Chapter 114: Buying Clothes at the Market

After Bai Songzhe fell asleep, Bai Qingxia walked to the door, locked it from the inside, and pulled it tight.

She switched off the main light, leaving only the small lamp on the bedside table illuminated.

Walking behind the curtain to the wardrobe, she opened the door. Despite being filled with clothes for all four seasons, the interior still seemed sparse. From the bottom of the closet, she retrieved a small wooden box.

The box was modest in size, yet its contents were a jumbled collection of odds and ends: a chipped Doraemon roly-poly toy, a broken ballpoint pen, a fragment of a hair clip kept in a small plastic bag, and a crumpled note that read, "Classmate, it's so hot, would you mind opening the window?"... among many other things.

Bai Qingxia sat the box on her lap and pulled out a stack of red banknotes. Adding the five hundred she had just received, she counted them—even though she already knew the total—confirming exactly one thousand yuan.

After a moment of thought, she checked the depth of her pants pocket before tucking the money under her pillow, intending to bring the full amount when she went shopping the next day.

The following day, Saturday, nine in the morning.

Lu Yuanqiu arrived at the entrance of Gui Lane on his bicycle. Seeing the girl in her blue-and-white school uniform appear, he immediately turned the handlebars and tapped the back seat.

"Hop on."

Once Bai Qingxia sat sideways on the back, Lu Yuanqiu said, "The weather is about to turn cold. How can you manage without getting some more clothes?"

The girl replied softly, "I have clothes, it’s just not that cold yet, so I haven't worn them."

"It’s~ just~ not~ that~ cold~ yet~"

Lu Yuanqiu pursed his lips, shaking his head and mimicking her tone with exaggerated flair.

Bai Qingxia hung her head, feeling a mix of shame and annoyance.

Lu Yuanqiu looked back and lectured loudly, "What counts as cold? By the time you feel cold, it’ll be too late! You’ll already be sick! Do you understand?!"

*Damn, why did I just say my mother's lines...?*

Listening to Lu Yuanqiu’s thunderous voice, the girl had no retort. She could only lower her head and whisper, "You said you wouldn't speak loudly to me..."

Lu Yuanqiu glanced back, puzzled. "When did I say that?"

Bai Qingxia’s expression was solemn. "Last Friday afternoon, during the break after the second math class."

She actually remembered that clearly? Lu Yuanqiu had forgotten all about it. He recalled that he might have said something about not being mean to her anymore. But that was just something he said to thank her for helping him with his homework. Was he just supposed to say whatever came to mind to cheer her up, and then be held to it?

Lu Yuanqiu’s tone turned stern. "If you do something wrong, I have to be mean! And not only will I be mean, I’ll spank you—right on your little bottom, *pop, pop, pop, pop*. Are you scared?"

The girl looked indifferent. "I don't want to talk to you."

Lu Yuanqiu let out a soft huff and turned back. "Getting bolder, are we? Starting to give me attitude."

As the flow of people increased and the surrounding buildings grew taller and more imposing, the girl nervously gripped the back of his shirt.

"Where are we going to buy clothes?"

"Wanda Plaza, of course."

"No... I don't want to go there..."

Bai Qingxia grew anxious and tugged firmly on Lu Yuanqiu’s shirt.

She had heard of that prestigious plaza many times, but it was also a place she dared not set foot in. She could almost imagine the blinding lights and the slippery, polished floors making her feel completely out of place; even if she stood in a corner, she would feel like she didn't belong.

Lu Yuanqiu stopped, one foot resting on a stone block.

"Then where should we go?" he asked, looking back.

Half an hour later.

Qingnian Road Market. Following the girl’s directions, Lu Yuanqiu had biked to the Qingnian Road Market, a place he had visited only once before.

Looking at the bustling, noisy, and chaotic scene, Lu Yuanqiu now felt that he was the one who didn't fit in. His impression of a wet market was a place where elderly people argued over a few cents until spit flew everywhere. His previous visit had cemented that image.

On one side, the elderly and the stall owners were shouting; on the other, the chickens in their cages were squawking. The noise made Lu Yuanqiu’s head spin.

He parked his bike by the roadside and asked, walking beside the girl, "Aren't markets for selling meat and vegetables? How can there be clothes here?"

"There are. They’re in the shops at the very back," Bai Qingxia said, walking briskly ahead. She was clearly much more at ease here.

Lu Yuanqiu chuckled and followed behind her.

The two pushed through the crowd toward the innermost shops. After turning a corner, Lu Yuanqiu did indeed see clothing stores. Flanking a hundred-meter-long path, the shop owners—mostly middle-aged men and women in pajamas—stood at their doorways, cracking melon seeds and chatting with their neighbors across the way.

Seeing this, Bai Qingxia, who had been confident just moments ago, suddenly turned timid. She quickly ducked behind Lu Yuanqiu, grabbing the back of his shirt and lowering her head.

Sure enough, the shop owners standing at the entrances pounced like hungry wolves the moment they saw the pair. Their eyes lit up. "Come in and take a look! Who is it for? Everything in the shop is trendy right now. Take a look, you're sure to find something you like!"

"Oh, isn't that the Seventh High school uniform? My son goes there too! Come on, come in and take a look—we have clothes for your age group, too!"

The two closest owners rushed forward as if to drag them in. Lu Yuanqiu finally understood why Bai Qingxia had hidden behind him the moment they arrived.

"We're both looking. Let’s check yours first," Lu Yuanqiu said. Both owners were incredibly pushy, and the middle-aged woman on the right even leaned in to peer at the shy girl hiding behind him, nearly forcing her to bury her head into Lu Yuanqiu’s back.

After a moment of hesitation, Lu Yuanqiu walked toward the shop on the right. Upon entering, he was pleasantly surprised.

Surprisingly, the clothes weren't as tacky as he had imagined; they were quite trendy. He had seen several other students at school wearing similar styles.

"I need pants and tops. That pair of black trousers, and that... black-and-white baseball jacket—bring those over, let's take a look."

The shopkeeper took a pole and pulled them down from the wall, turning to ask, "What size is she? Never mind, just try them on first. We can swap them if they don't fit."

Lu Yuanqiu took the pants and jacket and handed them to the girl. Bai Qingxia, not daring to say a word, reached out with both hands to take them.

"Where is the fitting room?" Lu Yuanqiu asked.

"Right there, right there!" The woman pointed toward the corner.

Lu Yuanqiu squinted, seeing only clothes hanging in the corner, with no sign of a room. Seeing the boy standing still, the woman clicked her tongue, walked over, and pulled a white curtain that had been draped in the corner. She hooked the other end to a nail on the adjacent wall, using the thin fabric to partition off a makeshift space.

"Try them on in here."

"Seriously, ma'am? What is this?!" Lu Yuanqiu’s eyes widened in shock.