Chapter 17 Dress Up

These words really touched Li Dongmei's heart.

Old Xia has been working for so many years but he is only getting a second-level salary. Those who joined the company at the same time as him, some of the better ones, have already received levels six or seven.

If the man was more motivated, would she have to act like a shrew every day, arguing with others for a few cents?

Li Dongmei looked at the mirror with a droopy face and said quietly, "What can I do? This is my fate."

Xia Lanlan said to the mirror: "Mom, you should smile more."

Li Dongmei didn't know why, but she still smiled obediently.

Xia Zhizhi was complimenting him against her conscience: "Look at how beautiful you are when you smile, just like an actor in a movie. People always say that people who love to smile are not too unlucky. Dad, you can't be blamed. You dress up beautifully every day and smile to everyone. If the leader sees you smiling every day, he might be willing to promote you."

"Really?" Li Dongmei blushed, "But I don't know how to dress up."

"What's the big deal?" Xia Zhizhi waved her hand and said, "Mom, I am your little cotton-padded jacket. Starting tomorrow, let Lanlan and Fangfang learn to do the housework. When you are done washing up, come to my room and I will help you dress up. After a few days, you will be able to do it yourself."

Li Dongmei was a little worried that the two of them wouldn't be able to do it.

Xia Zhizhi advised: "Mom, if you keep your son, you will kill him. They can't do anything. When they get married, their in-laws will hate them to death."

That's true.

It would be good for the two little daughters to learn how to do it, as girls have to learn it eventually. Li Dongmei herself really didn't want to do it anymore.

Xia Zhizhi said again: "Mom, you see, I only have this set of clothes. I have worn it for such a long time. Sometimes I can't dry them after washing. It's really inconvenient. Give me some money and I will buy another set."

Li Dongmei was confused: "Why don't you just wear this outfit for now? We don't have any cloth coupons left at home."

"How can I wear just this one set of clothes?" Xia Zhizhi said unhappily, "What if it gets worn out? You can buy me another set next time. Wouldn't that mean I need to buy two sets at once? That's not even worth it. As for the ticket, don't worry. My classmate has asked me to change it."

Seeing that Li Dongmei was still reluctant, Xia Zhizhi continued, "Mom, you are not like planting crops and applying fertilizers. The seeds are planted in the ground. You have to apply fertilizers and weed frequently so that you can have a good harvest. I dress up beautifully. When I get married and take control of the Lu family's finances, these 100 or 80 yuan will be nothing to you. I will buy you new clothes every month, and those nagging wives upstairs and downstairs will envy you to death!"

"Then when I spend some money on clothes, it's not for myself, isn't it all for our family?"

Li Dongmei had no choice but to take out her handkerchief again. Xia Zhizhi snatched 60 yuan from her. Seeing his distressed look, she said, "I have to pay for the ticket exchange, too. Okay, okay, you can get out now."

Then he called out to Xia Lanlan, "Have you finished cleaning the house? The water on the stove should be hot now. Pour me a basin. I want to wash my face and feet."

Xia Lanlan was not happy, so Xia Zhizhi went up and gave her a big slap.

It was the first time that Xia Ruhai and Xia Jianguo saw this kind of scene. They looked unhappy and wanted to say something.

Xia Zhizhi pointed at them and scolded them, "You sneaky bastards, you can't even pour water in a basin, you can't even do such a small thing, when you get married, how can you please your parents-in-law and your husband? If they are not happy, how can you get money? If you can't get money, how can you buy things to honor our parents and our eldest brother? Will you go back to your parents' home empty-handed with a flattering face?"

When Xia Ruhai and Xia Jianguo heard this, they shut up knowingly. It seemed to make sense, and they weren't the ones getting beaten anyway, so they just pretended they didn't see it.

Xia Lanlan covered her face and looked at the family. No one spoke for her. She couldn't hold back her tears and they fell in big drops.

"What a useless thing!" Xia Zhizhi cursed, and then said to Xia Fangfang, "Go pour it for me."

Xia Fangfang quickly went to her room and took out her newly bought enamel basin, poured water for her, tested the water temperature, put a towel in it, brought it to her, and moved a small stool for her.

Xia Zhizhi praised him, "He's a smart one, much better than that stupid Xia Lanlan. He will definitely be more successful than her in the future. Go check if there's enough water in the pot. If there is, pour a basin of water for our dad."

Xia Fangfang quickly poured a basin for her father and also provided a towel and soap. Xia Ruhai... Xia Ruhai felt pretty good.

After Xia Zhizhi finished washing her feet, Xia Fangfang poured out the water. Xia Zhizhi expressed her strong affirmation and passed on her pair of blue hairpins to her.

Xia Fangfang happily went to bed with the pair of hair flowers in her arms.

Xia Lanlan stared at the ceiling unwillingly and cursed her: "You lackey!"

She didn't care and turned over, falling asleep with her back to her.

The next day, Xia Fangfang got up early in the morning to comb her hair and put on her new hairpin, while Xia Lanlan bit her silver teeth to pieces.

After being slapped for several days in a row, she finally realized that things were done and she couldn't resist, so she could only lie down and enjoy it. So she adjusted her mindset and resigned herself to learning how to do housework.

Unfortunately, although she started to do things later, Xia Zhizhi would beat her if she did something wrong. She sobbed and felt aggrieved, and felt like the cabbage in the field.

Xia Zhizhi hit her just for fun and didn't take it to heart at all.

I was extremely happy every day. After school, I strolled around Yang City and used my mental power to scan whether there were any cellars and hidden treasures.

If it was in someone else's yard, she wouldn't move; if it was in an abandoned house, she would accept it with a smile. Occasionally she would get something, but not much. What mattered was the fun of the treasure hunt; the result was not that important.

During the period, she also discovered several small black markets, which were not as big as the one in the park, and one of them was too close to her home, so she did not go in to mix.

By the weekend, she packed up a bag of things from her space and prepared to exchange them for money.

They are: 10 large square scarves with small tassels on the edges, in gourd colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) (search for square scarves for middle-aged and elderly people on Pinxixi, price 4.5), 20 combs with plastic handles, also in gourd colors, 6 pairs of plum blossom watches for men and women, and 100 velvet hair bands in gourd colors.

I took the bus to Liulichang, changed my clothes, and went to the black market with my bag on my back.

This little stuff made her large cross-body bag bulge out, and she walked into the small yard of the black market next to the park like she knew the way.

Uncle De was talking to someone. When he saw her, he said something to that person, then asked his younger brother to take him into the house and went to greet Xia Zhizhi.

His old face was wrinkled with laughter. "Hey, little brother, you finally remembered me, your brother. What good things did you bring today?"

"I've been a bit busy these past two days. So I came to see you right after I finished my work." Xia Zhizhi handed him the prepared samples.

A red headscarf contained several chemical combs, some hair ties, and a pair of watches.

It looks like he's going to someone's house to propose marriage.