"See you next time." Gu Jin carried her things and left with Jiajie.
"Take care."
Lu Jinrong watched the two figures leave, a touch of reluctance in his eyes.
After so many years, he felt rare excitement again, that feeling of meeting a kindred spirit.
Every qipao he made carried his emotions, but very few people could wear them in a way that captured their unique charm.
Thinking about Gu Jin’s words, "see you next time," before she left, he couldn’t help but begin to look forward to it.
...
Just before eleven o’clock, Gu Jin and Jiajie walked out of the department store.
Their appearance attracted the attention of many passersby.
Jiajie’s cloth shoes had been replaced with leather ones, and the young man dressed quite handsomely, catching the eyes of many women and girls around.
He had moved from being initially reserved to now being comfortable in his actions, his vanity fully satisfied.
He held a brand new black suitcase, which contained the clothes they had changed out of, along with other odds and ends they had bought.
Gu Jin was wearing a lotus pond fish qipao in shades of blue and white, with a knitted cardigan, her legs clad in the luxury of this era—stockings—and on her feet were embroidered shoes with a blue and white pattern.
Compared to the fashionable girls around, her outfit was truly unique, elegant, and removed from the ordinary.
The puff sleeves, flared jeans, and batwing tops of this era were too glaring for Gu Jin, impossible for her to wear.
The two stood at the foot of the steps outside the department store, surveying the people around them, seemingly looking for something.
"Xiao Jin, look, isn’t that Liu Quan’s car?"
Gu Jin followed her cousin’s direction and saw a black Alto parked by the roadside, its body angular and heavy-looking.
Sitting in the car, Liu Quan was slightly frowning, and beside him was Dali, whom they had met last night.
"Yes, let’s go over there."
The two walked toward where the black Alto was parked.
When they reached the car, Liu Quan and Dali hadn’t even noticed them.
Jiajie, carrying the black suitcase, bent over by the car window, "Brother Quan, you’ve been waiting for a while, haven’t you?"
He greeted them proactively, and only then did Liu Quan and Dali notice the two.
At first sight, they were taken aback by Gu Jin and Jiajie, and then their faces showed shock and disbelief.
In their new attire, Gu Jin and Jiajie appeared so striking, and their clothes must have been worth quite a bit.
Just last night, the siblings had looked like unsophisticated country folks, but now they had transformed into the likes of city-dwelling wealthy young people, the change was large and impactful.
"It’s you, kid! In these new duds, I almost didn’t recognize you!"
Jiajie squinted and smiled, "Please, don’t flatter me. We all know each other inside out."
Hearing his humble words, Liu Quan looked satisfied, then glanced over at Gu Jin, standing behind him.
With just one look, he was truly amazed.
The young girl in the qipao was still beautiful, with a bit more allure in her purity, her whole being exuding a cold elegance.
Seeing Gu Jin like this, even someone like Liu Quan, who had seen many women, couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart.
A woman like her, if she had a background, could perhaps protect herself, or stay forever tucked away in her little mountain village and still be safe.
If she had no background and ventured into the big city, she would surely be devoured without even any bones left.
People like him were all too aware of the dark sides of a comfortable life.
Beauty is forever something a man finds hard to resist.