Chapter 200: The Scarf Knitted by Lin Xiuhong

Do girls always shop for clothes like this?

I guess so.

Around three in the afternoon.

Li Luo and Zhao Rongjun sat on a long bench in a women's clothing store, watching five girls stroll past racks of clothes, picking and choosing.

They had been sitting there for over an hour already.

Beside the bench were seven or eight bags, filled with their purchases.

After leaving Fuyi Middle School at noon and taking the bus to Yintai Department Store, they first bought clothes for their elders.

Zhao Rongjun picked out two down jackets; Li Luo chose one for each of his grandparents, maternal grandparents, and parents—totaling less than half an hour.

Once that was done, it was time for the girls' shopping session.

"So can I leave now?" Zhao Rongjun whispered. "They're here mainly for you anyway—my leaving won't make any difference, right?"

"You'd really leave me here to suffer alone?" Li Luo grabbed him by the neck. "This is a chance for your growth—don't waste it."

"Growth what?" Zhao Rongjun looked baffled. "We're just sitting here waiting. I've done this before when I accompanied my mom shopping."

"You just don't understand," Li Luo shook his head. "When girls shop, they're seeking satisfaction and validation. Watch closely."

As if on cue, Ying Chanxi finally picked a down jacket style and walked over holding two colors, holding them up against herself.

"Li Luo, does this look good?"

"It looks good," Li Luo nodded. "But I think the white one suits your temperament better; the orange-yellow one suits Senior better."

Nearby, Xu Youyu took the orange-yellow jacket from Ying Chanxi's hands and held it up against herself.

Ying Chanxi also looked down at the white one: "Should I try switching?"

"Sure, try it," Li Luo stood up, walked over, and casually picked two more white down jackets from the rack. "These are all white—I think you look especially good in white. Try them all."

"Oh okay!" Ying Chanxi brightened immediately and nodded. "I'll try them—see which one looks best."

At that moment, Xu Youyu asked Li Luo: "Is this really suitable for me?"

"It's suitable, but not ideal," Li Luo said, turning to her after watching Ying Chanxi head to the changing room. "Senior, warm tones suit your aura better, but this one looks a bit childish. Try these two instead."

Saying this, Li Luo picked three more down jackets from the rack and handed them to Xu Youyu. "Try them?"

"Oh, alright," Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow, surprised, glancing at Li Luo a few times before smiling faintly and heading off to change.

Yan Zhusheng, who had barely picked anything, suddenly appeared beside Li Luo and asked: "What about me?"

"You?" Li Luo glanced at her, then picked one out for her. "This one."

"Why only one for me?" Yan Zhusheng looked at the beige down jacket in her hand, puzzled.

"You never buy clothes—you're easy to convince."

Among the five girls, Yan Zhusheng was the only one who showed zero interest in shopping—she was clearly a rare species uninterested in retail.

In Li Luo's memory, back in his past life working under Yan Zhusheng, she always wore the same few outfits over and over, rarely buying new clothes.

Her focus was always on enjoying music; she paid little attention to fashion.

Of course, with her face—exquisitely carved like a sculpture—any outfit was merely an embellishment.

For something like a down jacket, which hides her figure perfectly, the difference between styles barely mattered.

"Then shall we go to the store next door?" Yan Zhusheng simply tried on the size, confirmed it fit, had the clerk pack it, then asked Li Luo.

"What store next door?" Li Luo asked, confused.

"The men's store," Yan Zhusheng glanced at the scarf around Li Luo's neck, then looked away. "I want to buy you a piece of clothing as a New Year gift."

"Huh? What gift?" Ying Chanxi, just emerging from changing into a down jacket, ran over to show Li Luo—and heard Yan Zhusheng's words. "What's Zhusheng planning?"

"She wants to buy me a piece of clothing," Li Luo replied honestly.

"Oh right!" Ying Chanxi suddenly realized, looking at Li Luo. "You only bought clothes for the elders—you didn't buy anything for yourself, did you?"

"My mom buys me new clothes for the New Year," Li Luo said helplessly.

"That won't do," Ying Chanxi said immediately. "It's rare we get to shop together—after we finish, let's buy you a full set."

"First, let's see yours," Li Luo waved his hand, inspected the down jacket Ying Chanxi wore, and offered a few suggestions.

After twenty minutes of this, Li Luo finally got them all to pick their clothes and had the clerks pack everything up.

Zhao Rongjun watched the whole thing and couldn't help whispering to Li Luo in admiration: "I really can't learn this—don't all these clothes look basically the same? How do you come up with so much to say?"

"You've got a lot more to learn," Li Luo rolled his eyes, feeling his throat was about to burst into smoke.

