The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 187 - 186: Pack It Up for Little Aunt

After two days, Xue Yue asked Daya again. Daya said the person from next door hadn’t come back, but Aunt Ge would go over to visit.

It wasn’t her business, as long as the trouble wasn’t brought to her home. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

One day, Li Wanqing went out shopping with a friend.

"I heard a new clothing store opened up in the city district. I think it’s called ’Fashion Woman’ or something. The clothes are supposed to be gorgeous, and their shoes and accessories are great too. Everyone’s shopping there. Just yesterday, Minister Liu’s wife was wearing an outfit from that store, and everyone was showering her with compliments. You should have seen how pleased she was! Why don’t we go check it out?"

Li Wanqing nodded. "Fine, let’s go. How great can it be? I doubt it can compare to what they have at the Friendship Store."

"Oh, come on. What’s the fun in always going to the Friendship Store? Let’s go check this place out today."

When Li Wanqing and Mrs. Guo pushed open the door, they were instantly dazzled by the shop’s interior. She had never seen a store like this before.

Guan Wenwen saw them enter and warmly approached to greet them. "Are you ladies here to look at some clothes? Everything in our shop is the latest style. They’re very fashionable. If you see anything you like, you’re welcome to try it on. We have fitting rooms!"

Li Wanqing’s eyes swept across the store, and several outfits immediately caught her fancy. But when she thought about the money she had on her, she worried it wouldn’t be enough. Still, she pointed to a blue maxi dress on the wall, which was paired with a short, white, thin-knit cardigan. "Please get that one down for me. I’d like to take a look."

Guan Wenwen took it down for her. Li Wanqing held the outfit up to herself in front of a mirror and nodded, satisfied.

It made her skin look fairer and made her look younger.

"How much is this set?"

Guan Wenwen showed her the price tag on the garment. "Ma’am, the dress is sixty-nine ninety, and the cardigan is forty-nine ninety."

Li Wanqing asked in surprise, "It’s not a set?"

Guan Wenwen replied with a smile, "No, it’s not. We just paired them together for display. You can buy them separately or as a complete outfit."

Li Wanqing looked at the clothes in her hand. She desperately wanted to buy them, but she hadn’t brought enough money.

Mrs. Guo, who had come in with Li Wanqing, had also found several outfits she liked. Without even asking the price, she declared she would take them all.

She turned to Li Wanqing, a glint in her eye, and said with a smile, "Wanqing, if you don’t have enough money on you, I can lend you some."

Li Wanqing was a proud woman. When had she ever faced such an embarrassing situation? In the past, she never even asked for the price, buying whatever she wanted on a whim. Now, she had to suffer being teased by someone else. ’Who knows how she’s laughing at me inside.’

Li Wanqing forced a smile. "No, thank you. I don’t even like it that much. I’m just browsing."

He Lang had recognized Li Wanqing the moment she walked in. However, he was sitting behind the checkout counter, so she hadn’t noticed him.

He stood up and walked out from behind the counter.

His voice was languid as he spoke. "Well, well, if it isn’t Auntie gracing my shop. Wenwen, which one did Auntie have her eye on? Go on and bag it up for her. As for this lady, give her a ten percent discount on her purchase, too."

Guan Wenwen glanced at He Lang, then at Li Wanqing, whose expression had soured. Her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Right away, boss."

Then she bagged the outfit Li Wanqing had been admiring.

Li Wanqing hadn’t expected this shop to be opened by Xue Yue’s husband. ’The nerve of this man, calling me Auntie! Who does he think he is?’

’If I’d known, I never would have set foot in here. But Mrs. Guo is right here, and if I were to actually buy it, I don’t have enough money.’

Mrs. Guo beamed, looking at Li Wanqing. "My goodness, Wanqing, why didn’t you say so sooner? So this shop is run by your relatives! Why were you worried about money, then? Look at me, benefiting from your connection!"

Li Wanqing felt as if she had swallowed something vile that was now stuck in her throat. Her expression was stiff as she watched Guan Wenwen press the shopping bag into her hands.

Just before she left, He Lang added meaningfully, "Please, come again soon."

Once outside, Li Wanqing made an excuse about feeling unwell, said her goodbyes to Mrs. Guo, and went home alone.

The moment she was home with the door shut behind her, Li Wanqing violently threw the shopping bag to the ground.

"What is this crap? Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you humiliate me!" she seethed, kicking the bag and sending the clothes tumbling out.

Wang Qiming came home, exhausted after a long day at work, only to find Li Wanqing sitting on the edge of her bed, fuming as she stared at the shopping bag at her feet.

Li Wanqing wanted to throw the outfit away, but she genuinely liked it. Besides, it had been so long since she had bought any new clothes. A war was raging in her mind: ’throw it out or wear it?’ She was completely torn.

Wang Qiming picked up the clothes and the bag from the floor and took a look.

He said with a sigh of resignation, "Mom, did you buy more clothes? Haven’t I told you we need to cut back on spending right now? You have so many clothes already, aren’t they enough? Besides, this doesn’t look cheap. I work hard for my money, Mom. Could you please be a little more considerate?"

Wang Qiming was the sole breadwinner for the entire family.

Li Wanqing said irritably, "I didn’t buy it. And besides, so what if I did? Do I need your permission to buy a simple piece of clothing now? When your father was alive, he never said a word. He would give me money and tell me to go shopping."

The casual mention of Wang Tianzhu left Li Wanqing feeling a bit dazed for a moment.

Wang Qiming sighed and placed the clothes on the table. "You said it yourself, Mom, that was in the past. You just said you didn’t buy this. So where did it come from?"

Li Wanqing said through clenched teeth, "It was a gift from Xue Yue’s husband. He opened a clothing store in the city district. Mrs. Guo and I went there today, and he gave it to me."

Then she immediately started ranting again. "Who asked for his gift? What kind of cheap clothes are these anyway? If I’d known it was their store, I would have died before setting foot inside! The only reason I took it was so Mrs. Guo wouldn’t have something to laugh about. Hmph! He thinks one outfit is enough to get on my good side? He can dream on."

Wang Qiming was shocked. "They opened a shop in the city district? A single storefront there must cost over ten thousand yuan."

Li Wanqing faltered for a second. "What’s so great about opening a shop? At the end of the day, he’s just a private entrepreneur. How can that compare to you, a state-employed worker? Besides, it doesn’t mean they bought the place. They must be renting."

This was a common mindset at the time. Many people still believed that working for a state-owned enterprise was more respectable. Private entrepreneurs were often looked down upon, seen as ne’er-do-wells who couldn’t hold down a proper job.

Wang Qiming now worked at the steel mill, a position he had only secured with great difficulty by calling in old favors and paying a thousand yuan. Because her son now had a job at the mill, Li Wanqing no longer felt too ashamed to face people. However, that one thousand yuan had all but drained their family’s savings.