Chapter 100 - 93: Taking Mom to the Hot Springs

Chapter 100: Chapter 93: Taking Mom to the Hot Springs

’Even though I don’t have much money right now and can’t afford expensive things,’ she thought, ’I can still manage a one-thousand-yuan outfit. It would just make things a little tight later on.’

Qiu Yuru had only swatted at him playfully, with no intention of actually hitting him. Yan Xici’s intervention made her feel a bit embarrassed.

She shot Xiao Ran a look. ’Honestly,’ she thought, ’I wonder what good deeds Xiao Ran did in his past life to deserve someone who treats him so well in this one.’

"By the way, Mom, what’s that you’re holding?" Xiao Ran asked.

He had noticed the paper bag in his mother’s hand earlier.

But she had swatted him the moment she saw him, giving him no chance to speak.

Qiu Yuru glanced at the bag in her hand and then, beaming, handed it to the girl. "Auntie saw how good it looked on you, so I bought it. Xiao Ran told me you’re about to start working soon. Once you have a job, you’re a young woman, and you need some decent clothes."

Hearing this, the girl froze and instinctively looked at the bag in her hand.

’I can’t believe Auntie actually bought that outfit for me!’

That outfit cost two thousand yuan; it wasn’t cheap at all!

’This is way too extravagant!’

’She finally makes a trip here and doesn’t buy anything for herself, but she buys me a bracelet and clothes.’

’She treats me as if I were her own daughter.’

The more she thought about it, the more touched and guilty she felt.

"Auntie, I can’t accept this. Let’s go return it," the girl said, her tone firm.

Qiu Yuru frowned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ’How can we return something that’s already been bought?’

If she had wanted to return it, she wouldn’t have bought it in the first place.

She smiled. "Alright now, Auntie is giving this to you, so just take it. If you refuse, you’re treating me like a stranger!"

After all, their two families were practically in-laws. Besides, even if it were the child of a friend, she would have bought it for them if they looked that good in it.

Qiu Yuru wasn’t wealthy, but she could still afford this amount. In her eyes, it was no different from buying the bracelet.

Xiao Ran quickly chimed in, "Just take it. It’s from my mom."

To be honest, he thought the outfit looked great too. If his mom hadn’t bought it, he probably would have gone down and bought it himself later.

Looking at the two people before her, who felt closer than family, the girl’s face filled with an indescribable sense of gratitude.

She pressed her lips together. "Oh, Auntie, they gave us two hot spring tickets earlier. After we’re done shopping, you and Brother Xiao Ran should go. The pictures in the brochure look really nice."

With that, the girl handed over the two tickets.

Qiu Yuru looked curious. "Well, what do you know. Big cities really are different, huh? They even give you hot spring tickets when you buy clothes."

She’d been buying clothes her whole life, and this was a first.

"I heard the shop owner also owns the hot spring. Since they gave us the tickets, you might as well check it out," Yan Xici continued.

She then thoughtfully linked her arm with Qiu Yuru’s. "You didn’t bring a swimsuit when you came, did you, Auntie? Come on, let’s go pick one out downstairs!"

And with that, she pulled her downstairs.

Xiao Ran watched the two of them and followed with a helpless expression.

When they reached the third floor, the girl made a beeline for a swimwear shop. Qiu Yuru quickly said, "Oh, Auntie doesn’t like hot springs. Don’t go to the trouble."

There were only two tickets. As the elder, she felt the young ones should be the ones to go.

’What kind of parent leaves their kids at home to go enjoy themselves?’

"No way! Auntie, you’re leaving tomorrow. You have to enjoy tonight, no matter what!"

To be honest, the girl quite liked hot springs herself. Lying in the warm water, gazing at the relaxing surroundings, maybe putting on a face mask... it was the definition of bliss.

She wanted to make Auntie happy.

"Really, there’s no need."

"Just listen to me."

Yan Xici gave no room for argument, pulling Qiu Yuru straight into the shop.

Qiu Yuru truly hadn’t expected the girl to be so good to her.

It felt rude to refuse such kindness.

"Alright then, we’ll buy one for you too, and all three of us will go!" she decided. If they were going, they had to go together.

