Xiao Jingcheng stopped in front of a tailor shop and proposed to buy a new set of clothes.
Ye Wanmian didn't refuse this time and readily agreed.
"Brother Jing, just pick whatever you like. There really aren't many more clothes at home for you to change into," she said with a smile.
With that IOU, she wouldn't say a word even if he bought a hundred sets of clothes, let alone just one.
Seeing her beaming and changing her previous cold and hostile attitude towards him, Xiao Jingcheng gritted his back teeth.
She was really obsessed with money. No wonder she was so nice to Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang but treated him so differently!
Suppressing the strange and sour feeling in his heart, he walked into the tailor shop and started looking around.
After a quick look, Xiao Jingcheng frowned tightly.
The clothes in this shop were much better than those in the shop Ye Wanmian had casually walked into before. The fabric and workmanship were also much more delicate, but they still couldn't compare with the silks and satins in the capital.
Moreover, the colors were too dull, and wearing them would probably make one look older.
For some reason, the image of Mo Zhizhang in his green and elegant clothes and his handsome and refined face flashed through Xiao Jingcheng's mind.
He couldn't be outshone by that sudden pretty boy.
A strange sense of competitiveness welled up in Xiao Jingcheng's heart. He said to the shopkeeper, "Do you only have these clothes? Do you have any of higher quality? Show them to me."
Hearing this, Ye Wanmian moved her lips, wanting to remind him that this was just a small town and the shops here served ordinary people. It was unlikely that any shop here could meet his picky requirements.
The shopkeeper also looked embarrassed. "We only have clothes of this quality in our shop. There's a cloth shop not far away. The fabric there is a bit better. If you need it, sir, you can go there to get a custom - made suit."
Custom - making would take too long, and Xiao Jingcheng wanted to change out of his fish - smelling clothes immediately.
Seeing Ye Wanmian behind him, the shopkeeper kindly said, "Sir, if you're having trouble making a choice, you can ask your wife to give you some advice."
Two pairs of eyes turned towards each other, and they said in unison:
"I'm not his wife!"
"Sure!"
Ye Wanmian glared angrily at Xiao Jingcheng. "Don't talk nonsense. I have nothing to do with you—"
Xiao Jingcheng turned around and sighed. "Fine, you never want to admit our relationship in public."
Ye Wanmian resisted the urge to kick him, threw the money bag at him, and stormed out in a huff.
The shopkeeper showed an expression of "I understand" and said with a smile, "Women are thin - skinned. But I can tell that you two have a good relationship."
The shopkeeper's mistake of taking Ye Wanmian as his wife made Xiao Jingcheng very happy. He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? How can you tell that we have a good relationship? She dislikes me so much."
The shopkeeper looked at Ye Wanmian outside with her back to them, leaned over, and lowered his voice. "A woman only gets angry with a man when she cares about him. That's because she has expectations of you."
This statement sounded very fresh to Xiao Jingcheng.
"How so?"
"Think about it. If she scolds and beats you, it must be because you've done something wrong," the shopkeeper said like an experienced person. "It's probably because you haven't cared about her feelings, you haven't been gentle with her, and you haven't made her feel the happiness of being a wife."
"If one day she doesn't even want to scold you, it means she's completely given up on you and won't give you any more chances. Then you have to be careful."
Xiao Jingcheng pondered this.
So that's how it is.
He couldn't help but think of his mother and father.
His mother was extremely cold to his father. No matter how much his father doted on the concubines and Xiao Yixuan, his mother remained indifferent. Instead, she was very strict with him and often scolded and punished him for failing to meet the goals she set.
In this regard, his mother had expectations of him, but towards his father...
She had already given up.
And Ye Wanmian was still willing to argue with him, beat and kick him. Did it mean she didn't really dislike him?
Combined with what Li Zhao had said to Ye Wanmian today, Xiao Jingcheng suddenly had an epiphany and was overjoyed.
He pointed to a dark - blue suit, a gray suit, and a vermilion suit on the shelf and said, "Bring these three for me to try."
The shopkeeper beamed and immediately said, "Sure, sir!"
These three sets of clothes were all personally selected by Xiao Jingcheng, so they fit him perfectly. Except that the fabric was a bit rough and uncomfortable to wear, there were no other problems.
He kept the vermilion one and changed into it immediately, finally getting rid of the old fish - smelling clothes.
Looking at the ragged clothes in his hand with some disgust, he originally wanted the shopkeeper to dispose of them for him, but for some reason, he finally asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up separately.
The three new sets of clothes cost a total of 130 copper coins. Most of the copper coins in the money bag were gone. Xiao Jingcheng could already imagine how Ye Wanmian's face would wrinkle when she learned the price.
Hearing the familiar footsteps behind her, Ye Wanmian thought of Xiao Jingcheng, that money - guzzler, spending a lot of her money again. She turned around with a gloomy face, and then was instantly stunned.
The vermilion clothes were of ordinary style and had no complicated patterns. Any random person on the street might be wearing something like this.
But this simple style looked eye - catching on Xiao Jingcheng. He specially used wristbands to tie up his cuffs, making his arms look long and strong. The black waistband complemented the vermilion clothes, tightly cinching his waist and making him look even taller, more upright, noble, and unruly.
When he stepped down the steps and the hem of his clothes fluttered with his steps, it added a sense of casualness and elegance to him.
Looking up, a sallow face came into view. The man's eyebrows were sharp and cold. He clearly had a handsome appearance, but that mole made of some unknown material ruined his whole face. Especially the hair on the mole that trembled slightly as he walked.
Ye Wanmian coughed a couple of times and quickly averted her eyes, barely suppressing the laughter welling up in her heart.
She had to admit that this mole had been made just right at that time. She almost got deceived by his outfit!
This man really had a good appearance, but his personality was really annoying. Humph!
Xiao Jingcheng noticed Ye Wanmian's gaze and stared intently at her expression. Seeing that there was no trace of strangeness on her face and that she turned away expressionlessly, he couldn't help but look down at himself.
The shopkeeper clearly said that he looked suave and handsome in this outfit. Why was she so indifferent?
However, thinking of what the shopkeeper had just said, Xiao Jingcheng's mood wasn't affected.
Fine. Maybe she was really shy and didn't dare to express her admiration for him.