But the girls' shopping wasn't over yet—Ying Chanxi dragged Li Luo into the men's store next door and started picking out clothes for him.

After some friendly competition, Ying Chanxi bought him a down jacket, Yan Zhusheng picked a sweater, and Xu Youyu chose a pair of cotton pants—completing his full outfit.

When they stepped out of Yintai Department Store, Li Luo and Zhao Rongjun both exhaled deeply.

As if emerging from darkness into light, as if reborn.

"Let's call it a day then—see you tomorrow," Li Luo checked the time—it was nearly five in the afternoon. "Be careful on your way home."

At the intersection, they parted ways with the others. Li Luo carried eight or nine large bags, walking home with Ying Chanxi.

Jincheng Community was just a short walk from Yintai Department Store.

When they arrived home, laden with bags, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong were already busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Li Luo dropped his bags on the floor and walked to the kitchen door. "Need help?"

"Oh, you're back?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at him and nodded toward the sink. "Grab a cloth and wipe the outside table clean."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded, picked up the cloth, and washed it.

"Hey, when's your final exam?" Lin Xiuhong stirred the wok, still asking Li Luo.

"In about a week," Li Luo replied. "Finals are the 21st to the 23rd of this month, then one more week of classes before winter break starts at month's end."

"I see," Lin Xiuhong nodded, thought for a moment, then said: "After your exam, I'll take you to buy some new New Year clothes."

"Uh…" Li Luo felt embarrassed at once. "I already bought new clothes…"

"Bought what? What did you buy?" Lin Xiuhong paused, scooping the freshly stir-fried dish onto a plate, her face full of confusion. "Did you buy clothes yourself?"

"Aunt Lin, I bought them for him," Ying Chanxi leaned into the kitchen, smiling. "This afternoon, my friends and I went shopping together and bought some clothes—I just picked up one for him too."

"You're such a child," Lin Xiuhong laughed. "You're spending so much—buying him clothes too?"

"It's no big deal," Ying Chanxi shook her head. "What's there to spend on? At Bihai Lanting, Li Luo has always taken good care of me. I just bought him one shirt."

"Look at her," Lin Xiuhong carried the plate out of the kitchen and pointed at Li Luo. "Learn from this. She knows how to buy you new clothes. What about you?"

After speaking, Lin Xiuhong walked into the living room, placed the plate on the dining table, and immediately noticed the pile of bags by the door. She froze. "... What is this?"

"Ahem." Li Luo coughed lightly beside her. "I bought some clothes too—for you and Dad, and also for Grandpa, Grandma, and your parents."

The rebuttal came too fast; Lin Xiuhong was momentarily speechless.

She blinked, embarrassed, and whispered softly into Li Luo's ear: "You've got money now and you're wasting it, right? Buying so many clothes—how much did this cost? Can't you learn to save?"

Li Luo: "..."

Fine, fine, fine—you're always right, aren't you?

Li Luo understood his mother's temper well enough to find it pointless to argue. He just found it amusing, and chuckled softly.

Li Guohong also poked his head out to glance at the pile of clothes by the door. He raised an eyebrow. "I get something too?"

"You all do."

"Good, you've got some sense after all," Li Guohong chuckled. "Though I wish it were cigarettes instead."

"What are you thinking?" Lin Xiuhong shot him a look. "All you ever think about is cigarettes and alcohol—can't you quit?"

"I smoke less than most—only half a pack a day," Li Guohong defended himself. "Others smoke two or three packs."

"Now you're bragging?"

The couple bickered briefly—just another of their countless daily arguments.

Soon, the dishes were placed on the table.

After the family finished their meal, Ying Chanxi helped wash the dishes, then returned across the hall to review her lessons.

Li Luo picked up two of the bags from by the door and handed them to Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong. "These two are for you. Try them on—if they don't fit, you can return or exchange them."

"These four bags—these two are for Grandpa and Grandma, and these two are for your parents. I have to return to school tomorrow afternoon, so I won't have time to deliver them myself. Could you give them to them for me?"

"If they don't fit, take this tag to the store and exchange the size."

Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong were both delighted, opening the packages and pulling out the new clothes inside.

Though she had scolded Li Luo for not saving money, how could a mother not be happy when her son bought her new clothes? Her lips curled upward, nearly reaching her ears.

But then Li Guohong noticed something.

"Li Luo, where are the other three bags?" he asked curiously. "Didn't Xixi buy you three shirts?"

"Uh... well..." Li Luo scratched his head. "This one was bought by Xixi, this one was given by Yan Zhusheng, and these pants were bought by Xu Youyu."

At this, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong fell silent for a moment, unsure what to say.