang Xiaoli confiscated her small wallet directly, saying, "What are you going to give me? My mom specifically told me to include your share. We'll talk about it when I've spent all my money!"

After leaving Huaqiao Store, the two went to Tangcheng Department Store and Department Store Building.

Another person bought a set of clothes and some accessories such as hair clips, and Jiang Xiaoli spent all of the 500 yuan she brought with her.

Even Xiao Muyu couldn't help but advise, "Xiao Li, the way you spend money is really frightening!"

Jiang Xiaoli smiled and said, "It's not scary to think that it's such a small amount of money. You can earn more if you can spend it, so don't worry!"

After walking around for two or three hours, the two were tired and hungry.

They exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Going home for dinner?"

After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter at the same time. Jiang Xiaoli clutched her stomach and said, "Oh no, I'm so hungry! Let's go home!"

When they arrived at the Xiao family home, Xiao Jincheng and Xu Feng had already eaten.

Hearing that the two girls were still hungry, Xiao Jincheng couldn't help but grumble, "You two silly girls, if you're hungry, just eat outside. It's not like we don't have money. What if you starve?"

Xiao Muyu stuck out her tongue, then shifted the blame, "Xiao Li wouldn't let me spend money, she took my wallet away!"

Jiang Xiaoli clung to Xu Feng's arm, saying, "Nothing outside tastes as good as Auntie's cooking! We came back specifically to eat here!"

Xu Feng was so flattered and chattered by her that she almost lost her bearings, until Xiao Jincheng reminded her, "Quickly get them both something to eat."

Xu Feng then went into the kitchen to cook for the two of them.

Xiao Jincheng patted the sofa next to him, "Come on, Little Pear, Xiaoyu said you have something to ask me?"

Jiang Xiaoli sat down next to him. "Yes, yes, it's about my family's self-employed business. How are their taxes calculated?"

"Haha, you seem to have a lot on your mind every day. Don't worry, your tax is collected on a fixed-amount basis with a certain exemption. It's paid quarterly, so it won't cost much. By the way, how much does your family earn in a month? Let me give you an estimate," Xiao Jincheng asked.

She tilted her head and roughly calculated, "Hmm... it was only sorted out this month, probably around 100,000?"

Xiao Jincheng and his daughter were both shocked. Xiao Muyu exclaimed, "So many!"

Xiao Jincheng was more accepting, but he still asked, "Little Pear, are you sure?"

Jiang Xiaoli nodded affirmatively, "Yes, that's for sure, but this figure is revenue, not net profit."

"Of course, but that's enough. In that case, we'll probably have to pay about 3% VAT. Go back and give it to your mother to prepare in advance," Xiao Jincheng instructed.

"Okay, okay." She nodded with a smile. "Uncle Xiao, there's something else. Hehe, I just made some money, and my mom and I want to buy an apartment in this complex. My mom said to come and ask you, since you're the most reliable person in this field."

Xiao Jincheng laughed heartily, "Your mother was right! You've come to the right place to buy a house! How big are you planning to buy? Do you have any requirements?"

Jiang Xiaoli thought for a moment, "A two-bedroom, one-living room apartment of 70 or 80 square meters is fine. I don't have many requirements, just that the apartment layout should be regular. It shouldn't be one of those odd layouts where the kitchen is on the balcony or the bathroom is a triangle."

"Haha, it seems Little Pear knows quite a lot. Don't worry, the two residential complexes my company is building recently were designed by a big designer from Gangcheng. I'm planning to buy one for my family. Let's just be neighbors."

Upon hearing this, she thought it was a good idea. "Okay, Uncle Xiao, where are the two neighborhoods you mentioned? How much is the price per square meter? I'll go back and talk to my mom about it."