After Xiao Lingyu and Xiao Lingye got off the bus, they separated from the villagers of Taoyuan Village and visited a few clothing stores at Xing An Town.
When Xiao Lingyu saw the clothes on offer, she frowned. The clothes were expensive, and their quality was poor. They might as well come from the roadside stall. However, Xiao Lingyu understood that perhaps the clothes did come from the same stock as the roadside stalls. The clothes looked better and thus pricier hanging inside shops.
Xiao Lingyu frequented a few shops, and nothing caught her attention. Xiao Lingyu decided to bring Xiao Lingye to Xing Yin county town to make the purchases. Xiao Lingye was unwilling. He said, “Sis, the clothes at the county town will be so expensive. We’ll just pick the ones sold at the roadside stalls. There’s no need to go to the county town to buy them.”
Xiao Lingye studied in the county town, so he knew everything there was expensive. Even the smallest piece of clothing could easily exceed 100 RMB.
Xiao Lingyu disagreed. “Why should we waste time on the roadside stall’s merchandise? You should know their quality. Yes, they are cheap, but they will be torn with a simple pull. You like to play basketball. Have you wondered what would happen if your clothes shred when you are on the field? Won’t you be embarrassed?”
Xiao Lingye’s face turned red. Actually, that had happened before. He immediately took off his shirt when he noticed the tearing sound. The others assumed he was hot and didn’t ask much. Thankfully, it was not his shorts that tore open.
Xiao Lingye relented. He obediently followed his sister on the bus to bring them to the county town.
It would take around 20 minutes to go from Taoyuan Village to Xing An Town, and it would take another 30 minutes to go from Xing An Town to Xing Yin County City by bus. The last bus of the day ran at 6.30 pm. Therefore, they didn’t worry about missing the bus.
When they arrived, Xiao Lingyu dragged Xiao Lingye to a boutique. She looked around and bought Xiao Lingye two sets of clothes. When Xiao Lingye tried out the new clothes, Xiao Lingyu rested her chin on one hand as she studied her brother. She nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad. My little brother looks even more handsome. You’ll definitely be able to charm many girls.”
This was a shirt with red and white stripes. Xiao Lingye was already fair and handsome. The new clothes made him look even more dashing.
Xiao Lingye was embarrassed by his sister. He called out helplessly, “Sis!” The moment he did, two girls outside the boutique looked over, “Hey, isn’t that Mr. Xiao?”
The other girl stuck her head out, and she nodded, “You’re right.”
“Let’s go say hi to him!”
Xiao Lingye was handsome and clever. He was loved by many at school. He was adored and pursued by many girls. Xiao Lingye rejected all of them, using his study as an excuse.
“Mr. Xiao!”
“Mr. Xiao!”
Xiao Lingye, who was about to change his clothes, heard the two girls. His hand paused. Then, he smiled warmly at the two girls. “Miss Zeng, Miss Lai!”
“This is such a coincidence!” The two girls saw Xiao Lingye in his new clothes and their eyes lit up. They exclaimed, “You look so handsome!”
Xiao Lingyu found the two girls to be cute and funny. She asked with a smile, “Are you Ye ‘Er’s classmates?”
The two girls were startled. They turned and were puzzled when they saw the young woman in glasses.
Miss Zeng nodded. “Yes, and you are…”
‘She came to buy clothes with Xiao Lingye. Could she be Xiao Lingye’s girlfriend?’ Miss Zeng felt quite sour because she liked Xiao Lingye.
Xiao Lingyu explained, “Oh, right. I’m Xiao Lingye’s big sister. Have you girls eaten anything? How about I treat you?”
“Big Sister?!” The two girls were shocked again. They immediately felt apologetic for their rudeness. “We’re so sorry!”
Xiao Lingyu shook her head. “It’s alright. Ye ‘Er, grab the stuff. I’ll treat you and your two friends!”
Xiao Lingye didn’t want to share a meal with these two girls, but since Xiao Lingyu had made the offer, there was nothing he could do. He picked up the new clothes and followed his sister silently.
Xiao Lingyu studied at County One High School in the past, so she was very familiar with the county town. The county town had developed over the years but not to the point where she couldn’t recognize it anymore.
When Xiao Lingyu was in high school, she was very frugal. She didn’t often go out to eat. She took care of her meals in the canteen. The food in the canteen was cheap. A full course meal only cost 30 cents. However, a meal at a restaurant outside could easily cost 10 RMB. She couldn’t bear to waste.
However, after her rebirth, Xiao Lingyu understood the importance of enjoying fun when she had the time!
The two girls sat down in a restaurant situated inside an alley. They looked around curiously and asked, “Sister Xiao, how did you know there’s a restaurant here? We don’t even know this place.”
Xiao Lingye explained, “My sister studied here for three years. She knows all nooks and crannies of this county town.”
The two female students were immediately curious. “Sister Xiao, you studied at the county town? Which high school?”
Xing Yin County had five high schools. County One was the best, followed by County Two, so on and so forth.
“County One High School.” Xiao Lingye was especially proud. “Back then, my sister was the top scholar in liberal arts.” His sister was his role model.
The two girls had stars in their eyes. “Wow, Sister Xiao is so awesome!” They only wished to get into second-rate universities. They wouldn’t dare dream of being the top-scorer.
“You girls are awesome too!” Xiao Lingyu said with a smile, “The university entrance exam is coming up soon. Remember to do your best!”
The two girls’ faces fell when they heard university entrance exam. They sighed, “We don’t need to worry if we’re as clever as Mr. Xiao.”
Xiao Lingyu did not say anything. She listened to the two girls talk about how nervous they were about the exam, how their families were forcing them to study, and so on. Xiao Lingyu was a good listener. She gave some advice here and there.
After lunch, Xiao Lingye carried his new clothes and departed for school with his two classmates.
Xiao Lingyu decided to go to the seed station. When she arrived, a staff member was lying on the desk playing with her cell phone.
When she heard someone enter, she only raised her eyes slightly before turning back to her phone.