As the Chinese New Year was approaching,
Li Chuchu was about to go to the department store to buy some things for the New Year.
At this moment, the entrance of the department store was busier than ever. Inside the building, people were shoulder - to - shoulder and toe - to - toe. It was almost impossible to turn around.
Li Chuchu was being pushed forward by the crowd.
She had been invited by Luo Yingshu to come to the department store today. She wanted to buy some candies to entertain guests during the New Year.
Luo Yingshu, through her parents' connections, had found a cushy office job in the textile factory where her parents worked. The salary was decent, and with the monthly financial support from her parents, her life was easier than before.
"Hurry up, hurry up! I heard there are newly - arrived coffee candies and northern crispy candies today. Let's each buy two taels and take them back for them to have a taste!"
Luo Yingshu walked in the front, excitedly calling out to Li Chuchu.
Li Chuchu fell far behind and watched helplessly as she disappeared into the crowd.
She sighed,
and simply slowed down.
There were fewer people in the women's clothing section next to her. Li Chuchu moved closer and waited outside for Luo Yingshu.
"Jingqi, you've been in the military academy for such a long time. You must have improved a lot, right?" Yin Miao was carrying a small handbag and wearing a camel - colored coat. The expensive fabric made her look very delicate. She was casually picking out clothes in front of the showcase.
Her real intention was not what she showed.
These days, Duan Ruhai had been at home,
and the time they could spend together was very limited.
Li Chuchu glanced in that direction and almost didn't recognize Duan Jingqi.
So he had been away for so long to study in the military academy. He did look a bit more presentable, but she wondered how much of it was just for show.
Duan Jingqi looked at the colorful women's clothes around him and felt bored. Women always shopped for such uninteresting things. He thought he could use this time to...
When Yin Miao walked behind the clothes rack, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, he pinched Yin Miao's buttocks. "As you said, Mom. How could I not improve?"
Yin Miao blushed and glanced at him. "Stop it. What if someone sees us?"
A woman nearly forty years old actually looked a bit shy.
Duan Jingqi felt secretly delighted and squeezed harder.
He knew this woman's true nature all too well. Just a few days ago, as soon as he got home and hadn't even had time to change his shoes, she had pestered him in his father's study.
They were like two rotten apples stuck together.
On the outside, they both looked decent and shiny, even emitting an alluring fragrance. In fact, the cores had already rotted and were full of maggots.
Their two rotten parts just happened to fit together.
Duan Jingqi felt that no one in the world could be more compatible with him than Yin Miao.
Li Chuchu happened to see their blatant actions.
Although the book had described their affair in an ambiguous way with a lot of risqué details, as a mere passer - by in the story, the sight was quite shocking.
She silently withdrew her gaze and looked elsewhere.
After a while,
the candy shelves were overcrowded. Li Chuchu even wondered if Luo Yingshu was trapped inside and couldn't get out.
The sound of boots hitting the ground came from behind.
"Li Chuchu?"
Duan Jingqi had just seen the back of that woman at the counter and thought it looked quite nice. He had unconsciously taken a few more glances, and unexpectedly, it was Li Chuchu.
Li Chuchu replied with a fake smile and took a step aside.
Yin Miao, who had finished paying, walked over.
When she saw Li Chuchu's face, her delicate eyebrows frowned slightly. She walked up to Duan Jingqi in her high - heels. "Is this your friend, Jingqi?"
Her address was so sticky that it seemed to drip.
The look in her eyes when she looked at Li Chuchu was full of hostility. Any young woman who appeared beside Duan Jingqi made her feel threatened.
And Li Chuchu's looks were enough to make her extremely vigilant.
Li Chuchu didn't even know when she had become such a threat.
Duan Jingqi paused for a moment. "This is Li Chuchu, my... friend."
Yin Miao showed an expression of sudden realization on her face. "So that's it. Li Chuchu, hello. I'm Duan Jingqi's mother." Her tone of announcing her identity was like a demonstration.
Li Chuchu: …
"Really? You look quite young. You don't look like Duan Jingqi's mother. You look like his sister."
"Really? Thank you. Many people have said so."
Yin Miao covered her mouth and laughed. "What are you doing here? Shopping?"
Li Chuchu: "I'm waiting for my friend."
Duan Jingqi felt a tightness in his heart.
Had she been here all this time?
He turned his head and looked in the direction of the shelves, and found that from here, one could just see where he and Yin Miao had been standing.
His mood became even more tense.
This couldn't be seen by others.
Would Li Chuchu go around spreading the news?
He stared intently at Li Chuchu, trying to find some clues from her expression.
Yin Miao chatted casually with Li Chuchu for a few words, then turned to Duan Jingqi with a smile and said, "Your father is still waiting for us at home. Let's go quickly." Due to a woman's sixth sense, she didn't want Duan Jingqi to have too much contact with such a woman, so she urged him to leave.
Duan Jingqi seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted by Yin Miao.
Unexpectedly,
the next second,
there was a slight itching sensation in his palm.
The blood vessels in the palm were connected to the heart, and this itching sensation instantly spread to his heart.
This was a little trick Yin Miao often used to attract his attention.
But this scene happened right under Li Chuchu's calm eyes. The string in Duan Jingqi's heart tightened. He nervously moved his hand away.
"Let's go."
Yin Miao looked back at him but didn't say a word.
…
After they left,
after another while,
Luo Yingshu finally squeezed out of the crowd.
She was chattering and full of vitality, complaining non - stop in Li Chuchu's ear. "Oh, you don't know how many people there were. The people in front of the queue bought so much. They wanted one tael of each kind of candy. Fortunately, the girl at the counter had quick hands. I've never seen a girl who can pack so well. She alone is as good as several people..."
She took out two paper bags from the big bag in her hand. "By the way, I didn't see you inside. I was afraid you couldn't get in, so I bought two taels of crispy candies and two taels of fruit candies for you."
Li Chuchu took the candies. "Thank you. How much are they? I'll give it to you later."
Luo Yingshu smiled at her.
"I charge others for helping them buy things, but not for you. It's just a little something. Consider it a treat for you."
Li Chuchu smiled.
When Luo Yingshu wasn't being bad, she was actually quite nice.
They discussed going to look at thermos flasks. Li Chuchu's family didn't have a thermos flask, and one of Luo Yingshu's family's thermos flasks had been broken by Xiaohu. Now that the weather was cold, they were worried about not having something to store heat.
Just as they reached the downstairs,
Luo Yingshu looked at the entrance a few times with a strange look on her face. Just as Li Chuchu was about to follow her gaze,
Luo Yingshu covered her eyes and didn't let her look.