The two browsed around, and Zhou Siyu was dazzled by the array of options. For a moment, she didn’t know what to choose, but eventually, she picked out a garment that looked flashy and gaudy.
Zhou Lanfang also thought it looked nice, but when she asked for the price, it turned out to be thirty yuan.
Originally, Zhou Lanfang had budgeted that both clothes and shoes would not exceed fifteen yuan in total. Now this single item cost thirty, and even with bargaining, it was beyond her budget. Zhou Lanfang was reluctant to buy it.
"You’re still growing, and if you buy something this nice, it won’t be long before it becomes too small for you, and by then you’d be giving it away cheap to those little bastards. Let’s go have a look in other shops!"
"All right," Zhou Siyu was somewhat reluctant to part with the clothing but understood that it was indeed expensive and beyond their means.
There would be a lot of expenses in the future for high school and college, so they couldn’t afford to squander all their money now.
It has to be said, in this regard, Zhou Siyu knew how to prioritize.
The shop owner had watched the mother and daughter trying on clothes for a long time, piling up a bunch of garments as if they were going to buy a lot, and she thought they would make a big purchase. To her surprise, upon hearing the price, they didn’t even haggle and were ready to leave.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and when the two had reached the door, she said scornfully, "If you want cheap, go buy from the stalls. The clothes in the shop are all priced ."
Wanting something good and hoping for a bargain? Daydreaming, aren’t they?
After all, this was the city, and unlike in their town, Zhou Lanfang and Zhou Siyu didn’t dare to be too assertive. Only after they had walked a few steps away from the shop did Zhou Lanfang snort disparagingly, "Pah, looking down on others without knowing who they are!"
One day, when Siyu becomes capable, they would lease the entire street.
Zhou Lanfang and Zhou Siyu shared the belief that getting into college meant reaching the pinnacle of life and that they would then be able to live the good life of city folks.
"Auntie, these people are too vain. Let’s not mind them," Zhou Siyu said.
She glanced back at the shop, mentally noting its name, and promised herself that she would return one day when she had money.
When that time came, she would buy all the clothes from the neighboring shops to show the owner what comes from underestimating others.
Zhou Lanfang grumbled and cursed for a while longer before she calmed down.
After the earlier incident, they realized that they couldn’t afford the clothes in the shops, so they humbly started browsing the street stalls instead.
Before long, they came across Wang Erfeng’s stall. It was already late in the day and she hadn’t even made a sale, so Wang Erfeng, anxious, showed extraordinary enthusiasm when she finally saw someone interested in her clothes.
"Come, take a look. The clothes here are the latest styles, and on this whole street, my stuff is the most affordable," she said.
Yesterday, after returning from the police station, her youngest son lectured her, and although Wang Erfeng hadn’t really listened, she was worried because business wasn’t going well today.
If she couldn’t carry on with her business in the city, she would have to go back to farming—the hard work under the sun was one thing, but not being able to make money was another.
Her family’s house in the village was envied by everyone. They had a nice, newly built three-room house with tiled roof last year, and they even bought a property with land in the city.
Truth be told, she wasn’t willing to go back to village life at all.
The muddy and dirty ground after rain was something she didn’t like one bit, unlike now, where her family lives comfortably in the city.
If it weren’t for her eldest son’s disability from an illness in his childhood, she would even consider finding a city girl for him to marry.