Chapter 100

Xia Qingning didn’t expect that he would buy her a watch just because she casually asked him what time it was.

Watches weren’t cheap in this era. One would cost a few hundred yuan.

Thinking about how he had already bought her so many things, and how he had given her family so much money when she went back to her parents’ house, and now they were only nominally husband and wife, essentially still independent individuals, how could she keep taking advantage of him? So, she waved her hand and said:

“No need.”

Lu Jingzhe frowned slightly and didn’t say anything. He looked at the dazzling array of watches in the cabinet, pointed at one, and said to the saleswoman inside:

“This one.”

The saleswoman saw that he was wearing a military uniform and had an extraordinary temperament. She also took a special look at the watch he was wearing on his wrist. Seeing that it was a foreign-made Rolex, she knew that such a person wouldn’t be short of money. She had an idea. After taking out the watch he had chosen, she picked up a more expensive one and started introducing it:

“Comrade, you can take a look at this one. It’s imported from abroad. It’s very delicate. This lady has thin wrists, so wearing a watch with a thin strap will look better. Not only can you tell time, but it can also be worn as a piece of jewelry, just like a bracelet.”

Lu Jingzhe hadn’t had much contact with girls before. He didn’t know what kind of styles girls usually liked. After listening to the saleswoman’s introduction, he reached out and took the watch.

Seeing that Lu Jingzhe was about to be persuaded, Xia Qingning quickly walked over. She knew he had made up his mind to buy her one, and if she refused again, it would seem pretentious.

Well, if he was going to buy one, she might as well buy one she liked.

She looked at the watch the saleswoman had recommended, then lowered her head and carefully looked at the other styles in the cabinet. Finally, her gaze fell on the one Lu Jingzhe had chosen.

The watch had a medium-sized dial, without too many decorations. It looked simple and elegant. The hands were thinner than those of other watches, making it simple yet delicate.

Watches were meant to be practical rather than decorative. She didn’t like the flashy ones. Xia Qingning pointed at the one Lu Jingzhe had chosen and said to him softly:

“I like the one you picked.”

It was just a simple sentence, but it sounded like a gurgling spring to Lu Jingzhe’s ears. Looking at the girl in front of him, she had beautiful eyebrows and starry eyes, a smile on her face, and she looked very bright and lovely. Lu Jingzhe responded:

“Okay.”

Although it was just a simple word, it inexplicably sounded like a doting tone.

Lu Jingzhe looked at the saleswoman and said in a deep voice:

“This one.”

The saleswoman saw that they both liked this one, and she was also tactful enough not to push any other watches. She said with a smile:

“This one is also good. It’s 206 yuan in total. This is the watch box. I’ll pack it for you.”

“No need.” Lu Jingzhe said. He quickly paid and then naturally pulled Xia Qingning’s hand, preparing to help her put it on.

Her wrist was white and slender, like a lotus root. He tried the watch on her wrist, then carefully adjusted the length of the strap. With a “click,” the buckle was secured.

The silver watch looked very good on her white wrist.

The saleswoman handed the watch box to Xia Qingning:

“Keep the watch box.”

Xia Qingning took the watch box, said “thank you,” and left the counter with Lu Jingzhe. They were about to leave the department store when they were stopped by the man who had sold them the camera last time.

“Comrade, comrade, you really liked this camera last time, didn’t you? Do you want to buy one today?”

He had recognized her as soon as he saw her buying a watch. In this era, women who understood cameras were rare, and she was also so beautiful. So, the boss remembered her. Now, seeing her buy a watch, he naturally asked her if she wanted to buy a camera.

Xia Qingning was about to say “no,” but Lu Jingzhe had already walked to the counter. He asked the man in a deep voice:

“Which one?”

The man quickly took the “Seagull” brand camera that Xia Qingning had liked last time from the display cabinet and handed it to Lu Jingzhe. He introduced:

“This camera has the best optical quality of all the cameras here. The photos it takes are very clear.”

This camera looked smaller than the other cameras. It was suitable for women. Lu Jingzhe took the camera from the boss’s hands. He found that it didn’t look big but was heavy. He held it in his hand and examined it carefully.

She had already bought a watch. How could Xia Qingning let him spend more money buying a camera? It wasn’t a necessity, and it was so expensive. Even if he had money, she didn’t want to spend so lavishly. She quickly said to Lu Jingzhe:

“No need to buy it. Let’s go.”

“This lady knows her cameras. She came here last time and immediately liked this one, but she didn’t want to buy it because it was too expensive.” The man was a good businessman. He smiled and said to Lu Jingzhe.

He was clearly hinting: Your wife really likes it, but she’s just too cheap. Buy it for her.

Xia Qingning was a little anxious, afraid that he would get carried away and buy it for her. In a moment of panic, she blurted out his name:

“Lu Jingzhe.”

She rarely called him by his name. Lu Jingzhe turned to look at her. He saw that she suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, gently shaking it. She said softly:

“Don’t buy it. It’s getting late. Let’s go.”

Her action of pulling his sleeve was quite cute. This time, Lu Jingzhe didn’t insist. He put down the camera and replied with a single word:

“Hmm.”

He was so obedient, which surprised Xia Qingning. But she felt relieved.

It wasn’t that she was being cheap and unwilling to spend money. It was just that the money was his. Spending so much at once, in this era when many people couldn’t even afford to eat, buying a luxurious digital product, she really couldn’t feel at ease.

“Come back next time if you need anything.” Seeing that he didn’t buy it, the man didn’t get angry. He still had a smile on his face as he said to them.

“Okay.” Lu Jingzhe replied seriously, not at all like he was being perfunctory. Then he turned to Xia Qingning and said:

“Let’s go.”

Then, they walked out of the department store, one in front of the other.

It would take about fifty minutes to ride from here to the western suburbs. The road ahead was relatively flat, but the further they went to the outskirts, the more bumpy the road became. Xia Qingning was originally carrying the things they had bought, but when they reached the outskirts, Lu Jingzhe took them from her and hung them on the handlebars.

Because the road was so bumpy, Xia Qingning didn’t bother. She directly reached out and grabbed Lu Jingzhe’s clothes. But even so, she almost lost her balance a couple of times.

At this time, Xia Qingning finally understood why Lu Jingzhe had refused when she said she wanted to buy some fruit. It was hard enough for her to stay balanced on the bike, let alone carrying a bag of fruit. After riding for a while, the person in front suddenly stopped the bike. His long legs naturally hung down to the ground, easily supporting the bike. Then, he took Xia Qingning’s hand from behind her and wrapped it around his waist.