"Yicheng, how are you?"
Ling Dong noticed Pei Yicheng’s unusual silence.
"I’m fine," Pei Yicheng answered, changing the subject, "Ling Dong, help me move the stuff down."
"Uncle Xu, Auntie Xu, you’ve taken me in and allowed me to make money, so I’ve bought some gifts. Please don’t dismiss them," Pei Yicheng said, departing from his usual brevity.
What Du Chang brought were some pastries, liquor, and the like.
Pei Yicheng brought leather shoes.
A pair for each person, six boxes of shoes were arrayed in the living room, looking like a shoe seller’s display.
"I know someone who opened a leather shoe factory, and the shoes he sells are not only of particularly good quality but also reasonably priced," Pei Yicheng said earnestly, with a humble posture, looking exactly like a junior offering a modest gift.
Cheng Hao couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. He lowered his gaze, thinking to himself that Yicheng was talking nonsense. Knowing the owner of the shoe factory was true, but the price was truly not cheap—a pair of shoes cost thirty yuan, an average person’s monthly salary.
Even those white leather shoes for Nianhua cost fifty yuan a pair.
"I got them at a wholesale price. Uncle Xu, Auntie Xu, please don’t look down on them," Pei Yicheng continued earnestly while taking out the shining leather shoes, which looked particularly attractive.
"Yicheng, these leather shoes look really nice," Nian’an said, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the shoes.
Ling Dong glanced at the size and directly took out a pair for Nian’an, saying, "This pair is for you."
Nian’an immediately tried them on his feet and exclaimed in surprise, "These shoes even come with fur inside, they’re warm and comfortable."
Walking in them, Nian’an felt as if he moved with the wind, with a sound at each step.
"Nian’an," Xu Qinghe glanced at Nian’an and said, "Yicheng, we can’t accept these items, they’re too valuable."
"Uncle Xu, Auntie Xu, the shoes are all in your sizes, I assure you they will fit. The Chili Sauce Factory has made so much money, and I am also very grateful to Auntie Xu. Without her skilful craft, the factory wouldn’t have earned so much," Pei Yicheng said, pursing his lips: "If you don’t accept them, we can’t use these shoes; they would just go to waste."
"Yicheng, I know you want to help us. We have also made money with the chili sauce. These shoes..." Ji Ying felt like accepting so many shoes didn’t seem quite right.
Nianhua whispered, "Mom, since he has already brought the gifts, if you really send them back, it might hurt people’s feelings. How about we reciprocate with something else later on?"
"Don’t be so polite, it’s just a few pairs of leather shoes," Du Chang spoke up. "Qinghe, you and your wife shouldn’t refuse. You’ve been so kind to Yicheng, and it’s only right for him as the junior to give something in return."
In the end, the Xu family still accepted the six pairs of leather shoes, and truth be told, each pair fitted them perfectly.
Especially the pair of small white leather shoes for Nianhua, they looked exceptionally eye-catching.
"Yicheng, thank you," Ji Ying said sincerely. Even though the family had thanked him already, she still wanted to express her gratitude.
"I should be thanking you, actually. Your massage technique from last time, Grandpa Du said it was really good," Pei Yicheng’s lips slightly lifted into a smile, feeling happy at the thought of Ji Ying caring about him.
He was determined that the next time he came to the Xu family’s home, he would be able to stand up!
He didn’t want to be carried in anymore.
"Grandpa Du, could you check on my sister-in-law for me?" Nianhua changed the subject.