The girl quickly waved her hands. "No, I won’t go. I have to work on my resume tonight."

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go with them, but she simply felt that Auntie probably had a lot to say to Brother Xiao Ran.

’And some of it might not be appropriate for me to hear.’

Like the topic of his marriage to her sister.

Seeing her insistence, Qiu Yuru didn’t know what else to say. Just then, a salesclerk noticed them and hurried over. "Hello, what can I help you two with today?"

This wasn’t just a swimwear store; it sold lingerie as well. Many shops were like that nowadays.

The girl pointed to Qiu Yuru beside her, a friendly smile on her face. "A swimsuit for my auntie!"

With that, she linked arms with her and went inside, standing before the racks to choose carefully.

She had excellent taste, immediately spotting a black swimsuit. It looked like a short dress with sleeves, not revealing at all, and the opulent pattern on it was perfect for someone Qiu Yuru’s age.

She pointed to the swimsuit. "Auntie, what do you think of that one?"

Sure enough, Qiu Yuru took a look and thought it was very nice as well—probably the best-looking one in the store.

She patted the girl’s hand. "Good."

Then she pointed at the swimsuit. "Here, we’ll take that one!"

Xiao Ran was waiting outside for them. To be honest, more than half the store was filled with women’s sleepwear, and he was too embarrassed to go in.

Seeing that his mom had made her choice, he quickly pulled up his payment QR code, walked in, and said to the salesclerk, "Here, scan mine."

...

After buying the swimsuit, the girl tugged on Qiu Yuru, wanting to take her to look at more women’s clothes.

They’d been walking around for half the day, and frankly, Qiu Yuru was a little tired. She wasn’t young anymore, after all.

Besides, she didn’t need any clothes. And if she did find something she liked, knowing Yan Xici’s personality, she’d probably insist on buying it for her, which would just be a hassle.

Seeing his mom refuse to go, Xiao Ran grew anxious. "Hey, we brought you here specifically to buy clothes. How can you not have bought a single thing?"

’This won’t do!’

Qiu Yuru shot him a look. "Does your mother look like she’s short on clothes?"

She really didn’t need any. She had only come out because she wanted to walk around with her son and soak in the atmosphere.

And speaking of clothes, the ones in their hometown of Suzhou were much cheaper than in Shanghai.

She even had a few friends in the clothing business, so buying clothes couldn’t be more convenient for her.

"You really don’t want to look anymore?"

"No."

Qiu Yuru shook her head.

"In that case, Brother Xiao Ran, you should take Auntie to the hot spring now," the girl suggested. "If you go now, you’ll be done around ten, just in time to come back for a good night’s sleep."

Xiao Ran gave her a worried look. "What about you?"

It was only eight o’clock. She would surely be bored at home all by herself.

The girl feigned annoyance. "Me? I have to work on my resume tonight. Your keyboard going CLACKETY-CLACK at home would just distract me. Go on, go on."

"Alright then. I’ll drop you off first, and then we’ll go. You focus on your resume at home, and try to land a good job on your first interview."

According to the rules, the university would hold a job fair during the last month of junior year.

Recruiters from many companies would come to the campus for interviews. If they felt a student was a good fit, they would issue an offer letter. With this letter, the student could officially start working, and it would be registered with the university.

Since she had put it that way, Xiao Ran couldn’t object. The three of them left the mall.

Once in the car, Xiao Ran first drove the girl home before heading to the address on the tickets with his mom.

The girl went inside, washed her hands, and grabbed her loungewear, ready to take a shower. Suddenly, she remembered the spaghetti-strap nightgown she had bought yesterday. She hurriedly put the loungewear back, picked up the nightgown, and headed into the bathroom.

After taking off her clothes, her graceful figure appeared in the mirror.

The girl looked at her reflection. ’Hmm, my skin is very fair.’

’My legs are very straight.’

’My stomach is flat, not an ounce of fat.’

But looking a little higher up, things were a bit... underdeveloped. Remembering what Si Yingying had said, the girl pressed her lips together. ’Right, didn’t she say she had a secret recipe for me?’

’Where is that secret recipe?’

’No, I have to ask her about it after my shower!’