The next morning, the people Wu Sicheng had hired to renovate the house arrived, including one who specialized in the restoration of ancient buildings.
An Moxue was discussing the renovation details of the house with the workers, holding the planning drawings she had made the night before. It took her more than two hours to finalize all the details, especially the restoration of the roof tiles.
Old Ma was worried, so he stayed behind to supervise the work.
The two of them went to buy the four gifts needed for the apprenticeship ceremony: cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea.
Wu Sicheng was carrying something in his hand, and An Moxue was walking beside him.
"Mo Xue, buy a few more outfits to wear when school starts."
When she arrived at the fabric counter, An Moxue bought a piece of fine smoky-colored Hangzhou silk.
Wu Sicheng looked at the fabric in her hand and tentatively asked, "Mo Xue, won't this color make you look a bit too mature?"
"What are you thinking about? I bought this for my master. I'll have it tailored and made into a Tang suit for him. It'll be perfect for him. Since it's a traditional ceremony to worship a master, the master's clothes are a must. In a little while, you'll come with me to buy a pair of leather shoes. Do you know what size your uncle wears?"
"43 yards".
After buying the fabric, An Moxue pulled Wu Sicheng toward the shoe counter, but Wu Sicheng stopped her. "Moxue, I know you don't like these styles, so let's buy some fabric and make your own clothes, or have Aunt Ma make some. I saw a few pieces that would suit you perfectly." As he spoke, he pulled An Moxue toward the silk counter. "This light green brocade, this pink floral brocade, and this red plum blossom brocade—get one of each according to the measurements of the person next to me. Enough to make a long dress or a cheongsam."
An Moxue saw that Wu Sicheng had chosen bright and elegant colors that suited her. The clothes were well-made and would look good on her, attracting a lot of attention.
"Wouldn't it be too flashy? Would we be able to wear it out?" An Moxue asked softly.
Wu Sicheng joked, "Are you a low-key person? Since you have the right to do so, why not wear what you like? There's no need to compromise yourself just because you're in a different environment."
"I just got back, and I'm afraid I might not know my limits and cause trouble. You know I seem to get into trouble very easily, and I just want to have a few days of peace and quiet."
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It's okay, once the clothes are finished, you can wear them at home for me to see."
An Moxue looked him up and down with a disdainful gaze. "Do you even have the time for that?"
Wu Sicheng sighed helplessly, then smiled like a sly fox who had just stolen some cream, coaxing, "It's a deal now. You can wear it whenever I have time, and you can't go back on your word."
An Moxue scoffed, "It's just a few clothes, what's wrong with agreeing to it? I have countless beautiful clothes in my space, some of which could make your nose bleed, okay?"
The saleswoman was folding fabrics behind the counter, overjoyed. Selling such high-end fabric meant a large commission, and she had made a fortune!
"Customer, welcome back next time." Even his usual arrogance vanished, replaced by a smiling face.
Wu Sicheng, carrying the bag, went to the shoe counter with An Moxue. He immediately took a liking to a pair of brown men's shoes.
"Wu Sicheng, try them on. I think they'll look great on you," An Moxue said, pointing to the shoes.
Then I said to the sales clerk, "Could you please give me a pair of brown ones, size 44?"
Wu Sicheng's expression betrayed him. "You're going to buy it for me?" From a distance, he looked like a man in love, radiating affection in every way.
"Yeah, I bought it if it's comfortable to wear. You bought me a bunch of fabrics too. If it suits you, just buy it!" An Moxue said nonchalantly.
They are both well-off, and the key is that they are both fond of each other.
"Mo Xue, I've noticed that you only call me A-Cheng when there are other people around. When it's just the two of us, you always call me by my full name. Can I ask you for a favor?" He asked the last sentence cautiously.
An Moxue looked at him, puzzled. "What?"
"Can you keep calling me Cheng? I think it sounds better that way."
"Okay." It's just a name; she never fusses over trivial matters, especially since the two of them are already so familiar with each other.
The sales clerk brought over the leather shoes, which Wu Sicheng put on and looked at An Moxue, "How are they?"
"It looks good, I'll buy it."
Then she picked out a pair of black men's leather shoes from the counter and asked Wu Sicheng, "Is it alright to give these to the master?"
“Okay.” He was delighted to receive the leather shoes that An Moxue had specially chosen for him, so when he saw the leather shoes that An Moxue had chosen for her uncle, he was no longer as annoyed as he had been when he saw the fabric she had chosen for her uncle.
An Moxue secretly smiled from an angle that no one could see. Little brat, she's jealous too. But she's easy to appease; a pair of shoes and she's all smiles.
The two of them left the department store with bags and packages. An Moxue said, "I'm a little thirsty from shopping."
Wu Sicheng put the things in the car and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go buy you a bottle of soda."
He looked around and saw a stall selling soft drinks and ice cream at the entrance of the department store. It was summer, and there was a queue in front of the stall to buy ice cream.
When Wu Sicheng returned, he was carrying two bottles of orange-flavored soda and two skewers of creamy ice cream.
An Moxue first grabbed a bottle of soda, gulped it down in a few gulps, then grabbed an ice cream and slowly began to eat it.
Wu Sicheng sipped his soda slowly and deliberately, "Is this enough? If not, I'll go buy a few more bottles."
An Moxue said, "That's enough. It's really not cheap. A bottle of soda costs 15 cents, but how much does a steamed bun cost?"
Wu Sicheng looked at her with a smile and joked, "You even have to pay a dime for the bottle! If your men knew you were fretting about a bottle of soda, I wonder what they would think!"
"So what! It wouldn't be bad if it could always be like this. Aren't people strange? When things are ordinary, they crave excitement and drama, but after experiencing great storms, they think a simple life is just fine. Humans are never satisfied."
"That's human nature. We're always chasing after what we don't have, and rarely cherish what we already have. Only those few who know how to appreciate things will live well!"
Wu Sicheng saw that An Moxue had finished her ice cream, so he handed her another one. Then, he took the two empty bottles and went to get his deposit back.
When he returned, An Moxue said, "I suddenly have a craving for cold noodles from Xidamen."
He smiled indulgently, got into the car, and drove towards the West Gate.
Just after their car left, two people stood on the steps of a department store not far away. They looked in the direction the car had gone, and one of the women said, "Qing, I think I saw my Cheng. The car that just drove away, it looked like his."
Aqing asked, "Xiuyu, is Acheng back?"
"Yes, it's been a few days. He went home to say hello the day he came back, and then went home last night to get some remittance certificates. He left again, and I don't know what he's busy with. I haven't seen him since."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com