CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 456: SHOP TILL YOU DROP

"Go get me some water," Mrs. Song kept patting her chest, clearly choking, not suffering from SARS.

But Qin Xiangmei did not move for a long time, making Mrs. Song so angry that she had to get the water herself. The more she did, the more she disliked her daughter-in-law, who was as lazy as a pig, doing nothing but eating and sleeping.

Qin Xiangmei, staring at Mrs. Song’s back, had a face full of fear, her eyes flickering with retreat.

"Mom, do you need to go to the hospital? Are you running a fever?"

"Running a fever my ass?!" Mrs. Song cursed bluntly, "I’m just choked on food, you’re the one running a fever, your whole family is!"

Mrs. Song, in her youth, was quite fiery and brought up like a boy by her parents. It’s only in recent years she had started to cultivate her temperament, but that didn’t mean she was soft-tempered. Now, hearing Qin Xiangmei suggesting the hospital, she instinctively felt it as a curse from her, her face reddening and neck swelling in anger. If it weren’t for her manners, she might have actually hit someone.

She never wanted such a daughter-in-law in the first place. What good can come from bad bamboo? She was furious, absolutely furious.

Qin Xiangmei bowed her head, just looking at her own toes, cursing continuously in her heart.

Just you wait until you’re old, I’ll see how I deal with you.

Mrs. Song, holding her glass of water, didn’t want to deal with Qin Xiangmei anymore. When Mr. Song came back, she complained to him, and Mr. Song’s brows furrowed even more.

"We’ve already married her, what more do you want?"

Mrs. Song sternly said, "But she can’t keep angering me every day, can she?"

"You’re bringing this upon yourself," Mr. Song glanced at Mrs. Song, "Anyway, you should give some respect to your son. If it’s unbearable, let them move out, out of sight, out of mind."

"But I’m just worried about our son," How could Mrs. Song possibly let her son move out on his own? What would become of him?

"He’s grown up, you can’t control him forever," Mr. Song wasn’t the type to overly indulge his child, "He’s in his twenties now and married. The person who will spend his life with him isn’t you or me, but the woman he chose."

"We’re not short of money, as long as he chose her himself, let him support her."

"But..." Mrs. Song still felt uncomfortable, she just couldn’t stand that daughter-in-law, truly unsure what her son saw in Qin Xiangmei.

"There are no buts," Mr. Song interrupted Mrs. Song, "If you can’t stand her, just let them live in the house outside, they’ll move out eventually."

Unable to argue with Mr. Song, Mrs. Song was coughing violently, Mr. Song’s brow almost squashed a fly, he hurriedly poured a glass of water for her, "What did you eat again, choking yourself? How come your temperament hasn’t changed over all these years?"

Mrs. Song pressed down the cup, her heart filled with resentment and discomfort, appreciating how good her partner was for knowing to pour water for her.

After drinking the water, her anger subsided considerably. Seeing Qin Xiangmei no longer annoyed her as much, no longer feeling that everything was out of place.

"I’m going to buy clothes," she picked up her bag, ready to go out and buy herself some beautiful clothes, to avoid staring contests with Qin Xiangmei here.

Mr. Song waved his hand, "Go ahead, go ahead, remember to take your mask."

And this woman, in her lifetime, had really formed an inseparable bond with clothes.

Then Mrs. Song went straight to the Cafe women’s clothing store.

This was their circle’s must-visit store. It was designed by domestic designers. Although it wasn’t as famous as those imported brands from abroad, it still had its own style. Especially, the clothes were simple yet elegant, suitable for local physique, and most importantly, clothes bought here wouldn’t easily lead to wearing the same outfit as others, unless one wore a knock-off which was easy to spot since Cafe’s clothing

embroidery was all handcrafted — something knock-offs could never compare with.

Naturally, for families like theirs, buying genuine clothing was a must.

"Welcome," a familiar sweet and enthusiastic voice greatly lifted Mrs. Song’s mood.

For women, the anger dissipates when they shop and eat; having spent the money and eaten well, naturally, her mood gets better.

Is there any new clothing? She came in looking for new arrivals; every Wednesday was the day new products arrived at the Cafe women’s clothing store. Why else would she come out now, if not for clothes? Even a severe epidemic couldn’t stop her impulse to buy clothes.

Just in time, some new styles had arrived. Zhang Lulu approached and quickly guided her towards the new section. Having been in this business for a long time, a single glance was enough for them to know a person’s spending power, and this woman was an old customer of the store who always shopped liberally, obviously a wealthy customer.

The store had a faint smell of disinfectant, and though it wasn’t as fresh as before, it was reassuring in this time of epidemic because the store had been disinfected.

Mrs. Song took a liking to a plaid dress, which seemed apt for her age. Although she was in her forties, her family’s good financial background and her youthful appearance, which looked more in her thirties, kept her figure particularly slim. At her age, it was no longer suitable to wear poor quality clothes; wearing good clothes was necessary to reflect her status and feel presentable.

She set her eyes on a dress with three color options: red plaid, pink plaid, and grey plaid, but no matter the plaid, they all looked quite attractive with no hint of tackiness.

"Your skin tone is a bit red. You might want to try this grey plaid," Zhang Lulu suggested. Selling clothes frequently had given her knowledge of what might suit a customer better to facilitate sales.

Mrs. Song liked the plaid dress as well and took it to the changing room. Holding the fabric, she felt its lightness and softness, finding it very comfortable and, most importantly, cool.

After trying it on, her liking for the dress grew even more. It made her, a woman in her forties, look much younger than her actual age and also very spirited. Most importantly, it particularly highlighted her figure, making her bust seem firmer and cleverly hiding any belly fat. The dress ended just below the knees, showing off her still slender calves and hiding thicker thighs, making it truly suitable for her. The bright grey color made her skin appear fairer due to the lighting, and the dress was a perfect fit from all aspects, almost as if it had been custom-made for her.