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Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Professor Qu has high expectations of you!
"Second brother, I always knew you and our eldest brother loved me the most." Si Xiaohui couldn’t contain her elation, she knew her brothers wouldn’t ask her to earn her keep, but a dowry was something she hadn’t even dared to dream of.
In the countryside, a daughter’s wedding without asking for a dowry was already a sign of understanding parents, let alone a dowry.
Further more, some traditional parents prioritise sons over daughters, even going to the extent of exchanging their daughters’ marriages for their sons. The conditions in their home, with parents in good health, were quite different. It was already kind of her two brothers not to ask for her salary, there was no way she could be presumptuous enough to expect a dowry!
The concept of a dowry didn’t even exist in Si Xiaohui’s thinking. Hearing it now from her second brother felt like she had been struck square in the face with a giant pancake.
Leaving aside whether this promise could be fulfilled, the mere fact her second brother mentioned it, showed her that her two brothers loved her the most.
Si Boyi regains his senses from the excitement of planning their future home and chuckles, "Don’t get your hopes too high. Only if your elder brother and I become successful can we afford a dowry. If we don’t, we will have trouble sustaining ourselves, let alone providing a dowry. We don’t yet know how our futures will shape up."
Si Xiaohui pouts, "I don’t know how you will fare, but I know Elder Brother will definitely do well."
It’s always like this. Initially, she hadn’t even thought about it, but now that it has been promised she can’t help but keep thinking about it. Imagine how much face it would give her if her two brothers really provide a dowry!
"Obviously." Si Boyi doesn’t take offense at Si Xiaohui’s words. The elder brother is indeed more capable than he is and he is happy for his elder brother’s success.
The elder brother always thinks of them, intending to share his prosperity with them. Isn’t that why he brought them to the city?
He even has plans to build a house for the family, proving wrong the villagers’ gossip that once married and settled, he would no longer wish to return to their rural village.
Despite the scorching summer heat causing him to break out into a sweat, Si Boyi felt as comfortable as if a cool breeze had just blown over him in the early spring.
...
On the other side.
Tong Yao had originally planned to wait for Si Chen to come back, lure him with her charms and make something happen before falling asleep, in a bid to win him over. However, before Si Chen could return, she found herself spread-eagled and fast asleep, snoring like a piglet.
When she wakes up, the daylight has already spilled in. Si Chen is dressed and ready. Seeing her rubbing her eyes awake, he says quietly, "I bought breakfast and put it on the table. You can eat and then go shopping with Xiaohui."
Tong Yao glances at the clock on the wall. It’s only half past six, "Why are you up so early?" She fell asleep last night without even knowing when Si Chen returned...
"Professor Qu hasn’t left yet. I have to go to the hotel to pick them up." Si Chen walks over to the bed, bends down to tidy up Tong Yao’s shoes, moving as if he had done this many times before.
"You’re going to pick them up?" Tong Yao finds this odd and raises an eyebrow, "Doesn’t your hospital have someone specific to receive Professor Qu?"
If it’s not arranged, shouldn’t the Dean engage with Professor Qu directly?
Why would they assign Si Chen to pick him up? Are they planning on developing Si Chen as a key talent?
That seems unlikely! No matter how magnanimous Yu Zhengxiong is, he wouldn’t cultivate Si Chen at this time. If anything, Si Jun would be the priority as he’s the one being considered as his future son-in-law.
"Professor Qu requested for me specifically." Si Chen’s eyes turned complex as he pondered something.
"Oh, Professor Qu really thinks highly of you!" Tong Yao puts on her shoes, hops off the bed, and seeing that Si Chen is ready, says, "You better hurry up! Work comes first. I’ll grab something to eat and then head out to find Xiaohui."
After sending Si Chen off, Tong Yao quickly gets ready and goes to find Si Xiaohui. She takes Si Boyi out to buy some daily necessities. When it’s time to pay, Si Boyi insists on paying and adamantly refuses to let Tong Yao spend any money, not even for new clothes.
"Sister-in-law, I already have two sets of clothes to wear, I don’t need to buy anymore. Besides, Xiaohui and I are already causing you trouble by living in the city, we can’t let you spend so much more money on us. You guys work hard to earn money. We’re not kids anymore, we can’t keep using your money."
Tong Yao hands him a set of clothes, saying crisply, "I’m buying your work clothes. You’ll need to wear work clothes at the milk tea shop. It makes the shop look professional. We would need to provide it even if we were hiring other people. So don’t feel burdened, go try it on."
It’s true that Si Boyi has two sets of clothes to wear, but both are so worn and faded from years of use that they are not visually appealing. As a service worker in the food industry, it’s important to dress neatly and cleanly.
Some things can’t be said directly as they might impact Si Boyi’s self-esteem.
"Second brother, you should try it on!" Si Xiaohui nudges him towards the fitting room, "I wear work clothes that sister-in-law bought too. When we sell things in the shop in the future, we should dress formally to match the elegant atmosphere of the shop."
"Well... alright then!"
Si Boyi clumsily enters the fitting room with his new clothes. He takes so long that Si Xiaohui grows impatient and hastens him several times before he emerges.
"Second brother, hurry up. Look at the time, we still need to buy kitchen supplies later. Even a bride getting ready for her wedding isn’t as slow as you!"
With Si Xiaohui’s incessant persuasions, Si Boyi finally steps out of the fitting room, his face flushed with shyness.
"This outfit doesn’t suit me."
He has never in his life worn white clothes. This shirt, as white as snowflake and as soft as cotton, certainly wasn’t cheap. It would be a waste to wear it.
But Si Xiaohui shrieks with joy, as though she has stumbled upon a treasure, "Second brother, you look so good in this outfit! You’re just like a prince in those TV dramas, sister-in-law has such good taste!"
If her second brother had dressed like this earlier, she wouldn’t have been embarrassed to walk with him. He’s tall and well built, looking presentable in anything he wears.
"It does look good." Tong Yao glances at Si Boyi from top to bottom, causing Si Boyi to stiffen, as though turned into a block of wood, unable to move an inch.
"We’ll take this outfit." Tong Yao points to a striped blue and white short sleeve hanging on the wall, "Madam, can you find one of these in his size for him to try?"
"Miss, you have a good eye. This piece is our best seller. We can sell up to five to six sets in a month, on average one to two sets per day." Shopkeepers typically have a keen eye and can tell that Tong Yao is not only capable of making high-end purchases but is also decisive. The shopkeeper happily looks for Si Boyi’s size, casually flattering Tong Yao in the process.
"This set just seems..."
"Second brother, why are you acting like a woman and being so fussy. Hurry up and try this one on."
Si Xiaohui takes the outfit from the shopkeeper’s hand and stuffs it into Si Boyi’s arms, not giving him the chance to refuse. She then pushes him back into the fitting room.
