Today, she could buy to her heart's content.
"Come, darling, over here."
Zhu Yunfei pulled Xia Wantang into the first store.
It was summer, the season for coolness and beauty.
The high-end women's clothing section had fewer people, but the variety of clothes was not lacking, with dresses and suits readily available.
As the three of them entered, a sales associate approached.
Dressed in professional suits, with neatly tied hair, they were well-proportioned and had sweet smiles.
One of them nodded slightly and said politely, "Welcome. I'm your sales associate, Xiao Mei. Please let me know if you need anything."
Zhu Yunfei smiled and nodded, not needing their assistance.
She scanned the clothes in the store while pulling Xia Wantang further inside.
Sales associates were professionally trained to read people, so they didn't eagerly step forward to introduce products.
They simply followed at a comfortable distance, observing the types of clothes they were looking at, to first understand who the purchases were for.
This way, they could offer suitable clothes and more thoughtful service when customers were undecided.
"Darling, what style do you like? Dresses or casual suits, or something more elegant, or perhaps playful?"
Zhu Yunfei's gaze fell upon the rows of vibrant dresses.
Although she found them beautiful, she felt Xia Wantang's preferences were more important.
Xia Wantang didn't have a strong desire to buy clothes.
In the past, she wore whatever Xia Wanfu didn't want.
And Xia Wanfu's style leaned towards a sweet, youthful look.
What she was wearing now was bought by herself, a floral print, belted dress, similar in style.
She didn't know if she liked it or disliked it, only that it was comfortable and suitable for her age.
So, when Zhu Yunfei asked her this question, faced with the dazzling array of colorful clothes, her mind went blank.
"I don't know, let's just look around!"
Seeing her indecisiveness, Zhu Yunfei decided to take the lead.
Thinking of Xia Wantang's upbringing, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy and pity.
Growing up in such an environment, having food and shelter was fortunate enough, let alone having the conditions to aspire to stylish outfits.
What a pity for such a beautiful young girl. Such a waste on the Xia family parents, they were truly unappreciative.
"Darling, look at this dress, it's beautiful and very suitable for you..."
Based on Xia Wantang's height and figure, Zhu Yunfei picked out five or six dresses.
All were suitable for a girl in her twenties, with lengths around the knee, and most featured a belted design.
The colors were not overly bright, and the styles were not gaudy.
She handed them to Xia Wantang and urged, "Hurry up and try them on."
Xia Wantang, clutching a pile of clothes, was pushed into the fitting room.
Zhu Yunfei, full of anticipation, didn't stand idle and continued to select more items.
She held the clothes up, comparing them, and glancing at her son, who was still in the fitting room, she called out, "Yu Chen, come and help Mom with these clothes."
As Ling Yuchen walked over, she immediately stuffed the chosen items into his arms and said without ceremony, "Follow me."
Ling Yuchen became like a tool, following behind her.
Dressed in a formal suit, he held a pile of colorful women's clothing, looking quite comical.
He suddenly regretted his decision not to bring Han Xiao with him.
"Sir, please give me the clothes."
Several sales associates immediately stepped forward, their attitudes becoming even more respectful.
Based on their years of experience, this was definitely a big client.
Ling Yuchen, relieved, handed all the clothes to the sales associates.
Two sales associates followed behind with the selected items, while one joined Zhu Yunfei in selecting more.
Gradually, even the two sales associates couldn't carry any more.
...
When Xia Wantang emerged, wearing a light pink dress.
She saw Zhu Yunfei standing at the fitting room door, smiling warmly at her.
Behind her stood five or six sales associates, each holding many clothes.
Not far away, Ling Yuchen was stunned by her beauty and couldn't look away, but he dared not approach.
It wasn't that he didn't love his wife, but he knew his mother's disposition well, and he was already in a precarious situation.
His mother had told him earlier not to rush, his turn would come soon.
Xia Wantang was stunned by the scene and found it difficult to speak coherently.
"Mom, these? Are they all... for me..."
She had looked at the price tags while trying on clothes earlier; one dress was 8,800 yuan. She didn't even dare to try it on.
The cheapest one she was wearing now was still not cheap, costing 3,000 yuan.
"Yes, you have too few clothes. Let's buy more this time."
Zhu Yunfei stepped forward, examining Xia Wantang's current dress with a face full of praise, "This one is nice, and the color is lovely."
Before Xia Wantang could react, she was pushed back inside.
"Quick, next one!"
Xia Wantang felt like crying. She wished she hadn't agreed to go shopping.
Standing in the fitting room, she casually picked up a dress, not daring to look at the price, and put it on.
The one she was wearing cost seventy yuan. How many of those could this one buy?
Her heart ached, and she walked out of the fitting room.
"Mom, no need to buy so much, it's a waste of money."
Zhu Yunfei dismissed it, "It's our own department store, so it doesn't cost money."
Alright, poverty had limited her imagination.
After that, Xia Wantang was continuously trying on clothes, trying on clothes, trying on clothes.
Finally, she felt numb.
After trying on an unknown number of outfits, she firmly stated, "Mom, it's enough, it's enough. If I wear one a day, I won't repeat outfits for a month. You don't need to buy me any more."
Zhu Yunfei still felt unsatisfied, but seeing Xia Wantang's dejected expression, she sighed, "Alright then."
She muttered to herself, *This is just the first store!*
Then, she turned her attention to Ling Yuchen and said casually, "It's your turn. You always wear that same old suit. Don't you want to change things up? Be careful Tang Tang gets tired of your style and stops loving you."
Ling Yuchen remained silent, his long, narrow eyes looking towards Xia Wantang.
Xia Wantang pretended not to see, afraid that if she spoke, her mother's attention would be drawn back to her.
"Let's go to the men's section." Zhu Yunfei put an arm around Xia Wantang's shoulders and said without looking back, "Pack up everything we've picked out."
In the men's section, it was all women choosing clothes for men to try on.
Either they were brought by girlfriends or mothers.
The sales associates inside directly addressed the female companions, treating the men as mere mannequins.
Then began a new round of shopping spree.
Xia Wantang didn't know how to pick clothes, so she accompanied them, and suddenly felt that observing was quite good, as the previous experience had been too painful.
Zhu Yunfei first selected a few casual suits and handed them to Ling Yuchen.
In the past, Ling Yuchen would never have tried on clothes in a mall.
His clothes were all custom-made, in the style of formal shirts and suits.
Taking the clothes, he obediently went to the fitting room.
It was the first time he had been so compliant, allowing himself to be dressed up.
And he was very patient, trying on whatever his mother asked him to.
The reason for his obedience was what his mother had said.
If his wife saw his monotonous outfits too often, she would get tired of them and stop loving him.