Chapter Ninety-Four: Homeward Bound

She brought back wallets and purses. Instead of the three hundred she had originally planned to buy, she ended up taking more than five hundred, since the trip had not been easy and she might as well stock up while she was there.

Xia Xiuyue parked at the door and helped her carry everything from the trunk into the living room.

Lu Caiqing stared at the several large bags, all stuffed with purses and wallets, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Second sister-in-law, how many did you bring back?”

“More than five hundred. Enough to sell for two or three months.”

An’an had not seen Shen Qingyi for several days and missed her terribly. He did not even spare much attention for the pastries she had brought back for him; instead, he kept holding her hand tightly.

Lu Caiqing poured each of them a cup of tea.

After taking two sips, Xia Xiuyue beckoned to An’an. “Uncle Xia brought you a recorder pen. Want to come take a look?”

Shen Qingyi was surprised. When had this man prepared a gift for An’an?

Hadn’t she already told him she had bought pastries?

At the mention of the recorder pen, An’an’s eyes lit up. He had never seen one before, but just from the name alone, he felt it must be somewhat like a tape recorder.

He let go of Shen Qingyi’s hand and ran quickly to Xia Xiuyue’s side, revealing a pair of tiny tiger teeth. “Thank you, Uncle Xia.”

Xia Xiuyue pulled a delicate, small black pen from his pocket and placed it in An’an’s hand.

An’an turned it over and over in his hands, and before long he pressed the switch. When it turned on, a tiny red light began blinking, but there was no sound at all.

Seeing the inquisitive look on An’an’s face, Xia Xiuyue smiled. “Bring it here, and Uncle will show you.”

An’an obediently placed the pen in his hand.

Xia Xiuyue took it, pressed the first button, and spoke into it. “An’an is so cute.”

Then he pressed the second button on the pen, and Xia Xiuyue’s voice came out from inside it.

An’an’s eyes shone at once. This was far too magical. He took the recorder pen back and tried it himself, so thrilled that he showed a pair of little tiger teeth again. “Thank you, Uncle Xia. I like it very much.”

Lu Caiqing watched as a voice was captured inside a pen and then played back out again. It was truly novel. She glanced at Xia Xiuyue and asked cautiously, “That thing wasn’t cheap, was it?”

Xia Xiuyue did not even look up, only watching An’an record and play it back repeatedly with practiced excitement. “It’s fine. It’s not worth much.”

The words Shen Qingyi had been about to say, that he had spent too much again, were swallowed back after she saw the expression on her son’s face. In the end, she only said, “Thank you.”

Only then did Xia Xiuyue look up at her. “As long as An’an likes it. I’ll be staying in the capital this weekend. I heard a new amusement park just opened there, so I thought I’d take An’an to have some fun.”

Shen Qingyi declined. “You’ve already gone far enough out of your way for us.”

“No trouble at all.” Xia Xiuyue crouched down in front of An’an. “Does An’an want to go with Uncle?”

An’an did not actually have much interest in amusement parks, but Uncle Xia’s eyes were clearly full of expectation, as though he were waiting for a yes.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Does Uncle Xia want to go but feel embarrassed, and need a child to keep him company?”

Xia Xiuyue froze, then lightly nodded. “Mm. I want to try the carousel.”

Lu Caiqing almost laughed. This Comrade Xia was already so old, yet he still had such a childlike spirit.

Still, for a grown man to go to an amusement park alone really would draw attention.

Before Shen Qingyi could speak, An’an laughed and agreed at once. “All right, then I’ll take Uncle Xia to play.”

“It’s settled, then. I’ll drive over to pick you up on the weekend.” After saying that, Xia Xiuyue stood up, hooked a little finger with An’an’s, and said to Shen Qingyi, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.”

“All right. Drive carefully on the way. I owe you a meal. I’ll treat you this weekend.”

It was only a simple expression of concern, yet it gave Xia Xiuyue the feeling that all his efforts had not been in vain. Hope stirred in his heart once more. After all, the one she cared about most was only An’an.

Fortunately, An’an liked him very much too.

After Xia Xiuyue left, the sound of a car starting up rang out, then faded away.

Only then did Lu Caiqing come back to herself. Looking at the goods and thinking that Shen Qingyi had only just returned, she asked, “Second sister-in-law, have you eaten?”

“I have.”

That was one of Xia Xiuyue’s best qualities: no matter how busy he was or how far he had traveled, he could always find good food on time.

The two of them began sorting the purses and wallets. Looking at the goods, Lu Caiqing was full of confidence. “Second sister-in-law, these purses and wallets are rarely seen in the capital, and they look so fashionable. They should sell very well.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “All right. The small folded wallets cost four yuan each wholesale, the long straight ones five, handbags twelve, and shoulder bags fifteen. With a profit of fifty cents to one yuan each, they should all sell.”

“Good. Even with the profit added, the price is about the same as the street stalls in the capital. I’ve already asked around, but our styles are newer.” As she spoke, Lu Caiqing could barely contain her excitement.

After they finished organizing everything, Shen Qingyi noticed that her son was still sitting on the sofa, repeatedly playing with his recorder pen.

She did not pay him much mind and was about to go to the back courtyard to wash her face.

Then Lu Caiqing took two hundred yuan from her pocket and pressed it into Shen Qingyi’s hand. “Second sister-in-law, I got the compensation you helped me recover last time. Here, take it!”

Shen Qingyi froze for a moment and did not take it, but then she suddenly smiled and pushed it back. “Keep it yourself. I don’t need it.”

The girl was an honest one indeed. She had not misjudged her.

Lu Caiqing forced the money back into her hand. “Right now, the money for the stock was all paid by you, and I’ve also been eating and living here for nothing.”

Shen Qingyi still did not accept it. “Save it yourself. If you get sick again next time, I won’t have money to cover you. Besides, I believe you’ll earn back this stock money sooner or later. Cooking and washing clothes at home for us does not mean you’re freeloading.”

Seeing that Lu Caiqing still would not move, Shen Qingyi frowned. “Take it back. Don’t keep me from washing my face. Go buy yourself a good pair of shoes. Even in business, you should still look decent when you go out.”

Only then did Lu Caiqing silently take the money back. Her eyes stung with tears again, and after holding them back, she said, “I’ll definitely earn it back for you.”

“Second sister-in-law, how much did this batch cost you in principal?”

“Eighteen hundred.”

At those words, Lu Caiqing nearly lost her balance. “Second sister-in-law, you didn’t even get your second brother’s salary for that many months, and you also spent a lot buying those things for him. Where did you get so much money?”

Shen Qingyi thought for a moment. “I saved half of it from when I was working, and borrowed the other half from my boss.”

She did not want to make herself sound too wealthy.

As soon as Lu Caiqing heard that, she hurriedly said, “Within a month, we’ll definitely pay off the debt.”

“Good.” Smiling, Shen Qingyi walked to the back courtyard, took a towel and basin from the washing room, and happily washed her face. When she wiped the water from her face with the towel, she found Lu Caiqing standing behind her again.

“What is it?”

“While you were away, my brother called twice.” Lu Caiqing was afraid the couple would misunderstand each other again, just as they had in the past.

Shen Qingyi smiled. “I’ll go make a call to him later from the supply and marketing cooperative.”

When Lu Yan left, he had told her the number on his side.

Saying that, she set down the towel and basin and went to the living room, planning to call Lu Yan back in a little while. At that moment, Han Lanzhi arrived.