Chapter 112: Is There Something Going On?

As November progressed, temperatures steadily dropped. By mid-month, daytime temperatures in Hai City had fallen to around 17°C^[1]62°F, with nighttime lows dipping to 10°C.^[2]50°F

The chill wasn’t limited to Hai City; the entire Qinghua region had transitioned into “deep autumn mode,” with some areas even entering “early winter.”

Naturally, people began pulling out their long-sleeved shirts and pants. But upon donning them, they made a startling discovery—their clothes seemed to have shrunk!

Individuals began sharing their experiences online, with a growing collection of comparison photos. Soon, the before and after photos went viral!

Analysis of these photos revealed the cause: After the energy rain, the average height of men had increased by three to five centimeters.^[3]roughly one to two inches

Everyone rejoiced, celebrating this unexpected growth spurt. Some men even shed tears of joy, finally escaping the stigma of being particularly short.

While the height increase was welcome, it did reveal a practical problem: a widespread lack of suitable clothing.

Shirts were manageable, but the cropped pants were not going to be sufficient from deep autumn into the harsh winter months. But buying new pants wasn’t easy—everyone had a strict clothing quota!

Previously, you could at least rotate a few pairs of pants. Now, were you supposed to wear a single pair without changing?

Realistically, it was simply impossible to buy one pair to cover the inner and outer layers. Were people expected to wear one pair of pants until they wore out?

Netizens expressed frustration that growing taller came at the cost of finding pants!

Since buying new pants was so difficult, netizens devised a solution: “exchanging”!

Strictly speaking, Bi Qiao’an thought this wasn’t a true exchange. At best, it was a hand-me-down system.

The netizens’ method could only work in families with multiple siblings. Taller individuals would pass down outgrown pants to those slightly shorter, giving them something to wear.

But what about the taller siblings? The whole family would pool their efforts to buy them a few new pairs of pants!

However, Qinghua’s current clothing sizes were based on average height and weight statistics from the past twenty years. The most common sizes were 175 for men and 160 for women.

This meant those who were originally shorter were mostly unaffected, while taller individuals couldn’t find ready-made clothing. They either had to wait for factories to adjust to new height standards or have clothes custom-tailored.

Families with many siblings could make this system work, but most families in Qinghua only had one child, and many disliked wearing hand-me-downs. So, how could they solve this problem?

The solution was simple—splicing! They would add extra fabric to lengthen their pants!

Though it might look ugly, if everyone did it, the ugliness would become a fashion trend, revolutionizing Qinghua’s clothing scene!

This development left Shen Yanming grateful for his foresight in purchasing oversized clothing from abroad. Without it, he too would be forced to wear spliced pants.

Still, appearances mattered, and a shopping trip was necessary. Perhaps they could even find ready-made, large-sized clothing.

After work on Friday, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an shopping at their familiar haunt, Times Square.

Times Square offered both convenience due to its proximity to Qingyu Community and an abundance of goods. Additionally, its high prices kept crowds manageable.

After some searching, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an found two pairs of size 190 pants. Despite the hefty price tag, Shen Yanming didn’t hesitate to purchase them.

Bi Qiao’an’s clothes were easier to find. However, she insisted she didn’t need any and offered her quota to Shen Yanming, enabling him to buy two sets of large-sized thermal underwear.

While their space contained these items, they still needed to establish a plausible source for them.

Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an didn’t linger in the clothing section. After all, just looking without buying was somewhat frustrating.

Therefore, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an to stroll in the non-quota shopping area. Upon arriving, they discovered that the price of gold had actually doubled.

This likely signaled international instability and a growing sense of risk aversion among the populace.

Unconcerned with such matters, Bi Qiao’an admired the jewelry. Just as she asked to see a specific bracelet, she spotted Song Wennuan and a handsome man nearby, also browsing jewelry.

Bi Qiao’an frowned and pulled out her phone to call Jiang Shanshan. “Shanshan, is Wennuan seeing anyone?”

“No, she was just complaining to me last night about her family urging her to go on blind dates! Why do you ask?” Jiang Shanshan sounded surprised by the question.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just saw someone who looked like Wennuan from behind. There was a very handsome guy beside her, so I thought it might be her and her boyfriend. That’s why I called to get the gossip,” Bi Qiao’an said with a mix of truth and teasing.

Jiang Shanshan laughed. “I thought you had some juicy secret to share! Haha, I’ll let you know if Wennuan has any news.”

“Sounds good!” After a few more minutes of chatting, Bi Qiao’an hung up.

She didn’t approach Song Wennuan. She had already recognized the man as the same one she had seen across from her at the Western restaurant. Their relationship seemed even closer than before.

“What’s up?” Shen Yanming asked, noticing Bi Qiao’an’s distraction.

“Wennuan and her friend,” Bi Qiao’an replied, pointing to the two figures in the distance.

Shen Yanming raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask further.

The couple spent another half hour in Times Square before heading home, their bags full of purchases.

Once in the car, Shen Yanming said, “If you’re curious, why not just call her?”

Bi Qiao’an shook her head. “Song Wennuan didn’t even tell Jiang Shanshan. Maybe she and that man aren’t really in a relationship. Or perhaps she doesn’t want us to know yet. I’d rather not bring it up.”

Shen Yanming nodded. “Fair enough. It’s their personal life, after all.”

Meanwhile, Song Wennuan was saying goodbye to the handsome man.

“Mr. Wei, I’m home. You should head back too!”

Wei Liang nodded. “Wennuan, thank you so much for today!”

Song Wennuan smiled. “Of course! It’s what friends do. Your wife just needs some reassurance. Go home and make things right. I’m sure you’ll find a way to reconcile!”

Wei Liang caressed the small box in his hand and smiled. “I hope she’ll like this gift!”

Song Wennuan nodded and turned to go upstairs, only to find Jiang Shanshan waiting for her at the door. “Wow, back from a date? No wonder Qiao’an called me. So, there really is something going on! Listen, if you’re dating, I won’t judge. Darling, I won’t compete with you!”

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