Seeing the two of them shopping so happily, the store owner was delighted and recommended down jackets for the pair. Shen Mianmian and Yang Xiaoxi browsed for a while and eventually each bought a down jacket of the same style but in different colors.
Yang Xiaoxi spent every day with Shen Mianmian, and most of the expenses were paid by Shen Mianmian, so she had saved a bit of money. The sweater earlier was paid for by Shen Mianmian, but she wouldn’t let Shen Mianmian contribute at all for these pants and jacket.
"Mianmian, you’ve already been taking care of me all the time, and the sweater just now was also bought by you. I’ve never bought you any clothes. If you pay for these two as well, I’m not buying them," said Yang Xiaoxi. She knew that Shen Mianmian had just bought a house and must be tight on funds—even though Shen Mianmian never complained about being short on money, Yang Xiaoxi understood.
"Okay, then you pay for it yourself. If you run out of money this month, remember to tell me," said Shen Mianmian, who didn’t like to fuss. Since Yang Xiaoxi didn’t want her to pay, she didn’t insist.
"Got it! I’m eating and living at your place every day; I hardly need to spend any money," said Yang Xiaoxi casually, but she was moved inside. Aside from her parents, Shen Mianmian was the best to her. Once she graduated and Earnt money, she would definitely treat Mianmian well.
If anyone dared to bully Shen Mianmian, she would be the first to disagree.
Despite Yang Xiaoxi’s carefree exterior, she was very clear-headed. She had even thought that if Shen Mianmian and He Nan didn’t work out, she would take Shen Mianmian back to Licheng, or to another city, where she would assume the responsibility of taking care of Shen Mianmian.
If Shen Mianmian had no family, she would be Shen Mianmian’s family.
After paying, they picked up the clothes they had purchased earlier and started to leave the shop together. Selling four items in one go made the saleswoman very happy. As she escorted them out, she suddenly noticed an empty hanger. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked around but saw nothing.
Just as the two were about to exit the store, the saleswoman’s heart became anxious, and she blurted out, "Excuse me, could you wait a moment?"
Shen Mianmian and Yang Xiaoxi turned around, puzzled.
"We’re missing a piece of clothing from our store." Unsure whether the garment had simply fallen into a corner or been taken, the saleswoman’s tone was still polite, and her attitude not too bad.
In her eyes, these two girls shopped quite freely and honestly didn’t seem like thieves.
However, the missing item wasn’t cheap, valued at sixty or seventy bucks. If it was lost, she would have to pay for it, which was equivalent to working for more than a month for nothing. She might even lose her job on top of that. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
She had no choice but to tell the truth, even at the risk of offending customers.
"Huh?" Yang Xiaoxi was unsettled, "Are you suspecting us of stealing your clothes?"
Shen Mianmian also pursed her lips, looking at the saleswoman.
"I’m sorry, I don’t want to suspect you, but I am sure the clothing was still here when you entered," the saleswoman explained.
Shen Mianmian and Yang Xiaoxi exchanged glances, both speechless.
Because none of the three of them had deliberately lowered their voices, and since there were quite a few people coming and going outside the door, their conversation quickly attracted the attention of others. Some who were more curious had already stopped and begun whispering to each other.
"These two pretty young ladies turn out to be thieves—looks can be deceiving."
"Back in my hometown, stealing would get you stripped."
"They can afford to shop here, so they can’t be poor. Why would they do this? Could it be a misunderstanding?"
"Who knows! It might indeed be a misunderstanding. I don’t think these two ladies look like thieves."