Chapter 684
Liu Zhaodi slammed the money on the glass counter and her voice suddenly rose:
"Who said I can't afford it! I want this one, wrap it up!"
The shopping guide curled her lips and muttered while folding clothes:
"Just buy it, why are you banging the table? Can you afford to pay for it if it breaks?"
Liu Zhaodi dug her nails into her palms, but raised her chin even higher.
I didn't argue with her. I just thought that when she had money, she would come here and buy eight or nine pieces of clothes for her, so that the shopping guide would know what it meant to make a mistake!
The lady next to me, who had just bought some clothes and was watching the free show, laughed and said:
"Girl, since you've already bought the skirt, why are you still packing it away? Why don't you just wear it?"
Liu Zhaodi was stunned. "That's right! I'm going to wear it to go see my aunt and uncle anyway, so I might as well wear it here and save myself the trouble of looking for a place to change."
So she grabbed the clothes and said to the salesperson:
"Don't pretend, I'll just put them on. Go pick me a pair of suitable shoes."
The salesperson spread his hands and replied, "I'm not in charge of the shoe section. If you want to buy something, go there yourself."
Liu Zhaodi came to the shoe counter in a rage and chose a pair of very delicate ladies' shoes with heels. After paying, she only had enough money left for the bus fare.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the department store, she could hardly recognize the person in the mirror.
An exquisite hairstyle, a beautiful dress, shiny new shoes...this is how she should look!
Without hesitation, she crumpled up the old clothes and threw them into the trash can.
Those rags, reeking of sweat and juvenile detention, like her troubled past, were no longer needed.
"Goodbye, old life."
She whispered to the trash can, turned and walked towards the bus stop, her back straight.
The evening clouds dyed the sky orange, and she came to the community where Liu Xu and Wang Dachui lived.
There are several six-story residential buildings in the community. The afterglow of the setting sun gives the beige exterior walls a golden edge, and each balcony is lined with carefully tended potted plants.
When she first came to Nanning to study, her aunt often brought her to her home. The families living here were all well-off.
Normally when there are no cars coming in or out, the big iron gate is locked. If someone wants to come in, the guard will open it.
She looked down at her new dress and leather shoes, took a deep breath and walked towards the guard room.
The old man in the guard room was listening to the radio and enjoying the electric fan.
"Hello, I'm going to Wang Dachui's house at Room 502, Unit 3, Building 6. Please open the door." She straightened her back deliberately to make herself look like a frequent relative.
The old man raised his head, squinted his eyes and looked at her for a while, then said:
"Oh! You are Boss Wang's... niece, right? It seems like I haven't seen you here for a long time."
His eyes swept over Liu Zhaodi's brand new skirt, and suddenly he seemed to remember something:
"By the way, your aunt said a while ago that you were studying in another place."
"Yes... I... I came back for summer vacation." Liu Zhaodi's heart was beating like a drum, afraid that the old man would ask the name of the school.
"Oh, is that so? Studying is good... Then just go in."
The old man came out, pulled the latch, and opened the door a little to let Liu Zhaodi in.
Liu Zhaodi found Liu Xu's house according to her previous memory and gently knocked on the wooden door.
She leaned over and vaguely heard the sound of a TV commercial. She had seen this commercial in juvenile detention center. The star selling cosmetics had a smile that was so bright that it looked fake.
After a while, no one answered. I didn't know whether they didn't hear me or were unwilling to open the door.
Her heart panicked for a moment, and she knocked again with more force.
This time, the sound of slippers was heard from inside. A few seconds later, the door opened a crack, and Liu Xu's well-maintained face appeared behind the door.
She was wearing a silk nightgown with a pearl necklace showing at the neckline, and her hair was permed in fashionable big curls, but she could not hide the shock and disgust in her eyes.
"Aunt, aunt..." Liu Zhaodi's voice trembled, and the words she had prepared were suddenly stuck in her throat.
Liu Xu quickly scanned the corridor, and after making sure no one saw her, she lowered her voice and said:
"Why are you here? Did you... sneak out?"
"No! No! I behaved well and was released early."
Liu Zhaodi's eyes instantly turned red: "Aunt, I, I miss you so much. During these two years in there, I thought about you every day..."
She wanted to rush over and hug Liu Xu's arm, but she dodged away in disgust. The cuff of her silk nightgown brushed past her nose, leaving a faint scent of perfume.
Liu Xu frowned, her nail-polished fingers tightly gripping the door handle:
"Where's your dad? Do your parents know you're out?"
"I haven't seen my mother for more than two years, and I don't know how my father is doing."
"Then why are you coming to my place instead of going home to see your mother?"
Liu Xu lowered her voice, as if she was afraid of being discovered by Wang Dachui.
Heavy footsteps were heard from inside the door, and Wang Dachui's rough voice rang out:
"Xiao Xu, who is that? The food is cold and you still haven't come in."
Liu Xu's face changed, and she hurriedly turned around and replied, "No, nothing, the gas changer got the wrong number..."
She turned to Liu Zhaodi, took out her wallet from the drawer of the cabinet by the door, pulled out a few banknotes and stuffed them into her hand:
"You go find a place to stay first, tomorrow I..."
"Is that Zhaodi?" Wang Dachui suddenly appeared behind Liu Xu, with a beer belly and squinting eyes at the person outside the door.
The air froze instantly, and Liu Zhaodi immediately seized the opportunity, raising her voice an octave:
"Uncle! I'm out! I came specially to see you and aunt!"
Wang Dachui's expression changed, but he quickly put on his usual businessman smile: "Oh, it's Zhaodi, come in quickly, come in quickly."
After inviting Liu Zhaodi in, he said to Liu Xu with a sullen face:
"What's going on? Why don't you talk about it behind closed doors? Are you keeping people out to make fun of the neighbors? Take care of this for me."
Stepping into the entrance hall, Liu Zhaodi felt that her aunt's house was more luxurious than before.
The shiny tile floor, the landscape paintings on the wall, the leather sofa, and the 21-inch imported color TV.
In the restaurant, the nanny was arranging the dishes. One could tell from the rich aroma that there must be meat dishes.
"Have you eaten?" Liu Xu forced out a polite remark.
Liu Zhaodi immediately shook her head: "I just got out of the juvenile detention center and came here directly."
"Then let's eat together." Wang Dachui waved his hand, "Xiao Wang, add a pair of bowls and chopsticks."
There were several dishes on the round table in the restaurant. The delicious fish soup was boiled to a snow-white color, the braised pork was sprinkled with shiny white sesame seeds, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were yellow and white, and even the vegetables were fried with animal oil, which made them particularly sweet.
Liu Zhaodi greedily picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into her mouth. The rich sauce exploded on the tip of her tongue, and the aroma of the oil almost made her cry.
She hadn't eaten such a decent meal for a long time. The food in the juvenile detention center was bland and there was rarely any oil. Even such food was often snatched away by others.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
