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Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Can You Afford to Pay if You Dirty it?
As long as she dressed herself up and got along well with Si Weimin during this period, love might grow over time, as it had for them in the past?
Si Weimin was currently willing to take care of her and her daughter and stand up for them, which showed his sense of responsibility. As long as she seized the opportunity, Si Weimin would eventually compromise.
Once her thoughts were sorted, Lin Fengying rose very early in the morning and went shopping with Si Xiaohui as soon as they finished eating. She wanted to buy two decent outfits and buy two sets of underwear for her daughter, after all, wasn’t it said that city dwellers wear this?
She decided to give it a try.
On the street, Lin Fengying was attracted by a black cotton dress. Who knew that the moment she touched the dress, the boss lady would come over and rudely say,
"Don’t touch it if you aren’t buying it. Can you afford to pay for it if you make it dirty?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaohui, who was walking behind Lin Fengying, flared up and retorted, "Who do you think you’re looking down on? It’s just a shabby dress! Do you think it’s made of gold?"
"Oh! So you two are together?"
When Lin Fengying first entered alone, the shop owner noticed that she was poorly dressed and assumed she couldn’t afford such expensive clothes, hence her rude words. But when she caught sight of Si Xiaohui trailing behind, her attitude immediately changed and she happily said,
"Don’t be mad, I saw her dressed like this and thought she wasn’t really here to buy clothes. You can try on any clothes you want, and we can negotiate the price if you really want to buy something."
Lin Fengying’s face turned red with embarrassment, she wished she could just disappear into the ground.
She was wearing a cotton padded jacket she had made by hand. It might look bulky and unattractive, but it was warm. People in their rural area all dressed like this. To avoid soiling the cotton padded jacket, she wore a gray coat over it.
She had been wearing this coat for five or six years and was reluctant to throw it away. Even though she had sewn a couple of large patches on the sleeves and shoulders, it wasn’t dirty. Everyone in the countryside dressed this way! Wearing clothes until they needed a patch or two was common, so why was it that coming to the city made her feel looked down upon?
What does dressing well prove?
"This woman judges people by their clothes, Mom, let’s leave." Si Xiaohui glared at the boss lady, took Lin Fengying by the arm, and walked off, fuming with anger.
Once they were out the door, Si Xiaohui gripped Lin Fengying clothes and started to berate her loudly, "Mom, I told you before we left the house, my brother-in-law gave you so much money, why are you so unwilling to buy some decent clothes? Look at you! You look like a beggar! It’s embarrassing to walk around in public dressed like that, aren’t you ashamed? I’ve been in Kyoto for so long, and I’ve never been looked down upon like this. You’ve completely ruined my reputation!"
She was almost too ashamed to admit in front of others that this woman was her mother. It was just too embarrassing.
Lin Fengying was already quite embarrassed, but being lectured by her daughter made her rather defensive. "If you think I embarrass you, then just pretend you don’t have a mother like me! In our countryside, everyone dresses like this. As long as you don’t steal and rob, it doesn’t matter what you wear."
"Stop bringing up being from the countryside! You’re here in the city now, you need to keep up with city ways." Si Xiaohui hated it when people mentioned being from the countryside. In front of others, she always claimed she was from Kyoto itself, "Now that my uncle is a big boss, how would you make him feel if you went out with him and people mentioned this?"
That one comment stopped Lin Fengying in her tracks. She seemed to understand why Si Weimin was reluctant to be with her.
Kyoto was not like the countryside, apart from feeding yourself and dressing warmly, your appearance mattered as well.
Seeing that her mother was turning pale, Si Xiaohui felt a bit sorry for her and softened her tone, "Never mind, let’s go and buy some clothes! I don’t believe that having money will prevent us from buying clothes. That woman is just looking down on people. We won’t buy anything from here that’s all."
To avoid another public embarrassment, they simply picked out an appropriate outfit for Lin Fengying to wear and threw away her old clothes in the trash.
Though initially hesitant to part with her old clothes, that shop owner’s attitude hardened Lin Fengying’s resolve to move on.
Si Xiaohui bought Lin Fengying two new outfits and two pairs of new shoes. Lin Fengying was completely transformed, from the inside out.
On their way out of the mall, Si Xiaohui reminded her again, "Whenever someone asks where you’re from, don’t tell them you’re from the countryside. Say you’re from Li City, and that our family owns a chain of bubble tea shops and everyone in our family is a business person."
"What does our profession have to do with anyone else?" Lin Fengying didn’t understand the point of saying this. "We’re from wherever we’re from. Being a farmer isn’t shameful. The food these city folks eat is grown by farmers, isn’t it?"
"It’s not the same. Just say what I told you to say. That’s how I always tell people. If you let it slip that we’re from the countryside, won’t people think I’m a liar? Besides, I’m not really lying. Aren’t we planning to live in Kyoto from now on? Living in the city makes us city dwellers."
Having lived in Kyoto for so long, Si Xiaohui had noticed that people treated her differently once she told them she was from the city. Their eyes filled with envy when they looked at her.
She enjoyed this feeling immensely.
"Xiaohui, what you’re doing is not right..." Lin Fengying was about to admonish her daughter when she suddenly heard someone calling her name from behind. She turned around to see Lin Man approaching.
"Xiaohui, Aunt Lin." Lin Man greeted them warmly with a smile, "How lucky, you’re also out shopping! Aunt Lin, when did you come to Kyoto? No wonder I couldn’t reach you when I called. "
Before Lin Fengying could respond, she went on to compliment, "Aunt Lin, you look so beautiful now, I almost didn’t recognize you."
Being praised as beautiful left Lin Fengying feeling very happy, "I arrived the day before yesterday. I was just discussing with Xiaohui this morning about asking you to hang out with us."
Hearing this, Lin Man turned to Xiaohui and said with concern, "Xiaohui, why didn’t you tell me that you were moving out! I was quite busy those days, but when I finally had some free time and found a job for you, I was told you had moved out. I was worried about you for a long time."
Si Xiaohui had initially been somewhat upset with Lin Man for neglecting her during that period, but after hearing her explanation, she immediately understood and let it go.
"After my uncle got divorced, I moved back in with him and I don’t have to work any more. My uncle said that after New Year he’ll start a bubble tea shop for me to run, so I’ll be my own boss." Si Xiaohui said, full of pride and a sense of superiority.
"That’s really good." Lin Man pretended to look delighted, and echoed Xiaohui’s sentiment, "I also think you’re suited to being a boss. You know how to make bubble tea, you have the skills, it’s beneath you to work for others. After you open your bubble tea shop, I will definitely be a regular customer there."
